We treat technological progress as though it were a natural process, and we speak of Moore’s law — computers’ processing power doubles every two years — as though it were one of the laws of thermodynamics. But it is not an inevitable, natural process. It is the outcome of a particular social order.
Which reminds me of the Heinlein quote:
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as “bad luck.”
Kevin’s new book
Is this the same book that says Mitt wins in a landslide?
You can’t predict what will happen after a phase change.
If nobody knows how to make a pencil … then we must be approaching Peak Pencil! Soon we’ll have to start odd–even pencil rationing to extend the last pencils from the pencil mines.
Considering how the IRS is used by Democrats to target their political opponents for investigations, why is it surprising people want the government and the IRS as far away from their Dr as possible? Looks like everyone who voted for a Republican is being called in for a mandatory colonoscopy this month, still time to change your voter registration…
it depends how vertically integrated a manufacturer is. In the 20th century, firms would be vertically integrated, starting with raw materials, and running all the finishing and processing. Starting in the 1980’s firms started outsourcing,
focusing on core competency and descoping. Where a Henry Ford was utterly vertical, today, a Destino barely makes anything.
what’s the right answer? Hard to say, but, Boeing is sure losing on the 787 because they don’t know the batteries.