1750 words, 7 minutes. Sketch by Sir William Rothenstein, 1933. “Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland. Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island. Who rules the World-Island commands the world." - Sir Halford Mackinder, Democratic Ideals and Reality. 1919. Do you work in technology, are you building a company? You should think about how your product or service fits with the wider world because aligning with large movements is a winning system. »
950 words, 4 1/2 minutes. Hugo by Étienne Carjat, 1876 “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo. This is the second of two posts on strategic software. The first explained what it is, what it does, and where to find it. Now I’ll tell you why it’s an idea whose time has come. I’ll tell you why it will be more powerful in some respects than traditional politics and how it will come to shape the world. »
1300 words, 5 minutes. Belloc by E. O. Hoppé, 1915. “Whatever happens, we have got the Maxim gun, they have not." - Hilaire Belloc. Once upon a time software was just for counting beans. It counted more beans faster and cheaper than anything else. Then computers became personal, then portable, then pocketable. All sorts of different kinds of software were created to serve the people and help them do their jobs better. »