Tag: frontier is open

Hiring in North Dakota to pick up – “blitz” in ‘14

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Lots of production companies around Bakken are going to expand hiring in ’14. Bismarck Tribune reports Oil service companies on hiring blitz.

The rapidly increasing number of wells is creating permanent jobs to service the wells. Each well requires attention. I’ve read elsewhere that each well creates the need for one full-time position. That would be about 8,000 permanent jobs for the existing wells, with 2,000 new positions a year.

Two key comments, for me at least: Continue reading “Hiring in North Dakota to pick up – “blitz” in ‘14”

More good stuff on the open frontiers – 12-30-13

The change taking place around us is thrilling and confusing. The best way I have to put this in some sort of order for myself is to compare with the open frontier of the US west after our Civil War – The education, energy, space, and publishing worlds are each a new frontier and those frontiers are wide open.

A few articles to give some form to that open frontier:

Cyborg telemarketing

Three articles on the increasing use of computers making the pitch on cold call telemarketing:

Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 12-30-13”

More good stuff on the open frontiers – 12-20-13

It is so exciting to look at the change taking place around us. There’s no better time to be alive and no better time to be engaged in living a full life. Here are a few articles that caught my eye to show the wide open new frontiers. A new space race? Amazon might get avian resistance to their new aerial delivery systems. China puts a rover on the moon.

Space

12-8 – Bloomberg Businessweek – Let the Space Price War Begin – Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 12-20-13”

More good stuff on the open frontiers in space, education, and technology – 12-7-13

Today, twelve articles on education, space, and technology (including Amazon thinking about how to use drones to deliver packages).

Education

12-3 – Via Meadia – Private Sector Warming to MOOCs – Mr. Mead points out that massive open on-line courses Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers in space, education, and technology – 12-7-13”

More good stuff on the open frontiers in energy and publishing – 12-6-13

 Today, three articles on energy and publishing.

Publishing

12-4 – The Business Rusch – The Fierce Urgency of Now (Discoverability Part 3) – Kristine Kathryn Rusch summarizes what’s been long discussed: the days of get it now or you’ll never get it are gone.

Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers in energy and publishing – 12-6-13”

SpaceX successfully launches satellite into geosynchronous orbit. A very big deal.

On 12-3, SpaceX put a satellite into a high-earth orbit. The Luxembourg satellite operator SES will settle their sat into geosync orbit.

This is a major deal for SpaceX because it proves they can lift into geosync orbit. That means the satellite will appear to remain in the same place relative to the ground.  They have a lot of contracts to do so and can now try breaking into the market for lifting Pentagon satellites. Up to now, they have only lifted to low-earth orbit.

Two great articles today explain the launch:

As an accountant, here are some tidbits from the articles on the market and economics of launching payloads that caught my eye.

Continue reading “SpaceX successfully launches satellite into geosynchronous orbit. A very big deal.”

More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-27-13

More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-27-13

Education

Via Meadia – Winter for Higher Ed– How would you handle a double-digit drop in volume over the last three years? That’s the status for one-fourth of private colleges.  Add in high uncertainty whether the enrollment trends will change.

Space

11-26 – Space News – SpaceX Challenge Has Arianespace Rethinking Pricing Policies –   Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-27-13”

More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-9-13

I’ve used the analogy of a newly opened frontier in the areas of :

  • education,
  • space,
  • energy, and
  • publishing.

This post starts a new “good stuff” series.  Don’t have time to write a full post commenting on all the cool articles I see, so sometimes I’ll just link to articles and give a brief comment.

Here are some articles talking about the open frontier.

Education

Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-9-13”

A new, built-from-the-ground-up news organization funded by founder of E-Bay

News broke this week that the founder of E-Bay is starting a news organization with major involvement by the reporter who broke so many stories about the NSA spying fiasco.

It will be a brand new, digital-only, full-scope media outlet. Plans are it will cover news, sports, and business in addition to hard-hitting investigative journalism.

Will be funded with an initial $250 million dollar investment.

Pierre Omidyar, the founder of E-Bay, was one of the people shopped as a possible buyer for The Washington Post earlier this year. Jeff Bezos bought the Post for reported $250 million.

Another frontier is open.

Mr. Omidyar decided to put the money he would have otherwise used to buy the Post into something completely new.

Continue reading “A new, built-from-the-ground-up news organization funded by founder of E-Bay”

The printed book industry looks like the dying honeysuckles in the park. And I’m okay with that. Not the plants dying, but the industry.

Daily I walk past a large group of honeysuckle plants that used to be about 30 feet long and about 12 feet wide. The aroma is wonderful while they are in bloom.

Over the last couple of months, something has happened to the plant bed. There are three big areas where there is now only dirt. The number of honeysuckle plants is about half what it used to be.

The ones left are pretty, growing, and fragrant.

However, that bed of plants is dying.

What is happening to those fragrant plants is happening to the book industry.

Continue reading “The printed book industry looks like the dying honeysuckles in the park. And I’m okay with that. Not the plants dying, but the industry.”

The establishment pushes back against the education revolution

There is a revolution going on in education. Many writers are talking about the education bubble at the primary, secondary, and collegiate level.  My preferred metaphor is an open frontier.  You can see my posts here.

An article in Chronicle of Higher Education, The Gates Effect, gives good background on the role of the Gates Foundation in advocating education reform.

The long article attacks the Gates Foundation strongly and repeatedly.  It is the latest is a series of critical articles.  Seems to me most of the current article is focused on giving voice to those pushing back against the changes taking place in the education world.

What I hear as the primary theme of the above article is that only those inside the education establishment should speak to reform.

As to the substance of the criticism, that is the topic for widespread discussion for several years.

Gates Foundation is one of the movers behind the education revolution

Continue reading “The establishment pushes back against the education revolution”

Education revolution is underway

Two articles in The Economist provide an overview of the major upheaval underway in education.

The lead article is E-ducation.  The in-depth article is Catching on at last.

The articles cover much of what is going on the education world.  I’ve tried to touch on those issues on this blog.

Check out the two articles for better explained, more in-depth descriptions.

Here is a recap of several of the major trends, from the lead article. I’ve split two very long sentences into key ideas: Continue reading “Education revolution is underway”

A view of the top of the publishing world. The whole publishing world is an open frontier.

The wide open frontier of publishing is fascinating because anyone can publish. The biggest barrier to entry (a fancy economic term meaning how difficult it is to enter a business) is the desire to publish.  I have published 4 books and have had a blast doing so. The very bottom of that world is where I operate.  So what does the top of the publishing world look like?

It has also been transformed, as discussed by Jeff Bercovici in a Forbes article, The Hunger Games Economy. I’m about two solar systems removed from the top of the publishing biz, but it’s still fun to look.

Technology has concentrated sales. Look at this:

To understand the scale of the trend, think about this: Of the total number of copies sold in 2012 of the 400 highest-selling titles, two authors, E.L. James (Fifty Shades of Grey) and Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), together accounted for a full 25%, according to data tracked by USA Today. Between them, the Fifty Shades of Grey and Hunger Games trilogies claimed all six top slots on the year-end bestseller list. 

Continue reading “A view of the top of the publishing world. The whole publishing world is an open frontier.”

Bakken is land of opportunity, but there are cautions to consider before you jump in your truck and start driving

“Williston 101: Tip for Job seekers” contains some cautions if you plan to head out for the new gold rush.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjj1BuWfh7o&feature=player_detailpage]

My list of things to consider before getting on the road: Continue reading “Bakken is land of opportunity, but there are cautions to consider before you jump in your truck and start driving”

The wide open frontier in publishing offers freedom and control

An author can write what’s desired and control the whole process. That’s a huge change from the traditional publishing world.  Takes a lot of work and new skills, but there’s tremendous latitude to go wherever you want.

Talking in terms of the emotions of each stage, Kristine Kathryn Rusch walks through The Stages of An Indie Writer.

Continue reading “The wide open frontier in publishing offers freedom and control”