Mark Tomlinson

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

technology and change

Balzac--A start in life
"Railroads, in a future not far distant, must force certain industries
to disappear forever, and modify several others, more especially those
relating to the different modes of transportation in use around Paris.
Therefore the persons and things which are the elements of this Scene
will soon give to it the character of an archaeological work. Our
nephews ought to be enchanted to learn the social material of an epoch
which they will call the "olden time.""

A gentle reminder from nearly 200 years ago that time (and technology) march on and change...people do not. We are still largely the same 'people' we were then. Consider now that the subject here, railroads, are damn near obsolete themselves and likely soon will be.

Technology always brings change, the larger the scope of the technology the broader the impact of the change (hint, hint RIAA/MPAA). No matter how hard you try, the damn genie is NOT going back in the bottle.

Here is another one to ponder: tech breeds tech. Yup, you heard it here :) My favorite smiley is for articles that ask (famous or not) people to predict the future directions of technology for 'tomorrow'. The further away 'tomorrow' is the more laughable the predictions (later) become.

Think about it...technology A drives technology B which enables technology C which leads to technology D. Who the $^%&)_) would have CLUE about D if they haven't even seen A (heck, even they they HAVE).

Given the exponential technology curve we have been on recently anyone trying to predict out more than a couple of years is, well, absurd.

Wait, like me and watch me LMAO.

'nuff said

mark

P.S. Interruptive punctuation is a *bitch* so be kind.

*bonus geek points for tying all THOSE references to this one**.

**Triple geek points to ME for quoting Balzac in a contemporaneous frame of reference.