regardingjohn

Here’s what I see happening:

• Global Positioning System devices are flooding the “buzz” of the tech world. MacWorld San Francisco is taking place in the next few days and just about every Apple rumor site mentions the possibility of Apple adding GPS to its computers. It’s not really important that they do, but the fact that everyone is talking about the integration means that we’re moving in that direction.
• We’re finally (as a nation) paying attention to our bodies again. People are getting alarmed that there’s an obesity epidemic decimating our youth (and adults) and they’re doing something about it. We’re exercising more. We’re making trans-fats illegal and /or unwanted.
• We’re moving more. I’m not talking about getting a retirement home in Arizona or Florida, but simply that we’re moving our bodies more. Wireless and Bluetooth (and batteries) have untethered us from our desks and entertainment centers. Instead of sitting at our desks in our houses to work on our computers, we go to coffee shops or sit outside on our deck. This at least gets us out of our house, and we have to walk, at the minimum, from our cars to the coffee shops. Bluetooth has untethered us from our game systems and Nintendo success with the Wii has made gaming joyful again (seriously, it *was* getting tedious) *because* we’re moving our bodies. And moving our bodies is fun!
• We’re exploring more. This has much to do with moving our bodies, because moving our bodies in one place isn’t much fun (unless with someone we really like). Treadmills, stairmasters, and stationary bikes get boring quickly. But a walk around the block somehow stays fresh. A bike ride into work wakes one up, gets the creative juices moving, and saves gas. And it’s easier to take side trips because parking is a snap.

Put all these things together and we’re waking up to the importance of our environment (and I hadn’t even mentioned the ecological wake up calls yet — this is the key: it’s not about the environment; it’s about us).

Here’s the other thing: I’m headed down the right path in my research. The question is whether I can keep up and “catch this wave.” We’ll see.