Module 13

The study of the material offered in this class was rather enjoyable for me. “The World is Flat” was an excellent book to read, it re-invented new thoughts in my mind that up to this point, really never entered it, or thoughts that I never took time to stop and think about. Although the title of the book left something to be desired in my opinion, it offered up plenty of material that allowed me to view the world economies in a different manner. World economies are defiantly very much intertwined whether you like it or not. We live in an age where communication is very complicated or simple, depending on your perspective, and if you fall behind in technology, you are simply missing the boat. Technology is an essential part of most everyone's lives, not only are we connected in on a local or national platform, it virtually encompasses the entire world, and as the title of the book suggest, minimizes the shear size, and makes us all feel we can simply reach out and touch anyone or anything at the touch of our fingers.
The Netscape story was an interesting read for me, this, is some fashion is where it all began. As I look back at what was then Netscape, and where we are today, it's simply overwhelming to think about. Back when Netscape was developed, sure computers were around, and they were a nice convenience, today they are simply essential, and what I once had sitting in my computer room, that sold for close to $2000 before the turn of the century, now I hold in my hand in the form of a smart phone, which is also mobile.
The concept of outsourcing, offshoring, and free trade were one's that I always approached with mixed emotions. Friedman went into great detail and explained the cons as well as the pros of all concepts, and he gave real world examples of how each operated. I appreciated his devotion and time he has spent on this book, and his research. I felt for the most part, it was well written and very beneficial to anyone who choose to study his work. The one thing that I did find very interesting about Mr. Friedman, is he always knew the right people in the right course of study.
Id have to say my favorite part of this class is the papers we had the opportunity to write on research with computer networks and how computers have effected our education. It's always enjoyable when your able to take a subject that you really enjoy, and expand on it.
Another very interesting part of this class was the study of why are some countries or regions are better at doing some things than other countries or regions. This was fascinating to me, the reasons Friedman points out have really never occurred to me, nor had I really ever stop to think about them. After giving them some thought they made perfect sense, they changed my view on
developing oil rich countries, and to the reason they really never can get out of there own way. Really it is very sad that the people of those countries must suffer at the hands of these dictatorships, where they could have so much more to offer and develop for themselves.
The movie review was wonderful, I really enjoyed taking the opportunity to watch the film “War Games” again, this was a childhood favorite of mine, but as I stated in my paper, one I really never fully grasped at that age. This class afforded me the opportunity to watch it again and really think about how realistic the movie presented itself, and what was purely science fiction.
Having the opportunity to read others post about the same material I had study was a great benefit, it offered a different perspective which I believe is always a good idea. In closing, I'd have to state that this class has certainly offered new perspectives on the world economy as a whole, and just how small the world has become with all the technology that we enjoy today. It has taught me that I am not only competing with people in my area, I am also competing with people potentially all around the world, and as such I need to fine tune my skills to continually keep up with this ever demanding, and changing world.