Spit n'image

A lot of publishers send me books to review. I wish they were history books or adventure stories. Sadly they are all management books. But even management books can be interesting in parts.

Sometimes the publishers send me the galley proofs of the book before they are sent to the printers and sometimes I get the raw unedited copy. That was the case with a forthcoming book - Commoditization and the Strategic Response by Andrew Holmes who sent me his concluding chapter.

I liked his theme on commoditisation (although I can't bring myself top spell it with a "z") which fitted with some of my own thinking so I used it as the basis of my FT column this week. I didn't have room for something he was writing on technology but I thought it was interesting so mention it here.

A company called Navidia has launched the GeForce 8800 chip that took four years to develop. It can deliver ultra-lifelike graphic images. Soon it will be impossible to distinguish the image you see on your screen from the real thing.

Imagine the money that film studios will save on actors, that TV news will save on presenters and the Met Office will save on all those wooden weather presenters. According to Mr Holmes both Intel and IBM have claimed that Hafnium, a metal used in the construction of nuclear reactors, could soon outstrip the limitations of the silicon chip for power and speed. So there is more to come.

Does this mean that one day I will be able to see a representation of Brad Pitt where the virtual image can actually act? I can't wait.