They say you can't teach an old dog a new trick. I am an old dog. Blogging is a new trick. When I was growing up, Spam was a compressed luncheon meat (and mighty tasty, as it still is) and wireless meant you were not connected because you had lost the cord. Never mind that computers were not around; television was not yet commercial. The good old days? Most certainly not, unless you count as good drilling wells from a semi-submersible with a bumper sub as motion compensation for the string, or you count as good kick-starting 8 1/2 X 10 Ajax engines all day. Aside from old friends, there is not too much good to go back to in this industry, especially in terms of technology. So, this should be an enjoyable new trick. There is a new generation out there that is much more savvy about all this than I am, but I will catch up. That brings me to a topic of some interest. Exactly how different is the new generation of professionals from the old dogs of my generation? We certainly hear a lot about the differences. And the industry and the societies are accommodating young professionals as though they were a different group altogether. (Check out Rhonda Duey's blog for more comments on the new, young professionals.) To be sure there are some differences. However the challenges of finding and producing oil and gas remain daunting, as they always have. While the equipment may improve and innovations such as intelligent energy may change the way we develop fields, my bet is that the mentality, drive and perseverance are the same in the old guard and the new. We probably just don't organize and communicate in the same ways. Your thoughts? Bill