Mother look no hands
one score year plus one I have
different but the same

Father i've grown strong
moving forward, avant garde
past not forgotten

another leaf turned
a sound I hear resounding
calls me out I fear

onto the water
I am called into a storm
inhale a deep breath

across the ocean
the small voice calls, is it real?
familiar tone

Many words I have
none can paint this vague picture
only soul colors

delusional art?
or is it revelation
the border is grey

meditate on it
unlock the hidden message
the story thus far



a haiku. Ben Khuc.

With the advent of so many electronic devices and platforms, we find ourselves in a rich primordial soup of possibilities for software development. Operating systems such as Symbian, WebOS, iPhone OS, Blackberry OS, Android, and Windows Mobile have bestowed unto the developer's communities powerful SDK's and development kits to create applications for their software market. Naturally, developers saw a gold-mine in these opportunities, and they were right to. Apple's own iPhone App store alone sold to date 1.8 billion applications (1). With numbers like these, it is no mystery why the amount of developers have grown exponentially in the last three years. This is the modern day gold rush.

However, open-sourced programming is not a new idea whatsoever. Anybody who had the Texas Intruments Graphing Calculator series would have had experience with MirageOS, the third-party program written by a college student named Dan Englender. Back then, his programs were free to the public, and his motivations were purely experimental. "They're kind of fun to play with as they come from the factory, but they're even more fun when you make them do stuff they weren't designed to do" (2) he quoted saying.

Nowadays, development for mobile devices have gone mainstream, and they are raking in a great deal of money. Apple held a developer's conference last spring highlighting stories of people who went from "rags to riches" by software development. The dream is all too surreal. Companies are not investing in these developers to launch their own apps. This can be seen through Starbucks (3) and Pizza Hut's (4) new iPhone apps, which allow users to create their own orders. Seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

As I mention these statistics to you, can you feel a sense of familiarity about this scenario? Let me paint a better picture: Entrepreneurs and Private ventures putting a lot of money into a technology phenomenon to earn a buck. If you though of the .COM boom of the early 2000's then pat yourself on the back. This is where thesis my blog comes to completion. I believe that we are slowly forming this "bubble." The same type of bubble as the ".COM bubble" and the "subprime mortgage bubble." If we are not careful, we could end up with another burst.

In fact, there has been a start of a plateau effect with Apple's app store. Many developers are starting to report that they are "failing to turn a profit" on their apps. Apps that take about 6 months of full time hours to develop, and costing around $20,000 to $30,000 each (4). So what happens now? There has been too much supply, and not enough demand. I'm sure that a good portion of this money is from small business loans. What happens when more and more developers fail and default on loans? Has this bubble gotten too big for its own good? When is it going to pop?

-Ben Khuc






Sources Cited:
1. http://mashable.com/2009/09/09/app-store-1-8-billion/
2. http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10375239-264.html?tag=newsCategoryArea.4
3. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/01/pizza-huts-delicious-iphone-app-tops-100000-downloads-in-two-weeks/
4. http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/09/10/07/initial.success.stories.overhyped/

Being near the end of my undergraduate journey now, I have seen a whole spectrum of students from all different walks of life. Although we are all relatively the same age, our outlooks on life span such a wide continuum. Some students seem to have such a dynamic look on life, while the other portion seem to just be going through the motions. Being of the former, I many times get peeved and frustrated of the latter--especially if it is a loved one. This idea gets me thinking (which sometimes gets me in trouble). Is passion and drive something someone is prewired for? Or is it something an individual acquires over their life--like an appreciation for wine.



Last week, our small group discussed the Proverbs' definition of "the sluggard." This question was brought up, and it seemed like we all agreed that passion is an acquired trait. But as I think about it more and more, it seems like those that I have seen to be consistent with their passions throughout their life have always been like this. Whereas the consistency of those who have "converted" were variable--as in, many of those who used to be "the sluggard" fall back into a relapse.

The reason why I asked this question in the first place is because in ministry, I believe it is our duty to equip and train the next generation to rise up and take the place. So it would be advantageous to locate and utilize certain factors that catalyzes this "epiphany" in a person's life. I think I have had the privilege to witness some of these transformations in my own network--and even in myself. Most of these was through serving the Lord, and during ministry. But what if we wanted to instill this passion in someone who may not be at that level yet? Is it healthy to push someone off into the "deep-end" of ministry when they are not mentally or spiritual ready?

In the end, the only strategy that I have seen that works is one that utilizes one core principle of passion: it is contagious! A passionate person or a leader in a group really exudes that aura that really instills awe and respect to their followers. I vividly can picture personally those people in my mind, that have transformed my life. This was how Jesus raised such strong disciples--through his own personal example of what it takes to have passion for something you believe in.

So is that the only answer? I'm sure there are other examples that we can extract. Maybe i'll pick up on it one day. But if you are reading this, what are some practical examples you can think of to instill passion? Or do you think it only takes certain types of people. I would be very interested in hearing ideas.