In this world of social networking and communication it seems appropriate that we should have a Spear Blog – a "what are Frank and our faculty thinking about?", if you will. Since this is my first blog, I am at this moment wondering the same things anybody is when they do something new. Am I doing it right? Is it too long or too short? What should I write about? You know, the insecurity stuff all us dentists have about being adequate and perfection.

As to what I am thinking about these days…it is change. I am aware that the world and specifically our country are changing very rapidly, and I wonder what that will mean to Charlene and me, to my students, and to dentists in general.

I just finished reading an article titled "The Rise of Digital Imaging and the Fall of the Old Camera Industry" on one of my favorite photography websites. The author writes about Hasselblad, long recognized for their precision-built medium format film cameras. He talks about the new building they moved into in Gothenberg, Sweden in 2003, an elaborate masterpiece of architecture, only to move out one year later in 2004 amid layoffs and near bankruptcy. They knew digital was coming, had even created their own 6mp digital camera in 1996, but because the quality couldn’t match their medium format film camera they dropped the digital development team. Only when facing bankruptcy again in 2005 did they merge with digital imaging company Imacon and were able to sell a Hasselblad digital system, but that was after other companies like Canon and Nikon had several years head start on the digital marketplace.

How Hasselblad got into trouble was by believing that their core competence of making magnificent lenses and mechanical analog film cameras would always be enough. In other words, they didn’t think change would occur.

I wonder in dentistry, which core competencies that we hold onto dearly will be outdated as our world changes? And I am sure the change will happen, which is why I am now a blogger.