Clever people

I'm back from the O'Reilly 'Emerging Technology' conference. Wow, what a show!

I really like the O'Reilly conferences. The folks know how to run a con; everything went smoothly from check-in to keynotes to individual sessions. They can get a good set of speakers with an eclectic set of topics. And they can attract clever people to attend.

The big ideas from this show, the ideas that I took away, are these:

 - Cell phones can be used for a lot more than phone calls and text messages. They can be used for interactive, multiplayer games. They can be used to track individuals and feed analytics web sites. (How you use the data from cell phones is the clever bit.)

 - Web 2.0 is coming on-line. Web 2.0 is more than just Google maps; it is mashing information from one web site into another. Web sites are adapting to use Web 2.0 techniques; they are exposing APIs for other web sites to use.

 - Lots of applications can be built in the web space, and these applications are different from the traditional PC applications just as PC applications were different from traditional mainframe applications. PC apps didn't kill mainframe apps, they created a new space for applications. (Visicalc didn't replace General Ledger but complemented it.)  The new Web 2.0 apps won't kill PC apps (MS-Word will be with us for a while, I'm afraid) but they will extend the usefulness of computers and create new opportunities for developers.

 - Clever people are still out there. There are a number of clever people available, and you can find them if you try. Clever people are, well, clever, and don't fall for the stupid tricks that work on average folks. If you are looking for clever people you must work at it.

The future is happening now. New web sites with Web 2.0 tech are available now. People are developing them now. If you are not developing them now, you will be in the late-comer set. Which is fine if you are comfortable with the idea. Not everyone is a leader. But if you want to be a leader, Web 2.0 is happening.

All you need is an idea... and some clever people.