Guides through the Cell Phone Jungle, part two: Clay Shirky

I just had a lovely two hours with Clay Shirky's latest book:

The Chinese cell phone company Xiaomi ("Show-me" is the pronunciation) has produced a modified version of Android and a strategy that's produced a startup worth $45 billion in 5 years.

Shirky's writing is a pleasure, hilarious in spots and insightful always:

If you want a two-slide comparison of the difference between the local U.S. and Chinese economies, you could do worse than comparing in-flight catalogs ... On U.S. airlines, the ridiculous SkyMall, recently bankrupted by the FAA's decision to let people keep playing games on their phones as they land, was a glimpse into a market where everyone who could board an airplane already had everything they needed. So what did SkyMall invite Americans to dream about? An outdoor chaise lounge, for dogs. A mirrored door-mounted jewelry armoire. A spatula with an LED flashlight in the handle. SkyMall was shopping for a culture whose middle class thinks, "hmm, I could use a Tetris lamp, and maybe some rechargeable heated slippers." China's daydreams are different. Here's what's on sale in Chinese in-flight shopping magazines: rice cooker, baby thermometer, skillet, vacuum cleaner, iron, paring knife, umbrella. It's like Sears and Roebuck with QR codes. This is shopping for a culture whose middle class thinks, "hmm, I think I need a set of spoons, and maybe a toaster oven."

Five stars. I have to go back and read the rest of Shirky, immediately.