Well, I don't think so.

I don't always agree with Dave Appell--our politics are quite different, and among other things, I think that he is often overwrought on the "issue" of global warming, to the degree that it exists or is a threat, but he has an excellent review of Bill McKibben's latest bit of anti-tech hysteria, today, that's actually more of an essay on humanity and technology. I highly recommend it.

McKibben's thesis that we've somehow attained some kind of optimal apex of technological development, and should now take a break, reminds me very much of the apocryphal story of the Senator at the turn of the last century who wanted to shut down the patent office, because "everything that could be invented, had been." With the advent of Mr. McKibben and his allies, the story is no longer urban myth.

I think there's a major typo in, "and should not take a break". Did you mean to say "should noW take a break"? I'm pretty sure that's what you meant, from context, but perhaps you could clarify or correct it. May want to delete this comment afterwards, too. =)

Even world-class technologists are prone to the "static misconception": the conceit that we can put some conscious brake on progress without undue undesirable consequences. Bill Joy, father of Java and the C shell, comes to mind; few have a better-established innovator's pedigree than he.

The static misconception is almost always the fruit of a distrust of one's fellow man: of his motives, of his capacities, and more often than not, of his ability to see trouble approaching in time to cope with it successfully. Politically, that translates into a distrust of freedom.

Global Warming, due to man's random use of the planet, will either occur or it will not. Sometime in the next 500 years we will know for sure, I vote we wait and see.

Locally, Raleigh, NC, we are seeing commercials on the tube about air quality problems caused by gas and diesel engines. WAY, WAY back in the early 90's when I was installing and repairing vehicle emmision machines, we were assured that diesel vehicles were NOT a problem. The Greens wanted MORE diesel vehicles and fewer gas vehicles. Now even diesel is supposed to be bad.

I didn't belive in global warming then, and I don't now. Especially from peolple who keep changing the story about what's harmful and what's not.

Nothing new here. Bill Joy has been ranting on about this for years demanding an end to "dangerous" technological research like AI and nanotechnology.

Although there's probably more concern about this now than 100 years ago (assuming the last century you refer to was the 19th?) - I expect some form of "Singularity" type event in parts of the west. I am also concerned about the possibility of a really dangerous new disease being created.

I'm not going to loose sleep over it though.