As a few of you may already know I am a devout fan of everything pertaining to science fiction, from books like Dune by Frank Hebert to groundbreaking scientific projects and achievements like the Large Hadron Collider. Having already accomplished so much as a species, we humans, according to something known as Moore’s law, increase the computing power of computer hardware two-fold every eighteen months. If you’re as confused as I was upon hearing this, what this means is that your new computer should have twice the amount of memory and run twice as fast as something purchased eighteen months ago, relatively the same price and size. When put into perspective that fact is really astonishing, so let Michio Kaku help you.
Michio Kaku, a renowned physicist and author of the book, Physics of the Future, helps readers to understand how our technology will advance within the next century, partly by explaining how our technology has progressed over the past century.
For example:
The chip in singing birthday cards we have today have more computing power than all of the Allied Forces combined at the end of World War II.
Today’s cellphones have more computing power than NASA ca. 1969 when two astronauts were sent to the moon.
The Playstation 3, which retails now for around $300, is more powerful than the supercomputer of 1997.
This may be my inner geek talking, but I thought that how our technology will advance is one of the coolest and most promising things to look forward to in the future. If our technology has increased so much over the last century, how much different will the world look for our newest generation and their children, and even their children’s children. To be honest we can never say how far we will progress in our own lifetimes, but what I can say is that I will be severely disappointed if I can’t buy a robot and a fast hover car when I’m reeling in my mid-life crisis. But seriously, if you look at how far humanity has come with such limited technology and computing power, there is truly no limit to what can and will be accomplished with an intelligent, motivated and innovative populace to oversee our expansion towards enlightenment.
Brad,
I love this post! I am not a fan of science fiction, but I am so intrigued with the examples you provided about the impact of technology. How cool is the example of the chip in the singing birthday cards or the cellphone that has more computing power than what NASA had in 1969! Wow! In my lifetime, I have seen amazing technological innovation. More is to come, for sure!
On one hand, your post makes me lament over all the money I have spent in the past on technology that is now out-of-date… and on the other hand, I can’t wait to buy the next new thing. Vicious circle?
When I read things about how much and how quickly we have advanced, it makes me dream of what could be next. You can never have more fun than when dreaming with young children. Try playing the “What if…” game with the kids in the after school program one day. I always start with a favorite childhood show, Knight Rider. I love KITT. What if cars had robots in them and could think and drive themselves. I would paint my nails and drink tea on the way to school.
Pretty amazing! I wonder what our amazing Trinity kids will invent in the future…
Brad, I am a huge fan of science fiction! From your first sentence about Dune, you had me hooked. I am fascinated how writers and artists envision the future and I Iook forward to seeing how our futures develop! I so want my own person robot!