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"Technology," Adams once said, "is a word that describes something that doesn’t work yet." This could not be more true. When was the last time you referred to

"Technology," Adams once said, "is a word that describes something that doesn’t work yet." This could not be more true. When was the last time you referred to a teapot or a bicycle as "technology"? Even Google wouldn't be called "technology" anymore by most people who use it -- it's just Google, and it just works.

chunkyslink 7y ago
Also “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Salmon of Doubt
- HONEST_ANNIE 7y ago
  Adams was extreme procrastinator. He could not self-manage his work once he had wealth and had no need to write for living. Once his editor rented cheap hotel room, removed all distractions and hovered over him until the book was done. Adams worked with Salmon of Doubt 10 years and didn't even manage the first draft.
  - sirn 7y ago
    My favorite Douglas Adams' procrastination story is when he was offered £50,000 to write Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy calendar. He then procrastinate it until the deal fallen through and got paid £25,000 for doing nothing.[1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsham_Court#Notable_guests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsham_Court#Notable_guests
ken 7y ago
I hear people talk about bicycle technology all the time. E-bikes are very popular these days. And I heard someone talking about teapot technology just last week, but he was (a) British and (b) a master electrician, so he had especially strong feelings on the matter. :-) I don't often hear technology used as a noun (except in sci-fi stories, where it's a MacGuffin). It's an adjective: the level of technology of an item. This e-bike has improved technology compared to last year's model. This is the same way we used it when I was studying archaeology in school. What's the level of pottery technology of this civilization? The pots clearly worked, just like a rotary-dial phone worked. They just weren't as advanced as others.
- shkkmo 7y ago
  > It's an adjective: the level of technology of an item. This e-bike has improved technology compared to last year's model. 'Technology' is used as a noun in both of those sentences.
DonaldPShimoda 7y ago
I've seen this misattribution a few times today. Adams didn't say that. He was quoting computer scientist Bran Ferren in his (Adams's) article in The Sunday Times "How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet". It's reproduced on his personal website here: http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html The actual quote is slightly different: "Technology [...] is stuff that doesn't work yet."

chunkyslink 7y ago

Also “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Salmon of Doubt

HONEST_ANNIE 7y ago
Adams was extreme procrastinator. He could not self-manage his work once he had wealth and had no need to write for living. Once his editor rented cheap hotel room, removed all distractions and hovered over him until the book was done. Adams worked with Salmon of Doubt 10 years and didn't even manage the first draft.
- sirn 7y ago
  My favorite Douglas Adams' procrastination story is when he was offered £50,000 to write Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy calendar. He then procrastinate it until the deal fallen through and got paid £25,000 for doing nothing.[1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsham_Court#Notable_guests https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsham_Court#Notable_guests

ken 7y ago

I hear people talk about bicycle technology all the time. E-bikes are very popular these days. And I heard someone talking about teapot technology just last week, but he was (a) British and (b) a master electrician, so he had especially strong feelings on the matter. :-) I don't often hear technology used as a noun (except in sci-fi stories, where it's a MacGuffin). It's an adjective: the level of technology of an item. This e-bike has improved technology compared to last year's model. This is the same way we used it when I was studying archaeology in school. What's the level of pottery technology of this civilization? The pots clearly worked, just like a rotary-dial phone worked. They just weren't as advanced as others.

shkkmo 7y ago
> It's an adjective: the level of technology of an item. This e-bike has improved technology compared to last year's model. 'Technology' is used as a noun in both of those sentences.

DonaldPShimoda 7y ago

I've seen this misattribution a few times today. Adams didn't say that. He was quoting computer scientist Bran Ferren in his (Adams's) article in The Sunday Times "How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet". It's reproduced on his personal website here: http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html The actual quote is slightly different: "Technology [...] is stuff that doesn't work yet."