Jocks indicate the coming Singularity

Coaches Fear Team Bonding Fading in Digital Age

The above article describes coaches take on the tech age and how it is effecting sports teams and their ability to bond. They complain that their players, when not on the field or practice, stay insulated in the digital world with their Iphones and social networking. One coach even sited the problem of his players communicating more with opposing players than their own teammates via text messaging and the other types of tools available to them. This only leads me to this conclusive question: What the Heck is going on here?
If Joe Paterno, who does not know how to even operate a computer, back in the day, even thought one of his players was communicating with the opposing side he would have gone bazonkers! Premises of old sports movies are based on this plot element: “We got the other side’s secrets.” Now due to digital means the concept of team is dwindling somewhat, at least according to coaches, both college and pro. They talk about how insular their players are and how difficult it is for them to form a group of comrades amongst their ranks. Folks this has become a problem in the last 5 years. What is really going on?
First I am not looking at this as a particularly negative thing because I lost my whole “go team” attitude a while back but this is startling when you think about it. The opposing team, when I played sports, was viewed as the enemy and no other way.
No slam on jocks and I am in total respect of the student athlete because that is a chore unlike any other, juggling school and an arduous athletic regiment, but they are generally not getting articles written about them and their overuse of technology. Do you get where I am going?
If it is happening at this level one can only imagine what this implies for the rest of the world.
We are merging as a planet. I am not sure into what but people are getting together and talking, communicating, sharing, teaching, and a ton of other things. Folks we are heading towards Singularity and I am hoping it revolutionizes the world for the better.
If linebackers are chatting up the opposition then what do you think hipsters are doing?

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Singularity

Singularity sounds like a pretty simple word when taken into today’s concepts. In the next 20 years it takes on a much deeper meaning. When we, as doers, of anything, decide to do we should focus on the things which we are good with and maximize them to the nth degree. A colleague of mine uses a great analogy that goes something like this “instead of trying to be a foot long and an inch deep be an inch long and a foot deep.” This offhanded phrase kind of sums this up.
But with the future and the coming singularity we are talking miles and miles long and many more miles deep.
What the heck am I talking about?
Our technology is outpacing our wildest imaginations to the point that things, as advanced as they might seem now, will be millions of times more advanced in the near future, provided we don’t get smacked by an asteroid or decide to off ourselves in some particularly gruesome manner. We will see things in the next 20 years that will astound and amaze us.
What does that mean to you as a musician?
Difficult to say but what it does not mean is that you can continue going in the way you are going if your “way of going” includes methods, most not all, that were exclusive to 10 years ago. Some still hold. One fan at a time is a benchmark that will always be a win/win the only difference is your ability and speed at which you reach that “one fan.” Which is a total upside to an Indie artist or any artist for that matter who is willing to put the sweat equity, as my good friend Ernest Morrell is fond of saying, into their art.
Be prepared to change. I know this gets drummed on all the time but seriously when I say change I do not mean like the clothes you wear on a certain day kind of change. I mean earth shattering change. It is coming, are you ready? Holding on does not cut it!
I would like some feedback on this. Shoot a comment off, let’s start something, who knows where it will go?
Elam McKnight
https://www.bigblackhand.com
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