Comments on: Half a century of microchips http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/ A blog for people with a critically rational individualist perspective Sun, 19 May 2013 03:37:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: NickM http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219286 NickM Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:59:24 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219286 “…the printing press did not create Mein Kampf – Hitler did.”

SQOTD!

“What we normally call history is just noise written on top of the arc of technological progress.”

Unspeakably naive!

]]> By: Alisa http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219285 Alisa Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:25:56 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219285 John, your perception of human nature is quite correct, but that of the nature of technology – isn’t, at least as far as I can judge from your comments.
we can expect to see dystopian fantasies becoming reality.

I don’t think so. Mind you, I am not necessarily more optimistic than you are, it’s just that things are more complex than that. Technology can be, and is always used for both good and evil, its the nature of the beast. There is this constant struggle between these two forces, which eventually always leads to some kind of a balance – as is the case with everything else in nature. Also note that when either side (temporarily) wins, it is ultimately not through the use of sophisticated technology (although that helps a lot), but through the use of crude and brute force of very basic physics.

]]> By: John B http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219284 John B Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:23:13 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219284 My point being, Alisa, that when you have competetive humans (as we all are, even those that pretend to abhor competition) who manage to accrue to themselves the levers of power, that these days are becoming increasingly efficient and effective primarily as a result of microchip technology, we can expect to see dystopian fantasies becoming reality.
This is not to despise the excellence of technology and those brilliant people who developed it, but is a common sense (I hope) observation of human nature.

]]> By: Tedd http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219283 Tedd Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:58:27 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219283 What we normally call history is just noise written on top of the arc of technological progress.

]]> By: Alisa http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219282 Alisa Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:01:12 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219282 Smiten. Please check later, John.

]]> By: Alisa http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219281 Alisa Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:00:16 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219281 Oh dear, the lunatics have truly taken over the asylum.

John, there is no such thing possible as ‘the technology for ultimate control’: technology doesn’t just ‘come along’, it is created by humans – as is counter-technology.

But we do operate on a competetive basis. For resources, jobs, favours, pleasures.

Exactly. It is an endless race, which is life itself, really.

]]> By: John B http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219280 John B Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:58:42 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219280 Absolutely, Alisa.
But we do operate on a competetive basis. For resources, jobs, favours, pleasures.
So when the technology for ultimate control comes along, what is going to happen?
We are not angels nor devoid of human appetites for power or for pleasure.
And we all know that Big Brother is not, either.
So what does one do?
Give our rights for dominion to mother Earth ?!(Link)

]]> By: Alisa http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219279 Alisa Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:19:06 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219279 John, the printing press did not create Mein Kampf – Hitler did.

]]> By: John B http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219278 John B Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:36:55 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219278 In the early 1970s I was fascinated and excited by the technology of the pocket calculator – its smallness, usefulness and simplicity – and I did think: this is going to change the world for better and for worse.
That the ability to process data ever more efficiently would enable all sorts of stuff, and it certainly has.
The way that human nature will direct it is, and probably will be awful, but to realise that is not unrealistic.
The microchip is indeed a (the?) most significant invention.
I repeat this(Link)

]]> By: David Gillies http://www.samizdata.net/2011/04/half-a-century/#comment-219277 David Gillies Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:58:22 +0000 http://192.168.200.139/?p=14011#comment-219277 Here is an arresting statistic, whose provenance I cannot, sadly, ascertain: every year, more transistors are fabricated in the form of integrated circuits than raindrops fall in California. We are, as of 2011, talking about quintillions of gates.

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