I think at the dawn of PCs there was a company with a name like The People's Computer Company. If not, it could have been the name of the whole industry.

This is what all the heroes of the 80s were thinking at the beginning. We're building tools to give power to the people.

It was an extension of the culture we grew up in, the 60s and 70s. Power to the People was a big idea then. I think it's going to be a big one again, in reaction to what the computer industry of the generation after the hippies is doing. Zuck is going to create rebellion. Apple and Larry and Sergei too.

The first product of the PPC will be a PC (of course) with all its ports open. With disk drives and an Ethernet jack. Slots. Nothing new. But the things that are disappearing from the "Post-PC" computers everyone is talking about will still be there on the Post-Post-PC.

I don't mind carrying around something a little more clunky if it can be connected to something we haven't dreamt up yet.

That's what was great about the original PC industry. It's what we'll come to value in the new one.

 2/29/2012; 6:23:23 PM.

Must remember to write a blog post about this.

The tech industry has been absorbed by the ad industry, and vice versa.

However, there is, imho, still room for a tech industry that is not merged with the ad industry.

In fact, if we want to have a tech industry at all, we'd better invest in the "other" one, because advertising isn't much to bet on long-term. Seriously.

I had this flash reading a TechCrunch piece about Foursquare. It hit me that Dennis has been getting his education in advertising for the last few years. Now instead of talking features for users he talks about features for advertisers.

Yes, I'm sure there's a lot of money in this. But it wasn't why I got into tech. I don't like advertising very much. I don't mind if it's funny (like the E-trade ads with the kids) but much of what passes for advertising these day is pretty humiliating, for everyone involved.

Like the ads in front of movies, and the ads they play during breaks at NBA games. Why? I paid $200 for my seat. If I paid $225 could I have it without the ads?

Oh well, looks like I went ahead and wrote the blog post.

 2/29/2012; 5:41:42 PM.