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I think humanity as a species is only just beginning to advance technologically. I grew up right when the world wide web was taking off, and at some point in my

I think humanity as a species is only just beginning to advance technologically. I grew up right when the world wide web was taking off, and at some point in my adult life realized that my generation is the first of its kind. The first for which a chatroom containing American, Japanese, French and Nigerian participants engaging in a realtime conversation from all corners of the globe is not only possible, it's normal. I had to step back for a moment and realize that just 10 years before I was born, such a feat was technically possible, but required massive planning and a high degree of skill involved in all participants. 100 years prior, it was impossible. The rapid exchange of information afforded by this technological advance is utterly disruptive, and our society is still figuring out what to do with ourselves now that we're no longer separated from each other by huge stretches of travel time and long delays in information exchange. I must wonder, then, if this is the turning point in any global civilization? The part where the intelligent beings on a world can actually work together to solve problems at such a larger scale than any individual can observe.

KekDemaga 9y ago
I argue humanity has never left the stone age, when you think about it we are still digging things out of the ground and banging them together. Once we have consumers using biological machines (beyond yeast and horses but things we have written the genetic code for) or manipulating matter at the atomic level then we will have truly passed into a new age.
- posterboy 9y ago
  we are doing both of these things, e.g. CRISPR and LHC edit: and by "we" I mean some few genious scientists not including myself except by association
  - KekDemaga 9y ago
    We are on the cusp I agree but those techniques haven't been found in end user products yet. I think the future of automation will look a lot less mechanical and a lot more biological.
    - posterboy 9y ago
      unless you propose how that's useful to the enduser, I don't see the difference. In most cases the technical capability to achieve that would seem like a far higher achievement on it's own, perhaps.

KekDemaga 9y ago

I argue humanity has never left the stone age, when you think about it we are still digging things out of the ground and banging them together. Once we have consumers using biological machines (beyond yeast and horses but things we have written the genetic code for) or manipulating matter at the atomic level then we will have truly passed into a new age.

posterboy 9y ago
we are doing both of these things, e.g. CRISPR and LHC edit: and by "we" I mean some few genious scientists not including myself except by association
- KekDemaga 9y ago
  We are on the cusp I agree but those techniques haven't been found in end user products yet. I think the future of automation will look a lot less mechanical and a lot more biological.
  - posterboy 9y ago
    unless you propose how that's useful to the enduser, I don't see the difference. In most cases the technical capability to achieve that would seem like a far higher achievement on it's own, perhaps.