We live in a world of constant changes.

More than 3000 years ago near the Yellow River basin, early Chinese language was invented. It was called Jia Gu Wen (means “shell bone writing”) because it was often carved on turtle shells or animal bones; that’s why Chinese characters are full of straight lines and no circles - it was simply created for easier carving. That was the publishing technology of the era.

When the German goldsmith Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1450, the world was a different place. The knowledge of that time was scribed on parchment or animal skins. A book cost about as much as a small house.

Gutenberg’s movable type printing single handedly ushered in the Renaissance and Reformation by lowering the barrier of knowledge spreading in our civilization.

There are two types of innovation: Sustaining Innovation (better & sharper sword) and Disruptive Innovation (Slingshot). Goliath was in fact good at sustaining innovation: he sharpened his sword every day, and he worked out every day like Conan the barbarian. Incumbent companies actually do this type of incremental innovation well, but they often miss out on the disruptive one, the one that will change the rules of the game forever.