This week isn't going to be funny. I am mentally and physically exhausted, and my knee is killing me. But please read anyway; I am rather passionate about all topics below and had to limit and cut out sections to make it smaller.

This week I am to talk about an organization that had a good plan but that had something go wrong because of circumstances beyond their control; that is, technology was introduced, the market changed, an innovative competitor entered the market, and so forth. The very first thing that jumped into my mind faster than time could measure is United Launch Alliance, a company that I love to hate on and take any opportunity to bash and disparage.

United Launch Alliance is a space launch company that was a monopoly. It was formed when the only two major competitors in space launch, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, decided that monopolies were more advantageous than competitive. After many political dealings, people in power in the government, and then the USAF, decided that it was best for the country to have a launch monopoly. ULA did an amazing business charging the US government astronomical prices, see what I did there, and basically refused to do any product development unless the USAF or NASA paid explicitly for it. Their idea was that no new space launch company could come around because the entry price was ridiculous. One Word, SpaceX. Even after SpaceX proved to the world that they were terrific, ULA fought tooth and nail to keep their rockets out of government contracts. Take a look at House and Senate meetings for members that received significant contributions from ULA. I'll get off my angry soapbox now; I could write an essay on that subject. If you want an essay, ask me about the fraud, waste, and abuse in NASA's "Space Launch System." A quick example, each launch is estimated to cost over 2 billion dollars. Yes, that's with a "B."

I have been in school for about ten continuous years with about a nine-month hiatus between my Master's and this program, so what I did in any individual class sort of blurs together. In saying that, I thought it was this class that asked me to pull out my magic glass ball and predict the future, and in the future, I saw augmented reality coming back with a vengeance, but the tech needed to come along. Chicken and Egg issues and such. Like I mentioned in another post, it took me a while to get used to google devices in my house and organically use them without the features feeling tacked. Left the TV on downstairs? I don't even think about it now; I just say, "Hey Google, turn off Badger." Yes, my TV is named Badger, my laptop is named Warden (Harry Dresden, not Warden of the North), my gaming PC is named LadyMacbeth, and my test rig is named PillarOfAutumn. My kids are so lucky they had their mom to name them. Back to Google. Glass, really, that's what Google named their augmented reality glasses, has found a niche in some very specific industrial markets, but bringing it into the consumer world could cause some impressive disruptions, but I think for the better. Imagine going on a tour in Rome and having the tour guide augment your vision with an artist's interpretation of what the guide is talking about. I see it being disruptive by augmenting pre-existing enterprises, not killing them. What will marketers do with them? How will it help drivers (Uber, Door Dash, UPS) better be aware of traffic hazards and better routes? Waitress walks up to your table, and your names are there so she doesn’t forget them if they have been volunteered. Board Games that leap off the table. Surgeons getting a wire overlay of what they are looking for. So many opportunities.

In my other post and above, I mentioned chicken/egg. For people to want to get them, the infrastructure must be there. The programs, the WIFI, etc. For people to develop that, people need to have glasses or they lose money. What I see are museums taking the lead. Rent glasses, go for a tour, bring them back. Museums, to me, are one of the few public institutions that I don't care if they run in the red; they are in the public's best interest. Have the gov spend some money so school kids really get to see dinosaurs in their skin. From that small platform, I can see it spreading into the consumer world.

Comments

  1. You are not alone. After breaking my knee during my doctoral candidacy, the pain lingers whenever the weather changes. It is a reminder of how much we accomplished and the sacrifices we made to get here.

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