Alien Tech: What Is It?

Alien tech power at one’s fingertips

At The Quintessential Group, our motto is “Alien Tech for Human Beings”.

What do we mean by “Alien Tech”?

Dictionary Definitions

Let’s take a look at the dictionary:

Technology noun
\ tech·​nol·​o·​gy | \ tek-ˈnä-lə-jē \

Definition of technology

1. a: The practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area
   // medical technology
   b: A capability given by the practical application of knowledge
   // a car’s fuel-saving technology
2. A manner of accomplishing a task especially using technical processes, methods, or knowledge
   // new technologies for information storage
3. The specialised aspects of a particular field of endeavour
   // educational technology

Alien adjective
\ ˈā-lē-ən, ˈāl-yən \

Definition of alien

1. a: Belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing: Strange
   // an alien environment
   b:Relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government: Foreign
   // alien residents
   c: [Exotic sense]
   // alien plants
   d: Coming from another world: Extraterrestrial
   // alien beings
   // an alien spaceship
   // When it comes to knowing what alien life forms might be like, we don’t have any idea
   ~ Kate Shuster
2. Differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility
   // ideas alien to democracy

Our Definitions

So, by the above dictionary definitions, we can define “Alien Tech” (Alien Technology) as:

A capability given by the practical application of knowledge, where that knowledge is strange, or seeming as if coming from another world.

Put another way, and closer to our quintessential usage:

An approach to running collaborative knowledge work businesses that differs in nature or character from the norm, typically to the point of incompatibility.

When it comes to relating to alien ideas, most folks just don’t know where to start.

~ FlowChainSensei

In Practice

What does “Alien Tech” mean in practice?

It means running a business, in our caseThe Quintessential Group, based on assumptions and beliefs incompatible with typical businesses. Assumptions and beliefs which lead to levels of software delivery excellence unobtainable by other means. We attend to folks’s needs in ways totally alien to those immersed in traditonal management mythos. For those clients that judge by results, this is little more than a curiousity, until the question of “how do they do that?” comes up.

– Bob

Further Reading

Marshall, R. W. (2015). Aliens. [online] Think Different. Available at: /2015/07/15/aliens/ [Accessed 8 May 2022].
Marshall, R. W. (2018). Alien Tech Alien Tropes. [online] Think Different. Available at: /2018/08/28/alien-tech-alien-tropes/ [Accessed 8 May 2022].
Marshall, R. W. (2018). Some Alien Tropes. [online] Think Different. Available at: /2018/09/04/some-alien-tropes/ [Accessed 8 May 2022].