A good friend of mine works for a radio communications company. Ask him about his vision of the future, though, and he'll sound like he's quoting a science-fiction movie. "We might not even need radios!" he enthuses. "Maybe I'll be able to just think something and a person in the other room will hear me." The first time I heard him say that, I thought it sounded pretty silly. But two recent technological developments have blown my mind so completely that I'm no longer sure my friend isn't onto something with his prediction.

Cross-platform ad campaigns are coming, and so is the desire for real cross-platform measurement. Unfortunately, no one yet knows what that measurement will look like and which metrics will rule it.

Since the topic of viewable ads rose to the forefront in the last few months, a number of publishers have jumped onboard to say they'll only sell viewable ads. ESPN was probably the biggest publisher to say it would test the model and see what happens. I wonder what happened?

According to a recent survey of marketer and agency sentiment about investing in Facebook, building awareness is the top Facebook goal for marketers. This finding is interesting, but worthy of a little more context based on our experience working with Facebook Ads.

Last year I wrote a column entitled "The Digital RFP Is A Frustrating Mess." The request for proposal is the bane of the existence of digital media buyers, who must wade through thousands of emails and spreadsheets each year to assemble media plans for their clients. Media sellers are equally frustrated, especially when they diligently respond to last minute RFPs only to never completely know why they didn't get the business.

Here are two characteristics that will give you a major competitive advantage, no matter what your field of endeavor: 1) learning to identify your own assumptions, and 2) learning to set them aside when considering a problem.

How big is your digital footprint? I recently went through the onerous process of changing jobs, during which I ended up moving my primary email contact to a different email address. I also reset a number of passwords in order to simplify my life while also trying to thwart the ever-present threat of digital hackers. What I uncovered was just how difficult this process was, given the fact that I'd been using my previous email and set of passwords for more than six years. I can honestly say my digital footprint wouldn't fit in Shaq's size 22 shoes!

When an idea is shared on the Internet quickly and at great scale - popularly called a meme - it risks jumping the shark into the land of clich. Which is why I'm hesitant to cite "The 'Busy' Trap" essay from The New York Times. It's a well-written piece that hit a nerve with a lot of people. But what really resonated with me was author Tim Krieder's sentiment about latchkey parenting:

Whether it's consumer devices like the iPhone or apps like Instagram, well-designed products are now all around us. As consumer expectations for design migrate to business, it's more important than ever to build ad-tech systems that people actually want to use. This is especially important given the number of systems that most people already use every day.

Look up. Lift your gaze from your screen and your device and your social media, and fix your gaze on the Everest you are pursuing. Sear it into your mind's eye. Contemplate its meaning. Remember your own, ineffable Why. Then look down. Consider where you are standing. Appraise your immediate environs, the resources available to you, your own current abilities or lack thereof. Take a step.