The world is Flat! or is it?

I have always enjoyed running on the treadmill with my music on. However, for past few days, I have become fond of running in the evening. I just came back from running. Such a pleasant night it is! You know what would be even more wonderful…. running late at night… When there is less of a noise. No roaring of a car or a horn… just silence.. Complete silence. Around 11ish would be perfect! Now don’t get me wrong. People do run at this odd hour. I usually run at 8:00. Weather wise, it is perfect!!

I am in the midst of reading the Thomas Friedman’s book. It is very very interesting and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It was quite interesting how upon reading the book I found about things that othewise I would have never noticed. The fascinating thing to me was when I read- how even the drive thru McDonalds do outsourcing. You will be thinking you are speaking with someone in the other corner of the room. However, the real truth is that, the person might be some miles in a call center. No! not in India, but in a call center which could be possibly 900 miles away!! Amazing isn’t it?

The world is flat—Thanks to the term called Globalization!!

In the book,Thomas Friedman also talks about Amartya Sen,the economist and the Nobel prize winner. I really like the way how he emphasized that the Berlin wall was “ Like a frog that is born in a well and stays in a well and lives its entire life in the well.” He writes that "the well" was how the world was like for many people in the planet for many years. After the fall of the wall; like the frog who was suddenly able to interact with the frogs from other well, people could do the same.

Another thing that really fascinated me was how you could have a personal assistant outsourced from India. You are in a dilemma about this presentation you have to do in front of your Boss and you have no time for it. If you have your assistant—let’s say in India, what that person would do is—research on the topic and have your power point ready when you get up the next morning!! So, Voila!! It is all there. Now all you need to do is just present it. WOW!! Does this not sound so simple!!

I am not done with the book yet. Truthfully speaking, I am not even half way there. This weather gets you really distracted. But I have been very impressed with what I have learnt and read so far.

This is how Mr. Friedman, the NY columnist describes the term Globalization.

"This is Globalization 3.0. In Globalization 1.0, which began around 1492, the world went from size large to size medium. In Globalization 2.0, the era that introduced us to multinational companies, it went from size medium to size small. And then around 2000 came Globalization 3.0, in which the world went from being small to tiny. There's a difference between being able to make long distance phone calls cheaper on the Internet and walking around Riyadh with a PDA where you can have all of Google in your pocket. It's a difference in degree that's so enormous it becomes a difference in kind."

This is a good book to read! i.e… If you have the craving to understand the world in 21st century!!