If I were really smart . . .

and less lazy, I’d draw an extended comparison between the way our education system works and the way our Army deals with technology. I’d base it off this Wired article “How Technology Almost Lost the War: In Iraq, the Critical Networks Are Social — Not Electronic”. I’d reference this O’Reilly article (which led me to the previous article and is the source of all the quotes because I haven’t finished the longer article).

. . . the military’s infatuation with the bright shiny objects that support the big fight while missing the day-to-day realities of counter insurgency operations; a reality that revolves around people.

-Stogdill referring to the Wired article

I’d sure talk about that quote and how school systems and universities tend to latch onto Blackboard and other huge systems which do nothing for teaching (I’d argue they hurt instruction) but sure make big picture administration much easier.

I would really explore the interesting connections between the security needs of the military and education and the resultant huge penalties in terms of software quality and response time.

I really like this concept for a university or a school system-

Instead of one problem = one application, I want a set of services and components that collectively add up to a generative environment for building stuff quickly. An infrastructure designed with agility as a requirement and with provisions for permanent beta. A Command and Control Platform as a Service – think Force.com wrapped around a map – with a vibrant ecosystem of component developers where Ajax scripting sergeants can take “parts off the shelf” and build their own new pieces of TIGRnet while their boots are still dusty. As if CPOF and TIGRnet were just two applications in a Command and Control Facebook platform.

I don’t particularly care about the details- just sign me up for the place that goes with this concept. People should not have to continuously fight organizations in order to reach the level of technology offered to anyone with $90 (or less) and the ability to think of an unused domain name.

So it’s a good thing I’m not smarter or less lazy the post I should write would be pages in length and I’ve wasted enough of your time as it is.

Have a good Easter (or whatever) I’ve got a strange poem to ghostwrite for a fake rabbit.