the.world.is.flat-第48章

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You　want　constantly　to　acquire　new　skills；　knowledge；　and　expertise　that　enable　you　
constantly　to　be　able　to　create　value…something　more　than　vanilla　ice　cream。　You　want　
to　learn　how　to　make　the　latest　chocolate　sauce；　the　whipped　cream；　or　the　cherries　
on　top；　or　to　deliver　it　as　a　belly　dancer…in　whatever　your　field　of　endeavor。　As　
parts　of　your　work　become　commoditized　and　fungible；　orturned　into　vanilla；　adaptable　
people　will　always　learn　how　to　make　some　other　part　of　the　sundae。　Being　adaptable　
in　a　flat　world；　knowing　how　to　〃learn　how　to　learn；〃　will　be　one　of　the　most　important　


assets　any　worker　can　have；　because　job　churn　will　come　faster；　because　innovation　
will　happen　faster。　
Atul　Vashistha；　CEO　of　NeoIT；　a　California　consultingfirm　that　specializes　inhelping　

U。S。　firms　do　outsourcing；　has　a　good　feel　for　this：　〃What　you　can　do　and　how　you　
can　adapt　and　how　you　can　leverage　all　the　experience　and　knowledge　you　have　when　
the　world　goes　flat…that　is　the　basic　component　＇for　survival＇。　When　you　are　changing　
jobs　a　lot；　and　when　your　job　environment　is　changing　a　lot；　being　adaptable　is　the　
number　one　thing。　The　people　who　are　losing　out　are　those　with　solid　technical　skills　
who　have　not　grown　those　skills。　You　have　to　be　skillfully　adaptable　and　socially　
adaptable。〃　
The　more　we　push　out　the　boundaries　of　knowledge　and　technology；　the　more　complex　
tasks　that　machines　can　do；　the　more　those　with　specialized　education；　or　the　ability　
to　learn　how　to　learn；　will　be　in　demand；　and　for　better　pay。　And　the　more　those　without　
that　ability　will　be　less　generously　compensated。　What　you　don't　want　to　be　is　a　not　
very　special；　not　very　specialized；　not　very　anchored；　or　not　very　adaptable　
person　in　a　fungible　job。　If　you　are　in　the　low…margin；　fungible　end　of　the　work　food　
chain；　where　businesses　have　an　incentive　to　outsource　to　lower…cost；　equally　
efficient　producers；　there　is　a　much　greater　chance　that　your　job　will　be　outsourced　
or　your　wages　depressed。　
〃If　you　are　a　Web　programmer　and　are　still　using　only　HTML　and　have　not　expanded　your　
skill　set　to　include　newer　and　creative　technologies；　such　as　XML　and　multimedia；　
your　value　to　the　organization　gets　diminished　every　year；〃　added　Vashistha。　New　
technologies　get　introduced　that　increase　complexity　but　improve　results；　and　as　long　
as　a　programmer　embraces　these　and　keeps　abreast　of　what　clients　are　looking　for；　
his　or　her　job　gets　hard　to　outsource。　〃While　technology　advances　make　last　year's　
work　a　commodity；〃　said　Vashistha；　〃reskilling；　continual　professional　education　and　
client　intimacy　to　develop　new　relationships　keeps　him　or　her　ahead　of　the　commodity　
curve　and　away　from　a　potential　offshore。'〃　
My　childhood　friend　Bill　Greer　is　a　good　example　of　a　person　who　faced　this　challenge　
and　came　up　with　a　personal　strategy　to　meet　it。　Greer　is　forty…eight　years　old　and　
has　made　his　living　as　a　freelance　artist　and　graphic　designer　for　twenty…six　years。　
From　the　late　1970s　until　right　around　2000；　the　way　Bill　did　his　job　and　served　his　
clients　was　pretty　much　the　same。　
〃Clients；　like　The　New　York　Times；　would　want　a　finished　piece　of　artwork；〃　Bill　
explained　to　me。　So　if　he　was　doing　an　illustration　for　a　newspaper　or　a　magazine；　
or　proposing　a　new　logo　for　a　product；　he　would　actually　create　a　piece　of　art…sketch　
it；　color　it；　mount　it　on　an　illustration　board；　cover　it　with　tissue；　put　it　in　a　
package　that　was　opened　with　two　flaps；　and　have　it　delivered　by　messenger　or　FedEx。　
He　called　it　〃flap　art。〃　In　the　industry　it　was　known　as　〃camera…ready　art；〃　because　
it　neededto　be　shot；　printed　on　four　different　layers　of　color　film；　or　〃separations；〃　
and　prepared　for　publication。　〃It　was　a　finished　product；　and　it　had　a　certain　
preciousness　to　it；〃　said　Bill。　〃It　was　a　real　piece　of　art；　and　sometimes　people　
would　hang　them　on　their　walls。　In　fact；　The　New　York　Times　would　have　shows　of　works　


that　were　created　by　illustrators　for　its　publications。〃　
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But　in　the　last　few　years　〃that　started　to　change；〃　Bill　told　me；　as　publications　
and　ad　agencies　moved　to　digital　preparation；　relying　on　the　new　software…namely；　
Quark；　Photoshop；　and　Illustrator；　which　graphic　artists　refer　to　as　〃the　
trinity〃…which　made　digital　computer　design　so　much　easier。　Everyone　who　went　through　
art　school　got　trained　on　these　programs。　Indeed；　Bill　explained；　graphic　design　got　
so　much　easier　that　it　became　a　commodity。　It　got　turned　into　vanilla　ice　cream。　〃In　
terms　of　design；〃　he　said；　〃the　technology　gave　everyone　the　same　tools；　so　everyone　
could　do　straight　lines　and　everyone　could　do　work　that　was　halfway　decent。　You　used　
to　need　an　eye　to　see　if　something　was　in　balance　and　had　the　right　typeface；　but　
all　of　a　sudden　anyone　could　hammer　out　something　that　was　acceptable。〃　
So　Greer　pushed　himself　up　the　knowledge　ladder。　As　publications　demanded　that　all　
final　products　be　presented　as　digital　files　that　could　be　uploaded；　and　there　was　
no　longer　any　more　demand　for　that　precious　flap　art；　he　transformed　himself　into　
an　ideas　consultant。　〃Ideation〃　was　what　his　clients；　including　McDonald's　and　
Unilever；　wanted。　He　stopped　using　pens　and　ink　and　would　just　do　pencil　sketches；　
scan　them　into　his　computer；　color　them　by　using　the　computer's　mouse；　and　then　e…mail　
them　to　the　client；　which　would　have　some　less　skilled　artists　finish　them。　
〃It　was　unconscious；〃　said　Greer。　〃I　had　to　look　for　work　that　not　everyone　else　could　
do；　and　that　young　artists　couldn't　do　with　technology　for　a　fraction　of　what　I　was　
being　paid。　So　I　started　getting　offers　where　people　would　say　to　me；　'Can　you　do　
this　and　just　give　us　the　big　idea？'　They　would　give　me　a　concept；　and　they　would　
just　want　sketches；　ideas；　and　not　a　finished　piece　of　art。　I　still　use　the　basic　
skill　of　drawing；　but　just　to　convey　an　idea…quick　sketches；　not　finished　artwork。　
And　for　these　ideas　they　will　still　pay　pretty　good　money。　It　has　actually　taken　me　
to　a　different　level。　It　is　more　like　being　a　consultant　rather　than　a　JAFA　（Just　
Another　Fucking　Artist）。　There　are　a　lot　of　JAFAs　out　there。　So　now　I　am　an　idea　man；　
and　I　have　played　off　that。　My　clients　just　buy　concepts。〃　The　JAFAs　then　do　the　art　
in…house　or　it　gets　outsourced。　〃They　can　take　my　raw　sketches　and　finish　them　and　
illustrate　them　using　com242　
puter　programs；　and　it　is　not　like　I　would　do　it；　but　it　is　good　enough；〃　Greer　said。　
But　then　another　thing　happened。　While　the　evolving　technology　turned　the　lower　end　
of　Greer's　business　into　a　commodity；　it　opened　up　a　whole　new　market　at　the　upper　
end：　Greer's　magazine　clients。　One　day；　one　of　his　regular　clients　approached　him　
and　asked　if　he　could　do　morphs。　Morphs　are　cartoon　strips　in　which　one　character　
evolves　into　another。　So　Martha　Stewart　is　in　the　opening　frame　and　morphs　into　
Courtney　Love　by　the　closing　frame。　Drew　Barrymore　morphs　into　Drew　Carey。　Mariah　
Carey　morphs　into　Jim　Carrey。　Cher　morphs　into　Britney　Spears。　When　he　was　first　
approached　to　do　these；　Greer　had　no　idea　where　to　begin。　So　he　went　onto　Amazon。com　
and　located　some　specialized　software；　bought　it；　tried　it　out　for　a　few　days；　and　
produced　his　first　morph。　Since　then　he　has　developed　a　specialty　in　the　process；　
and　the　market　for　them　has　expanded　to　include　Maxim　magazine；　More；　and　


Nickelodeon…one　a　men's　magazine；　one　a　middle…aged　women's　magazine；　and　one　a　kids'　
magazine。　
In　other　words；　someone　invented　a　whole　new　kind　of　sauce　to　go　on　the　vanilla；　and　
Greer　jumped　on　it。　This　is　exactly　what　happens　in　the　global　economy　as　a　whole。　
〃I　was　experienced　enough　to　pick　these　＇morphs＇　up　pretty　quickly；〃　said　Greer。　〃Now　
I　do　them　on　my　Mac　laptop；　anywhere　I　am；　from　Santa　Barbara　to　Minneapolis　to　my　
apartment　in　New　York。　Sometimes　clients　give　me　a　subject；　and　sometimes　I　just　come　
up　with　them。　Morphing　used　to　be　one　of　those　really　high…end　things　you　saw　on　TV；　
and　then　they　came　out　with　this　consumer　＇software＇　program　and　people　could　do　it　
themselves；　and　I　shaped　them　so　magazines　could　use　them。　I　just　upload　them　as　a　
series　of　JPEG　files。　。　。　Morphs　have　been　a　good　business　for　different　magazines。　
I　even　get　fan　mail　from　kids！〃　
Greer　had　never　done　morphs　until　the　technology　evolved　and　created　a　new；　
specialized　niche；　just　when　a　changing　market　for　his　work　made　him　eager　to　learn　
new　skills。　〃I　wish　I　could　say　it　was　all　intentional；〃　he　confessed。　〃I　was　just　
available　for　work　and　just　lucky　they　gave　me　a　chance　to　do　these　things。　I　know　
so　many　artists　who　got　

washed　out。　One　guy　who　was　an　illustrator　has　become　a　package　designer；　some　have　
gotten　out　of　the　field　altogether；　one　of　the　best　designers　I　know　became　a　landscape　
architect。　She　is　still　a　designer　but　changed　her　medium　altogether。　Visual　people　
can　adapt；　but　I　am　still　nervous　about　the　future。〃　
I　told　Greer　his　story　fit　well　into　some　of　the　terms　I　was　using　in　this　book。　He　
began　as　a　chocolate　sauce　（a　classic　illustrator）；　was　turned　into　a　vanilla　
commodity　（a　classic　illustrator　in　the　computer　age）；　upgraded　his　skills　to　become　
a　special　chocolate　sauce　again　（a　design　consultant）；　then　learned　how　to　become　
a　cherry　on　top　（a　morphs　artist）　by　fulfilling　a　new　demand　created　by　an　increasingly　
specialized　market。　
Greer　contemplated　my　compliment　for　a　moment　and　then　said；　〃And　here　all　I　was　trying　
to　do　was　survive…and　I　still　am。〃　As　he　got　up　to　leave；　though；　he　told　me　that　
he　was　going　out　to　meet　a　friend　〃to　juggle　together。〃　They　have　been　juggling　
partners　for　years；　just　a　little　side　business　they　sometimes　do　on　a　street　corner　
or　for　private　parties。　Greer　has　very　good　hand…eye　coordination。　〃But　even　juggling　
is　being　commoditized；〃　he　complained。　〃It　used　to　be　if　you　could　juggle　five　balls；　
you　were　really　special。　Now　juggling　five　balls　is　like　just　anteing　up。　My　partner　
and　I　used　to　perform　together；　and　he　was　the　seven…ball　champ　when　I　met　him。　Now　
fourteen…year…old　kids　can　juggle　seven　balls；　no　problem。　Now　they　have　these　books；　
like　Juggling　for　Dummies；　and　kits　that　will　teach　you　how　to　juggle。　So　they've　
just　upped　the　standard。〃　
As　goes　juggling；　so　goes　the　world。　
These　are　our　real　choices：　to　try　to　put　up　walls　of　protection　or　to　keep　marching　
forward　with　the　confidence　that　American　society　still　has　the　right　stuff；　even　
in　a　flatter　world。　I　say　march　forward。　As　long　as　we　keep　tending　to　the　secrets　
of　our　sauce；　we　will　do　fine。　There　are　so　many　things　about　the　American　system　


that　are　ideally　suited　for　nurturing　individuals　who　can　compete　and　thrive　in　a　
flat　world。　
How　so？　It　starts　with　America's　research　universities；　which　spin　off　
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a　steady　stream　of　competitive　experiments；　innovations；　and　scientific　
breakthroughs　…from　mathematics　to　biology　to　physics　to　chemistry。　It　is　a　truism；　
but　the　more　educated　you　are；　the　more　options　you　will　have　in　a　flat　world。　〃Our　
university　system　is　the　best；〃　said　Bill　Gates。　〃We　fund　our　universities　to　do　a　
lot　of　research　and　that　is　an　amazing