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Future Shop Uptown mega mall in Victoria BC – Flicker
While watching the tube as I ate breakfast the other day there was a commercial on from one of the large consumer electronics companies. Japanese, if I remember correctly – though I do not remember which one. It showed a large factory turning out various new gadgets using all these robotic arms and what not. The message being that their product was not touched by human hands or some such.
It just struck me how much technology has mushroomed in the last 30 years or so. I like to think of myself as pretty well informed but even I get taken aback sometimes. I’ll go to some blog site and someone has just posted a piece or link to something new and I’ll say to myself, “How did I miss that. I read (The Guardian, NYT, BBC….etc.) ”
So much flies under the radar these days and unless one can spend all day every day doing nothing but reading the latest, it’s nearly impossible to keep up. Such as the Makerbots I reported on previously. Or people putting together their own CNC milling machines. Are personal replicators next ?
We already have home Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar and cholesterol tests. Now there is a company working to make a “Lab on a chip”. A hand held device to do CBC and detect virus and bacteria. How close are we now to the autodoc of Larry Niven’s science fiction ? There is a company making portable MRI scanners now.
How far are we from the Holodeck of Star trek fame ? All that is necessary to to convince our senses – touch, smell, sight and sound – that we are in a particular environment and our brains will respond accordingly. The bits and pieces are coming together.
Communications has gone from radio and TV to world wide multi media in the palm of you hand. And more and more people and putting solar and wind technologies into their homes. Not just a few well of mind you. And who knows what we will get when we can make graphene in large quantities.
Now here is the problem. All this is going on and like most technology exploding but our politicians and most people are still arguing about economics and government like it was still the 1950s when everyone drove Chevys and watched I love Lucy. They do not get that their ideologies and beliefs and arguments are becoming moot. That capitalism and politicians may become obsolete.
It wasn’t that long ago when the thought of having entire movies on you computer to watch in high definition was considered futuristic.
Welcome to the future.
12 Comments
A personal CNC milling machine? Far out!
This is a great post. rec’d.
Amazing how the big picture flies over the heads of some of these politicians, and follows the curvature of the earth.
Yeah. While the brains s l o w l y s p i r a l into a black hole.
Thanks CS.
And the personal CNC mill I have done a lot of research on. The problem is not the hardware. The hardware is out there now. The problem is with the software. There is no standard protocol. What is needed is like what Adobe did with Postscript for printing.
Now you still need 3 or so programs and at least one of these to “proof” the data so you are not trying to tell your CNC to do something impossible.
Once someone puts it all together, then it will take off. Once we have a design package where you can go to the File menu and click “Build” like you click “Print” now, then watch out.
“so climb on aboard, we’re going inside”
thanks for the ft reference.
peace.
billbow
NONE of this technology reaches the masses for their own good unless the fascist corporate 1% lets it.
End of glamor of the story.
The reality is, we will see only what the MOTU’s want us to see, have and buy . . . and it will NOT be enough to usurp their place as our overlords.
But it’s good to be hopeful, and technology and sci fi as reality is a wonderful concept . . .
You maybe right. But I have found that new technology kind of creeps in when one is not paying attention.
So do not be surprised if one day at your doctors office getting checked out that the nurse wheels in an MRI.
But seriously one of the points to this entry is that the PTB are is attempting (in vain I believe) to protect the 1% from the ultimate consequences of technology like this.
Putting as much time, energy and resources into maintaining the status quo. But that trick never works.
How do you write an article like this and not point out the bigger concern, that the most important technologies are being turned to military and police state uses? Technology was intended to empower humanity, but instead it is becoming our prison.
One thing tech do for sure : We can always wait for the next cool gadget – iThis, iThat etc – something to look forward to while forgetting the depressing reality of having to struggle for our basic necessities.
I would have thought that this goes without saying. After all it has been the case since time immortal, has it not.
The “next cool gadget” is supposed to distract you from “the depressing reality of having to struggle”. I’d say mission accomplished.
I think the thing that has me the most excited is graphene. Man think of having it protect the shine on you car.