Module 4

The Job Interview:

The company I choose to research is Prohosting.com. Prohosting.com is a web hosting company that offers a variety of web hosting services. They have been in business since '97, which is very early for a web hosting company. They started out of San Jose, California, and have since relocated to Dallas, Texas. They are also in the process of setting up operations in Provo. I am fortunate know a friend who knows the owner of the company Lance; and thanks to another flattener of the world, Facebook, I was able to contact Lance. He was more then happy to help me with this project and give me a phone interview.

To begin, I asked a bit about his background. He informed me that he does not have a college education, but what he lacks in 'Education', he more then makes up with experience and pure motivation. Upon making the the phone call I call could immediately tell this guy was incredibly smart, not only with computers, but in business as well. He knows multiple programming languages and multiple Operating Systems. He has setup many different business and even mentioned how he suffered during the dot com bust. I thought this to be kind of funny because I did not bring up subject, he did. He re-assured me that it did in fact happen, and a lot of people did hurt from it.

After learning about him, he then flipped the table and proceeded to learn about me and what my qualifications were. I preceded to tell him all the certs that I either have, or that I am working on. A+, Net+, MCSE, Linux+, and security+. I think he was most impressed with the fact that I was learning an operating system other then Windows. Not that he said Windows was bad, but it good to have diversity. He was impressed with the fact that I was studying Linux. This is good news to my ears because now I feel that all my time invested into the OS is validated. I feel real good about my educational background, I have made some right choices there, but Lance gave my some pointers that could help me obtain a job.

The first being typing speed. He told me that in some cases, a persons typing speed will be the difference maker. There are two reasons for this. First, the obvious, anyone that can type fast is more efficient. But secondly, he told me that anyone that can type fast obviously spends a lot of time around a computer. Hmm, this is useful info. His remarks on typing speed caught my attention by surprise. To be honest I have no clue how fast I can type, so off I go to take a typing test on Monday.

Another couple of points of observation he taught me were about perspective and attitude. He asked if I could make an iphone app? I immediately responded no because my knowledge of scripting languages is very limited. Lance, laughed and told me that he could make any app that he wanted to. Yet he isn't very knowledgeable in those languages either. He told me that even though it might take him a year to make that app, compared to a couple weeks for someone who is experienced is really not the point. The point is that with all the knowledge available to him, he could make an iphone app and that won't be a lie; and I could to.

The biggest theme I took from this whole conversation however, was motivation. It was very clear to me that Lance is very self-motivated, and continuously strives to improve himself and his companies. He explained that even though he was the owner, he is constantly doing grunt work to make things happen smoother. He is always learning more about computers and technology. Being in I.T. Is an ever learning process. So ok, I do have the education, what I need to do find it is find it within myself to shift to a higher gear and be more motivated, just as Lance.

Module 3

Mod 3:

The more I read “The world is Flat”the more my perception changes about the world. Not only does globalization 3.0 require businesses to intervene with each other and develop standards so that they can easily and efficiently interface, but it also challenges countries and individuals alike to think deeper then there personal pocket books. To collaborate with another country and help their economy will in return help our own economy and help build international relations. I now realize that better the world's economy is flowing, the better America's economy will flow as well. Think about this, if we as American's can outsource or offshore jobs to Mexico, the better the Mexican Economy would be, thus greatly reducing the number of illegal Mexican aliens sneaking into our country to work under the table and take away jobs from us Americans. Consequently, if that was the situation, it wouldn't matter if the Mexican was working in America or Mexico because both economies would be thriving and there would be job opportunities for everyone.

When I first started reading about outsourcing I was filled with a sense of greed until reading further and learning how it actually helps and not hurts. Well, once again, Friedman has taught me how offshoring can actually be beneficial. The main difference between the two is; outsourcing is a specific function that your company is doing and sending it to another location to be done by someone else. Offshoring on the other hand is moving the whole factory to another location. This is beneficial because we can take advantage of the low cost, high quality products that saves the consumers a considerable amount of money, which in turn effects the Federal Revere helping to keep interest rates low so Americans can afford to buy home at a reasonable rate. Another fact Friedman pointed out is that many people forget about all the offshoring coming to America. This is great for the world's economy.

Another important flattener of the world is the supply chain model, and Wal-Mart for its major role in refining the supply-chain to an almost prefect science. In a nut-shell a supply chain is a method of delivering, sorting and keeping track of inventory with information systems. This requires common standards, just like a computer network so that different supply companies can keep caught up with the demand of their products. If I was to walk into Wal-Mart and buy a banana, as soon as I purchase this said banana, Wal-Mart's computer system will then record the transaction to its database so that  Wal-Mart knows the banana has been sold and needs to be replace. The genius of Wal-Mart is they allow there supplier companies access to their database, and thanks to the common standard developed between Wal-Mart and the supplier, the supplier knows immediately that they need to ship another banana to the Wal-Mart supply-chain, which then will be shipped to the correct Wal-Mart store.

Wal-Mart has the most efficient supply-chain in the world, and they use it to their advantage by passing the savings to the consumer. Once the consumer figures out that not only is Wal-Mart cheaper then other stores, but has the same quality of product, Wal-Mart was able to spread like wild-fire and become the giant corp. that it is today.

Finally, Google (and other search engines) are, in my opinion, one of the biggest flatteners of all. I can remember being in high school and having to go to the library to do any research, no matter what the subject.  Well, if the internet is the information super-highway, then Google is not only your navigator, but also your vessel in which gets you to get the information that you are seeking. I don't think I have been to a library since Google took off. I no longer need to.

From a business stand point, Google has improved the way we shop in two ways! With help from Google's PageRank Technology, a person can find what they are looking for with great accuracy, allowing an individual to do their own outsourcing, supply-chaining, and offshoring. But even more important, is the database that Google builds around your query's. This allows for companies to target only the people that are interested in their product. (Last thing I want to see is an ad for tampons).

Yet, while Goggle was the brain behind personalize ads, other companies have taken the same idea. Facebook is a good example of this! Say I'm on Facebook and push the like button for the 'Dallas Cowboys'. Immediately I see ads about Dallas Cowboy sports wear and other Cowboy memorabilia. Sure companies benefit from Google because Google is the number one search engine in the World, making it the most visited website in the world. However, Facebook is actually just as good or better then Google because people spend more time on Facebook and input more personal information then Google; I know this to be true because I goggled it!

Module 2

Module 2:

 Admittedly “The world is Flat” is not the most exciting of books. None the less, Friedman continues to open my eyes to everyday processes that make up our era known as globalization 3.0. He continues to point out daily human-computer interactions that, despite my disposition as an Information Technology major, I take for granted. I never truly pay attention to the scenes, behind the works of my computer's doings.

Workflow software for example, is a technology that most of us unknowingly interact with on a daily basis. It is something that is quite complex and taken for granted. Friedman has actually been give us examples of workflow software since the beginning of his book. He is now just bring it to or attention. Workflow software is a software technology that enables the computers of the flat world to interact with each-other despite the platform they are operating on through standardized protocols and applications. For example, thanks to IMAP, POP3, and STMP I can access my email from an old AOL account or a new Google account despite the type of network I am on. But that's just the protocols. To demonstrate an example of workflow software together as a whole, I will incorporate something that I am truly fond of, my Utah Jazz!

My example of workflow software in action would be the steps, or process, required to purchase tickets online from the Utah Jazz web site. First you must log on to the Jazz website “http://www.nba.com/jazz/”. Once there, find the appropriate links to the online ticket sales page. Then you must enter data concerning your purchase (the game you want to see, your price range, the number of tickets, etc). This real-time exchange of information is accomplished by workflow scripts such as ajax or something similar. The Utah Jazz webserver then accepts your input and send a quarry to its seat-chart database server (most likely a different computer altogether) for seats available within the criteria you specified. Once that process has been completed, you must enter your credit card information for payment. Then the Jazz website will quarry your bank's database to validate your credit card and deduct the funds from your account. Once the approval process is complete, the Jazz website will not only send another message to the seat-chart database to ensure that those seats are reserved so no one else can buy them, but it also send a file to your computer so that you can print your tickets right at home. This whole process can usually be done and under five minutes and not a single human (other then yourself) has any intervention with any of the processes. Workflow software at its finest, you gotta love it baby!

Another eye opener for me was that of the open code software community. I am currently studying Linux myself so I am aware of what open source code is and the community thereof. Linux is much better refined then windows or Apple in my opinion. Linux and another open source code application have great advantages over Microsoft and Apple products. For example, if there was a problem with windows, true your computer could automatically take an evaluation of the problem and then send it to Microsoft to be fixed. However the problem that is that you have to wait for Microsoft to actually get of there butts to fix, test, and then the send the fix in the form of a patch or an update several months later. While on the other hand, Linux has a whole global community, brought together by the flattening of world, working on and refining the Linux kernel and applications all the time. This part I already knew. What didn't make sense was why someone would want to do all that work for free. Thankyou Friendman for pointing out it is the same reason that hackers in the hacking world pull of the incredible feats they do. FOR RECGONITION. Besides what company wouldn't want to hire an individual who's computer skills are awesome enough to accomplish a task like fixing bugs with the Linux kernel or writing applications for the same said kernel? It now all makes sense. Long live Linus Torvalds!!!!

Another aspect of globalization 3.0 which is very important is outsourcing. In a nutshell outsourcing the the digital transfer of work to another location, usually to the cheapest bidder. To me outsourcing brings the whole world together. It will help keep the world's economy flowing. It gives work to people who otherwise wouldn't have any. Also, it's my belief that if world peace is at all possible, outsourcing will be one of the underlying components. As Friedman points out, it sure brought America and India closer together!

Besides the newly developed American-Indian bond, I believe Friedman makes another important point. After the dot-com bubble burst, IT companies had to either file bankruptcy or at the very least cut spending to a bare minimum. Thanks to our ability to outsource, the same IT companies we able to get the smart people in India to do the grunt work at a fraction of the price it wold cost the same work to be done in America. Because of this, not only were they able to supply many jobs for the people of India, but even more importantly, many of the IT companies were able to save themselves. Its was a win-win situation for both countries!!!!!

Module 1

Module 1:

The single most important idea or notion that I gathered from Module 1 of Thomas L. Friedman's “ The World is Flat,” is that communication technologies are key to a slew of different freedoms. Friedman's way of thinking has opened my mind to numerous possibilities that I have never imagined. Not only that, but he has changed my mind in how the movement of jobs cross seas can actually benefit not only the countries to whom the jobs are be supplied to, but to America as well. Friedman does an excellent job explaining how new information technologies ties into everything from politics, to economics, to terrorism, to the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Physical and Virtual liberation of not just societies, but individuals too.

To start, Friedman's ideas of Globalism are right on. I especially liked how he used software terminology to explain the different eras the earth has gone through. Globalization 1.0 was all about how different countries of the world were competing against each other. Its safe to say that the world was proven to be round during this era. Globalization 2.0 was how different mufti-national companies were competing with each other. But the biggest Globalization was 3.0.

Globalization 3.0 not only made it easier for individuals to connect with other individuals, but it leveled the playing field so that people in third world countries could connect globally. It was this flattening of the playing field that gave Friedman the analogy of “The World is Flat,” and now that the world was flat, possibilities never before possible are suddenly reality.

One of the most important advances of Globalization 3.0 was the ability to outsource a variety of duties and data. One of the most important ideas I have learned from Friedman's work is that outsourcing is not at all bad. Friedman cleared a lot of personal misconceptions concerning how exportation of jobs is helpful to America, but more importantly, Friedman opened my mind to the possibility that maybe I shouldn't think of myself as an American, maybe I should think of my self as an Earthling.

When one thinks of himself as an Earthing then it becomes clear why the Fall of the Berlin wall meant so much to Friedman and Globalization 3.0. It was the fall of the Wall the tipped the balance of power across the world toward those advocating democratic and free-market-oriented government. But even more then that, it was the first domino in a domino effect that eventually liberated all of the people of the old USSR. Thus making the world even flatter and bringing more people even closer.

Another important factor shaping globalization 3.0 would be the Netscape Company and the people behind it; more so then the web browser app itself. Sure the Netscape Browser made it easier for normal people with little or no computer knowledge to be able to surf the web, but it was what the company stood for is what Friedman is most fond of. Netscape knew the importance of creating standardized networks that could talk to other networks of the same standard. It was Netscape that lead the battle to keep standardized networking protocols open source. A battle mostly against the evil that is Microsoft. (I hate Microsoft, but I love Windows, a personal daily struggle of mine.) Being an Information Technology major, I personally give Netscape a lot of credit. Who knows how the world and Globalization 3.0 would have turned out had Microsoft been able to proprieterize even the most fundamental of networking protocols.

Modern Technology is a wonderful and precious gift. I thank Friedman to opening my eyes to see exactly how important it is. It is more then just a bunch of servers and clients that are talking to each other. Its more then e-commerce or e-mail. Technology is the vessel in which will united the Earth as a whole. It is what allows me to see my brothers in India as an Earthling and Human-Being rather then an Indian. It will allow us to use less of mother earths resources and help us focus on alternative to the same said resources, not as a company or department, but as the world as a whole. All of the aforementioned ideas are just skimming the surface of things. But to me, the best part of Globalization 3.0 is that is has just started!