I would argue the FET transistor has been such a revolutionary technology in the applications it has allowed that we are still mining the offshoots of this tech

I would argue the FET transistor has been such a revolutionary technology in the applications it has allowed that we are still mining the offshoots of this technology. The fact that there is still so much money in computing means that vein has not been exhausted. And yes, I also believe that this has redirected talent from other fields into computing. Robert Gordon's examples of new technology are almost all physical. It may be true that 1970 was the end of a century long "mechanical age". Now we are in the information age, and innovations are virtual/mental rather than physical. As such I would place the breakdown of cultural barriers as a result of information technology as a major breakthrough. Gordon is using how long it takes to clean your house as a metric of innovation. He's not using the fact that the current inhabitant of that house may be from another part of the world, and yet still feel comfortable because shared culture is more accessible.