This might be a bit off the normal stream of topic, but given the posts framing around the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and then glue and sticks (can you see the connection) already posted this week, might as well throw something of a ratchet into things:

…Which all makes me wonder: Are we are destined to hit a point where our global intellectual capacity is so taken up with maintaining the technological status quo, that we will loose the capacity for further technological innovation?  Or even worse; are we heading for a technology innovation impasse ends up degenerating into an uncertain and unenlightened future?

I have to say, I’m not an optimist here – that is, unless we learn how to build effective technology ratchets.

A mechanical ratchet, as everyone knows, is a device that allows movement in one direction only. By comparison, a technology ratchet can be considered as something that allows technology development to move forward, but prevents or inhibits it from moving backward.  The idea is to find ways to hold onto ground gained through technology innovation, without having to constantly expend huge amounts of effort in doing so…

Read the rest of Why We Need Technology Ratchets at 2020 Science.

Truth be told, I sometimes feel MMM serves as a ratchet for some of you. Personally, there have been things done (living mobile, using a mobile web server, etc.) that have certainly felt a lot like this tech has indeed been a ratchet. For example, when’s the last time you heard us write on the topic of being “mobile only?” Saw Mobility Nigeria blogging about their experiences doing so and it kind kind of strikes me as a bit interesting that since going mobile-only (some background on that), we’ve not really turned back. In fact, anytime I’m asked to use a laptop these days (virtual conferencing and Visio/PowerPoint preferences), I get very aggitated and want to take an axe to the person(s) requesting such (antiquated to me) tools and behaviors. Similar feelings simmer when someone asks “hey, can you print from that iPad?” And I’m having to quickly process (see James 3) on finding their context of why they see printing as necessary. Its honestly that difficult to go back to a context of computing that I’ve gone away from.

Have any of you felt the same way? Perhaps in regards to when you first started replying to your office or family using mobile email and the resulting “crackbettery addict” conversation? Or, maybe it was you doing something so daring as bringinng a PDA/mobile to church and using that for Bible reading, then looking around at those with print Bibles and wondering why they insist on squinting at that 2in stack of paper? Or, whatever it was. There is some sense of technologies and behaviors adjusting or resetting our state of “normal” and now we move forward, or try to, in the midst of a greater community that’s slow to get the message.

Perhaps it wasn’t so off the stream of our topics afterall?