Communicating in the Cloud

We were all sitting quietly under the tree. The elders sat side-by-side, along the dried-out wooden bench, while the children played in the sand, jumping back and forth over the canal. The hot air was still, and some aimless bees appeared stuck to the berry tree just above. From afar we heard the glockenspiel of the cows sway from side to side as they returned from grazing just as the sunset came in.


House in the Village

An old house from the village of Lovaszpatona, where I grew up 


I was never able comprehend the phenomenon, how every cow managed to find their home without any instructions or maps to follow. They would each enter the gate, and using just their nose, know exactly which direction they needed to find the drinking trough. They must have had a built-in GPS. Only, back then nobody even heard of a GPS, let alone a computer. In fact, we didn’t even have a home phone.

Any communication was done on the bench at sunset. People spoke quietly with one another and the transfer of all knowledge was accomplished as the sun would set down. The information exchange was complete.

When the night settled, everybody would know everyone and everything. With the dark, the village would go to sleep. The dogs would be barking and the cats would always be trying to reach the yogurt jars that remained on the windowsill.

When I was 19, I began working in a Uranium mine. At the beginning and end of each shift, we would all load onto the trains that railed in and out of the mine. I recall how there was roughly 10 – 20 seconds while the in and out trains passed each other. We would all shout out the locations of the new holes that were dug, where the uranium should be pulled from, and where explosives needed to be placed. It seemed then that in only 20 seconds of chaos, everyone managed to learn all they needed to know in order to continue on with their day. 

About 1990 I started to buy fancy colors in Bombay. No one had a cell phone back then. If anything, the better salesmen may have worn a pager. All fancy color brokers and dealers stood on the corner of the Panchratna building in South Mumbai, India. On the street they exchanged all data and information needed.

The widely available Smartphone and all the different social sites used today changed the game of the information exchange.

Let me share with you a little story that happened to us. Shmulik, my son and the company’s chief diamond purchaser, received a Whatsapp message from a Bombay broker offering him three or four stones with GIA certificates, images, and a full history report. After some short investigation and negotiations, we got a mazal, and just like that the deal was done - blind. We didn't even see the stones nor did we physically speak with the owner. He sent us the goods as he had promised and they were just as we had agreed upon. The same type of transactions repeated themselves quite often, and we didn’t even know the name of the vendor. We just called him ‘the Whatsapp guy.’ Finally, one day he visited the office and introduced himself as the Whatsapp guy from Mumbai.


Just last week, Google released its own brand new wireless service called Fi. The system provides an encrypted phone number which is accessible from more than a million free, open Wi-Fi hotspots in the world. According to Google, their reports prove the service is confirmed to be both fast and reliable. Google said the connections will be encrypted and the phone number "lives in the cloud, so you can talk and text with your number on just about any phone, tablet or laptop." The project works perfect for those who travel often, as it provides them with the ability to always remain within reach at a low-cost. Furthermore, through your Fi number you can access data at 3G speeds without any additional charges.

According to Business Insider, the net profit of Google in the first quarter of 2015 is 3.59 billion, while revenue surged 12 percent to $17.3 billion. Not that it is a surprise, but the strongest growth in this report was in mobile advertising. In fact, earlier this month Google released a new algorithm which is said to have focused much stronger on Mobile friendly websites and a user-friendly interface.

The importance of mobile ready platforms that enable a greater exchange of information is today a multi-billion dollar business. Information today is worth a lot!  


Facebook has today 936 million daily users, over half of which is mobile traffic. Facebook reported 3.54 billion revenues - 73% by mobile advertisement. Apple reported for the first quarter of 2015 record earnings and revenues of $74.6 billion. Also, they earned a record quarterly net profit of $18 billion. Understand, this is the greatest profit ever made by a US company in a three month period.

The huge increase in mobile traffic and record earnings seen this year shows billions that both Google and Facebook made with the information exchange of mobile phones. Google and Facebook are constantly on the move to-monetize their content. It means that every move you make on your mobile creating or looking for some content is essentially helping them create an income somewhere.

When looking for a fancy yellow diamond jewelry piece, Google will show you our website, charging us five dollars for each impression. At the same time, Google records your habits for searching yellow diamonds, and then sells that traffic to our competitors.  

Your simple exchange of information creates valuable content. This content is considered a hot item and then resold in different variations.

It's funny how the information exchanged, then, under the tree, is considered today one of the most valuable assets a company has to offer. As Oscar Wilde once said, 'When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is..' 


Leibish Polnauer


Best regards,

Leibish Polnauer, President and Founder of LEIBISH Fancy Color Diamonds



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