Insight into the future direction of technology, gaps in existing products, and new market opportunities.

So often, signs of the future are all around us, but it isn't until much later that most of the world realizes their significance. Meanwhile, the innovators who are busy inventing that future live in a world of their own. They see and act on premises that are not yet apparent to others.

In the computer industry, these are the folks I affectionately call "the alpha geeks", the hackers who have such mastery of their tools that they "roll their own" when existing products don't give them what they need.

Watching the alpha geeks -- people whom more traditional marketing analysts might call "lead users" -- can give insights into the future directions of technology, gaps in existing products, and new market opportunities.