Gadgets Are Boring

Yes, I know. Just a day or so ago I called this "The Gadget Decade."

But gadgets are still boring.

They are isolating. They do one thing. They're clients, like PCs, and frankly been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Why then is this the Gadget Decade?

It's a reflection of America's fall from leadership in technology. I don't know if you have noticed this, but gadgets are foreign. Even those with U.S. labels on them, such as the iPod, are made overseas.

The best hope for U.S. innovation this decade was last year's excitement over "Web 2.0." Haven't heard much from that quarter, have you?

The lesson: the Bells and their control of the Internet represent the slow financial suicide of the American tech sector. Until technology companies recognize this, and act on that recognition, it doesn't matter what your kids learn in college. They'll still be working for some Chinaman.