Chapter 2: The 10 Forces That Flattened the World

Because this chapter is SO long (150 pages?!), I've decided to blog after each Subsection and post at the end. So forgive me if, after this is posted, it is really long and/or doesn't quite "flow".

Flattener 1: 11/9/89--The New Age of Creativity: When the Walls Came Down and the Windows Went Up

When I first read the title of this section, I wasn't quite sure what this had to do with the flattening of the world. But as I read on, I found it interesting the extent to which the fall of the Berlin Wall affected the rest of the world. It allowed people to "see the world as a whole" and sparked the creation of many more freedoms in different countries. Different peoples had their own respective Walls fall, opening up new possibilities for them. Friedman suggests that one of the causes of the Wall's fall was the leaking of information behind the Iron Curtain due to the increased use of technology such as "fax machines, telephones, and...the personal computer."

Flattener 2: 8/9/95--The New Age of Connectivity: When the Web Went Around and Netscape Went Public

World's first website: http://info.cern.ch/ (Check it out! It's still around!!)

The fall of the Berlin Wall signified a flattening of the world in that it connected two peoples that before had no way of communicating and sharing thier ideas, information, and knowledge. The invention of the World Wide Web (and it's widespread access through Netscape) signified a flattening of the world in that it connected anyone, anywhere, that before had no way of effectively communicating through the Internet. Before, some people had no way of sending data stored on ther computer to others who were running different programs. Through Netscape, everyone could share their information no matter what kind of program they were running.

Flattener 3: Work Flow Software

I think that the best example of a flattening world came in the story given about the guy who, using Yahoo! and Salesforce.com, has been able to compete with major drugstore chains selling organic vitamins out of his own home. This is an amazing example of how increasing technology is enabling people to compete on the same level as the "big boys", no matter who they are or what they are doing. This example's technology is improved workflow software, made possible by the many languages and protocols that were designed to "standardize" such work flows. As they become standardized, more people and machines will be able to coordinate to make them easier and more efficient to accomplish. *side note*: Here's another example of why you should double-check your work. Incomplete sentence: "Because it is going to give small and medium-size businesses access to some of the powerful work flow tools that a few years ago only big companies could afford." Sorry, I notice these things...

Flattener 4: Uploading-- Harnessing the Power of Communities

Really? 36 pages on uploading? Really?! Well, i guess it was worth it. I absolutely love the fact that some of the biggest threats to software giants like Microsoft and IBM are nothing but collaborations between hundreds of geeks across the country writing and upgrading code! It really does show how "flat" the world has become. Now that people are adding to the internet more than they are taking, it is incredibly easy to find whatever you might be looking for on the Web.

Flattener 5: Outsourcing-- Y2K

So I never knew that there was an upside to that stupid Y2K panic attack. I remember everyone freaking out, running out to the stores to get doomsday supplies. Little did I know that that mass panic would set up the "relationship" (in Friedman's terms) that would allow us to transfer so much of our work to India. Some people have thier arguments for or against outsourcing and offshoring (next segment), but I think that it's okay to take advantage of the vast stores of excellent and cheap knowledge that is in India and improve your business.

Flattener 6: Offshoring-- Running with Gazelles, Eating with Lions

Luckily, because of our classes over the summer, I already knew a little about offshoring and China. Friedman generally summed up the three main points of this issue: That China's membership in the WTO will open up many new doors for others to trade with and operate in that country, that membership will help China's economy through freer trade, and that even with the regulation that governs members of the WTO now being placed on China, the country still has a LONG way to go with the mentality of its people before it will be able to be considered a true superpower nation. It is getting close, though...

Flattener 7: Supply-Chaining-- Eating Sushi in Arkansas

Oh, Wal-Mart, how I loathe thee. I have a love-hate relationship with Wal-Mart. I just recently found out that when they say "low prices" they mean low prices, it's not just a commercial slogan. Unfortunately for all of us, those low prices usually also come with ugly stores, rude employees, and an overall dismal shopping experience. But you saved money! This section made me feel a little bit better about Wal-Mart in that I now know that their low prices come not only from cutting a whole bunch of corners, but from actual, smart business decisions. Supply chaining actually encourages global collaboration? Who would've guessed that supply chain could be so interesting? (No offense, supply chain trackers, but finance is the way for me.) And I loved the incorporation of RFID in this section as well. It really is the wave of the future, and Wal-Mart will most likely be riding it in to shore!

Flattener 8: Insourcing-- What the Guys in Funny Brown Shorts are Really Doing

I think UPS is going to take over the world. This book is teaching me so much more about companies that I never knew before, and some of it is downright freaky. UPS in my mind has always been just that company that delivers the packages. Never would I have thought that it was contributing to the flattening of the world by reaching their grubby hands into so many companies, and taking over their operations! It's not as bad as I just made it sound, however. UPS is helping companies to do things that they never would have been able to do on thier own. Friedman says that not every company can come up with the magnificent supply chain that Wal-Mart has created. Most companies don't even want to deal with supply chains, it's not thier core competency. This is where UPS comes in: it designs supply chains for these companies and helps run them, even offering financing. Oh, and they deliver your packages in really ugly trucks.

Flattener 9: In-forming-- Google, Yahoo! and MSN Web Search

Well, it should have been pretty obvious that search engines would contribute to a flatter world. If you are more and more able to search for whatever you want anywhere, anytime--it's like standing on one point and looking out over the flat land and being able to see EVERYTHING. That's how I see it. I love Google. It's probably the best thing on the internet.

Flattener 10: The Steroids-- Digital, Mobile, Personal, and Virtual

I find it interesting that Friedman refers to these technologies as "steroids." He compares the two in the fact that they are both accellerating the growth of something. In our case, it's the flattening of the world. I enjoyed reading about Skype and the magic of VoIP, because I just downloaded Skype and plan on using it to hold video calls with my mom back home (it's a christmas present, I bought her a webcam. Shhh!!!) I love it, already I'm able to call my classmates for FREE and hold videoconferences on whatever project we might be working on. Instead of getting in my car, driving to the college and meeting my classmates, I can simply hold a videoconference and get the same work done from home. Ahh, technology!