Learning to Fly

In the digital learning age, one begins to question the cost of education. In a glance it could be free. If an individual desire to learn exists, there is always a method. While college may cost $200 to $900 a credit hour, Apple Podcasts are free. If one seeks knowledge for the sake of pure learning, today’s internet environment and Apple Podcasts facilitate that learning. A review of podcasts shows the simplicity of the system. If an individual has an Apple ID, they can access the system. An interesting aspect is Apple regulates that Podcasts are free https://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/fanfaq.html . This facilitates an individual’s pursuit of knowledge in its purest form.  In the development of a podcast, a creator must subscribe to certain standards https://itunespartner.apple.com/podcasts/articles/creating-your-show_requirements .  By establishing a set protocol for Podcast creators to follow, it facilitates functionality of the system and a reliable exp...

Sometimes it is amazing to reflect back on our journeys in life. Too often we focus on solving the immediate symptom in front of us versus the long term solution to a problem. I was joking with my wife this week about using a twelve year old travel mug from my initial certification course as an information operations officer in 2007. It was during this course that I read the World is Flat by Friedman and watched colleagues become enamored by the aspects of the golden fleece of the internet that will bind societies together. Though the book has some valid concepts, perhaps a more robust answer to how technology impacts leadership and global diplomacy is the viewpoint by Florida in his Atlantic article and the concept of “the world is spiky”. While Friedman focused on economic impacts of the internet, he failed to account for physical limitations of technology and human interactions. The internet is reliant on physical infrastructure and human capital for its exi...

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