On my way to attend TEDx Detroit, I noticed my tire pressure-warning lamp was illuminated. So I pulled into the service station, located the air compressor and positioned my vehicle. Quarters. I need quarters. No quarters in the change tray, under the seat, or anywhere they’re ‘supposed’ to be (I did find my old Fugazi CD next to a half eaten apple from one of my kids). But then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the VISA® logo on the air compressor, some extra buttons and an LCD display. It was amazing. Not only did I swipe my debit card, but this beautiful compressed air-delivering robot asked me to input the exact PSI I wanted to pump into my tire! And it automatically stopped pumping and emitted an auditory signal (probably in the key of C) that the tire was full. I thought to myself, “What a charmed, 21st-Century, suburban life I live,” as I drove away.
I was a bit late to TEDx Detroit and after taking in the immense, ornate beauty of the Detroit Opera House, I found a seat just as Brian Mulloy of Apigee took the stage. As he began his talk, the irony (that only I could detect) was almost too much for me to comprehend. Because Brian began his talk with a similar story of pulling into a service station to fill a smooshy tire. Except, in his story, Brian very colorfully imagined a hypothetical, ‘internet of things” scenario where the vehicle not only alerted him that his tire pressure was low, but directed him to a service station where the air compressor and his vehicle would instantly communicate, trading data enabling the compressor to know exactly what PSI to pump. In addition, through the alchemy of open API code, Brian would drive away not having needed to swipe his credit card, because PayPal would have been part of the data exchange as well. And to think I was so impressed with my tire inflation experience just an hour prior.
Wait a second. I WAS impressed with my tire inflation experience that morning. It felt like the next logical step in the iteration of the storied, 100+ year evolution of the massively important (tongue planted firmly in cheek) service station tire inflation experience. So, one big question came to mind – with a finite number of skilled tech developers and thinkers in our Country (discounting the ongoing debate around whether there’s a real developer shortage), and an infinite number of important challenges to solve, why are any of us applying that precious energy on imagining leaps in filling your car tire?
This doesn’t mean that I believe Brian misdirects his talents. I repeat, Brian very adeptly shared a simple example of how the ‘internet of things’ and open APIs will continue to affect the mundane nooks of our daily lives. It was a fair, well-presented example. But, as an industry (and a generation) that has the coding power to steer this next phase of the digital revolution, my experience that morning made me question our priorities (as I often do, I’m revealing some of my skepticism around the intentions and mission of Silicon Valley and other digital “mavens,” which is an entirely separate rant.
But in the meantime, read “Who Owns the Future” by Jaron Lanier if you feel even a shred of similar skepticism). In other words, some innovative iteration is only worthy of baby steps, in my opinion. Especially when it comes to putting air in your vehicle’s tires. In that case, baby steps for the baby steps! Yeah, yeah – I know.
Even something as mundane as filling your tire could give a service station Brand a competitive edge, increasing their profitability and thus creating more jobs. And to that I say, Capitalism can sometimes have a way of making technology a navel-gazing, shortsighted proposition. Often times audaciously believing that writing the code is for our own good. Not to sound like an old, crotchety man, but the words my Dad spoke to me when he let me drive his Corvette for the first time seem relevant here: “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Save the talent and imagining for a myriad of more important things. Say, creating disruptive innovation in educating our kids? All of that rushed through my mind as I joined the well-deserved applause while Brian exited the stage.
Then Nate Aschenbach & David Arditti of GameStart took the stage. And with one concept, they brought me full circle and reminded me why I believe so strongly in basing any and all of our thinking on real, anthropological, human insights. They said, “We are the only animals on Earth that separate learning and play.” Boom. A real, truthful reason to passionately apply time, energy and talent into innovation.
A tiger cub learns to hunt through tussling with its siblings. A young sparrow learns to evade larger birds of prey through playful acrobatic antics with other sparrows. Yet, in schools and in homes, we generally draw a hard line between when it’s time to “learn” and when it’s time to “play.” With that simple, truthful insight they’ve created an experience where kids literally play-to-learn, applying this simple philosophy to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. And I suppose another layer of irony began to emerge in my mind – they’re teaching kids as young as 6-7 years old how to code.
This all left me with more questions. Namely, who will teach the next generation of developers and thinkers that the “audacity of code” can be used for short-sighted, quick wins, or it can be based on real human insights to solve long-term challenges? Whether you’re a Designer, a Copywriter (that’s me!) or a Developer – if you’re part of the ongoing digital revolution, I believe it starts with us. Right now. As my 9-year old continues to experiment with Python, I’m fairly certain there will come a time when I will echo the words my Dad spoke to me before handing me the keys to a 200 H.P. machine – “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
The Audacity of Code | A TEDx Detroit Experience
by Perficient Author on October 20th, 2014 | ~ minute read
