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  • From: Rob <becida AT comcast.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Technology
  • Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:00:40 -0800

At 11/18/2006 07:20 PM,Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:

> > 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.
>

The topic was finely treated in this thread, and I didn't have time to
contribute at the time, but I thought these observations fit:

1) The hope in technology epitomized by "After all, we put a man on the
moon" has one glaring flaw. We put a man on the moon because we had unlimited
access to fossil fuels. If we did not have oil and NG, could we put a man on the
moon? Maybe, but it would take depriving the environment and its people of
a great deal to do it.

Using oil (and the moon reference) is a very limited view of technology. When someone first learned to work metal that technology put the flint knappers out of business, metal tools were just a first step.
Technology has been building for thousands of years, something slowly sometimes not. The world today is built on that thousands of years of technology & I wouldn't even guess what the next 30 years will bring.
I just hope it's not back to flint knapping.


2) Has technology made us any happier?

Happier than what? Yesterday, last week, last year, 40 years ago, 100 years ago? Technology is our history, part of our life, technology just is.

We are riding this tiger called technology, if we fall off it's going to be bad news.



Rob

becida AT comcast.net
Western Washington State, USA





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