Are You An Internet Optimist or Pessimist? The Great Debate over Technology's Impact on... - 11 views
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"The impact of technological change on culture, learning, and morality has long been the subject of intense debate, and every technological revolution brings out a fresh crop of both pessimists and pollyannas. Indeed, a familiar cycle has repeat itself throughout history whenever new modes of production (from mechanized agriculture to assembly-line production), means of transportation (water, rail, road, or air), energy production processes (steam, electric, nuclear), medical breakthroughs (vaccination, surgery, cloning), or communications techniques (telegraph, telephone, radio, television) have appeared on the scene. The cycle goes something like this. A new technology appears. Those who fear the sweeping changes brought about by this technology see a sky that is about to fall. These "techno-pessimists" predict the death of the old order (which, ironically, is often a previous generation's hotly-debated technology that others wanted slowed or stopped). Embracing this new technology, they fear, will result in the overthrow of traditions, beliefs, values, institutions, business models, and much else they hold sacred. The pollyannas, by contrast, look out at the unfolding landscape and see mostly rainbows in the air. Theirs is a rose-colored world in which the technological revolution du jour is seen as improving the general lot of mankind and bringing about a better order. If something has to give, then the old ways be damned! For such "techno-optimists," progress means some norms and institutions must adapt-perhaps even disappear-for society to continue its march forward. Our current Information Revolution is no different. It too has its share of techno-pessimists and techno-optimists. Indeed, before most of us had even heard of the Internet, people were already fighting about it-or at least debating what the rise of the Information Age meant for our culture, society, and economy."
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does Kurtopia need someone to mow the lawn?
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no, but we do need someone to take our throm-dib-u-lator apart though
4 ways Blockchain technology will change the world | VentureBeat | Business | by Josh B... - 0 views
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"While Bitcoin has received the lion's share of attention since its conception, recently the Blockchain - the distributed public database used to record Bitcoin transactions - has just begun entering the spotlight for enabling some important capabilities outside of Bitcoin."
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"While Bitcoin has received the lion's share of attention since its conception, recently the Blockchain - the distributed public database used to record Bitcoin transactions - has just begun entering the spotlight for enabling some important capabilities outside of Bitcoin."
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