First Word, Last Word

In the writing “First Word Art / Last Word Art”, Naimark makes the distinction that First Word Art walks along the lines of the cutting-edge, while Last Word Art takes what has already been established and begins to refine it. In current days, the Internet provides people with the constant updates of the latest and greatest technology. The Gartner Hype Cycle is a curve that illustrates the popularity of interest for a given piece of technology.

After watching the segment of the Schulze’s lecture, the concept of First Word and Last Word readily appeared within the bounds of the Gartner Hype cycle. The First Word is at the top of the Curve. It’s the new big piece of technology that people are going crazy about. Their excitement is fueled by the unknown implications of this quickly emerging technology. The Last word appears shortly after the climax of the curve, and includes technology that’s had widespread use, but people aren’t as excited about.

I’d say that my interests generally fall somewhere between the “Trough of Disillusionment” and the “Slope of Enlightenment”. Although the “Peak of Inflated Expectations” is new and exciting, I think it’s important to focus on technology that surrounds us now. I think Schulz prefers to work in the category “the Trough of Disillusion”, because he sees a lot of potential in technology we’ve already created. Older technology is cheaper to manufacture, opening up the possibility of a large capital gain if implemented in the correct way.