“Anyone Can Cook” – Chef Gusteau
One of my favorite movies of ‘07 was “Ratatouille” from Disney. In it, there is a character named Chef Gusteau who’s sole message in life was “Anyone can cook!”. And in the movie, the theme plays out with a rat becoming a star chef in France.
I loved the theme because it’s very close to how I feel about what we’re trying to do here at Bug Labs. I would modify the theme slightly to say something like “Anyone Can Build a Gadget”, but the intent is exactly the same.
One of the most gratifying things about working with groups like Human Rights Watch on this UCB Mobility Challenge project is that they have taken this to heart. They can build a device of their own. They don’t have to become a big hardware developer, or raise tens of millions of dollars. They don’t have to learn how to solder or become solid state electronics experts. They can just build a gadget. And use it for what they want. I think that’s enormously liberating.
I firmly believe we will see much more of this in the coming quarters. Companies, organizations and individuals that you would have never thought would be in the “gadget business” will suddenly start building and selling very custom/personalized devices. Amazon’s Kindle is a great case in point. It is a great trend that will benefit everyone.
