cool photo by NEOPIXX

We’re in a weird time right now; an in-between time. The election coming up is part of it plus the uncertain nature of the economy and the changing shape of the world…

Here’s a laundry list of the world as I see it right now. Some of these things seem good and some seem bad but it helps me to not look at them and judge them that way but instead to just see them as true or false. These are all factors that have been on my mind in trying to decide the next business to launch and where to put my time.

Here’s the truth; you could take any of these observations and go out and create a business based on them or that very same observation could make you broke.
So, where are you going to put your time?

Computers and computer components are incredibly cheap. 750 gigs of storage for $99. 2 gigs of RAM for $29. Unheard of processing power sitting on your desktop. A fast, powerful super-computer can be yours for a few hundred bucks and it does more things than ever.

Open source and other free software is better than ever. Ubuntu is free, stable, elegant and comes with a ton of free, legal software. If you want to write a script, you don’t need to spend money on Final Draft; just download Celtx and starting writing already, dammit. Or use Google Docs.

Food is getting more expensive and it’s going to get more expensive. Bad weather all over the world. Cultural changes in places like India and China creating more meat eaters. Corn being used for ethanol drives up feed prices.

Other digital art tools are cheaper than everFilmmaker?You can buy a high def camcorder for around $600. Want to make music? You can a digital interface and the sonic equivalent of around 40 guitar and bass amps, complete with effects for about $50.

The means of distribution are open to every artist. Publish a book or DVD through Lulu. Sell clothes through Zazzle. Sell your handmade stuff on Etsy. Publish a magazine through MagCloud. There is no barrier between your work and a paying audience - you just need to find the paying audience.

Gasoline is expensive and it’s going to stay that way. We’re not going back to $2 / gallon gas. If anything, I expect to see $5 or $6 a gallon in Los Angeles by Labor Day. The United States doesn’t have a public transportation infrastructure or even planning or co-ordination.

Barack Obama has already changed politics, whether he wins or loses. Obama’s fund raising is a game changer, forever. McCain is almost certainly the last ‘Vietnam Era’ Presidential candidate we’ll see. Obama will inspire a new generation of politicians at every level of government. The Republicans don’t have their Obama yet but they will in the next eight years; someone will help define what the GOP means.

Am I wrong on anything? Your predictions?