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How did this crap rate publication in Scientific American? It's really just a Millennial version of "uphill both ways". I'm 53, and the amount of technological

by beat 7y ago

How did this crap rate publication in Scientific American? It's really just a Millennial version of "uphill both ways". I'm 53, and the amount of technological change I've seen in my lifeime is astonishing. I can clearly remember the first time I saw a video game (Pong) because I was 8 or so - old enough for it to make a huge impression. The first time I used a cell phone in a memorable way, I was 36 years old (9/11, calling my spouse to tell her what I just heard on NPR). This is ubiquitous, world-changing technology that simply didn't exist when I was young. Now, think of CRISPR and other DNA-altering technology, and what that will mean going into the next century. Think about renewable energy more or less completely replacing fossil fuel in coming decades. Think about the extraordinary amount of light-cognitive work, like driving, that will be replaced by automation. Final perspective... I have a potentially deadly chronic illness that hit me a few years ago, but I've probably had latent since childhood. It affects children more than adults at onset. If it had happened to me as a child, I would have died. Now, it's an inconvenience.

buboard 7y ago
On the other hand, there was the big bang of the internet in the 90s which changed everything for me, but post-2000? social media, uber & airbnb. The consumer internet of phones is not that major technology-wise, even though socially it was very disruptive.
- kyriakos 7y ago
  I think you are underestimating the technological advancements required to make the smartphone you are holding in your hand today. From processors to batteries to screen and radio technology.
  - buboard 7y ago
    aren't they all incremental ?
    - beat 7y ago
      Is internal combustion an "incremental" change from steam engines? That's the kinds of lines we're talking about. In a way, lithium ion batteries are incremental - they're just batteries. But they've enabled modern phones and modern electric cars, so they're kind of radical tech in their own way.
- awinder 7y ago
  The modern internet-connected-cellphone-in-your-pocket was the radical advancement of the 2000s, and it's more of a story of packaging existing technology into a tour-de-force which makes it even more interesting. As it's own "event" though, I don't think I've seen a single product so radically transform a society. Yeah the social media & ride-hailing all seems goofy, but we took a stab at out-innovating the very concept of boredom (and created some new categories for the DSM to boot), that deserves some credit
Isamu 7y ago
I know, I have a supercomputer in my pocket that I call a "phone" with astounding capabilities ... and we can't help but be utterly bored by it.
- beat 7y ago
  "Technology" really just means "stuff that didn't exist when I was a kid". The majority of HN grew up with the internet and cell phones, and don't really remember a time without these things.
simonsarris 7y ago
> I'm 53, and the amount of technological change I've seen in my lifeime is astonishing I think its somewhat telling that your "Think about..." statements are all hoping on technology yet-to-be, not technology that exists today. > Think about renewable energy more or less completely replacing fossil fuel in coming decades. But we thought peak oil was gonna be around 1970. Today petroleum engineering still has better job prospects than nuclear engineering. I think the track record for "just around the corner" is quite poor. > Think about the extraordinary amount of light-cognitive work, like driving, that will be replaced by automation. I think that the track record... The examples you have for technology that's actually happened in your life are just computers. Which are great, nobody doubts those strides. But how's the subway vs when you were 10? How much has schooling changed for the better? Are kids happier in school now, or completing it faster? How has how most people get to work different than 50 years ago? Are more people able to walk or use fast public transport than ever before? Hows your experience at the airport? How about building roads? Is it cheaper than ever, like with computers? How about housing? If computers getting cheaper and faster is progressing technologically, by the same metric are not roads and houses going backwards technologically? How's the quality of our food tech improved in the last 53 years? Are we all reaping the rewards of that? Why are we so much more obese and diabetic? How's the quality of life for the average child? Can they spend their day doing more of what they wanted vs 53 years ago? Or are they under what is essentially house arrest more than ever? If we have more technology, why isn't their environment safer and freer? Why can't they easily get to the library and museum on their own, like they can in Japan? If the technology we do have is improving our lives, are children (and adults) less depressed now than 53 years ago? What are the things that stopped working? I don't think its a flippant question that can be answered only with computers and cell phones. Some technology has definitely advanced, but it should be just as obvious that some has almost completely stalled.
- awinder 7y ago
  > How's the quality of our food tech improved in the last 53 years? Are we all reaping the rewards of that? Why are we so much more obese and diabetic? Purely talking about the technology, food manufacturing tech has experienced radical innovation over the last 53 years. Not just "with computers", but through biology / biotech etc. These things have nothing to do with socioeconomic issues which largely underpin, e.g., public health issues like obesity and diabetes. That's actually the common refrain through this whole list, it mostly seems you're arguing that technological innovation hasn't kept pace with social progress, which might be true, but is also a completely orthogonal point. > How's the quality of life for the average child? Can they spend their day doing more of what they wanted vs 53 years ago? Speaking of technological progress, medicine! Your stat measure has the same problem. The correct answer is: 1/10 infants died in 1915, to .3/10 in 1950, to .07/10 in 2000 to .05/10 per day. Each step along the way, due to technology/scientific advancement, measurable & meaningful numbers of kids got to experience life, who would not have been able to without those advancements. This is why we do what we do, and here's to knocking .05 down to .01 because that is who we are.

by beat 7y ago

buboard 7y ago

On the other hand, there was the big bang of the internet in the 90s which changed everything for me, but post-2000? social media, uber & airbnb. The consumer internet of phones is not that major technology-wise, even though socially it was very disruptive.

kyriakos 7y ago
I think you are underestimating the technological advancements required to make the smartphone you are holding in your hand today. From processors to batteries to screen and radio technology.
- buboard 7y ago
  aren't they all incremental ?
  - beat 7y ago
    Is internal combustion an "incremental" change from steam engines? That's the kinds of lines we're talking about. In a way, lithium ion batteries are incremental - they're just batteries. But they've enabled modern phones and modern electric cars, so they're kind of radical tech in their own way.
awinder 7y ago
The modern internet-connected-cellphone-in-your-pocket was the radical advancement of the 2000s, and it's more of a story of packaging existing technology into a tour-de-force which makes it even more interesting. As it's own "event" though, I don't think I've seen a single product so radically transform a society. Yeah the social media & ride-hailing all seems goofy, but we took a stab at out-innovating the very concept of boredom (and created some new categories for the DSM to boot), that deserves some credit

Isamu 7y ago

I know, I have a supercomputer in my pocket that I call a "phone" with astounding capabilities ... and we can't help but be utterly bored by it.

beat 7y ago
"Technology" really just means "stuff that didn't exist when I was a kid". The majority of HN grew up with the internet and cell phones, and don't really remember a time without these things.

simonsarris 7y ago

> I'm 53, and the amount of technological change I've seen in my lifeime is astonishing I think its somewhat telling that your "Think about..." statements are all hoping on technology yet-to-be, not technology that exists today. > Think about renewable energy more or less completely replacing fossil fuel in coming decades. But we thought peak oil was gonna be around 1970. Today petroleum engineering still has better job prospects than nuclear engineering. I think the track record for "just around the corner" is quite poor. > Think about the extraordinary amount of light-cognitive work, like driving, that will be replaced by automation. I think that the track record... The examples you have for technology that's actually happened in your life are just computers. Which are great, nobody doubts those strides. But how's the subway vs when you were 10? How much has schooling changed for the better? Are kids happier in school now, or completing it faster? How has how most people get to work different than 50 years ago? Are more people able to walk or use fast public transport than ever before? Hows your experience at the airport? How about building roads? Is it cheaper than ever, like with computers? How about housing? If computers getting cheaper and faster is progressing technologically, by the same metric are not roads and houses going backwards technologically? How's the quality of our food tech improved in the last 53 years? Are we all reaping the rewards of that? Why are we so much more obese and diabetic? How's the quality of life for the average child? Can they spend their day doing more of what they wanted vs 53 years ago? Or are they under what is essentially house arrest more than ever? If we have more technology, why isn't their environment safer and freer? Why can't they easily get to the library and museum on their own, like they can in Japan? If the technology we do have is improving our lives, are children (and adults) less depressed now than 53 years ago? What are the things that stopped working? I don't think its a flippant question that can be answered only with computers and cell phones. Some technology has definitely advanced, but it should be just as obvious that some has almost completely stalled.

awinder 7y ago
> How's the quality of our food tech improved in the last 53 years? Are we all reaping the rewards of that? Why are we so much more obese and diabetic? Purely talking about the technology, food manufacturing tech has experienced radical innovation over the last 53 years. Not just "with computers", but through biology / biotech etc. These things have nothing to do with socioeconomic issues which largely underpin, e.g., public health issues like obesity and diabetes. That's actually the common refrain through this whole list, it mostly seems you're arguing that technological innovation hasn't kept pace with social progress, which might be true, but is also a completely orthogonal point. > How's the quality of life for the average child? Can they spend their day doing more of what they wanted vs 53 years ago? Speaking of technological progress, medicine! Your stat measure has the same problem. The correct answer is: 1/10 infants died in 1915, to .3/10 in 1950, to .07/10 in 2000 to .05/10 per day. Each step along the way, due to technology/scientific advancement, measurable & meaningful numbers of kids got to experience life, who would not have been able to without those advancements. This is why we do what we do, and here's to knocking .05 down to .01 because that is who we are.