John Chambers Essay in Forbes: "Guts and Glory"

Mr. Chamber's says that he believes we are entering "an era that will be limited only by our imagination and our courage to execute."

In contrast, I believe that it will be limited by our inability to see beyond prior constructs. As an example, consider the device known as a Set Top Box (STB) -- and it's companions, the hand-held remote control and Electronic Program Guide (EPG).

Scientific Atlanta engineers and designers seem to envision that when a new STB feature category is created, a corresponding set of new buttons must be squeezed onto the remote control. This legacy thinking results in the 30-50 button remotes that are common today.

Consider the "usability" of the typical STB remote control from the perspective of the mainstream consumer, and you'll see why this construct is now obsolete.

When all video content was aggregated into the "channel" construct, and the imagination could only conceive of a 100 channel programming universe, then the remote keypad and linear on-screen channel guide made sense.

However, when you consider all of the new niche-oriented digital content that is coming to market today, then clearly the prior scenario seems woefully inadequate.

My point: you must first free yourself from conventional wisdom, and then you can apply imagination and creativity. This doesn't imply that previous models are not useful, if applied differently.

As an example, in a digital media world with an abundance of new content, consumers will only watch ONE channel -- it's the one that is mapped closely to their constantly evolving "persona" -- which is based upon their lifestyle and interests.

Furthermore, instead of the remote control being designed around the needs of the STB and the service provider, it will be re-oriented to the needs of the individual user (person holding it).

Then the execution of personalization attributes can be triggered by pressing the "my channel" button, which will in turn trigger the "my program guide" software that will present new content suggestions (based upon trends or patterns in my prior viewing habits).

And lastly, my human network of friends and family members, combined with insights from their shared content recommendations, will help to guide my digital content discovery process. Now, imagine an STB/Remote/EPG combo that enabled this user experience.

Therefore, I maintain that it's when you combine the best that technology offers us -- with the best that we humans can contribute -- that you are able to realize a truly remarkable innovation. Again, it's an incredible opportunity for Cisco to take consumer electronics in a new direction.

Mr. Chambers, and company, are you willing to think differently, beyond the prior constructs?