Business Cyborgs, a Star Trek Prediction

Being a confirmed geek, I'm not afraid to admit that I have and always will watch Star Trek. I can't explain it. Some people are attracted to the future and some to the past. Some people read historical novels and some read science fiction. It's just the way things are.

So, being an avid trekker, I'm often amazed by the predictions the writers of the show have gotten right. Admittedly, I have never danced with a green woman or had fur balls multiply so fast it overwhelmed me. However, when I walk the halls of airports across this country and I see guys in suits with blue flashing devices stuck in their ears as they update someone on the meeting they just left. I realize how trekian the image is. I mean who could forget the beautiful Uhura, with a device stuck in her ear that allowed her to both hear and speak on the communication system of the future.

This was really brought home to me recently when my daughter handed me a small Jabber bluetooth earpiece that she had received for free when she upgraded her wireless phone to a better model. Imagine the Star Trek writers trying to predict the most amazing thing they can think of in the area of communications, they conclude it would be a small, wireless earpiece. They are ridiculed. People ask "what the heck is that baby bottle stuck in her ear?" They stick to their prediction, and here we are, 40 years later and their prediction, which was supposed to happen in the year 2266 or 2267, has not only come true but the device they presented is now a free promotion, to get you to sign a 2 year contract for cell phone service.

It's the ultimate expression of commodization and serves as a warning to all marketers, especially those who ply their trade online. That which is amazing and new today, can be a free give-away tomorrow.

What's next, a free transporter, when you open a bank account?