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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Rob wrote:
> The talk about oil, better gas mileage and the hope of technology to
>  get us by in the future got me to thinking.
>
> Technology is our only hope for keeping things running in this modern
>  world of billions and billions of people. If the technology doesn't
>  come thru we are all in a big hurt.

Again, I am going to recommend the book The Long Emergency..



> I think about the technology that's come about in the last 40 years,
>  I use 40 years because I can remember that far back. I remember
> cheap gas and the 'no gas' signs. I remember when a car getting 100k
> miles was a big deal, today I expect 250-300k. I remember black and
> white TV with 4 channels and rabbit ears, I remember going to the
> grocery store to test vacuum tubes in their machine,

Me too, and wow, I had totally forgotten about that until you mentioned it!


 today I use satellite and have more channels than I care to
> watch. I remember building a crystal radio and my first transistor 
> radio. I remember when only Dick Tracy had a personal phone (his was
>  on his wrist watch), I keep mine in my pocket today. My first 
> commercial plane trip was in a prop driven plane (I don't remember 
> it). I remember my first time seeing a hand held calculator that 
> would not only add-subtract-multiply & divide but would do square 
> roots at the touch of a button! Today I talk with people all over the
>  world with the computer in my living room, my wife like to use the 
> other computer to play backgammon with people all over the world.

A few years back, I tried to reteach myself how to use a slide rule.  I
think I did it, don't remember for sure right now, and probably couldn't
use one today if I still had one.  I recall learning to use one in the
7th grade..
In 6th grade, I was in an "enrichment class" the forerunner to today's
gifted programs...(hard to believe after the cornucopian mind thread, I
know)  My project was an audiovisual presentation on Skylab.  It took me
over a month to research, take the pictures, develop the slides, choose
the music, and create the 30 minute presentation.  Today, with
Powerpoint on my PC, I could create a similar presentation in about an
hour, and send it all over the world.


> I lived thru numerous childhood illnesses with the help of 
> penicillin.  Today my 16 yo daughter is still alive 9 months after 
> finding out she had leukemia.

((((Hugs to you, Rob))) I am now officially wistful.


> Technology is a double edge sword but it's our only real hope for the
> future.

Sadly, this is true because most people won't look backwards in time and
change the way they live.  Technology makes things easier and quicker.
Every once in a while something radically rocks our little techno world,
(nanoscience, genetic mods, etc.), and we can only hope that more good
comes from those achievements than bad.
By nature, I am pessimistic, but I try to be hopeful that technology
will find ways to solve the worlds problems...that's cornucopian, I know.

Bev
--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky