I’m already psyched to see what they’ve put together for tomorrow, but I wanted to go ahead and get my slide deck online for my presentation tonight. It’s lacking some context, but has a few good data nuggets and some fun maps to enjoy. Check it out:

Part of this is my experiences. I remember traveling to Europe in early 2007 and taking hundreds if not thousands of photos. I took maybe 20 at my high school graduation. When I traveled to Japan I took hundreds more. I took maybe 100, total, in my first semester of college. I’m not sure what it is that makes travel experiences more powerful—to me, anyway—than some of these big life experiences. Maybe they’re just prettier.

But I think a bigger part of it is the limitation of technology. Until recently (with my iPhone, which I’ll talk about more in a moment), I’ve bounced between cameras. I had a point-and-shoot digital camera for a while, and used it a fair amount from 2007 through 2009. It took the vast majority of my travel pictures.

I received a Nikon DSLR for my birthday in 2010. I love it, but it’s big and bulky, and unless I’m going out somewhere with the sole purpose of taking photos, it often doesn’t make the cut for fitting into my backpack. If I’m driving it’s a little different, but my travel is most frequently by bike, so it’s a little more limited.

With my iPhone 3GS I took a fair amount of pictures, but they were never particularly good. My desire for a high quality way of capturing memories on the go was never quite fulfilled by the relatively poor camera and processing power of the 2009 generation iPhone.

With the iPhone 4S things a little different. The camera is phenomenal. It takes incredible photos, and it takes them quickly. It easily bests any photos I’ve ever taken on a point-and-shoot camera, and I’m pretty well convinced it comes decently close to the shots I’ve gotten on my DSLR. It’s changed the way I think about photos, and it’s led me—already, in only week—to take more and more photos, capturing more and more memories, and sharing those experiences and memories with others. Which is kind of the point, isn’t it?

I am a technologist, and technology plays a big part in my life. I’m not ashamed of that. But it’s interesting for me to hear people complain about the role of technology in our lives, and often make fun of the “geeky” class. I’m frequently asked, “Could you go one weekend without your phone?”

Yes. Easily. But why?

I like being connected. I love taking pictures—especially photos that are big and beautiful and can really resonate. And I love taking them quickly, without having to think about it, without having to plan in advance. My iPhone helps me do that, and I like that.

Anyway, long story short, I like taking photos and I like my iPhone. That’s all.

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently—they’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them… about only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

The death of Steve Jobs tonight is devastating. It’s devastating to a generation of technologists and geeks, to business leaders and politicians, and to young people like myself who have looked up to—and will always look up to—Steve Jobs and his legacy.

Maybe it’s fate or maybe it’s just an odd coincidence, but tonight I was listening to the most recent episode of Radiolab, titled “Loops.” The episode covers loops of all kinds, but one segment near the middle sticks out in my mind, especially tonight. They discussed the death of whales.

When a whale dies it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. And it stays there. Whales live for anywhere from 50 to 75 years old, and after they die, their body sticks around for another 50 to 75 years. Other animals feed and live in and on these fallen creatures, until another whale falls and new universe is created—a new loop begins.

I think of Steve Jobs’ quote above, about the misfits. I think about the whales. And I think about the world we live in. Perhaps these things aren’t so different.

Steve Jobs lived an tremendous life. And he was the heart and soul of this cycle, this “misfit loop.” The rest of us live and thrive and are inspired by his innovation and passion, and his refusal to comply with the status quo. We’ll continue to live and thrive and be inspired long after his death. And from us, someday, there will come another magnificent misfit, continuing the loop ad infinitum.

We’re all in this misfit loop. Steve Jobs stood out because he changed the world. He didn’t start the loop, and he most certainly will not end it.

First, I’ll admit I am biased. I own a 3GS and I definitely plan on purchasing the 4S. Obviously, I’m looking to paint this situation in the best light for myself as humanly possible. But there’s a few things I think all the complainers out there are missing when it comes to today’s big iPhone announcement. Four, actually.

1. Apple really, truly, honestly does not care about numbers. Look at the history of their products. The only lineups to ever have numbers in product names are the iPhone and the iPad, and even then—in the iPhone’s case—it wasn’t in a way that made sense. Think about it: we went from the iPhone to the iPhone 3G (#2, for those of you keeping count) to the 3GS (#3), to the 4 (#4, the first one to actually line up in sync) and now to the 4S (#5).

   Whether or not you think this is a big “leap” from one generation the next, this is indeed the fifth generation of the iPhone. The iPhone 5, if you will. Hell, I’d even bet a macaron that the next iPhone won’t be called the iPhone 5 but something completely different. Microsoft gave a big f*** you to numbered products with the Xbox 360, as did Nintendo with the Gamecube and the Wii. This isn’t really that different.

2. 

   Siri looks ridiculously cool, and might totally change the game. If—and this is still a big if, until it’s been tested—Siri lives up to the promises made at Tuesday’s briefing, it might change the game in the smartphone world in a way that Apple really hasn’t done since the first iPhone.

   Voice recognition technology has completely, utterly sucked for pretty much ever. If Apple has finally somehow managed to get it right, then this is a breakthrough that extends far beyond just the smartphone market.

3. Upgrades are more about guts than flash. The upgrades in the iPhone 4S are, obviously, far more about the innards of the device than the external appearance, which looks virtually identical to the iPhone 4. My question to you: did any of you really think the iPhone 4 was that ugly? I kind of liked it. The power behind the device, and the pieces that make it work, are the most important parts.

   Apple has made some very significant strides in the iPhone 4S with the processing power and the camera, and that should not by any means be discounted.

4. Why an iPhone 5? I dare you—anyone—to make a valid argument why Apple should’ve released an iPhone 5 today (and one that I can’t rebut with a sufficient answer). Design? No, because the iPhone 4 design is smart, pretty sexy, and just works. Sales? No, the iPhone 4 is the best selling smartphone in the world, and sales have actually increased over time. Stock price? No, because Apple is already one of (and occasionally, the) biggest companies in the entire world. They’re sitting on a mountain of cash and Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, and every rational stakeholder could really care less as long as Apple keeps churning out sexy products that work.

   Consumers will buy the iPhone 4S in droves, and no one is disputing that. AAPL may have taken a hit today, but the day the iPhone 4S launches I’d expect some seriously impressive gains. There’s simply no real valid argument for them to release a totally new design and a totally new model.

In retrospect, it really does make sense. And I think in a few months, we’ll look back at this Apple announcement as simply the one that the media got utterly wrong, while Apple did it 100% right. Who knows if the iPhone 5 is on the horizon. I, for one, don’t particularly care, but as always I eagerly await what innovation Apple thinks of next.

I had the honor of witnessing 14 other individuals give some truly remarkable presentations, and I had the incredible honor of speaking myself. I spoke on social learning, and the disconnect we—more often than not—see between the way students are learning and the way modern teachers are teaching. For now, I’ll leave it at that, but my PowerPoint presentation is embedded below. As soon as I have the video, I’ll post that as well.

Thanks so much to everyone who made the event so great, and a huge thanks to all those behind Ignite DC who chose me to be one of the speakers for this event. I’m thrilled to have played a part, and I can’t wait for Ignite DC 7!

So how does Miranda explain this apathy among us college students? Brilliantly:

I call it an inflexible system. Education has a fresh cornucopia of potential tools that have not been utilized to potential. That is a shame, and a failure on the part of the system to adapt.

As a student of marketing and public relations, one of the first things any budding professional is taught is to identify your audience. Identify your audience. Professors now have a very different audience today than professors even 10 years ago. My generation was raised with toys. With gadgets. My generation has a high processing speed and a low tolerance for filler. My generation learns in bullet points and status updates of 140 characters or less. Most importantly, my generation is endlessly engaged with a wide online community. This is the audience.

And moreover, this should be any professor’s dream. You have a venue for innovation!

She’s right. And it’s not just social media. As many of you know, I’ve made social media in education a big priority in my college life with the AU Social Media Club, but this isn’t just social media we’re talking about. It’s a simple failure to acknowledge passion and creativity, and a massive failure to help student unlock those passions in innovative ways.

Let me put this in some context. I’ll be blunt—I’m not a fan of my international business course. It’s not because I don’t like business; In fact, I love business. One of my degrees is a B.S. in Business Administration and the Kogod School of Business has been an outstanding place for me to unlock my business potential. But this one class is a failure, largely because our professor is deaf and blind to the needs, wants, and passions of our generation.

So far, the course has consisted of long—as in two and a half hour long—lectures, very little homework, two exams, and a significant group “business plan” project in which we develop our own international business. Sounds cool? Sort of. The problem is that it’s boring and honestly, couldn’t unleash the passion of even the most hardened and fascinated international business major. Our professor tries to be “hip” by encouraging us to text him (+ points), but then fails to grasp even the most basic functions of BlackBoard (- points). He tries to discuss current events (+ points), but then fails to mention anything about the state of the media (- points), how we’re receiving this news (- points), or what this news means in the context of our real lives (- points).

But I don’t mean to single out this one class. There are numerous classes—at every university, I’m sure—that can benefit from a more modern approach. An approach that utilizes modern technology, encourages discussion and debate, asks students where and how they get their information and why they get it where they do. An approach that allows students to express their knowledge in whatever way they know how—whether that’s building a website, tweeting a thousand times a month, starting a group on Facebook, or putting together a good old-fashioned scrapbook.

Miranda nailed it right on the head—our education needs flexibility. It needs to adapt not just to modern students, but to each and every one of us.

This might sound like we’re asking a lot, but really, we’re not. We’re asking that our professors use the time and the resources at their disposal to unlock our passion in new and innovative ways. We’re asking that they step outside of their comfort zone as we step outside of ours. We’re asking that as we work our asses off for that perfect grade, they do the same to not only help us reach that grade, but reach it in a way that gets us excited about the next course in that subject area.

I want to walk out of every class—regardless of the topic—feeling like I should major in it. I want to be that passionate about my classes. I want to care. I really, really, do.

So see? It’s not that we don’t want to care. I think I speak for most of us when I say: yes, we want to care, we want to be passionate. But unfortunately our education isn’t always stepping up to the plate.

Want to know more about the AU Social Media Club? E-mail us at smcedu@american.edu. Are you a student at AU and want to get involved? Sign up for our mailing list here.

I’ve grown up in a world that is increasingly connected and digital. Emotions, thoughts, ideas, passions, as well as money, business, commerce, and research, all take place online. Communicated. Transformed. Developed. That’s the world as we live it.

It’s not the same for those that grew up before us. Even those born in the late 70s don’t quite see the world the same as we do, I don’t think. David Carr’s media column today in the New York Times, “Film Version of Zuckerberg Divides Generations”, really underscores these differences, I think–on an even deeper level than just technology. A key paragraph:

Many older people will watch the movie, which was No. 1 at the box office last weekend, and see a cautionary tale about a callous young man who betrays friends, partners and principles as he hacks his way to lucre and fame. But many in the generation who grew up in a world that Mr. Zuckerberg helped invent will applaud someone who saw his chance and seized it with both hands, mostly by placing them on the keyboard and coding something that no one else had.

Put simply, I couldn’t agree more. The world I know is one where the possibilities are endless. Where, honestly, collaboration is often pushed aside in the name of innovation and success. I’m not saying this is right or wrong, I’m just saying… it is.

Zuckerberg, in a lot of ways, really embodies our generation (or at least our generation from my point of view, in the “bubble” or not). He’s a little socially awkward. He doesn’t care as much about his personal image as he does the success of his company. He doesn’t care as much about success and wealth as he does innovation and influence. He’ll do anything to become who he wants to be, and let no one stop in his way. He’s connected, tech-savvy, smart, creative. He gets how others think, just not always the what or why we think what we think. Maybe it’s just me… but I can relate to pretty much all of that.

In some ways, I hesitate to suggest that our generation is somehow special or different than those that came before us. After all, almost every young generation that comes along tends to believe it is somehow different, somehow more unique and revolutionary than the last generation. Many argue–including myself in the past–that really no generation is terribly unique, that we all go through stages of conflict, of innovation, of rebellion, and then assimilation into the world as it moves on, with or without our generation.

More and more, I don’t think that’s the case. I think that now, for perhaps the first time since the industrial revolution, our generation embodies a dramatic shift in thought in the world. We think differently about, well, almost everything. About the way we communicate, the way we do business, and the way we create knowledge. We view the world differently and are generally hyper-aware of the diversity of cultures, as well as our interconnectedness. Bringing my point home, I think a lot of that has to do with the Internet, with new definitions of “media” and “social”, and to a certain extent, with Mark Zuckerberg.

What do you think? Does Zuckerberg represent us? Is this “digital divide” much bigger than just between income levels and race? Is it between generations, and does it represent much more than an ability to use technology–but in fact an entire way of living our lives and pursuing our dreams? Go read David Carr’s column today, then let me know.

Mashable, God love ‘em, is convinced that if (and that’s a BIG IF) AT&T loses exclusivity on the iPhone, they’ll see a major decrease in income and revenue. This just proves, once again, that just because you’ve got a big microphone doesn’t mean you understand the business or the technology behind the mobile industry.

To their credit, the author explains some of the caveats–sure, AT&T isn’t going to lose all it’s iPhone subscribers over night, but then, naturally, he goes right back and contradicts himself:

If, on the other hand, Verizon got the device next year, the incentive to switch to AT&T would go up in a puff of smoke. The number of new wireless subscribers would drop like an iPad thrown out of an airplane.

You are just. wrong. And including juvenile and unrelated Microsoft paint graphics about how tethering means losing your unlimited data plan only exacerbates the fact that you don’t get how this business works.

Harsh? Maybe. True? Yes. Here’s the deal, folks.

If (once again, that’s a big IF) AT&T were to lose exclusivity on the iPhone–which I’m still not convinced will happen until at least 2012 (not to Verizon anyway, to T-mobile is a whole other, much more rational and likely possibility)–then yes the market would change. No, AT&T would not suffer and die because they are just soooooo dependent on the iPhone. That’s nonsense. There’s a couple factors at play here:

1. There’s no such thing as a finite market. This is the number one rule of business, marketing, and well, it’s important and you need to get this. We will never reach a point where every single person on earth is just so satisfied with their cell phone and wireless coverage that they will never ever want to switch or buy a new phone. It’s never going to happen. EVER. Which means that there are always customers to market to, and always new people to buy phones, iPhones or not, AT&T or not. If AT&T loses exclusivity? They’ll keep selling the iPhone to millions of people, along with other networks, and they’ll continue to sell millions of other inferior phones to ignorant customers who don’t understand they’re being ripped off by the quality of their device.
2. Moving to Verizon would be a huge pain in the ass for Apple AND Verizon. On the surface, most people probably don’t see any downside at all to Verizon adding the iPhone to its mobile product line. They’re missing 80% of the substance in this argument. For Apple, they would have to create an entirely new iPhone. Not just a slightly different one, but an entirely different one. Switching to CDMA is not as simple as simply switching out a chip in the phone. With CDMA they would have to rework the entire infrastructure of the iPhone 4, since it’s antennae is specially designed to work on AT&T’s GSM network–meaning this would have to be reconfigured and re-tested, thousands and thousands of times, before they’d let it see the light of day on Verizon’s network. They’d also have to change the software, as the CDMA network will not allow phones to access both the voice network and the data network simultaneously. So all you AT&T customers who enjoy browsing the Web as a distraction while talking to your parents on speakerphone? Kiss that blessed distraction goodbye. For Verizon, they would lose the best mobile partnership they’ve ever, ever had–Google. No, they wouldn’t lose it straight out, but you can bet Google isn’t going to be happy about it. Verizon has now spent over two years all-out marketing the Android operating system and phones (even directly attacking the iPhone on occasion), and going back on all those millions of ad dollars is just about the biggest, most hypocritcal, “f*#$ you” to Google they could pull. Would that stop them? Maybe not alone, but if Android surpasses the iPhone in market sure in the next two years, as has been projected, then Verizon might be crying a little when AT&T starts making bank on both Android and iPhone phones, while Verizon has to catch up by spending millions of dollars in advertising to remind customers that “Oh hey, we have the iPhone now, too! We’re five years late, but trust us, our network can handle it!”
3. Verizon does not have a stronger network, and it won’t take long for customers to figure that out. Regardless of how much the “I’ve got a map for that” ads might be drilled into your brain at this point, Verizon simply doesn’t have a stronger network. They have a better quality network because there is less strain on it. If they get the iPhone, you can kiss that goodbye, too. You think AT&T is bad? Just wait until Verizon unleashes the iPhone on the pitiful networks of San Francisco and New York. AT&T has learned their lesson and is constantly bolstering their network to correct for the insane amount of data usage iPhone customers manage. I’m willing to bet Verizon has underestimated just how much strain the iPhone would put on their network. And if they try to roll it out on 4G… it’ll be like going back to the EDGE network.

But what do I know. I’ll firmly admit I’m not a mobile technology industry expert either. But I’ve spent enough time watching this and learning about it that I think I get it better than most people now. Does it mean that I’m 100% sure of everything I just wrote? No. But ridiculous doomsday theories for AT&T and fanboyish journalism for Verizon is just getting out of hand.

Chances are, nothing will play out like almost anyone has predicted it will, including myself. Chances are I’m wrong about something in this post, just like Mashable is almost certainly wrong in theirs. So let this be your disclaimer before you go off ranting online or in the comments (although feel free, really, I don’t actually mind) about how I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Illustration for the video was done by Cognitive Media, which looks to be an equally awesome organization.

It goes without saying (well, I’m saying it, really) that any and all entries, tweets, and other social media buzzing coming from me do not represent the views of my employer.

Now that that’s out of that way… I’m thrilled! Tomorrow I begin my marketing internship with the Consumer Electronics Association (thanks so much to @jp1113 for letting me know about the opportunity!). I’m not entirely sure what to expect, but I’m excited for the opportunity to work in a slightly different field (in other words, not PR) and I know my experiences in the past will help me out a lot as I take on new challenges and responsibilities.

As many of you know, I’ve already begun my duties as the Social Media Director for TechChange, and we’ll be launching our social media presence soon (and rest assured you’ll hear plenty about us). I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be a busy summer! But I’m excited about everything I’ve got going on and think I’ll have some opportunities to do some amazing work.

Speaking of work and interning, be sure you check out the AU Intern Blog, where I’ll be blogging periodically throughout the summer. I might also have a few other guest blogging appearances–I’ll let you know more about them as I find out more in the next few weeks!