The Tech Slowdown

There will always be a next killer app, but Moore's Law is dead and gone. The beginning of the end came in 1997 with the birth of the Pentium II. Its introduction, which coincided with the launch of Windows 98 and a slew of new 32-bit apps optimized for Microsoft's latest and greatest operating system, marked a historic turning point. For the first time since the inception of the tech boom, software was playing catch-up with the CPU. The Pentium II was a fast chip! It had enough horsepower to drive any application, especially when equipped with 128 MB of RAM, a cutting-edge graphics co-processor, and a cavernous hard disk. The result was that people didn't need to upgrade their computers as often. I've owned six computers in my lifetime. I bought the first three in a five-year span. Had I continued at that rate, I'd be on my ninth computer today. But I only bought three computers over the next ten years . My consumption dropped fifty percent! This didn't bode well for Intel, or the tech boom.

I'm writing this book on a Dell laptop powered by a Pentium III 866 MHz CPU. I admit I'm no gamer, but by my standards it's still a pretty exotic machine. It has the best LCD screen-resolution money can buy ”1600x1200. Practically every 18-inch flat panel on the market today has a maximum resolution of 1280x1024, not as crisp as my Dell! There are 1,486 MP3 files stored on one of its two 30-GB hard drives , all ripped from my personal CD collection, as well as thousands of gigantic image files. I can build and publish Web sites, design graphics, process images, write screenplays and books, watch DVDs, and burn my own CDs. Not bad for an eight- pound computer! Sometimes I daydream about buying a new cutting-edge Pentium 4 or Athlon 64, and no doubt I will. But I can afford to wait, and here's the reason. Do you want to know the difference in speed between my present computer and the fastest machine on the market? How fast can you blink?

Figure 1.1: Dot-com Doom

The death of Moore's Law marked the end of the tech boom and the bull market that stampeded alongside . From Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley, dotcoms dropped like flies. Sites like BubbleEconomy.com, Dotcomfailures.com, Startupfailures.com, and Dotcom_Graveyard.com sprang up just to keep track of the body count. In 2001, the last year Fortune Magazine kept such a tally, it reported that 384 dot-com companies filed for bankruptcy. That doesn't sound like much on paper until you consider the shattered dreams and crushed lives each failure represents. Bow your head and take a moment to say dot-com Kaddish.

Figure 1.2: In memoriam

In Memoriam 2001 ”R.I.P.

A	Acusa.com, Adicom Wireless, Adornis.com, AdventureSeek.com, Air Media.com, Akamba, Allinstruments.com, Alltrue.com, Amesplace.com, Andy's Garage Sale, Art.com, Arzoo.com, AsSeenln.com, Assetrack.com, Audiocafe.com, Audiohighway.com, AutoHoo.com, Automatic Media, Autovia.net, Avenew.com
B	Babygift.com, Balducci.com, Beenz.com, BEME.com, BePaid.com, Beseen, BestSelf, Bidland, BigEye.com, Bikeshop.com, Biztravel.com, BostonHockey.com, Box.com, BoysToys.com, BrowseSafe.com, B2Boxes.com, BuildNet, BuyltNow.com, ByeByeNOW.com
C	CalendarCentral, CarClub.com, CashWars, CDworld.com, CertifiedTime.com, Chapbooks.com, Charitableway, Checkout.com, Chemdex, Chromatis Networks, Citiquest.com, CKGMedia.com, ClinicManager.com, Clip2, ClubComputer.com, ClubWallStreet.com, Collectibletown.com, CollegeHire.com, Colo.com, Comdisco.com, ComLinx, Communities.com, CompleteBackOffice.com, ConsumerCoupons.com, Contentville, Convey.com, Cottontails.com, CountryCool.com, Covad Communications, Creditunionmarketing.com, Crossrail.com, CyberCash, Cyber Cyclery, Cybergold, Cyberpix, CyberRebate.com
D	Daily Radar, Dash.com, DayPlan.com, Dell Marketplace, Denmans.com, DESTIA.com, DietRehab.com, Digital Goods, DoDots, Done.com, Dreamticket.com, DriveOff.com, Dynaptics
E	eAlity, Eazel, eCampus.com, eCircles.com, eContributor.com, eCountries, eCoverage, Egarden.com, Egghead.com, eHow, eMadison, eMarker.com, eMarketWorld.com, Ememories.com, Employeeservice.com, ePod, Eppraisals.com, Equidity, eRegister, Ereo, eSave.com, Essential.com, eTantrum, Etera, Etown.com, eToys, EverythingEducational.com, ExchangePath, Excite@Home,. Exodus Communications, Express.com, eYada.com, Ez2get
F	FarmandCountry.com, FedCenter.com, FilmAxis.com, Financialprinter.com, FiredUp.com, Firetalk, FirstAuction.com, FitForAll.com, Flooz.com, Flowers2u.com, Flywheel Communications, Foodscape.com, FoodUSA.com, For.Net Technologies, 4MyCommunity.com, FreeEdu.com, FreeRealTime.com, Freeworks, Fullconcept.com, Funbug.com, FurnitureAndBedding.com
G	GatherRound.com, Gavelnet.com, GeneralSearch.com, Globalaxxess.com, GlobalSpeedway.com, GlobexPharma.com, Gocowboy.com, GoNorCal.com, GOprinter, goRefer.com, GoShip.com, GoToWorld.com, Gotsavings.com, govWorks, Grantseeker.com, GreatEntertaining.com, Greenhouse for Startups
H	Handtech, Handyman Online, Harbor-Net.com, HardwareStreet.com, Haseverything.com, HauteDecor, HealthCentral.com, HealthOnLine.com, Healthquick.com, HealthyCorp.com, HearMe, Homebytes.com, HomeRuns.com, Homes.com, HomeSmart.com, Hookt.com, HorizonScripts.com, HotOffTheWire.com, Hotpalm.com, Hotyellow98.com, Hyperdrive.com
I	IAM.com, iCOMS, iDolls.com, iEmily.com, iExchange, Imamogram.com, iMotors.com, Impower, Improvementonline.com, Ingredients.com, InsideTheWeb, iPolitics.com, IPOptical, iProperty, iServed.com, IServe Internet, iTango, iTrackClaims.com, iTrainer.com, iTravel.com, Itribe.com, Ixpres.com
J	Jobs.com, Jumpmusic.com, Justarrive, Just4Biz.com
K	Kerbango, KOZ.com, Kozmo
L	LAinsider.com, Lease-Etal.com, Lechters.com, Lendnetwork.com, Lipstream, Loansbid.com, LocalBusiness.com, Localmusic.com, Lucy.com
M	marchFirst, MaritimeDirect.com, Marketeye.com, Maverix.net, MaxRate.com, Mbrane, MDvista.com, Mediabrowser.com, Media3Net.com, Medque.com, Megacart.com, MerchantOnline, MetaMarkets.com, Micromatix.com, MilitaryHub.com, MortgageBid.com, MSHOW.com, Mustang.com, MyFreeLD.com, Mypsych.com, mySEASONS.com, Myspace.com, MyTurn.com
N	nCommand.com, Netfolio, NetMorf, NetSales, Next50.com, NorthPoint Communications, Npoint, NVST.com
O	OfficeClick.com, Office.com, Ohaha, Onfree.com, OnlineChoice, Ontheroad.com, OutdoorLiving, OutletZoo.com, Owners.com
P	PacketSwitch.com, PaperExchange.com, PaperX, Party411.com, PaxZone.com, PaydayTodayUSA.com, PCSales.com, PermitsNOW, Pharmasmarket.com, PhotoHighway.com, Physiciansite.com, PlanetRx.com, PogoPet.com, Policast.com, PortableLife.com, PrimeShot, Promptu, ProNetLink.com, ProofSpace, Publicaccesstechnology.com
Q	Qode.com, QueRico.com, Quokka Sports
R	Radnet, Realcomedy.com, Refer.com, Rel-Tyme.com, ReptileCenter.com, ResumeCard.com, reXnow.com, RNetHealth.com, RockCool.com, Rx.com
S	SafetyCop.com, Safety Director.com, SamtheRecordman.com, Sayshe.com, Sega.com, Send.com, ServiSense.com, Sevant.com, Shades.com, Shoppingtrend.com, SimpleSearch.com, SitesNet.com, Skyfish.com, SmithAgency.com, Snaz.com, Sneeker.com, Soapbox.com, Sparks.com, Special Car Journal.com, SportBrain, SportChip.com, Starbelly.com, Stario.com, Stocktalklive.com, StreamSearch.com, Streetsheets.com, StreetZebra.com, St3.com, Support123.com, Surfmiles.com, Swapit.com, Sx Sportsmed.com, Syscon USA.com
T	Taxes4Less.com, TechnologyConnect.com, Technology Today.com, TerraShare, The Digital Dog, The Learning Studio.com, TheCompost, TheCustomShop.com, Theglobe.com, THELIVINGLIBRARY.com, Themestream, TheStandard.com, TheTradesGuild.com, ThinkLink, Third Voice, 3merge.com, 3Re, 3ZNET.com, Ticketplanet.com, Timebuy.com, Top Tutors.com, Total E.com, ToysInternational.com, Travelago, TravelNavigator.com, Travel-Now.com
U	UltimateBid, Unexplored.com, USDataCenters, Utilimax.com, Utility.com, U-TOK.com
V	Valuewine.com, Valusport dot com, VCityNet.com, VetAlliance.com, Vitamins.com, Volume.com, Voter.com, VoyagerToys.com
W	Wall of Sound, WebRadio.com, WebRx.com, WebSwap, Webvan, Wine.com, WolfXpress.com, Work.com, Workz.com, Worldprints.com, WorldSpy.com, Wwwrrr
X	Xigo, XS-Media
Z	Z.com, Zideo.com, Zing.com, ZoneNetwork.com, Zoza.com, Zydeco.com

It's no coincidence that the dark side of technology emerged at the end of the tech boom. The Hopi Indians have a word, koyaanisqatsi, which means nature out of balance. That's what happened to technology. The hallmark of success had always been innovation. After the tech shakeout, the paradigm shifted. The new hallmark that defined success became technology that turned a profit. The gyp was on! Silicon Valley went to work inventing technology to nickel-and-dime the public. Click-tracks, Web bugs , spyware, pop-ups, spam servers, war-dialing, junk faxes, prerecorded telemarketing bots: technology that harvests personal information and invades our privacy became the next killer app!