New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman was best-known as the author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree (Anchor), his account of globalization and its problems.

Now he is better-known as the author of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 20th Century, his urgent caution that the world isn’t going to be flat. It’s flat already! By flat, Friedman means connected. The world has been connected by the lowering of trade barriers and the huge technical advances of the digital revolution. People and businesses can be connected with any person or any company in the world instantaneously. They can be connected to billions of contacts.

Friedman says that we stopped paying attention to these developments because of the dot-com bust, 9/11, and the Iraq War. And that’s when connectedness began to accelerate.

He calls the situation Globalization 3.0 and says it’s driven not by big business or organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals, freelancers, and startups.

Since publishing “Flat,” Friedman has updated the book with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. He has more to say now about “uploading,” the direct-from-the bottom creation of culture and knowledge.

Friedman is excited. He wants business people to know that they will get trampled if they don’t keep up with it. He says the “flat world is a jungle pitting “lions” and “gazelles,” where economic stability is not going to be a feature. The weak will fall behind.”

Friedman avoids the “glory coming” mantra of some futurists and delves into the practical side of the future from a business standpoint. People must believe him because “Flat” is among the best-selling business books today.