1. BOOK REVIEW
THANK YOU FOR BEING
LATE
By
Thomas L. Friedman
Submitted by : Happin pansheriya
(17BCL053)

2. INTRODUCTION:-
 Friedman shows, the exponential increase in computing power defined by Moore’s law has a lot to do
with it. The year 2007 was a major inflection point: the release of the iPhone, together with advances in
silicon chips, software, storage, sensors, and networking, created a new technology platform. Friedman
calls this platform “the supernova”―for it is an extraordinary release of energy that is reshaping
everything from how we hail a taxi to the fate of nations to our most intimate relationships. It is c
reating vast new opportunities for individuals and small groups to save the world―or to destroy it.
 The book is divided into four parts -
• Reflecting,
• Accelerating,
• Innovating
• Anchoring.
 When a friend arrived late for lunch, Friedman said, "Thank You for Being Late", as it gave him time
to reflect, to listen to what was taking place around him and to slow down the pace.

3. SUMMARY:-
Chapter:-1
Friedman reflects upon the speed of modern life. Not only is it fast, it is accelerating.
Friedman began a deeper understanding of this reality when he was forced to pause
while waiting for a late breakfast guest. When future guests were late allowing him
additional pauses, he thanked them—hence the title of the book. Friedman also
relates how a pause led to a deep and meaningful connection with a parking lot
attendant that further opened his understanding of the accelerating world. In what
areas does Friedman highlight the impact of accelerating change in the world? What
examples of accelerating change are most evident in daily life?

4. Chapter :-2
Friedman recalls 2007 as a vintage year in technology with several major technology
products and platforms being released almost simultaneously. People today are faced
with exponential growth of change in computing, globalization, and climate change.
How does the exponential characteristic of acceleration cause difficulty in
comprehending the impact of that change? What is the best response to the
difficulties posed by accelerating change?
Chapter :-3
The author details accelerating change in technological capability with an
examination of Moore’s Law playing out in processor speed along with similar
accelerating change in complementary computing components. Increased processing
power has been accompanied by increases in sensor capability, computer memory,
efficiency of software, along with the bandwidth and mobility of networking. How is
this computational growth manifested in the Air Force?

5. Chapter :-4
Friedman examines the power of the cloud which Friedman refers to as the
supernova. How does the cloud impact productivity in the Air Force? Friedman
continues the chapter tracing the growth of computing from the “Tabulating Era” to
the “Programming Era” to the current “Cognitive Era”. Friedman gives several
illustrations of the impact of cognitive computing and the cloud on human endeavors.
How does cognitive computing impact Air Force operations?
Chapter :-5
Friedman discusses a variety of flows of information. How do the variety of “flows”
described by Friedman contribute to an interconnected, globalized world? What will
be the impact of “flow” between interconnected devices? He posits that the utilization
of “flows” going through a company will be a growing measure of valuation. How will
the Air Force’s utilization of “flows” be measured?

6. Chapter :-6
Friedman examines climate change. He gives many illustrations to validate his thesis
that climate change is accelerating. How does the “rain room” described by the author
illustrate the impact of human activity on the climate?
Chapter :-7
Friedman addresses two questions: are things getting too fast, and how do we adapt?
Friedman gives several examples of how the pace of technological change has affected
him. How have you experienced these changes? The author also writes about policies
not keeping up with change. What Air Force policies are falling behind the pace of
change?

7. Chapter :-8
 The author examines the nature of work in the context of accelerating change. Friedman
writes that people will need to continuously change and adapt, a process he calls “dynamic
stability” to keep a job. He also writes that entrepreneurial thinking will be required at all
levels. Further, he describes new platforms for learning that involve intelligent assistants
and include innovative solutions such as microdegrees. These allow broader access to
specialized education. How can the Air Force adapt from the model of Airmen finding jobs
to allow Airmen to invent a job? How does “dynamic stability” manifest in a successful Air
Force career? How will the Air Force best give room for entrepreneurial thinking?
Chapter :-9
 Friedman defines the post-post cold war era of international relations. International
relations and geopolitical stability are deeply impacted by accelerating change. Friedman
points out several challenges to productive international relationships. While
accelerations may benefit nations, they also bring additional stresses. How does the “age
of accelerations” make it more difficult to revive a failing state? What roles do “super-
empowered” individuals play in the ”age of accelerations”? An international relations
strategy Friedman recommended is “amplify, deter, and degrade” or ADD. What does the
Air Force offer in an effort to ”amplify” as defined by Friedman?

8. Chapter:-10
Friedman describes natural systems as an extended metaphor for how political and
social systems could better adapt to accelerating change. Friedman wrote that the
most adaptive systems will intentionally choose to mimic “Mother Nature’s killer apps
for producing resilience and propulsion.” How do the five “killer apps” he lists apply to
the Air Force?
Chapter:-11
Discusses moral aspects of the increased scalability of individual behavior brought
about by accelerating change. Technology, especially, has leveraged the power of the
individual to be much greater than the past. What should be the place of the liberal
arts in today’s STEM focused education?

9. Chapter :-12
 Friedman focused on finding and creating an eye of calm in the storm of change.
Friedman illustrated such calm with an example of community in his hometown. As
accelerating change threatens to overwhelm our ability to keep up with today’s events,
where is there room to learn from the past? How can we best learn from past? How does
the Air Force’s present sense of community compare with its sense of community in the
past?
Chapter :-13
 Examines the impact of accelerating change on the role of diversity in society. Friedman
wrote that America is becoming a minority-majority country. How will the ideals of e
pluribus unum be championed in the midst of accelerating changes?
Chapter :-14
 Friedman wrote that we need collaboration and trust to continue the pace of accelerated
innovation. Personal interaction still underlies all the advances made by humanity. How
are some ways to overcome forces that impose isolation and bring people together for
durable communities?

10. CRITIQUE:-
 As enthralled users of new communications devices, we are all attuned to the
transformative power of technological innovation. But what does this phenomenon really
signify?
 Didn’t earlier generations also experience innovations and dislocations as ruptures? For
more than a decade, New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman has been raising his
hand to offer emphatic answers to these difficult questions.
 As in his earlier writings, he again insists in “Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s
Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations” that the present and the future are
different from the past, especially in how rapidly and significantly things change.
 And as his subtitle suggests, he is remarkably sanguine about what this might portend.

11. AUTHORS LAST WORDS:-
 Today's technological revolutions are vast enough to be termed beyond "the cloud" to his description
as "the supernova".
 He correctly cites the lag in social and political innovations which must now be overcome by such
units as OTA, still copied in many other countries but shut down in the USA in 1996. Many
obsolete political parties, health and educational systems, tax and trade policies need overhauling
today, as Friedman describes.
 To restore lost trust in current institutions, Friedman ends with recalling his childhood in
Minnesota with its inclusive humanity and the community responsibility of its civic and business
leaders in such innovative groups as The Itasca Project.
 I recall being an early presenter at their first meeting at Lake Itasca along with radical economist
Michael Harrington who explored the roots of poverty and exclusion in the US economy which
burst forth in our 2016 elections.