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The (B)leading Edge of Technology
October 29, 2011 Methodology

I was at a talk the other day on sustainability. During that talk the speaker used the term (B)leading edge of technology. It’s clever. I had not come across it before. Stay tuned for a post next week to illustrate why I think that term is coming into popular use. The context in which it was used was pre-emptive … it seems now that many in the sustainability community are fully aware that their projects pass no economic cost-benefit test and not often any environmental cost-benefit test either. So now we move onto symbolism. We have to “bleed” and incur the pain of show projects – otherwise nothing will ever get accomplished.

Stay tuned.

"1" Comment
  1. The term “Bleeding Edge” has been around since the early 1980’s (you can check this in a reputable dictionary), and is fairly common in the world of computer hardware. It is described as a play on cutting edge and leading edge, the implication being that there is significantly more risk involved than mere leading edge.

    Users of “Bleeding Edge” technology do not expect to feel pain. Such technology is expected to be exciting and thrilling. Users generally expect to pay fabulous sums to enjoy the thrill. You can find out more talking to a [video] Gamer who constructs his own computer from “Bleeding Edge” components, overclocking them all and installing a freon based coolant system to handle the warrenty voiding heat.

    What is Bleeding Edge today is often expected, with a bit of debugging and refinement, to become commonplace in the near future.

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