That’s No Moon, It’s the Mobile Internet Tidal Wave and It’s Crushing the Poor
It is far too easy to get sidetracked looking at cafe after cafe full of unemployed young degree holders and wonder, “How did we get here and when will it stop?” “Seriously,” you continue, “I really want a seat.” What we should really be thinking about are those who were already less fortunate.
The last time I was home I took advantage of my parents’ cable service and watch an episode of Jim Cramer’s Mad Money. He was going on and on about the mobile web revolution in the works and how the companies involved were beating general economic trends handily. The mobile web, it seemed, would be our road to available cafe seating. After my experience Wednesday I’m not so sure. Allow me to set the scene via tweet.
That’s right, I had no idea where I was going in both a specific and general sense. All I knew was that I had cross the bay and that it wasn’t more than an hour away. I decided to set out anyways and get a little closer so that when/if I got a hold of my room mate I wouldn’t still be an hour away. I never did get in touch with anyone I knew but, as I indicated during my w00tstock tweetfest, I have evolved past needing other people at this point. Here’s what happened.
On the surface it would appear that Jim Cramer had seen things accurately. Who wouldn’t want to be dependent on cold but dependable technology over squishy human bags of inaccuracy? But there is something I did not tweet. During the brief moment when I was orienting myself and plotting my route outside of the BART station (i.e. Google mapping) a homeless man approached me and asked eagerly if I needed directions. The fact of the matter was that I did; but, I told him I didn’t because I had my phone with me. Normally that man’s direction giving skills would have entitled him to some change out of my pockets but the mobile internet came in shouting, “Rejected!!” like a young me playing basketball with my little brother. Honestly, I don’t know what’s going to happen to these entrepreneurs; it’s already hard enough as it is to find someone that still carries cash. (And, according to Wired‘s David Wolman, should be impossible.)
