Being Digital

Many years ago, I was sitting in the engineering college library. Dejected. I had just flunked in a digital related subject. (By the way, I have a Computer Engineering degree:-)

I felt getting into engineering was the worst decision I had ever made...I was reasonably good at theory but when it came to practicals and problem solving, my brain never worked!

I had reached the conclusion that engineering, computers and any thing digital was not my cup of tea!

And then I remember I read an inspiring article about/ on Microsoft(Back then Google and Apple were not the heroes!!) And I decided to give digital one last shot. Put in some rigorous hours. Slogged my butt off.

The results were mixed. I still managed some very average marks but scraped a distinction in the last semester!

But at least I had gotten over my fears of computers/ digital. I wisely decided to do course correction. Did an MBA and then quietly plugged into the analog world of advertising. But gradually over the years I kept my interest alive in things new media and digital.

I still have more interest in human psychology than plain technology. But the persistence gradually paid off. Recently, I got some additional responsibility to look after new media and digital in the group...

Actually on Saturday picked up this Nicholas Negroponte classic - 'Being Digital'(a must read for anybody interested in digital) and got swamped by this flood of old memories amidst the swelling Mithi...

Some Negroponte nuggets from Being Digital and elsewhere...
1. Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living.
2. Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy
3. Learning to program is a way of thinking about thinking, and when young people get into it, that way of thinking about thinking can change their perspective.
4. “I’m not interesting in training. Training is what we do for dogs, I’m more interested in teaching people to learn”.

Re-reading 'Being Digital' is actually turning out to be far more interesting than I had thot:-) Even after 12 years( first published in '95), it's quite mind-bending and lays a friendly road-map for surviving and prospering in the digital present and future!