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“Technology in the long-run is irrelevant”. That is what a customer of mine told me when I made a presentation to him about a new product. I had been talking about the product’s features and benefits and listed “state-of-the-art technology” or something to that effect, as one of them. That is when he made his statement. I realized later that he was correct, at least within the context of how I used “Technology” in my presentation. But I began thinking about whether he could be right in other contexts as well.What is Technology?Merriam-Webster defines it as:1a: the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area: engineering 2 b: a capability given by the practical application of knowledge 2: a manner of accomplishing a task especially using technical processes, methods, or knowledge 3: the specialized aspects of a particular field of endeavor Wikipedia defines it as:Technology (from Greek τέχνη, techne, “art, skill, cunning of hand”; and -λογία, -logia[1]) is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species’ ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include construction technology, medical technology, and information technology.Both definitions revolve around the same thing – application and usage.Technology is an enablerMany people mistakenly believe it is technology which drives innovation. Yet from the definitions above, that is clearly not the case. It is opportunity which defines innovation and technology which enables innovation. Think of the classic “Build a better mousetrap” example taught in most business schools. You might have the technology to build a better mousetrap, but if you have no mice or the old mousetrap works well, there is no opportunity and then the technology to build a better one becomes irrelevant. On the other hand, if you are overrun with mice then the opportunity exists to innovate a product using your technology.Another example, one with which I am intimately familiar, are consumer electronics startup companies. I’ve been associated with both those that succeeded and those that failed. Each possessed unique leading edge technologies. The difference was opportunity. Those that failed could not find the opportunity to develop a meaningful innovation using their technology. In fact to survive, these companies had to morph oftentimes into something totally different and if they were lucky they could take advantage of derivatives of their original technology. More often than not, the original technology wound up in the scrap heap. Technology, thus, is an enabler whose ultimate value proposition is to make improvements to our lives. In order to be relevant, it needs to be used to create innovations that are driven by opportunity.Technology as a competitive advantage?Many companies list a technology as one of their competitive advantages. Is this valid? In some cases yes, but In most cases no.Technology develops along two paths – an evolutionary path and a revolutionary path.A revolutionary technology is one which enables new industries or enables solutions to problems that were previously not possible. Semiconductor technology is a good example. Not only did it spawn new industries and products, but it spawned other revolutionary technologies – transistor technology, integrated circuit technology, microprocessor technology. All which provide many of the products and services we consume today. But is semiconductor technology a competitive advantage? Looking at the number of semiconductor companies that exist today (with new ones forming every day), I’d say not. How about microprocessor technology? Again, no. Lots of microprocessor companies out there. How about quad core microprocessor technology? Not as many companies, but you have Intel, AMD, ARM, and a host of companies building custom quad core processors (Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm, etc). So again, not much of a competitive advantage. Competition from competing technologies and easy access to IP mitigates the perceived competitive advantage of any particular technology. Android vs iOS is a good example of how this works. Both operating systems are derivatives of UNIX. Apple used their technology to introduce iOS and gained an early market advantage. However, Google, utilizing their variant of Unix (a competing technology), caught up relatively quickly. The reasons for this lie not in the underlying technology, but in how the products made possible by those technologies were brought to market (free vs. walled garden, etc.) and the differences in the strategic visions of each company.Evolutionary technology is one which incrementally builds upon the base revolutionary technology. But by it’s very nature, the incremental change is easier for a competitor to match or leapfrog. Take for example wireless cellphone technology. Company V introduced 4G products prior to Company A and while it may have had a short term advantage, as soon as Company A introduced their 4G products, the advantage due to technology disappeared. The consumer went back to choosing Company A or Company V based on price, service, coverage, whatever, but not based on technology. Thus technology might have been relevant in the short term, but in the long term, became irrelevant.In today’s world, technologies tend to quickly become commoditized, and within any particular technology lies the seeds of its own death.Technology’s RelevanceThis article was written from the prospective of an end customer. From a developer/designer standpoint things get murkier. The further one is removed from the technology, the less relevant it becomes. To a developer, the technology can look like a product. An enabling product, but a product nonetheless, and thus it is highly relevant. Bose uses a proprietary signal processing technology to enable products that meet a set of market requirements and thus the technology and what it enables is relevant to them. Their customers are more concerned with how it sounds, what’s the price, what’s the quality, etc., and not so much with how it is achieved, thus the technology used is much less relevant to them.Recently, I was involved in a discussion on Google+ about the new Motorola X phone. A lot of the people on those posts slammed the phone for various reasons – price, locked boot loader, etc. There were also plenty of knocks on the fact that it didn’t have a quad-core processor like the S4 or HTC One which were priced similarly. What they failed to grasp is that whether the manufacturer used 1, 2, 4, or 8 cores in the end makes no difference as long as the phone can deliver a competitive (or even best of class) feature set, functionality, price, and user experience. The iPhone is one of the most successful phones ever produced, and yet it runs on a dual-core processor. It still delivers one of the best user experiences on the market. The features that are enabled by the technology are what are relevant to the consumer, not the technology itself.The relevance of technology therefore, is as an enabler, not as a product feature or a competitive advantage, or any myriad of other things – an enabler. Looking at the Android operating system, it is an impressive piece of software technology, and yet Google gives it away. Why? Because standalone, it does nothing for Google. Giving it away allows other companies to use their expertise to build products and services which then act as enablers for Google’s products and services. To Google, that’s where the real value is.The possession of or access to a technology is only important for what it enables you to do – create innovations which solve problems. That is the real relevance of technology.

Web site promotion is very important today. No website can survive practically on the World Wide Web without getting proper promotional support. The number of web sites has increased a lot in the recent past. In this situation it is simply not possible for a web site to survive without promotion. You may need to pay a lot to promote your web site, but if you make some effort in this direction, be assured that you will make lot of money through online resources. Getting started with online promotion may appear to be different, but once you start getting visitors, making money is not very difficult. There are many methods which are used by the online marketers to promote a web site. This is very important that you choose all those methods which can be the most effective in your case.Once you start getting a fair share of internet visitors, you can earn a lot of money through your efforts. Once people start visiting your own web site, you can help other web sites with their marketing and promotional efforts and can make lots of money through this effort. Rss feeds are one example. If your web sites is well visited one, you can place the rich content of another web site on your website through Rss feed and get paid for this service. Link placement or placing the ads of the other web site may help you in making money in this regard. You can also earn by having reciprocal links in place

Whether you are a novice or professional golfer, you also deserve a break or vacation. Like employees, executives, students and homemakers, golfers too experienced stress. They need a diversion to energize and to relieve the stress they experienced especially after participating in a golf tournament. However, golf travel is not only limited to golfers because ordinary individuals like you can avail and can enjoy is type of vacation.

Playing golf is not only a type of sport or entertainment, but it can be beneficial to your health as well. It is a form of cardiovascular workout that lowers harmful cholesterol in your body and speeds up your metabolism. It also relieves stress and prevents bone degeneration. Aside from its therapeutic benefits, you can also build friendships and gain new friends by playing golf.

Because of its benefits, several individuals, both young and old alike, plan to travel and book in golf resorts, but due to the limited knowledge they have, they have trouble selecting the right golf travel and resorts.

Because of the numerous golf travel and resorts in the market, some encountered trouble in choosing one that suits their budget, preferences and needs. If you are one of these individuals, then this article is for you. Read on and follow steps on choosing suitable golf travel and resorts.

Before deciding or booking to a particular golf travel and resort, you should ask referrals from colleagues, co-players, relatives and family members. You can also surf the Internet to find renowned but cheap golf travel and resort in the market. Take into consideration several facilities and compare their prices, amenities, quality of service and packages offered.

Factors to consider in the selection of golf travel and resort:

* Golf Resort. Before you decide to make reservations, you should examine the vicinity first. Since golf is you main focus, you should evaluate the sports facilities offered by several golf resorts.
* Amenities. Also examine the amenities offered by the resort, like bedroom, living room and entertainment area. Also check adjacent tourist attractions and destinations, including shopping malls, amusement parks, beaches and spas.
* Cost. Before making your final decision, you should examine all the costs associated with your stay in the resort, including, meals, on-site games and activities. If you travel with your family, friends and non-golfers, you should search and consider facilities that offer discounts to non-golfers. Assess if they also offer complimentary transportation service to other attractions.
* Discounts. If you are on a budget, you can search online for golf resort promotions and discount coupons. Some travel agencies also offer travelers like you exclusive discounts on air travel and transfers.
* Golf equipment. As soon as you prepared the reservations and you are ready to go, double check your golf equipment and ensure all your paraphernalia are packed.
* Activities. Before you arrive in the facility, you should plan all your activities beforehand, like participating in golf tournaments, guided tours, shopping, relaxing on beautiful beaches, biking, hiking, mountaineering, kayaking and swimming along the beautiful beaches.