Moved to Twitter and Print in the Communication Ecology blog

Since I started this blog I've used it to gather data points to help me clarify what I think are the next steps for Print. Around the end of March 2010, I found that twitter is a better tool for that purpose.

If you're interested in my blabla or my 2¢ you can find me at @ToughLoveforX I'm now focused on Print in the Communications Ecology.

{ The following was originally posted March 13, 2010 }
Yesterday I got an email from an on the ground printer in the States.

She said:
I had been wondering about the lack of input from you lately (you used to be EVERYWHERE!) – glad to be getting your tweets!

I said:
Thanks for the email. "EVERYWHERE?" yikes! Can you imagine what is was like back in the day working with me. I never shut up.

A short explanation about the blog . From where I sit, I really do think the "tipping point" has been reached in Print and from here on in, much less panic and much more money. Hooray!
But it's a bit less interesting as the pieces fall back into place. My real passion as you might be able to tell from my tweets is education. Primarily in the creation of at risk kids in really broken high schools. As an example the average grad rate in NYC is 63% and people look upon that as a great victory.

The thing about education is NOT about feel good. It's about making money for printers who get it. Marketing for globals is a loser because the margins are so low and will continue to be so low. At the local level there's more opp, but with the competition from on line and the chains - Alpha, Staples, etc. the margins are going to stay tight.

Right now there is a huge amount of money being poured into education. Also a huge disruption is going on in that market that opens up opportunities for smaller, faster, smarter printers.

Lots of commercial people think I'm all about the feel good. Suffice it to say that one of the reasons I was able to retire was by investing in print related companies. Just as examples, in the last year Consolidated is up 125%, McClatchey newspapers up 800%, Gannett up 300%, Oce up around 100%. When I say print ain't dead, my data points are the stock prices.

Seth Goodin and the Printernet

Seth Godin " There's room in the market for 100,000 profitable micro-magazines" http://ilnk.me/275d >Biz case for printernet.

• Having a very specific audience (call it a tribe)
• Enabling that tribe to connect by sharing the ideas in the magazine among them, as well as supporting it with a forum or blog
• Containing ads that are relevant to that audience
• Being longer than 140 characters or even a blog post, so significant ideas can be exposed in detail

There's room in the market for 100,000 profitable micro-magazines. Why not have one about Aruba, for example? If all the people who vacation in Aruba could read about the island in detail every month, read about restaurants, resorts and politics, for free, in an easy to share format... Multiply this by every destination, every interest group, every type of profession (how about a micro-magazine for ethnobiologists?)

#Printernet is massively parallel manufacture of Print output. 50,000,000+ Print pieces w/a minimal carbon footprint. http://ilnk.me/27d1

“Massive parallel manufacturing with standards-based interfaces, real time production information and easy access for everyone. Each printer — the combination of the machinery and the intelligence that manages the machinery — is a print output node. Each node is both part of the network and self-sufficient. When the nodes are working together mass customization of print product becomes commonplace at previously impossible speeds and quantities.”

So what's up with PrintCafe? Not pretty it seems.

So yesterday I got this tweet from EliotNessCyLab

@ToughLoveforX The 'rest of the story' about Printcafe: www.PrintcafeSecuritiesFraud.com

Then this morning I got an email. A section of it is reproduced below:

1) The victims of the Printcafe securities fraud were:

a) Creo which lost between $75 and $100 million and was attacked by Cenveo's Bob Burton (who gobbled up Banta instead), [Creo chose suicide-by-Kodak rather than suicide- by-Cenveo],

b) the former owners of the acquired software companies -- Hagen, Logic, Printsmith, PSI -- who were shortchanged by $51 million when PCAF shares were split 66:1,

c) the career employees who built the aforementioned companies, HUNDREDS of whom lost their careers as PCAF had to slash and burn as it abandoned the successful software products and pursued "e-commerce" that did not exist,

d) ALL printers nationwide, who lost the benefits of competition as Printcafe/EFI formed a virtual monopoly, (a monopoly even more complete now that EFI has gobbled up ePACE),

e) ALL printers nationwide, who endured higher prices and diminished service from Printcafe/EFI,

f) the public and private investors who had lost a grand total of $250 million (that's one-quarter of a BILLION) by the year 2003 when PCAF imploded (and only got about $50 million back from EFI),

g) the Aileron hedge fund investors who never heard about the Printcafe fraud from the printing industry's 'journalists' and therefore invested with Guttman,

h) Carnegie Mellon which never heard about the Printcafe fraud from the printing industry's 'journalists' and therefore hired Guttman and has retained him lo these many years.

It's money with the wrong dna. (originally posted May 25,2009)

Funny money thinks it has all the answers. It forgets that its replication is based on a rising market and its arrogance on a short memory. If something crashes it's usually because "the economy is blablabla." If money gets burned in the Print space, it's because "the internet balabala and the End of Print." That's why Cenveo closed Anderson, that's why Boundary Capital is closing outlets all over the UK and why Zell took the Tribune into bankruptcy.

Meanwhile David Black is doing very nicely with newspapers in Southwest Canada/Northwest USA and The Color Company just replaced Fedex Kinko's in London and is also growing nicely.

In the States we have this thing about "Go West! Young Man." Maybe the Color Company should "Go North!" They could pick through the debris and find those smart, ever resilient, persistent Printers and click them on to their printernet. Then they could move to Australasia and do the same. Then maybe they could give AlphaGraphics a real run for their money in the States.

Then they could both fight it out with our homegrown good guys to see who will be the Starbucks of the Printernet.

"Earning" money by getting transaction fees from your VARs may work in finance. It's not sustainable in the real economy. Earning money from your VARs through value given, value received transactions is a different business model.

The End of Print? Hah! More likely it's the end of Funny Money poking it's nose into places it doesn't belong.

Prontaprint accused of supplier 'kickbacks'
@ comment posted at printweek.com

"Firms that want to supply Prontaprint had better be careful.

If anybody from Boundary Capital or ODC rings you up and says 'you can supply our franchisees but you'll have to grease our palms first, by the way your not allowed to speak to anyone about it' just remember that the guys that pay the bills namely the franchisees won't touch you with a bargepole if they find out about it. If we find out your doing it already we'll tell each other. Kickbacks mean WE HAVE TO PAY MORE. Be careful what you get yourselves into.

We want to deal with firms that don't give kickbacks.

Time for a change. In the Blog and in Print.

{ Originally posted March 13, 2009 }
If you're interested in my blabla or my 2¢ you can find me at @ToughLoveforX
I'm now focused on Print in the Communications Ecology.

Yesterday I got an email from an on the ground printer in the States.

She said:
I had been wondering about the lack of input from you lately (you used to be EVERYWHERE!) – glad to be getting your tweets!

I said:
Thanks for the email. "EVERYWHERE?" yikes! Can you imagine what is was like back in the day working with me. I never shut up.

A short explanation about the blog . From where I sit, I really do think the "tipping point" has been reached in Print and from here on in, much less panic and much more money. Hooray!
But it's a bit less interesting as the pieces fall back into place. My real passion as you might be able to tell from my tweets is education. Primarily in the creation of at risk kids in really broken high schools. As an example the average grad rate in NYC is 63% and people look upon that as a great victory.

The thing about education is NOT about feel good. It's about making money for printers who get it. Marketing for globals is a loser because the margins are so low and will continue to be so low. At the local level there's more opp, but with the competition from on line and the chains - Alpha, Staples, etc. the margins are going to stay tight.

Right now there is a huge amount of money being poured into education. Also a huge disruption is going on in that market that opens up opportunities for smaller, faster, smarter printers.

Lots of commercial people think I'm all about the feel good. Suffice it to say that one of the reasons I was able to retire was by investing in print related companies. Just as examples, in the last year Consolidated is up 125%, McClatchey newspapers up 800%, Gannett up 300%, Oce up around 100%. When I say print ain't dead, my data points are the stock prices.

The Textbook Medium is The Message Of High School Education in the States

The inconvenient truth is that in High School education in the States approved textbooks supply the standards for education.

There is no longer any doubt in my mind that textbooks are now entering the tipping point into something new. It seems that education is traveling along the same trajectory.

Our usual focus is on the textbook as print. Today let's take a look at the political economy of education in the service of getting a more nuanced view.

In Rhode Island

All teachers fired at R.I. school. Will that happen elsewhere? { CSM http://ilnk.me/1c08 }

All teachers fired at R.I. school. { CSM http://ilnk.me/1c08 } "This will be a canary in the coal mine,”

Rhode Island is now ground zero for reforming America’s worst-performing schools { CSM http://ilnk.me/1c08 }

The game changer is

US Secretary of #Education Arne Duncan applauded the Rhode Island decision this week." { CSM http://ilnk.me/1c08 } about 3 hours ago

in Texas:

Texas "House Bill 2488 – the “open source” #textbook bill – is a watershed piece of legislation" http://ilnk.me/1bf6

Open Source” Textbooks Are Reason for Grave Concern in Texas http://ilnk.me/1bf6 ( The Political Economy of #Education)

The game changer

Open Source” #Textbooks Are Reason for Grave Concern in Texas http://ilnk.me/1bf6 --> " weakening the duties of the Board,"

If you still can't get clarity on one future for textbooks . . .

It's now clear to everyone that textbooks in their present form are over. A bit like a zombie bank waiting to be reorganized. Here's one example of what's next.

Remixable textbooks by expert authors. Free online and affordable offline. http://ilnk.me/1bc2 me: Read for Free. Pay for Print. Go Print !

1,000 students 30 schools in Spring '09; 40,000 students 400 colleges in the fall 2009 used free Flat World textbooks http://ilnk.me/1bc1

I bet if you did the growth chart it would look like a hockey stick.

IBM + Ricoh v Xerox v HP v ?? for MPS

Came across this piece this AM. So now it's IBM + Ricoh and Xerox(ACS) and HP. Wonder how Canon(Oce) is responding.

In any case it's all good for print. And my print-centric IRA.

IBM and Ricoh combine to help reduce print-related costs | TradingMarkets.com:

"IT company
IBM (NYSE: IBM PowerRating) and Ricoh (Nasdaq-OTCBB: RICOY PowerRating), a printer manufacturer, announced yesterday that they have partnered to develop an advanced device and printing management system which offers organisations the opportunity to reduce their costs and improve service availability."

What's up with Appleton Coated, NewPage, Sappi trying to get higher tariffs on Chinese paper.

To be clear all the info below comes from folks who represent Asia Pulp & Paper, the leading exporter of coated paper from China and Indonesia. It's fair to say they have skin in the game. But I consider the source and then see what makes sense to me.

To me it sounds like a couple of companies are trying to protect their market. That's not a problem. If I were a big company I would do the same thing. They do it because it's good for their company. If I were a shareholder that's precisely what I would expect.

But, please. No bullshit about good for America. Getting the United Steel Workers to join their suit, makes tactical sense, but give me a break.

Anyways here's what's on my radar so far.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is investigating accusations that Chinese and Indonesian paper makers have received unfair subsidies from their governments and dumped certain types of coated paper on the U.S. market. The DOC will issue an important preliminary decision on subsidies on March 1

Over at Dead Tree Editions Blog ,whose insights and info I've grown to respect. He says:

If you think prices for coated paper have declined a lot recently, hang on to your hats. A bigger drop may be just around the corner.

I'm not sure about Appleton and NewPage but am told that

"Sappi is a South African multinational corporation. Sappi is gearing up operations in Asia, while it is closing plants in the U.S.

Of course there is the whining about subsidies for foreign paper. I don't have the details handy, but I'm pretty sure my readers remember the tax credits the paper companies got from the fed for smart business decisions to take advantage of the rules.

To get the full story, Dead Tree does a serious rundown at Both Sides in Asian-Paper Debate Are Lobbying U.S. Printers

U.S. industry received about $9 billion in black liquor credits during 2009. NewPage and SAPPI received more than $400 million last year in black liquor credits, which critics claim is an abuse of a program that was intended to encourage production of new, environmentally friendly fuels.

I have no problem with the companies. They are supposed to play by the rules to maximize shareholder value. I do however, have lots of problems with a Congress that make rules without a full consideration of the unintended consequences.

Bottom line is this kind of using the government to protect margins and markets really has to stop. It's what got us into the trouble we are in.

For the more reasoned and nuanced explanation, I suggest a read through Super Capitalism by Robert Reich. or you can watch a 10 minute vid here or the 60 minute video here.

No more bullshit at Xerox. Ursula M. Burns in the New York Times

In 1969, Neil Postman made a presentation at the National Convention for the Teachers of English [NCTE], November 28, 1969, Washington, D.C.. The title is "Bullshit and the Art of Crap-Detection"

From what I think I see, Ursula M Burns knows all about it.

Xerox’s New Chief Tries to Redefine Its Culture

“Terminal niceness,” is how she describes an aspect of Xerox’s culture, during her all-hands speech. “We are really, really, really nice.”

Maybe the “Xerox family,” she says, should act a bit more like a real family.

“When we’re in the family, you don’t have to be as nice as when you’re outside of the family,” she says. “I want us to stay civil and kind, but we have to be frank — and the reason we can be frank is because we are all in the same family.”

Nods of recognition ripple across the audience.

“We know it. We know what we do,” she continues, describing meetings where some people present and others just listen. “And then the meeting ends, and we leave and go, ‘Man, that wasn’t true.’ I’m like, ‘Why didn’t you say that in the meeting?’ ”

Why I wish HP would spin off the Print piece.

I got to the following by following links from my ChangeForge daily email alert.

From ONN.TV

A look at HP’s quarterly numbers, by division

Hewlett-Packard Co.’s 25-percent jump in net income in its November-January quarter was driven by better numbers in most of the technology company’s major divisions. Here are some highlights on those divisions:

– Services: Revenue slipped 1 percent to $8.7 billion. Operating profit rose 27 percent to $1.4 billion.

– Printers and ink (Imaging and Printing Group): Revenue rose 4 percent to $6.2 billion. Revenue from ink and other supplies was up 1 percent. Ink is one of HP’s biggest moneymakers. The division’s operating profit was flat at $1.1 billion.

– Computer servers and storage (Enterprise Storage and Servers): Revenue rose 11 percent to $4.4 billion. Operating profit rose 36 percent to $552 million.

– Personal computers (Personal Systems Group): Revenue increased 20 percent to $10.6 billion. Operating profit jumped 22 percent to $530 million.

– Software: Revenue was flat at $878 million. Operating profit rose 19 percent to $167 million

– Financial services: Revenue increased 13 percent to $719 million.

Printers and Ink ( Imaging and Printing Group) are the wrong buckets. I don't know much about the ink business, but my bet is that margins are only going lower. On a global scale it might turn out to continue to be the great cash generator as before. If I had to bet on it, I wouldn't.

But the presence of the Indigo and now the digital web presses say to me that HP may have a very defensible position in the under appreciated Print industry. Suffice it to say that my Print-centric IRA is well over 100% up since I started managing it about a year ago.

If HP gave me a way to invest in the Print piece instead of all the other complicated opaque (2me) businesses, it would be grand.

Another step towards a Robust Printernet. Press Sense gets new CEO.

The quote from the Press Release:

“With growing demand for Business Flow Automation throughout the marketplace, our intensified focus upon this critical region is paramount to our worldwide success,” notes Press-sense CEO Shlomo Ben David. “Amir’s extensive sales and executive management experience compliments our growth strategy and is a valuable addition to our management team. We anticipate his impact will accentuate our results in these regions. ”

Amir's dna is from IT not Print.

Amir Rosentuler’s experience is evidence of a results-driven management executive with more than 20 years experience in sales management and business development. With more than 10 years with NASDAQ software companies, he has exhibited strong P&L management, and cross-company strategic project management skills. Prior to Press-sense, Amir was the General Manager and Vice President of International Sales for Magic Software (a leader in enterprise application development and integration software) where he constructed and implemented their new turnaround strategy.

Amir also held several senior positions in IBM, and several senior management positions in Novell, as well as senior sales management and channel distribution management positions at Computer Associates.

IT dna is precisely what's needed to pull together a stable, resilient Printernet.

“Massive parallel manufacturing with standards-based interfaces, real time production information and easy access for everyone. Each printer — the combination of the machinery and the intelligence that manages the machinery — is a print output node. Each node is both part of the network and self-sufficient. When the nodes are working together mass customization of print product becomes commonplace at previously impossible speeds and quantities.”

Com Color v Color Qube. I'm thinking Com Color for Education

No real information about the Color Cube has gotten on my radar. Not sure what that means, but ComColor does keep popping up.

I pay attention when I see a tweet from @artpost

Riso ComColor Review http://bit.ly/1bfBlB

Which got me to Art's print4pay Hotel's "MFP Solutions Blog." I decided not to put in any snippets, as it's a short post and a very good read.

Instead I would like to share my tweets, which I hope will allow you to see what I'm seeing.

"To me the ComColor's mantra should be "Print Shop in Box", ( http://ilnk.me/1ab2 @Artpost ) Congrats to @RisoPrinter

"a 32 page booklet (saddle stitched) in about 30 seconds" ( http://ilnk.me/1ab2 @Artpost ) 30 kids x 30 secs = 15 minutes for textbooklets.

32 full color booklets x $.035 per page = $ 1.12 for a 1 to 1 textbooklet for at risk middle schoolers from @RisoPrinter http://ilnk.me/1ab2

Gosh I wish HP were a pure play on Print

The thing is it's too complicated for my IRA. Print centric has been doing just fine and as they say "focus, focus, focus."

Anyway, just one more datapoint on how HP could be a Printernet all by itself. The money phrase

industry’s largest personal publishing ecosystem

HP Press Kit: HP at PMA 2010
"At the 2010 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) tradeshow, HP is showcasing new digital photography and personal publishing solutions designed to accelerate the analog to digital transformation of the photo industry.

With the industry’s largest personal publishing ecosystem, HP and its solutions help retailers and print service providers to profitably grow their photo offerings and enable consumers to capture and access dynamic content where they want, when they want, how they want – and bring it to life through the power of print."

I bet IPEX is when Print tips. Have you read today's post at OutputLinks?

Frequent visitors to the blog know that I think the tipping point has already passed. But I'm just a blogger, so what do I really know. On the other hand, my print centric IRA has been doing just fine, so at the end of the day, what do I really care.

Anyway, this morning I got to see the Andy and Julie Plata talking about IPEX at OutputLinks.
Here's the link:

My personal fav snippet is:

a seminar area for 30 national and international not-for-profit organizations to exhibit at the event.

To me it says that there is a small, but gathering consensus that the growth path for the industry is not marketing to sell more widgets. Rather it is using the awesome power of Print to do well by doing good.

Just a few of the many other money snippets follow:

All the presenters seemed to be preparing their exhibits with the expected better economic conditions for 2010 in mind.

In fact Ipex 2010 will be the world’s largest English speaking print conference. It takes place every four years and will attract visitors from over 160 countries and exhibitors from almost 40 countries to Birmingham, UK.

A good “ignition indicator” was exhibitors like Océ, Pitney Bowes, Canon, HP, Fujifilm, Ricoh and Konica Minolta who had dramatically increased the size of their booths over the 2006 Conference.

Another “ignition indicator” is the fact that the show is almost 95% sold!

Program like the My Ipex, the Great Print Debates, the Printer’s Profit Zone, and the Knowledge Center are good examples of no-charge programs that will enhance the visitor experience.

Somebody really should get in touch with Amy Halford at Best Buy

The other day I was in town and passed a Best Buy. I noticed a poster with a QR code in the window. This morning I found Best Buy reveals mobile strategy - Mobile Commerce Daily .

Mobile Commerce Daily’s Giselle Tsirulnik interviewed Amy Halford, senior digital brand manager of interactive marketing and emerging media, Richfield, MN. Here is what she had to say.

First the money paragraph.

Multichannel integration and measurement are the two biggest challenges. Mapping out our organization’s entire digital ecosystem and taking advantage of all the touch points in a relevant way is very challenging both in its size and complexity.

Amy doesn't need to be educated. She gets it. Just help her solve her problem.

Other snippets follow:

It’s very easy to be distracted by shiny objects, but if you stay grounded on delivering against the customer’s need, regardless of the technology employed, there’s a greater likelihood for success.

Our chief marketing officer is a self proclaimed “noisy advocate” for the mobile platform. We see mobile as not only a commerce opportunity but an opportunity to learn more about our customers and serve them better across the enterprise. Our approach is to test frequently, learn quickly, and scale appropriately.

We also recognize the 1:1 opportunity of the mobile channel and as we develop that capability, mobile is a key means for allowing customers to get more customized messaging and offers should they choose to do so.

We have built several SMS subscription databases including our Best Buy Deal of the Week, which we promote and send each week in both English and Spanish.

To support our stores at a local level, we’re executing a district-level SMS pilot enabling those stores to send news, alerts, events & offers specific to their store – to the customers that shop in their store.

Anyone else notice that Kodak closed over $6 last week. How come?

Since about October EK has been sitting at around $4 while the other printernet stocks have been moving nicely upward. But starting around the January 25 on unusual volume it got to $6.94. Since then it retreated to $6.08 on Friday. Clearly something's up.

My take is that the KKR dna is starting to manifest. The defensible value going forward for Kodak is photos, not printing. Kodak Gallery has many millions of users who have stored high resolution images on the web. These are the people who created "The Kodak Moment."

On January 14th, Gail Nickel-Kailing continued the convo at Print CEO about a possible Kodak Heidelberg deal.
Although much of the focus was on the NexPress, I said, "

Just last month the Prosper has finally come to market with the first announced deal by Consolidated in Texas. If the TOC and price points that Kodak has announced for the Prosper bear out, it could well become the low cost ink jet web output machine on the street.

Consider what a Kodak/Heidelberg deal might mean on the offset side. Kodak’s Prinergy seems to now be focused on seamless workflow from offset to the Prosper.

Given Kodak’s lead in the offset workflow and Heidelberg’s lead in the offset output device it sounds like a synergy to me.

Today Kodak rolls out ambitious plans for mobile appears at Mobile Marketer.
My favorite snippet is

Since December 2009, consumers have been able to use their mobile devices to interact with the Kodak Times Square billboard in New York City.

This is a one-of-kind experience in Times Square. Consumers can email a photo to Kodak@aerva.com, and once the photo is approved, they’ll receive a second email containing a code.

When they’re ready to see their picture on the big screen, they simply text the code to the number provided and the photo will appear at the next opportunity.

Full disclosure : Long Kodak.

More on textbooks :Nokia, Pearson partner for mobile education program in China.

Telco expansion is a powerful engine of new growth. (FYI the other one is a resugrent Auto Industry. Notice what happened to Sirius the last couple of days? )

My bet is that as soon as a Print global makes the telco connection, my portfolio will be even happier than it's been this last year and the high school dropout problem will be solved much sooner, rather than later.

In any case, here's another data point from today. Keep in mind that Nokia has, I believe, 40% of the global handset market and Pearson is Pearson.

Nokia, Pearson partner for mobile education program - Mobile Marketer - Content:
"The two companies partnered to help the Mobiledu education program appeal to more consumers. Nokia said that it believes the combination of Pearson’s content and its Mobiledu service will offer an even more compelling proposition for customers and partners in the future.

Since its launch, in 2007 Mobiledu has attracted 20 million subscribers in China, with 1.5 million people actively using the service each month."

iPad, shmiPad "students remain big fans of printed books"

In today's Wall Street Journal there's a story about most of the big textbook publishers getting religion . . again. The silly meme is that Print is Dead. This time it plays out with the iPad. Full story:

Major textbook publishers have struck deals with software company ScrollMotion Inc. to adapt their textbooks for the electronic page, as the industry embraces a hope that digital devices such as Apple Inc.'s iPad will transform the classroom.

Not surprisingly, the usual cast of characters are moving together.

"People have been talking about the impact of technology on education for 25 years. It feels like it is really going to happen in 2010," said Rik Kranenburg, group president of higher education for the education unit of McGraw-Hill Cos. and one of the publishers involved in the project.

Other publishers include Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K-12, which is a unit of Education Media & Publishing Group Ltd.; Pearson PLC's Pearson Education, and Washington Post Co.'s Kaplan Inc., known for its test-prep and study guides.

But there is an inconvenient truth.

Maureen McMahon, president of Kaplan Publishing, said a recent Kaplan study showed that students remain big fans of printed books but that they would be more receptive to e-textbooks on portable digital devices.

The problem with textbooks is not that they are printed. The problem is they are too slow and expensive. Like many globals, they ignore the facts and buzz substitutes for reality. Best guess is that Kaplan will figure it out first. They generate most of the profit for the Washington Post anyways.

Consider study guides with QR codes instead of textbooks.
Plus you can get all those great analytics. Plus you can print it out on your MFP and take it to the local coffee shop to discuss with your friends.

Clickable Print and the evolution of the print medium

30,000 feet
It's pretty clear that print will start growing as QR and other 2d codes are incoporated in print product. One might say that clickable print is both a table of contents for content on the web and the off ramp to present web content in physical space.

10,000 feet
The view changes depending on the focus. My focus is education with a side focus on health and government. I think there is much to learn from marketing, but advertising and marketing are still too competitive and disruptive. It's hard for printers to add value. Education and health need the insights of marketing and the technology we provide.

On the ground
It's too complicated for any general statements or insights. That's where each PSP has to figure it out for themselves.

I've started a twitter persona to store various use cases from 10,000 feet. You can follow @clickableprint

Use Cases from 10,000 feet
PD | refers to Professional Development. It's the low hanging fruit in K-12 education.

PD | Education 2029 ? Compare and contrast: vid Kaplan Univ. http://ilnk.me/1657 View from Natl Assoc of Scholars Http://ilnk.me/NAS .

PD | "rather than try to train better leaders (teachers) we need to reboot the concept" http://ilnk.me/1662 - Poughkeepsie Day School

PD | Education 2029 ? Compare and contrast: vid Kaplan Univ. http://ilnk.me/1657 View from Natl Assoc of Scholars Http://ilnk.me/NAS .

Edu | Worst Idea To Promote Parent Involvement Ever" http://tinyurl.com/ydzaeer || ClckPr to send Mom an SMS when non compliance occurs.

'Meet the Press' transcript for January 24, 2010 http://ilnk.me/165e || Could be great in clickable print for civic class.

Another consolidation? Quad to Buy World Color. RRD gets a run for the money.

Printer Quad Graphics Expected to Buy World Color Press - WSJ.com:

"Privately held Quad/Graphics Inc. of the U.S. is expected to acquire Canadian rival World Color Press Inc. for roughly $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion, said people familiar with the matter, in a deal that would create North America's second-largest commercial printer by sales, behind industry giant R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.

Under the plan, these people said, shareholders of Toronto-listed World Color, which prints such magazines as Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, as well as the Crate & Barrel catalog and Yellow Book directory, would get a 40% stake in the newly combined company. The new company would then list on a U.S. stock exchange, they said, in effect bringing Quad/Graphics, whose clients include Newsweek, GQ and the L.L. Bean catalog, to the public market for the first time since its founding in 1971."

Now that we know where Print fits, what's next?

It's become pretty clear that Print fits into the emerging communication ecology as being the on and off ramp to Web Squared. As the web becomes the internet of things, Print is the table of contents.

Now it's just a matter of following who is going to get what in the ensuing land grab. But that's for a different post.

Today, visual search got back on my radar. My bet is that is the end of game of the next 10 or 15 years. It will be fascinating to see how that plays out. Imagine what that could mean for education, health and government. It will probably also be pretty neat for marketing.

It started yesterday with a couple of tweets between me and Ricoh Innovations Labs.

jamois RT @jasonpinto: Excellent application of QR Codes described by @ToughLoveForX: http://ilnk.me/1698

@jamois http://aha.sh/U - scan, author qr codes. Plus analytics. Social networking. iPhone, Mac, Windows. oh & FREE || pretty cool.

jamois @ToughLoveforX "http://aha.sh/U -...qr codes....FREE || pretty cool." - thx but check out what comes next: "visual search" http://aha.sh/VS

Me:
@jamois brilliant! --->http://aha.sh/VS | Until it's ready for prime time QR? BTW "clickable paper" check @clickableprint Great minds:-)

Me:
Ricoh Rocks! Check out visual search post..vids and links. http://ilnk.me/16a1 The next step to @clickableprint

RicohInnovation RT @ToughLoveforX: Ricoh Rocks! Check out visual search post..vids and links. http://ilnk.me/16a1 The next step to @clickableprint

Moodstocks RT @ToughLoveforX: Spend 4:57 min with @RicohInnovation video on QR, Visual Search and Social Networking Mind blowing ! http://ilnk.me/16a3

Did you know that @Moodstocks "specializes in visual search on the Internet"

Me RT
Moodstocks RT @delunna: A must read! Visual Search, #AugmentedReality and a Social Commons for the Physical World Platform http://bit.ly/7pRP9r

The Money Tweet:
#QR ers MUST read for state of the art on where it's all going. AR and the "no click interface" http://ilnk.me/16aa Smart & Lots of links.

http://ilnk.me/16aa will take you to:
Visual Search, Augmented Reality and a Social Commons for the Physical World Platform: Interview with Anselm Hook

A response to Jim Lyons post on QR. It's about compliance, not marketing.

I tried to post this at Jim's post, but it got complicated. As readers of this blog have probably figured out I don't like complicated.

The original post, most definitely worth the click is at Jim's blog. The post is January Observations -- From the QR Code sandbox — will It help printing?

My comment

Jim,
Thanks for the kind words. Just wanted to share a thought about
"the question remains whether this technology is good for printing."

I have commercial print experience and dna. But I have been following the conversation about MPS and MFP every since Greg Walters, Art Post and You got on my RSS and email notification.

Another under appreciated fact of QR is that it is possible to encode a Purl - a personalized url. This might turn out to be a big deal for MPS because it allows the capture of when a particular person either clicked on the code, or when to the human readable URL.

The issue is not advertising, it is compliance. Just one use case to give you an idea of what I mean:

A large organization is required by law to inform their employees of X. And they are required to be able to produce proof that the employee was appropriately notified.

By using a Personalized Url, changing into a human readable URL - through link shortening - and also embedding that Url inot a 2d Code, one could print out a notification at the MFP.

Then one can capture in a colud based data base whether that person went to the URL to read the document. Even more important, it will give management timely information about who didn't yet click on the document.

Once the manager has that info, she can send an email the next day, "Dear X, I asked you to look at the document yesterday. Please do so today."

My own interest is in high school education. The same process could be very useful in that context, especially in addressing the problem of students who get lost.

At any rate, if this process proves out, it's a very low cost - high value addition to any MPS contract. As the margin on boxes keeps getting slimmer and slimmer, I would think it would be an interesting proposition for Independent MPS.

What if an MFP were a news output device?

In the States, a new form of journalism is emerging. As of today, it's gotten on my radar in Texas, California and Connecticut.

CT Mirror is nnother new business model for Journalism at the State level http://ilnk.me/166e It seems similar to @texastribune

California Watch: The latest entrant in the dot-org journalism boom http://ilnk.me/166f

There are different business models for each outfit. But each a web only. Web only is a niche market. Only print and TV are mass market medium.

Consider and A4 or A3 with human readable URL's and QR codes, that takes the headline and the lede from the XML on the newspaper site. Or takes a twitter stream with HR URLs and QR code.

Or if not an MFP, then a PDF as a newspaper insert or supplied to print with the run. Or if not a PDF, then a 24 page newspaper.

Then earn some revenue with ads from NGO's and Government Social Service.

Just when the smoke was clearing, a new player cames to the States. MGI and they speak Twitter!

If all the globals could learn to speak twitter it would be so much easier for everyone to figure out how to get from here to there.

It started about 15 hours ago. I came across an interesting post at @mbossed.

I'm @ToughLoveforX . He is @MGI_USA .

I said:
Did you know that @socialprintexp is built on the MGI press. Convo going on now at @mbossed http://ilnk.me/1637 || Ain't Fridays grand?

@Socialprintexpo Any thoughts/ links? to why did 15 customers buy an MGI press over an #HP Indigo?" Digital Print 360 http://ilnk.me/ed0

Then I got an email notification that @MGI_USA was "following".

I said:
@MGI_USA Thanks for the follow and welcome to the States:-) Maybe you can explain why what's so cool about MGI? http://ilnk.me/ed0

He said:
@ToughLoveforX Sure! 1.Substrates (paper, plastics, ENVELOPES) 2. Up to 13 x 47" size 3. Laser-safe 4. No click charge 5. Outstanding color

I said:
@MGI_USA " 4. No click charge" 13 x 47 ? very, very cool. Got anything EZ on TCO? inkjet not toner? Needs conditioned air space?

He said:
@ToughLoveforX presses are dry toner, although an inkjet press for card apps is out late 2010 - std climate & hum. control, no chiller req.

@ToughLoveforX that's just our Meteor DP60 Pro digital press - we also have the JETvarnish digital inkjet spot UV coater + other finishing

I said:
@MGI_USA got a vid anywhere?

He said:
@ToughLoveforX check out our Web site for vids: http://tinyurl.com/yem49a2

I said:
@MGI_USA thanks for link I really like "MGI’s My PhotoBook Shop" http://ilnk.me/1639

Then I RT'ed.

The City of Cincinnati talks about their MGI Meteor DP60 Pro in the Nov issue of In-Plant Graphics: http://tinyurl.com/yh586bz

MGI USA adds 3 more dealers to US network: http://bit.ly/4iREF2

Custom Textbooks Created on HP Equipment

By now it's no longer a new story. But here's another data point on the opportunity for versioned print in education. Soon someone will scale personalized (in addition to the versioned) Then someone will add QR or other 2d codes.

Then some high school admin somewhere is going to see the value of personalized print + QR to increase attendance and behavior compliance with a minimally invasive intervention.

Then we can all move on to even more interesting problems.

The full story is at Global Print Monitor

"Making the grade in educational publishing

As public schools across the US strive to improve education for all students, the needs of individual states, districts and schools become apparent. Mercury Print Productions found a way to address these needs by creating customised textbooks with the new HP Indigo W7200 Digital Press.

'Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, a school's funding is somewhat dependent on students' test scores,' explains Christian Schamberger, vice president of operations, Mercury Print Productions. 'The ability to customise textbooks to ensure students learn what they need to can help improve test scores and secure the school's funding.'"

Screen to launch Indigo rival at Ipex

Just when I thought I had the players figured, here comes Screen with an inkjet to go against the Indigo. I keep looking for stories about the Screen Inkjet at AlphaGraphics printing American editions of the Daily Mail newspaper. None have gotten on my radar since the first stories many months.

If anyone has some info, please leave a comment.

Anyway's here's the snippet from Proprint. Details at the click:

ProPrint:
"Screen will use Ipex 2010 for the commercial launch of the Truepress JetSX – a B2 inkjet press that has already attracted 'a fair bit of interest' here in Australia."

It's time to Stop Evangelizing and Start Selling.

From the inside it seems that the job is to "convince" and "educate" end users about the value of print and 2d codes. As usual, if you take a glance outside it seems that "convincing and education" are no longer needed.

This morning I found this one. I don't want to turn this into a long post, so I won't belabor the the point. If you're interested follow me at twitter @toughloveforx . In between my relentless pursuit of those who are going to fix high school dropouts, I tweet examples of QR and other 2d codes being used in the real world.

It's the beginning of a land grab. No "education" or "evangelizing" needed in a land grab.

Mobile provides instant interaction with consumers - Mobile Marketer - Advertising:
"Bar code branding
Text-message opt-ins are far from the only way to engage consumers. Another option? Mobile bar codes.

Scanbuy Inc. has launched a number of products for brands such as American Airlines, Volkswagen and Sprint with the use of bar codes.

“Mobile barcodes are an extremely easy and trackable way to mobilize any traditional media from print to packaging,” said Jonathan Bulkeley, CEO of Scanbuy, New York. “In our experience, the keys to getting results are to give the consumer something of value and communicate clearly with a strong call-to-action."

Who would have thought that a Cable Channel would go into the textbook business. And the opportunity for Print.

About a half hour ago I found this in my twitter stream.

cmt1 DigitalContent vs textbooks http://bit.ly/7X2f8w

So then I said this:

Indianapolis Public Schools Replace Textbooks with Digital Content http://ilnk.me/1577 | Precisely the opprtnty for #Xerox+espresso & #MPS.

Looking a bit more, I got to this:

Did you know that Discovery Communications LLC. has replaced textbooks in Indianapolis http://ilnk.me/1577

and then this:

A cable channel replaces textbooks in Indianopolis http://ilnk.me/1578 Discovery Edu is a subsidiary of Discover Communications, LLC.

The point for print
If you ask any classroom teacher they will tell you that the idea of replacing print with online is a figment of some politician's imagination. Sounds good, but it will not scale at least for a long time

Discovery Communications LLC has taken their long tail of content, focused on making money from education, not donating to education.

Consider the long tail at PBS or NPR or Nat Geo or the Then consider the long tail at every serious newspaper in the States. Put that together with Xerox + Espresso or with any MFP that can seemlessly transfer XML to print streams.

Then think about what it would mean to add personalized QR and shortened URLs: Information exchange data from teaching with no teacher time needed.

I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

If I were HP, Oce, Ricoh, Riso and had to respond to Xerox + Espresso, what I would do ...

It's going to be an interesting week. The conversation at Print Ceo is starting for real.

The vulnerability of the Espresso is that, as I understand it, it is PDF based. The network agreements that Jason Epstein has put together with publishers is a very defensible value. But the amount of content in PDF is dwarfed many times over by the content in XML.

Wikipedia is in XML. PediaPress in Germany has been selling Wikipedia in Print for many years. Obviously they have a done a deal with wikipedia to share some of the value. From what I can see, the books ordered by Pedia Press customers is for a very narrow market. And the production model is print and distribute. I believe that Oce is the output device.

But, the Xerox + Espresso turns that paradigm on it's head. Any book, any where, any time has gone from a vision to one more way that digital print can change the world.

At any rate, here's my two cents:
Partner with the best XML to digital print stream people you can find. Get the engineers to add some binding to the MFP. If it were me, I would do it faster, rather than slower.

Xerox + Espresso is not about the box. The value is the Network.

This morning, I came across this:

@proprint Xerox to sell Espresso Book Machine: Xerox has signed an agreement to sell the Espresso Book Machine http://bit.ly/5Up04p

Replying to a comment to yesterday's post I said,

I agree that if the name of the game was selling boxes it's not a big deal. But the way I read the releases Xerox will be selling the Espresso, not merely supplying the boxes.

That's a much bigger deal.

The defensible value of the Espresso are the contracts that Jason Epstein has made with the publishers. Once those are in place, I agree that the machinery can be easily replicated by any other vendor.

With Xerox's purchase of ACS they have made it crystal clear that going forward the value is MPS. If Xerox is the channel for selling expresso how hard would it be to role in a special deal for including an Espresso as part of an MPS contract?

Consider if Xerox adds an Espresso to their offerings in education and government MPS. I would keep a look out to see if they get one of the school book publishers to come on board. If and I think when they do, it means customized textbooks delivered with no logistics and very little sales expense directly to the school building or district.

Ursula and her team realize that margins on boxes and toner are going to be very slim. But margins on MPS are defensible and supply a nice stream of recurring revenue.

In a tweet this am I said this:

in Queensland: stdnts are publishing their books as part of the govs project. http://ilnk.me/153b || With #Xerox+Espresso it would be EZ.

My bet is that the Espresso Deal will do for Xerox what the Docutech did back in the day.

The conversation started on Friday with the announcement that Xerox will be selling the Espresso. On Friday Noel Ward did a story at GAM and Printweek.com reported in the UK. On Saturday, Cary Sherburne did a post at PrintCEO. All of the stories are well worth the read.

At any rate, here's my two cents at PrintCeo.

When I saw the announcement it recalled the feeling I had when I saw the first story about the Docutech in the Wall Street Journal.

It seems that this deal is the docutech reinvented for a networked society. The money sentence to me is “we believe fully distributed solutions will become an integral part of the supply chain.”

It’s the same idea of a mature “distribute and print” model the industry has been talking about for years. But until the web matured it was a vision instead of a strategy.

O’Reilly has said that the web is now moving into the real world. He calls it “Web squared.” QR codes are an on ramp from the print to the web. The Espresso/Xerox deal is one off ramp from the web to print.

One can only assume that once the Xerox engineers take a really close look at the output box, it will get more and more efficient. One can also safely assume that if Xerox sales gets involved it will get less and less expensive.

One interesting question going forward is how Xerox will integrate selling Espresso with their PSPs. The natural would be to sell through the MFP channel.

I’m hoping they are figuring out a method to use their Premier Partners to add the Espresso offering to increase the PP value to their clients.

Espresso Deal for BIg X may be Docutech 2010

When I first heard about the Xerox and Espresso deal yesterday, I looked at through the lens of selling boxes. But today, I saw the article at PrintWeek with the much bigger story : Xerox to sell Espresso Book Machine | printweek.com "

I think it's a natural for every college book store in the States to have one or two Espresso Book Machines. Just needs a deal between XRX and BN.

Moving forward why not every CRD in every school district?

I still remember the feeling I got when I read about the Docutech in the Wall Street Journal. It gave me the chills when it was described as a book machine. I have to say I had the same feeling yesterday.

Xerox to sell Espresso Book Machine | printweek.com "
Xerox has signed an agreement to sell the Espresso Book Machine (EBM), the revolutionary on-demand book printer, alongside its Xerox 4112 printer.

The worldwide distribution agreement heralds a major step forward for EBM manufacturer On Demand Books, which released the first version of the machine in 2006."

Xerox Rocks! And it's not about ACS.

So between this and that I checked in at Twitter and found this:

@APKO

Xerox and On Demand Books will jointly market and sell, on a worldwide basis, the Xerox 4112(tm) Copier/Printer... http://bit.ly/6B6r7a

So then I Googled Xerox and On Dmeand books and got to this:

Xerox Technology to Fuel Espresso Book Machine; Worldwide Agreement Includes Global Marketing and Sales Support:

"ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

- Xerox Corporation's (NYSE: XRX) digital technology will bring speed and exceptional image quality to books produced on demand by the patented Espresso Book Machine(R). This cutting-edge book solution, sold by On Demand Books, LLC, produces millions of copyrighted, public domain, out-of-print, or rare texts for consumers in a matter of minutes."

There's a pretty good chance that On Demand books will finally bring to life the book machine at the point of the buyer. That means inventory problems go away for small bookstores. It could also mean books printed at the CRD for school districts.

It's still a little tricky to figure out what it means for Big X's PSPs. If it were me, I would do a sweet deal so they could offer instant books for their customers. But however it plays out, this could be a banner day for big X.

Enuff already with "Market Service Provider." Think like Benjamin Franlin.

Jeff Jarvis said " Do what you do best, and leave the rest."

Bartash Inc. are not "market service providers." They are imaginative business oriented Printers, just like Ben Franklin.

Press Release at WhatTheyThink.

Sidney Simon, owner and CEO of Bartash Inc., Philadelphia’s largest coldset web printer, " When we studied the list of approximately 300 publications that we print, we immediately saw patterns that are ideal for national advertisers. Singly, many of these regional and niche publications don’t have the circulation numbers to entice the largest insert advertisers, but through the Bartash ROI™ program, advertisers can achieve the response they want.”

Enuff already with "Print is Dead" and "XYZ" is the next big thing. Just follow the money.

I have a feeling that 2010 will finally be the time to retire a couple of buzzwords that obscure what's going on. My first nomination is "Print is Dead." My second is "Market Service Provider".

As I've said since January 2009, when I first started blogging, Printers print. To survive and thrive it means printing better, faster and cheaper than the other guy. And it means inventing new uses for Print, not trying to make believe we're something we're not.

Rather than a long blah blah, I thought it might be useful to share some numbers.

Consolidated Graphics (CGX) is up 92.47% since 8/20 and McClatchey (MNI) is up 773.28% since 4/15 . Check out some of the other stocks in my IRA printernet portfolio to see what I'm seeing.

Welcome to 2010. "two HP Indigo 7000 replace less-efficient analog offset systems

This came over the transom this morning.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 7, 2010 – HP today announced that Capitol City Press, Tumwater, Wash., has installed two HP Indigo 7000 digital presses with HP SmartStream workflow solutions, replacing less-efficient analog offset systems.

It shouldn't be a surprise that it happened just outside of Seattle. The future often happens first in the American Northwest. What caught my attention is

The new HP Indigo 7000s now print the 750,000 four-color sheets per month that Capitol City previously ran on three older, small offset presses.

For Capitol City it sounds like the decision was based on better, faster, cheaper to meet their present customer's needs. This was not about "reinventing themselves" to become "market service providers."

It was about doing what they already know how to do. Just doing it better and more efficiently.

Holistic Quantum Reality? I must be kidding Actually, I'm not.

The point is to have humility in the face of complexity. What name you give it is up to you.

Since the outlines for the next stage of print are now pretty clear (Mobile computing takes the web into the real world. Print lives in the real world. As Print connects to the web, it's all good.) And since the market is calming done (McClatchey went from around .80 to over 4.00 last time I looked.)

It leaves a little space to get into really interesting questions. The following is a copy and paste from http://ilnk.me/HQR1

In my humble opinion, it's exactly on the right track. Yes, it may sounds nuts to "serious people who have to make a living and have important meetings to go to."

But have you ever had a chance to do a little read of Quantum Theory? If you want nuts, that's nuts. Only thing is that it's true.

Copy and Paste follows:

What is Holistic Quantum Relativity?

Since many have asked for a simple explanation of HQR, this is an
attempt at providing it, with heartfelt apologies for all errors and
omissions.

The Absolute is indefinable, nameless, formless, wordless, soundless,
although when it comes into expression it is known by different Names!

Let us take a table. What is it essentially made of? Wood on the
surface and underlying that... what? Energy! Why? Let us examine the
wood under a powerful electron microscope. What is it made of? Carbon
and hydrogen atoms amongst other types connected to each other with
what? Energy bonds and vast open spaces... What are the carbon atoms
made of? A nucleus and polarised charge clouds with electrons etc
and... what? Energy packets and vast open spaces... What is the
nucleus made of? Sub-atomic particles and... what? Quantised energy
and vast open spaces!

Beyond the 1920s we referred to the nucleus as a collection of protons
and neutrons enveloped by an electron charge cloud and step by step we
have put so many designer labels on the sub-parts -- sub-nuclear
particles -- that at last count there were at least 100+ different
names for such energy particles and growing!

Now, as we go deeper... and observe: the sub-atomic particles -- all
flavours -- are just forms of packet (Quantum) energy connected with
each other as Happenings, ie, "Haps" manifest as pulsating particles
or waves depending on how we look at them or don't! [Heisenberg ist
wunderbar!]

The "Haps" are the sequence in which the entire universe connects to
create a grand holographic story, yes, the illusion of duality, which
when looked at holistically is all just One space-time continuum of
energy, which can be expressed as a grand manifestation of light or
cosmic vibration simultaneously appearing and disappearing as matter,
based on the illusory lens of observation set at simultaneous multiple
planes of consciousness! No wonder, at first glance, it makes no
sense. It confuses, disturbs and we end up being doubtful! No need to
be doubtful of inherent volatilities or ripples in the pond, which is
just a metaphor for the "Grand Narrative"!

What is HQR suggesting in a nutshell?

We ignore micro- and macro- layers, connections and connectivity at
our peril because this is the interwoven fabric of the entire
universe! As we evolve, the more we are able to connect with our
within. Beyond people, events, places, stories, facts, fiction,
things etc we re-create nascent haps in our mind-spirit matrix as
suliminal and then neural networks. Step by step, everything appears
connected within a "Grand Narrative." All becomes Holistic when we
align the without with our within. The past, present and future merge
into one when the immanent spirit triumphs over logic and the creative
spark overtakes the mundane banality of our tedium-inspired illusory
entrapment!

Holos is not just "Whole", it is essentially about recognising
perfection: Why? The so called good, bad and ugly do not exist but
only do so in the duality of our mind's perception. Holistically, all
is there for a perfectly valid reason or completely not there for a
perfectly valid reason manifest as Synchronicity! Perfectly timed,
perfectly placed, perfectly connected!

If we were to revisit the original 30+ HQR Socratic dialogues what we
would find is that even these humble thoughts have been expressed
within them. Everything is connected with everything else and that is
the "Grand Narrative" of our existence. Once we are able to recognise
the Quantum nature of Energy, the Relativity of our existence
suspended in an illusory -- disconnected -- duality of the mind (an
entrapment) and that our true essence, the spirit, is Holistic and no
different from the Cosmic Origin of the entire universe and beyond --
The Supra Universal Consciousness -- we are then able to recognise
that Holistic Quantum Relativity = Spirit Mind Connectivity.

Within the dynamic HQR of our trinitised existence: The Father is the
Supra Universal Consiousness (Divine and Primordial Awareness at all
Eight planes); The Son is the Universal Consciousness (Director of
Mental Awareness at Three lower planes); and The Spirit is the
Consciousness (Individual Spirit or Soul's Awareness entrapped at a
restricted number of lower planes) made Holy via the "Word" or
"Vibration".

The teachings of Sant Mat "Way of the Saints" suggest that creation
occurs through primordial "Vibration", a vibratory principle, known in
various languages as "Naam", "Shabda", "Kalma", "Logos", and "Word",
and that individual salvation and enlightenment is achieved when the
human soul is put into contact with it through the agency of a Great
Spiritual Master who has that principle fully manifest within ("Word
made flesh"). Sant Mat masters state the Holy Spirit also mentioned in
several Holy books, refers to this principle, citing many passages
referring to "baptism in the Holy Spirit", revelations received while
"in the Spirit", and Great Spiritual Masters and Philosopher
Scientists -- Socrates, Pythagoras, Buddha, Lao Tse Tsu, Jesus,
Maulana Rumi, Kabir and Kirpal et al -- curing with the Spirit as
indications that they were conferring initiation into the esoteric
practice of the "Word" - Surat Shabda Yoga - Soul Vibration Union
during their lifetimes.

The moment the Spirit recognises that it is none other than a part of
the Supra Universal Consciousness and acts as such, the duality
imposed by the mental faculties is removed step by step. There is a
rich narrative of connectivity going all the way back to creation put
together Holistically with perfection, Quantised by Time and Energy,
and then re-presented as Relativity as a Space-Time Continnum
connected across multiple planes, which we cannot externally visualise
as ONE, but only in our within and then alone via our "Rising
Consciousness" that:

"Yes! We are indeed all One-in-All and All-in-One!"