>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

>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. I think this hits the nail on the head. The other issue is that the closer to the present we get, the harder to see the impact of any particular advance. This is why, e.g. Nobel Prizes are so late in recognizing work. That said, some advances are already possible to be recognized: reusable rockets, good search, good automated translation.