Growing Trees



Brian Cardarella
@bcardarella




Ecological Systems

What can we learn from nature?
How does it relate to business/technology?




Immature Systems

"Pioneering Systems"

Examples:
Weeds
Grass
Dandelions

Immature Systems

 Whenever a disturbance violates an established ecosystem, aggressive and invasive weeds take over and spread quickly, establishing temporary primacy. These opportunitic species are suited to what are sometimes called "immature" systems. The plants compete for sunlight in order to capture the maximum available energy while trying to cover the raw earth as quickly as possible.

Immature Systems

In such a system, energy is wasted, diversity is minimal, and the plants are generally of lower quality and usefulness. Their life cycles are short; while their output is prodigious, their use of resources is not very efficient.


The Ecology of Commerce

Paul Hawken



Mature System

"Climax System"

Examples:
Trees
Food

Mature Systems

An ecosystem evolves from pioneering, immature states that emphasize growth, until it evolves into mature systems that are highly efficient and resource-conserving. Mature, climax systems comprise an association of organisms that reach a state of equilibrium which leaves the habitat largely unchanged from year to year.

Mature Systems

Because no environment remains unchanged, even climax communities do not last forever, but they are more resilient to disturbances in the greater environment.


The Ecology of Commerce

Paul Hawken


Immature

  • Quick growing
  • Opportunistic
  • Wasteful
  • At risk

Mature

  • Slow growing
  • Efficient
  • Monopolistic
  • At risk



Darwin



"Survival of the fittest"






Organisms that make use of the 
resources available to them in the 
most efficient manner.


Oil

1900 - 1901
1,500 oil companies
http://www.history.com/topics/oil-industry

Railroad

Replaced canal, horses
Largely replaced by trucking






"Mature" industries were once not so mature. And someday they won't exist at all.





The history of business is rapid
initial growth, stagnation, 
and finally replacement.






Companies that attempt to "break into" the existing market with existing technology are met with regulation and anti-competitive resistance.







You must out-innovate the establishment.

And the web is the best vehicle to out-innovate existing "trees".






Business is just another ecological system
That is turning over faster and faster
This means there will always be opportunity




In such a system, energy is wasted, diversity is minimal, and the plants are generally of lower quality and usefulness. Their life cycles are short; while their output is prodigious, their use of resources is not very efficient.



Startups


Example:






Craigslist


Craigslist




  • Started in 1995
  • Has barely changed
  • Doesn't want to change
  • Can't change
  • This creates opportunity






Technology is always moving forward

Better, faster, cheaper






Web 1.0

  • Static content
  • Large expensive systems
  • News sites, stores, blogs






WEB 2.0

  • Dynamic content
  • Lower barrier of entry
  • Social media







What's next?





Complex Client Side Apps

&

HTML5


 






  1. Challenge an existing business model
  2. ???
  3. Profit






  1. Challenge an existing business model
  2. Write with Ember/Angular
  3. Profit






Better applications can be written that provide a significantly faster user experience. Do not underestimate UX as a point of competition.






Compete directly with desktop applications with the new client side frameworks

 

Server Sent Events, Websockets, WebRTC, Web Workers, Web Components, Media Capture API, Geolocation API, Offline Web Cache, amongst others...

Server Sent Events






One way async communication from the server

Web Sockets






Two way async communication between server and client

Web RTC






Peer to peer communication facilitated by the server

Web Workers






Multi-threaded processing in your client side applications

Web Components






Build interfaces that don't suck

Media Capture API






Use the microphone, camera, and video of your device

GeoLocation API







Where the hell am I?

Offline web cache






Save app to homescreen, use offline







We are on the cusp of a major tech revolution.







But not everyone thinks so...








Technology allows us to circumvent these problems.







So get ready to plant some weeds.

And take aim at the trees.





Thank you

Grow Trees

By bcardarella

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Grow Trees

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