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  • From: Ilan Volow <listboy AT clarux.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] napkin technology
  • Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 16:32:50 -0500


On Thursday, November 13, 2003, at 01:44 AM, Alan MacHett wrote:

...as in the sort of pipe-dream technology ideas one scribbles onto a napkin.

Everyone has their "wouldn't it be cool if..." ideas. Popular culture has
displayed them regularly for decades and great minds since the Greeks and
Romans have been dreaming them as well.

What determines that a fantasy idea becomes a reality?

If it either fulfills some need that isn't currently being met or takes something that was an enormous pain in the ass and makes it far less of a pain in the ass.

In the first instance, something like e-mail that fulfilled the need for communication that is instant (faster than sending a letter) yet does not require simultaneous communication (like talking on the phone).

In the latter case, something like the cotton gin, which took the arduous and painful task of picking out cotton seeds for hours on end and reduced it to a couple of minutes of simple cranking.

I think it can pretty much be stated that every technology that is seen as cool by geeks and is seen as an ends will stay on the napkin where it belongs. Any technology that is seen as useful by normal people and is seen as a means and not as an end what will migrate from its napkin to reality.


--Ilan

--
Ilan Volow
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!





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