My whole life I have been taught that the world is round. Christopher Columbus proved that many years ago. Now I am reading Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat", and my opinion of the world's shape is changing. Friedman starts off the book with talking about how the world has become flat. The Internet has changed the way we look at the world. People and places that used to seem so far away are only a computer keystroke away. We can communicate with people all over the world more easily by computer to send messages, images, and data across the globe in seconds.

There are so many things that factor into the changes in the way the world is viewed. Friedman talks about the impact the Berlin Wall coming down had on so many aspects of the world. It seems like when the physical wall came down, so many things changed, not just in physical barriers but also communication barriers. The massive amount of changes with computers and their ability to cross so many lines and make communication possible. Software that could allow computers to understand each other and allow the transference of images and data opened up a whole new world.

When you call for customer service for many companies today, I’m not surprised when someone from India, Pakistan, or other parts of the world, answer the phone. Many of the jobs and duties that were done onsite for many businesses are now done from other parts of the world.

If the first two chapters are any indication of what lies ahead in this book, I’m intrigued. I had not realized so many different things came into play for the changes to take place. I find this all very fascinating. I did not really understand how so many of the technological advances have affected all facets of our lives.