In chemistry, the term «free radical» is used to describe molecules with unpaired electrons, those that may have a positive, negative, or zero charge. They are hard to pin down, and as a result their possibilities are endless. They can prove wildly destructive or instrumental, depending on context.
I’ve been thinking about the emergence of a new type of 21st-century professional. I call them «free radicals» because they take their careers into their own hands and put the world to work for them. The commoditization of once-pricey resources like business management services (now in the cloud) and everything open-source is the wind at their backs.
A Manifesto For Free Radicals: Less Paperwork, Less Waiting, More Action, en The 99 Percent.