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phone； and video camera； but it has also evolved to the extent that it has functions
similar to a PC；〃 he added。 〃You need to move your buttons quickly ＇with your thumb＇。
We call ourselves 'the thumb people。' Young girls in high school can now move their
thumbs faster than they can type on a PC。〃
By the way； I asked； what does the 〃Ubiquitous Department〃 do？
〃Now that we have seen the spread of the Internet around the world；〃 answered Mitsuishi；
〃what we believe we have to offer is the next step。 Internet communication until today
has been mostly between individuals…e…mail and other information。 But what we are
already starting to see is communication between individuals and machines and between
machines。 We are moving into that kind of phenomenon； because people want to lead
a richer lifestyle； and businesses want more efficient practices 。。。 So young people
in their business life use PCs in the offices； but in their private time they base
their lifestyles on a mobile phone。 There is now a growing movement to allow payment
by mobile phone。 ＇With＇ a smart card you will be able to make payments in virtual
shops and smart shops。 So next to the cash register there will be a reader of the
card； and you just scan your phone and it becomes your credit card too 。 。 。
〃We believe that the mobile phone will become the essential con…
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trailer of a person's life；〃 added Mitsuishi； oblivious of the double meaning of the
English word 〃control。〃 〃For example； in the medical field it will be your
authentication system and you can examine your medical records； and to make payments
you will have to hold a mobile phone。 You will not be able to lead a life without
a mobile phone； and it will control things at home too。 We believe that we need to
expand the range of machines that can be controlled by mobile phone。〃
There is plenty to worry about in this future； from kids being lured by online sexual
predators through their cell phones； to employees spending too much time playing
mindless phone games； to people using their phone cameras for all sorts of illicit
activities。 Some Japanese were going into bookstores； pulling down cookbooks； and
taking pictures of the recipes and then walking out。 Fortunately； camera phones are
now being enabled to make a noise when they shoot a picture； so that a store owner；
or the person standing next to you in the locker room； will know if he is on Candid
Camera。 Because your Internet…enabled camera phone is not just a camera； it is also
a copy machine； with worldwide distribution potential。
DoCoMo is now working with other Japanese companies on an arrangement by which you
may be walking down the street and see a poster of a concert by Madonna in Tokyo。
The poster will have a bar code and you can buy your tickets by just scanning the
bar code。 Another poster might be for a new Madonna CD。 Just scan the bar code with
your cell phone and it will give you a sample of the songs。 If you like them； scan
it again and you can buy the whole album and have it home…delivered。 No wonder my
New York Times colleague in Japan； Todd Zaun； who is married to a Japanese woman；
remarked to me that there is so much information the Japanese can now access from
their Internet…enabled wireless phones that 〃when I am with my Japanese relatives
and someone has a question； the first thing they do is reach for the phone。〃
I'm exhausted just writing about all this。 But it is hard to exaggerate how much this
tenth flattener…the steroids…is going to amplify and further empower all the other
forms of collaboration。 These steroids should
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make open…source innovation that much more open； because they will enable more
individuals to collaborate with one another in more ways and from more places than
ever before。 They will enhance outsourcing； because they will make it so much easier
for a single department of any company to collaborate with another company。 They will
enhance supply…chaining； because headquarters will be able to be connected in real
time with every individual employee stocking the shelves； every individual package；
and every Chinese factory manufacturing the stuff inside them。 They will enhance
insourcing…having a company like UPS come deep inside a retailer and manage its whole
supply chain； using drivers who can interact with its warehouses； and with every
customer； carrying his own PDA。 And most obviously； they will enhance informing…the
ability to manage your own knowledge supply chain。
Sir John Rose； the chief executive of Rolls…Royce； gave me a wonderful example of
how wireless and other steroids are enhancing Rolls…Royce's ability to do work flow
and other new forms of collaboration with its customers。 Let's say you are British
Airways and you are flying a Boeing 777 across the Atlantic。 Somewhere over Greenland；
one of your Rolls…Royce engines gets hit with lightning。 The passengers and pilots
might be worried； but there is no need。 Rolls…Royce is on the case。 That Rolls…Royce
engine is connected by transponder to a satellite and is beaming data about its
condition and performance； at all times； down into a computer in Rolls…Royce's
operations room。 That is true of many Rolls…Royce airplane engines in operation。
Thanks to the artificial intelligence in the Rolls…Royce computer； based on complex
algorithms； it can track anomalies in its engines while in operation。 The artificial
intelligence in the Rolls…Royce computer knows that this engine was probably hit by
lightning； and feeds out a report to a Rolls…Royce engineer。
〃With the real…time data we receive via satellites； we can identify an 'event' and
our engineers can make remote diagnoses；〃 said Rose。 〃Under normal circumstances；
after an engine gets hit by lightning you would have to land the plane； call in an
engineer； do a visual inspection； and make a decision about how much damage might
have been done and whether the plane has to be delayed in order to do a repair。
〃But remember； these airlines do not have much turnaround time。 If
this plane is delayed； you throw off the crews； you drop out of your position to fly
back home。 It gets very costly。 We can monitor and analyze engine performance
automatically in real time； with our engineers making decisions about exactly what
is needed by the time the plane has landed。 And if we can determine by all the
information we have about the engine that no intervention or even inspection is needed；
the airplane can return on schedule； and that saves our customers time and money。〃
Engines talking to computers； talking to people； talking backto the engines； followed
by people talking to people…all done from anywhere to anywhere。 That is what happens
when all the flatteners start to get tur…bocharged by all the steroids。
Can you hear me now？
：：：：： THREE
The Triple Convergence
What is the triple convergence？ In order to explain what I mean； let me tell a personal
story and share one of my favorite television commercials。
The story took place in March 2004。 I had made plans to fly from Baltimore to Hartford
on Southwest Airlines to visit my daughter Orly； who goes to school in New Haven；
Connecticut。 Being a tech…sawy guy； I didn't bother with a paper ticket but ordered
an e…ticketthrough American Express。 As anyone who flies regularly on Southwest knows；
the cheapo airline has no reserved seats。 When you check in； your ticket says simply
A； B； or C； with the As boarding first； the Bs boarding second； and the Cs boarding
last。 As veterans of Southwest also know； you do not want to be a C。 If you are； you
will almost certainly end up in a middle seat with no space to put your carry…ons
in the overhead bin。 If you want to sit in a window or aisle seat and be able to store
your stuff； you want to be an A。 Since I was carrying some bags of clothing for my
daughter； I definitely wanted to be an A。 So I got up early to make sure I got to
the Baltimore airport ninety…five minutes before my scheduled departure。 I walked
up to the Southwest Airlines e…ticket machine； stuck in my credit card； and used the
touch screen to get my ticket…a thoroughly modern man； right？ Well； out came the ticket
and it said B。
I was fuming。 〃How in the world could I be a B？〃 I said to myself； looking at my watch。
〃There is no way that many people got here before me。 This thing is rigged！ This is
fixed！ This is nothing more than a slot machine！〃
I stomped off； went through security； bought a Cinnabon； and glumly sat at the back
of the B line； waiting to be herded on board so I could hunt for space in the overhead
bins。 Forty minutes later； the flight was called。 From the B line； I enviously watched
all the As file on board ahead of me； with a certain barely detectable air of
superiority。 And then I saw it。
Many of the people in the A line didn't have normal e…tickets like mine。 They were
just carrying what looked to me like crumpled pieces of white printer paper； but they
weren't blank。 They had boarding passes and bar codes printed on them； as if the As
had downloaded their boarding passes off the Internet at home and pri