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My summary: people look at new technology and proclaim that it will fail because there's no real need for it. (Examples: the microcomputer in the 1970s, a mobil
by dalke 10y ago
My summary: people look at new technology and proclaim that it will fail because there's no real need for it. (Examples: the microcomputer in the 1970s, a mobile phone with a camera derided in the Daily Show.)
This can lead to scoffing at any criticism of new technology, by pointing to examples of how the technology really took off. (''' "New technologies always look overly complex and underpowered at the outset," we'd say. "But they don't stay that way."''')
However, the author says "There's no Moore's law for the physical world". Many problems (eg, a Roomba jammed by a cat toy) aren't solved by more processing power.
Personally, I agree. I would have included older examples, like the HERO home robot from the 1980s, or the VR rush of the 1990s, including the Power Glove.