A new domain of warfare is emerging.
Battles fought in this domain will not be waged by the world’s armies, navies, or air and space forces.
Battles fought in this domain will not be waged by the world’s armies, navies, or air and space forces.
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It was an atomic renaissance in the making.
In and outside the nuclear industry, people believed they would see orders for new nuclear plants and technologies. New drilling technology and techniques are enabling previously undevelopable shale gas to come on line and the U.S. has now become the Saudi Arabia of natural gas (natgas).
A common question being asked around the energy patch is “with so much natural gas set to hit the market, where is it all going to go and how can you benefit from this abundance of natural gas?” With strong bipartisan support, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act has recently (circa March 2012) passed both the House and Senate to support crowd funding, an on-ramp for Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), and other measures to strengthen America’s economic competiveness over the long term. It is currently awaiting signature by the President of the U.S.A.
Americans have seen the economy turn around under both Democratic John Kennedy and Republican Ronald Regan and they are demanding the same type of policies today. With the JOBS Act and coming elections, a transfer of resources from the political to the private sector is looming. Some find banking somewhat boring as it lacks the exciting potential of a biotech company that is working on a cure for cancer or a semiconductor company pushing the technology envelope.
However, there is a new technology that promises to transform the consumer end of banking in terms of mobile banking and payment systems. Even with sluggish global growth and a double-dip recession forming at home, expanding mobile trends will continue. Even homeless people are walking around with smart phones these days.
Big tech companies that missed the boat see the writing on the wall, too, and are scrambling to secure a position in the mobile computing market. Some are selling off legacy lines of business and changing their focus. Many people feel badly this holiday season about what they can’t do for, or provide to, their families.
The big question is do they feel badly enough, that on December 26th before sunrise, they will be determinedly at work learning a new trade, developing a more valuable and marketable skill, seeking a better job, starting a business on the side, or otherwise striving to be sure that the next time the Santa season rolls around, they are better able to enjoy it and give their family a top experience? America has lagged behind much of the world in terms of digital wallets. Elsewhere, people routinely use phones instead of credit cards. There are several reasons for this.
Partly, it is because North America saw mobile phones so early. When other regions finally rolled out mobile phones, infrastructures were more modern. The larger reason, however, is that there is so much at stake. Smart investors have always looked to international markets for specific opportunities and diversification. Today the reasons for investing in emerging international markets are far more compelling than they were in the past.
The reasons are simple. In the old days, economies tended to develop independently. There was international trade but empires and societies accumulated capital and increased productivity within relatively defined borders. Today, globalization is breaking down borders at an increasingly rapid rate. Electronic communication and improved transportation allow individuals on opposite sides of the globe to work as if they were in adjacent cubicles. The Internet has put the tools of the most developed economies of the world within reach of the poorest. The internal-combustion engine, used in almost every automobile on the road, is an engineering marvel. From primitive beginnings in the late 1800s, it has become indispensable.
For millions in the developed world, it is inconceivable to not own one. On the other hand, the great dream of rising middle classes in the developing world is to afford one. |
Mike FarrellFormer rocket engineer and management consulant undergoing a "reset" to generate multiple income streams. 
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