About Rod D. Martin
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by Peter Diamandis
November 30, 2015
This might be a controversial blog.
My Thanksgiving was one filled with texting, Snapchat, Skyping, Facetime, Beam robots and ringing phones.
Some people HATE the way technology impacts their family at gatherings – people on digital devices rather than having conversations – ‘making us more alone, even when we’re together.’ But is that really true?
This blog is about perspective on the impact of digital devices, and the bigger picture on what’s going on: an accelerating trend where our connection with people is independent of our physical location.
We’ve ALWAYS said that new technology isolates us
Source: xkcd.com/1601
“Back in my day, we didn’t have all these distractions”
– Millions of disgruntled grandparents around the world.
“Yeah, in your day, life was pretty boring and disconnected.”
– Millions of millennials today.
We’ve always preferred to get what we want, when we want. Every new communication technology has moved us closer to “immediate,” “faster,” “cheaper,” “higher quality” and “instant” communications with whomever we want, whenever we want.
And that trend is accelerating.
The fact is we tend to romanticize the past. And we like to complain about the present. And we are resistant to change. Check out the two photos below that clearly tell that story.
The Upside of Technology
This Thanksgiving I was in constant contact with relatives scattered around the world: one niece in London by Facetime, another niece in Hungary by BEAM robot, and friends around the world by Skype, Facetime and Beam.
100 Years Ago… holiday contact with distant relatives either didn’t happen, happened through infrequent snail mail, or rarely through a long trek by horse and buggy. Ultimately you were stuck with the locals – which is fine – unless the people you love were a world apart…
50 Years Ago… a long-distance phone call served as the high-tech mode of ‘connectedness.’ The telephone offered reasonably immediate communications, except on holidays (for those of you who remember) when you couldn’t actually get a line out (“All lines to that country are currently busy, please hang up and try later”). And, oh, by the way, it was really expensive.
Today… we’ve got instant, global, free, wireless communication capabilities in full-color, high-definition video and even telepresence robots.
The bottom line is that technology allows us to more intimately connect with friends and family who are geographically distant and this, from my opinion is a really good thing.
So, what’s the problem? Why concerns over “distraction and the isolation”?
It’s Not Only the Technology, it’s Also Your Boring Uncle and Brainless Conversation
We (humans) tend to prioritize spending time with those people who bring us the most enjoyment or satisfaction.
We can blame the technology all we want – BUT this means messaging our best friends rather than having conversations at a dinner table with distant relatives with whom we have little in common seems like a better way to spend our time.
We can force it and try really hard — be polite, do the right thing. But when the barrier to connection drops so low that we can ditch the uncle and chat with our buddy, it’s a tough thing to avoid.
The point here is that the quality of the connection is skyrocketing, and the barrier to connection is plummeting.
Thanksgiving – November 2025
What does Thanksgiving look like in November 2025, just 10 years from now?
I imagine much of it will look a lot like it does today.
Except that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will account for half of the people around the dinner table.
On the augmented reality front, technologies like Magic Leap and Hololens will allow distant family members and friends to join in the conversation in a multitude of different fashions. Some may beam in from the other side of the planet, showing up as full-size participants virtually sitting in chair across the table, while others may be one-tenth-size figures standing on the table top.
Or… in the case of virtual reality, we could imagine an hour-long pre-dinner reunion taking place in a completely virtual world with 100 distant family members joining from a dozen corners of the globe to exchange stories and catch up.
We are entering a period of rapid societal transformation. Where traditions will morph, and limitations of decades past will lift allowing us to recreate our social networks and celebrations.
P.S. Every week I send out a “Tech Blog” like this one. If you want to sign up, go to Diamandis.com and sign up for this and Abundance Insider.
— Peter Diamandis is the founder of the X-Prize, of Planetary Resources and of Singularity University, and is one of the genuniely brilliant thinkers and doers of our time. Thanksgiving 2025 was originally published at Diamandis.com.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
