Reading the latest news stories about the current president here in this future world of 2014, I observe that there appears to be some debate over what are the appropriate and most up-to-date instruments of power that a leader can use at this point in time.
President Obama declared, “I have a pen and a phone,” and vowed that he intends to use them in the year ahead. I am very happy for him, since my own personal experience with a quill and inkwell back in the 1700s is not one that I would readily recommend, given the much more efficient and advanced choices available today, such as the computer, tablet, smart phone, typewriter, or even this new invention called the “ballpoint pen.”
As a side note, while I did do my share of writing “long-hand” in my day, especially when I copied or re-wrote the texts of classic books as part of my self-designed education, I later found that the many advantages of the printing press, especially with its ability to create large numbers of pages that could be distributed to more people at once, to be reason enough to shift my own communications endeavors to this mechanical method. It was simply more practical than writing by hand.
Now, as to the use of this thing called a “phone”: as it was explained to me, the telephone had become one of the most popular devices of all time, used for both business and personal activities. But I am also now aware that even telephones are fast becoming “less preferred,” competing more and more with even newer resources such as videoconferencing and internet collaboration.
I would certainly hope that the president is using his phone (as opposed to smoke signals, drumming, or some other system), but I would also think that he would try to make as much use as he possibly can of the newest digital resources available to him. I always considered moving forward, and making progress, to be much superior to either maintaining the status quo or going backwards to preserve outmoded methods.
Actually, if the president really wanted to make a difference, he might consider doing more face-to-face, personal, one-on-one communication whenever possible. Perhaps that is something that I still favor, owing to my many years of experience as a businessperson, creator of cooperative community enterprises, and diplomat.
I always felt that I had infinitely greater success in my various undertakings when I had the opportunity to converse directly with an individual, rather than try to persuade through writing (although, I confess, my writing was also known to achieve a fair share of success).
Your humble servant,
B.Franklin
President Obama declared, “I have a pen and a phone,” and vowed that he intends to use them in the year ahead. I am very happy for him, since my own personal experience with a quill and inkwell back in the 1700s is not one that I would readily recommend, given the much more efficient and advanced choices available today, such as the computer, tablet, smart phone, typewriter, or even this new invention called the “ballpoint pen.”
As a side note, while I did do my share of writing “long-hand” in my day, especially when I copied or re-wrote the texts of classic books as part of my self-designed education, I later found that the many advantages of the printing press, especially with its ability to create large numbers of pages that could be distributed to more people at once, to be reason enough to shift my own communications endeavors to this mechanical method. It was simply more practical than writing by hand.
Now, as to the use of this thing called a “phone”: as it was explained to me, the telephone had become one of the most popular devices of all time, used for both business and personal activities. But I am also now aware that even telephones are fast becoming “less preferred,” competing more and more with even newer resources such as videoconferencing and internet collaboration.
I would certainly hope that the president is using his phone (as opposed to smoke signals, drumming, or some other system), but I would also think that he would try to make as much use as he possibly can of the newest digital resources available to him. I always considered moving forward, and making progress, to be much superior to either maintaining the status quo or going backwards to preserve outmoded methods.
Actually, if the president really wanted to make a difference, he might consider doing more face-to-face, personal, one-on-one communication whenever possible. Perhaps that is something that I still favor, owing to my many years of experience as a businessperson, creator of cooperative community enterprises, and diplomat.
I always felt that I had infinitely greater success in my various undertakings when I had the opportunity to converse directly with an individual, rather than try to persuade through writing (although, I confess, my writing was also known to achieve a fair share of success).
Your humble servant,
B.Franklin