The Technium - Edge.org

Kelly is well aware that his complete embrace of what he calls "The Technium", is a lightning rod for criticism. But, he points out that "we are ... Skiptomaincontent Copyright©2022ByEdgeFoundation,Inc.AllRightsReserved. Fri,Jun10,2022 Conversation:TECHNOLOGY TheTechnium AConversationwith KevinKelly [2.3.14] Introductionby:KevinKelly KEVINKELLY isSeniorMaverickat Wired magazine.Hehelpedlaunch Wired in1993,andservedasitsExecutiveEditoruntilJanuary1999.Heiscurrentlyeditorandpublisherofthepopular CoolTools, TrueFilm,and StreetUse websites.Hismostrecentbooksare CoolTools,and WhatTechnologyWants. KevinKelly's Edge BioPage Introduction by JohnBrockman AfewweeksagoDavidCarrprofiledKevinKellyonpage1oftheNewYorkTimesBusinesssection.HewrotethatKelly'spronouncementswere"oftenbothgrandioseandcorrect."That’saprettygoodsummaryofKevinKelly'sstyleandhisprescience. ForthethirtyyearsI'veknownhim,Kellyhasbeenmakingbolddeclarationsabouttheworldwearecraftingwithnewtechnologies.Hefirst begantoattractnoticewhenhehelpedfoundWired asthefirstexecutiveeditor."Thecultureoftechnology,"henotes,"wastheprimebeatofWired.Whenwestartedthemagazine20yearsago,wehadnointentionstowriteabouthardware—bitsandbauds.Wewroteabouttheconsequencesofnewinventionsandthemeaningofnewstuffinourlives.Atfirst,fewbelievedus,anddismissedmyclaimthattechnologywouldbecomethecentraldriverofourculture.Noweveryoneseesthiscentrality,butsomeareworriedthismeanstheendofcivilization."  Thebiggestchangeinourlivesistherateofchangeandwhileformany,FacebookandTwitterareafactoflifetoday.it'sinterestingtonotethattoday(February4th)marksonlythe10thanniversaryofthefoundingofFacebookbyMarkZuckerberg.When,duringthatsamemonth,ForbesMagazinepublishedtheir2004BillionairesList, itoccuredduringtheEdgeDinnerinMonterey,California.LarryPage,presentatdinner, madethelistforthefirsttime.WhenheshowedmetheForbes headline,itwasonhisBlackberrypager.Anditwasn'tuntil2006,just8yearsago,thatTwitterwasfoundedbyEvWilliamsandhiscolleagues.Ifyoureadyournewselectronicallyatthattime,mostlikelyit wasonapager."Sharing"wassomethingyoudidataChineserestaurant. Kellyrecentlysuccessfullypublishedanover-sizedbookbasedonhisblog CoolTools.Heisoneofthefewactuallymakingalivingfromablog,whileheisalsoreinstatingprintasagreatpublishingmedium(Carr’spoint). Hedoesn’tjustpontificate;heinnovateshimself. Hewasoneofthefounders,forexample,ofthe“quantifiedself”movement. Kellyiswellawarethathiscompleteembraceofwhathecalls"TheTechnium",isalightningrodforcriticism.But,hepointsoutthat"wearestillatthebeginningofthebeginning.Wehavejuststartedtomakeatechnologicalsociety.Thetechnologicalchangesinthenext20yearswilldwarfthoseofthelast20years.Itwillalmostbelikenothingatallhashappenedyet." InthemeantimeKellyisdoingwhathe'sbeenuptofordecades, actingasasensingandrudderingmechanismfortherestofus,finding hisway throughthisnewlandscape. —JB THETECHNIUM Howcanwehaveaworldinwhichweareallwatchingeachother,andeverybodyfeelshappy?  ThequestionthatI'maskingmyselfis,howfarwillweshare,whenarewegoingtostopsharing,andhowfararewegoingtoallowourselvestomonitorandsurveileachotherinkindofacoveillance?Ibelievethatthere'snoendtohowmuchwecantrackeachother—howfarwe'regoingtoself-track,howmuchwe'regoingtoallowcompaniestotrackus—soIfinditreallydifficulttobelievethatthere'sgoingtobealimittothis,andtotrytoimaginethisworldinwhichwearebeingself-trackedandco-trackedandtrackedbygovernments,andyetacceptingofthat,isreallyhardtoimagine.        Howdoesthiswork?Howcanwehaveaworldinwhichweareallwatchingeachother,andeverybodyfeelshappy?Idon'tseeanycounterforcetotheforcesofsurveillanceandself-tracking,soI'mtryingtolistentowhatthetechnologywants,andthetechnologyissuggestingthatitwantstobewatched.WhattheInternetdoesistrack,justlikewhattheInternetdoesistocopy,andyoucan'tstopcopying.Youhavetogowiththecopiesflowing,andIthinkthesamethingaboutthistechnology.It'ssuggestingthatitwantstomonitor,itwantstotrack,andthatyoureallycan'tstopthetracking.Somaybewhatwehavetodoisworkwiththistracking—trytobringsymmetryorhaveareaswherethere'snotrackinginatemporarybasis.Idon'tknow,butthisisthequestionI'maskingmyself:howarewegoingtoliveinaworldofubiquitoustracking?          Aprotopian,notautopian Icallmyselfaprotopian,notautopian.Ibelieveinprogressinanincrementalwaywhereeveryyearit'sbetterthantheyearbeforebutnotbyverymuch—justamicroamount.Idon'tbelieveinutopiawherethere'sanykindofaworldwithoutproblemsbroughtonbytechnology.Everynewtechnologycreatesalmostasmanyproblemsthatitsolves.Formostpeoplethatstatementwouldsuggestthattechnologyiskindofawash.It'skindofneutral,becauseifyou'recreatingasmanyproblemsasitsolves,thenit'sa50/50wash,butthedifferenceinmyprotopianviewversus,say,aneutralviewisthatallthesenewtechnologiesbringnewpossibilitiesthatdidnotexistbefore,includingthenewpossibilityofdoingharmversusgood. Onewaytothinkaboutthisisifyouimaginetheveryfirsttoolmade,say,astonehammer.Thatstonehammercouldbeusedtokillsomebody,oritcouldbeusedtomakeastructure,butbeforethatstonehammerbecameatool,thatpossibilityofmakingthatchoicedidnotexist.Technologyiscontinuallygivinguswaystodoharmandtodowell;it'samplifyingboth.It'samplifyingourpowertodowellandourpowertodoharm,butthefactthatwealsohaveanewchoiceeachtimeisanewgood.That,initself,isanunalloyedgood—thefactthatwehaveanotherchoiceandthatadditionalchoicetipsthatbalanceinonedirectiontowardsanetgood.Soyouhavethepowertodoevilexpanded.Youhavethepowertodogoodexpanded.Youthinkthat'sawash.Infact,wenowhaveachoicethatwedidnothavebefore,andthattipsitvery,veryslightlyinthecategoryofthesumofgood. Technologyisameansofproducingnewproblems.  Overtimewearegeneratingnewtechnologies,we'reproducingallnewproblems.Mostoftheproblemswehavetodayaretechnogenic,meaningthattheywerecreatedbytechnologyinthepast.Mostoftheproblemsinthefuturearegoingtobecreatedbytechnologieswe'recreatingtoday.Technologyisameansofproducingnewproblems.It'sameansofproducingnewsolutions,butthefactthatwehaveachoicebetweenthosetwoiswhattipsthebalancevery,veryslightlyinthefavorofthegoodforthelongterm.Overcivilizationscale,wehavethisnettinyincrementalaccumulationofthesechoicesovertime,andthattinyaccumulationiswhatwecallprogress.Ifyouhaveonepercentcompoundedannually,thatcanbevery,verypowerful.Itdoesn'tseemlikeverymuch.What'sonepercent?Butwhenyoucompoundthisaccumulationofchoicesandoptionsovertime,that'swhatcivilizationis.It'stheslowaccumulationofaverytinyincreaseinnewchoicesovertime.                       Yes,technologywillattimesobliteratesomeolderchoices,butthenetgainovertimeisasmalladvantageinnewchoices,andthat'swhatcivilizationis—it'sanaccumulationofincreasingchoices,andthat'swhypeoplemovefromcountriesintothecities.Therearelotsofreasons,butintheendthemainmotivatorisapullingofpeopletoacitybecauseithasmorechoicesandoptionsthantheyhadintheirbeautifulcountryhome,andthat'swhatthefutureisdoing,thesamething.It'spullingpeoplefromthepastintothefuture.Veryfewpeoplegobacktheotherwayandliveliketheirancestorsbecausethefuturehasmorechoicesandpossibilities,and—intheend,giveneverythingelseabouttechnology—that'swhattechnologygivesus,too.That'swhywekeepmakingthisstuff.It'snotreallytosellmorethings.Yes,it'saboutsellingthings,butprimarilywhatwe'redoingwithtechnologyiswe'reinventingnewpossibilitiesthatdidnotexistbefore. Evolutionarychangevs.developmentalchange Therearetwostrandsintechnology:There'sevolutionarychangeandthere'sdevelopmentalchange,justlikeinourownbodiesmostofwhatweexperienceasindividualsisdevelopmental.Sowhilewe'regrowingupwestartoffasaneggandwebecomeablastocystandthenwebecomeanembryoandthenbecomeafetusandthennewborn.Thattrajectoryisverydeterminedanddevelopmental.Andthenthereisalsowithinus,theseotherforcesofmutationinourgenes,whicharemoreevolutionary.Alotofwhatweseeintechnologyisnotevolutionary,it'sdevelopmental,meaningthatifweweretolookatathousandoramilliondifferentplanetswithsentientlifeandcivilizations,wewouldfindthatthere'sageneraldevelopmentalcourseforthecourseoftechnologyonaplanet,inthesensethatyouwouldhaveanaturaloccurrenceofpotterybeforeyouhaveelectronics,whateveritis.                      Therearecertainprecursorstocertaintechnologies,andthesamethingishappeningrightnowonthegrowthofthisconnectedworld.Therearecertaindevelopmentalstages,andpartofthisisacyclicthingwherethere'saperiodofopenness,thenaperiodofconsolidation,andthenthenextrevofthatisopenwhilethingskindofsettle,andthenthatbecomesconsolidatedandtherearerespirationcycles.We'vebeenthroughseveralofthosealready.Oneofthemwase-mailandtheopennessofe-mail.ThenyouhadclosedCompuServeandProdigyandAOL,thentherewasthisblossomingoftheWeb,whichwasallatfirstopenandverychaoticwithveryfewrules,andthenthereisthisconsolidation,andwehavetheclosed,cultivated,curatedworldsofFacebookandGoogle+,andthenthenextstagewilllikelybeagainaveryopenandwildandcrazyandchaoticplacewhilethingsarebeingsortedout,andthatwouldlikelyitselfcollapseagainintomoreenclosedandproprietarysystemsaspeoplefigureoutwhatitisthattheywanttodo.                        Thenexttwentyyearsaregoingtomakethislasttwentyyearsjustpale PeopletendrightnowtothinkthatthefutureoftheWebisWeb2.0;it'slikeabetterWeb.Iwentbacktotheearlyissuesof Wired andallthe Time magazinesandNewsweeks andthenewspaperstryingtofindoutwhatpeoplethoughttheWebwasgoingtobebeforeitwas.Generally,whatpeoplethought,includingtosomeextentmyself,wasitwasgoingtobebetterTV,likeTV2.0.That'swhatwethoughttheWebwouldbeatfirst—5,000differentsourcesgivingyouthespecialtyinformationaboutahorsechannelandadogchannelandacatchannelandasaltwateraquariumchannel,allthesethingswouldbecomingdown,andtheywouldbeprovidingallthisstuff,andyoucouldgetitallinyourhome.But,ofcourse,thatmissedtheentirerealrevolutionoftheWeb,whichwasthatmostofthecontentwouldbegeneratedbythepeopleusingit.TheWebwasnotbetterTV,itwastheWeb. NowwethinkaboutthefutureoftheWeb,wethinkit'sgoingtobethebetterWeb;it'sgoingtobeWeb2.0,butit'snot.It'sgoingtobeasdifferentfromtheWebasWebwasfromTV.Ithinkinthatnextstageit'salsogoingtobeaveryfrontier-likesituationwherethereisopenness;Thereislawlessness.Therearelandgrabs;Thereisasenseinwhichthegreatuncertaintyandnewwealthandtheresistanceoftheestablishedplayerstryingtobendthingsintheirdirection.Thenextstepafterthatwillbecollapseandconsolidationofthatfrontier.          Ifweweresentbackwithatimemachine,even20years,andreportedtopeoplewhatwehaverightnowanddescribewhatweweregoingtogetinthisdeviceinourpocket—we'dhavethisfreeencyclopedia,andwe'dhavestreetmapstomostofthecitiesoftheworld,andwe'dhaveboxscoresinrealtimeandstockquotesandweatherreports,PDFsforeverymanualintheworld—we'dmakethisvery,very,verylonglistofthingsthatwewouldsaywewouldhaveandwegetonthisdeviceinourpocket,andthenwewouldtellthemthatmostofthiscontentwasfree.Youwouldsimplybedeclaredinsane.Theywouldsaythereisnoeconomicmodeltomakethis.Whatistheeconomicsofthis?Itdoesn'tmakeanysense,anditseemsfar-fetchedandnearlyimpossible.Butthenexttwentyyearsaregoingtomakethislasttwentyyearsjustpale.We'rejustatthebeginningofthebeginningofallthesekindofchanges.There'sasensethatallthebigthingshavehappened,butrelativelyspeaking,nothingbighashappenedyet.In20yearsfromnowwe'lllookbackandsay,"Well,nothingreallyhappenedinthelast20years."  Sometimeswehaveagreaterspanofattention TheissueofmanagingattentionontheWeb,andtheoverwhelmingoceanofinformationthatwe'regenerating,andthisrelentlessfirehoseofnewstuffisthatit'smakingitverydifficultforanybody,youngorold,topayattentiontoalongform.It'sagreatchallenge.It'salsouncertainwhichwayitwillgo.Isitsomethinginherentinthisnewtechnologythat'sgoingtomakethisalwaysdifficult?Oristhisagainaphasethatwe'llgothrough,andpeoplewillgettiredofitandreturnbacktothings.Wedon'tknow,itcouldgoeitherwayandIwouldhaveargumentsforbothsides.                      Theargumentonthesidethatthereisstillanappetiteforlongformistothinkabouttheappealofsomeoftheselongserialmovieslike Lost, whichis100plushoursofverycomplicatednarrative.TwentyyearsagoanybodyinTVormovieswouldhavetoldyouthatnoone'sgoingtopayattentionto100plushourmovie.Butyouhavetheseverylongserialswithcontinuousnarrativethreadthroughit,andthey'revery,verycomplicatedwithmanydifferentplotlines,andpeopleloveit.Sothere'sanexampleofthingsbecomingmorecomplicatedandrequiringmoreattention. Willlongnarrative-likebooksbeabletoregainthatplace? Idon'tknow.Idoknowthatamongmykidsandalltheirfriends,notonlydononeofthemreadbooks,butwhat'sinterestingtomeisthatthey'renotwatchingtelevision.Evenmoviesaren'tcentraltothem.Ifyouwatchorlistentowhatthey'retalkingabout,they'rediscussingwhattheysawonYouTube.That'sthecenteroftheculture,andthat'saverybleakprospectforpeoplewhoreallywanttogodeepwithideas,butthat'snotastatementaboutwhattheshortformisrightnow.It'sastatementabouttheaccessibilityofit,thedigestibility.WecouldseeYouTubeleadingtobetterandimprovedtablets,newformsofanimation,rendering,understandinghowwelearn.There'sgreatpotentialintheretohaveanewformfordeeperunderstandingthat'snotthekindofflatbook,andit'snotthekindoflinearTVshoworvideo.It'ssomethingelseand,again,we'regoingtobesurprisedrightnow,becausewethinkthatthechoicesareeitherTV(whichdoesn'tseemtoworkforconveyinginformation),movies(whichdon'tseemtobethatmuchbetter),books(whichhadagreatreputationinthepastandarenolongersopopular).Wearegoingtomakesomethingother.We'regoingtousetechnologytorearrangehowwepresentdeepideasandhavepeoplespendthetimenecessarytomasterthem.Idon'tthinkit'samatterof"Eitherit'sgoingtobebooksorvideo,"neitherofthosearereallygoingtowork.           Deliberatepracticeandstudy Here'ssomethingelsethat'sinteresting.Everybodywho'swatchingmerightnow,youandI,weallspendfour,maybemore,fiveyearswithdeliberatestudyandtrainingtolearnhowtoreadandwrite,andthatprocessoflearninghowtoreadandwriteactuallyhasrewiredourbrains.Weknowthatfromplentyofstudiesofliterateandilliteratepeoplefromthesameculture—thatreadingandwritingchangeshowyourbrainworks.Thatonlycameaboutbecauseoffourorfiveyearsofdeliberatepracticeandstudy,andweshouldn'texpectnecessarilythattherealmasteryofthisnewmediaissomethingwecandeducebyhangingaround. Youcan'tlearncalculusjusthangingaroundpeoplewhoknowcalculus,youactuallyhavetostudyit.Itmaybethatforustoreallymastertheissuesofattentionmanagement,criticalthinking,learninghowtechnologicaldevicesworkandhowtheybiteback,allthistechno-literacymaybesomethingthatwehavetospendseveralyearsbeingtrainedtodo.Maybeyoucan'tjustlearnitbyhangingaroundpeoplewhodoitorelsejusthangingaroundtryingtolearnitbyosmosis.Itmayrequiretrainingandteaching,atechno-literacy,andlearninghowtomanageyourattentionanddistractionsissomethingthatisprobablygoingtorequiretraining.          Thegreatsurprise:aprosumerworld We'reintheeraofwhatAlvinTofflercalledthe"prosumer".Techno-literacyisconcernednotjustwithconsumingmediabutalsocreatingit.Toffler'sprosumersarepeoplewhoconsumemedia,whoalsoproduceit,andwhoarebothproducingandconsumingatthesametime.TheMakerMovementisgreatevidencethatwe'reinthiskindofprosumererawheresomeoftheartificialdivisionsthatwehadintheindustrialsocietyarebreakingdown—wheretherewereproducersandconsumers,andtheywereseparatecamps.We'regettingbackalittlebitmoretoapreviousera—thehunter/gatherers—wherepeoplemadethestuffthattheyconsumed.Inacuriouswaythenewtechnologiescanofferusmoreaccesstothatearlierera.                       Certainlymostofthethingsthataregoingtobeproducedaregoingtobemadebyrobotsandautomation,butwecanmodifythemandwecanchangethem,andwecanbeinvolvedintheco-productionofthemtoadegreethatwecouldn'tintheindustrialage.That'struenotjustformediaandliquidintangiblethingsbutalsofortangiblethings,andthat'ssortofthepromiseof3Dprintingandroboticsandalltheseotherhigh-techmaterialsciencesisthatit'sgoingtobecomeasmalleable. Youcan’tlearntechno-literacybyhangingout UsingtheInternetandAIandconnection,thephysicalworldwillbeasmalleableforuswhenwehavehelpofthesetoolsastheintangibleworldhasbeen,andsothateraoftheprosumercanreturn.Butagain,thisisnotgoingtohappenbyosmosis;itwilltaketraining;itwilltaketeaching;itwilltakeeducation.Itwilltakealiteracy,atechno-literacy,tolearnhowthisworldworks—tolearnthatthesetechnologieshavebiteback,thattheyhavefeedback,thattheyhaveissues,restrictions,andtherearecosts.Allthisstuffispartofit.         Foralongtimeeconomistsstudyingtheneweconomyhadasayingthatyoucouldseecomputerseverywhereexceptintheproductivitystatistics,inthesensethatwe'restillinthatprocessofseeingthepayofffromcomputers.Whilethere'sInternetspeedoflife,whichisgoingveryfast,wearebiologicalbeingsandthere'sgenerationsofinvestmentinfrastructurethatwilltakealongtimetopayoff.Inacertainsenseit'lltakeusanothergenerationbeforeweactuallyunderstandwhattheWebis. Wemanageourtechnologybyuse Thereisahugelagbetweenthearrivalandouruseofsomethingandourcompleteunderstandingofit,whatitsroleisandwhatitmeansanditseffectsplusandminus.Thatgap,evenwhenwespeedup,isgoingtoremain.There'sstillgoingtobeagapbetweenourplacementofitandouracceptanceofit.Theacceptancecomesfirst,butthisisactuallyimportant,becauseIdidastudyoftechnologylookingatprohibitions,whichdon'twork.Prohobitionsarealwaysjustpostponements.Wecan'tregulatetechnologybyprohibitingit.Wehavetoonlyregulateitbyuse.Wehavetousethingsinordertosteerthemorrearrangethemorreassignthem.Wecan'tmanageourtechnologybynotusingthem,byprohibitingthem,byoutlawingthem.          It'simportantthatweunderstandthattheproperwayandthebestwayandthemostefficientwayforustomanageandregulateandcontrolourtechnologyisnotbysurrenderingitandgivingitup,relinquishingitorprohibitingit.Theprimarywaywewanttodothisisbyengagingwithit,beingconstantlyvigilantandworkingwithit,usingit,andit'sthroughusethatwecanactuallysteerit. Therealexcitementisinlookingforwaystocollaboratetogether Whatwe'redoingrightnowiswe'retryingtoinventotherformsofcollaborativework,otherformsofdoingsocialenterprise.Someofthemareotherformsofbusinesses,andsomeofthemareotherhybrids,andwehavenonprofits,whichareoftenverymonetized,andwehavetheseothercollectiveslikeWikipediasandLinuxesandOpenSource,whicharenot,andwehaveBurningMan,wehavezones.Therealexcitementisinlookingforwaystocollaboratetogether,someofwhichwillhavemoneyinvolvedandsomeofwhichwillhaveadeliberaterefusalofcertainaspectsofmoney,buttolumpthemalltogetherasconsumerismandcorporatismisnotreallygoingtobeuseful.It'sbettertounderstandtheseasthedetectingandtryingtoexplorethedifferentwaysinwhichyoucanarrangepeople'sworkandthecreditandthesustenancethatflowsthroughthemtokeepthemgoing.Peopleareveryeagertotryformsoftransactionsandformsofworkthataren'tintheoldmodel. Money,too,hasevolvedandmoneywillalwayspropelthings,butthat'snotreallythebestwaytothinkaboutwhat'sgoingon.Ifyoustandbackandlook,youwillseethere'samuchmoreinterestingvarietyofthingsbeingtried. Oneoftheeffectsofthisnetworkeconomyandthisnetworkgrowthisthatit'sverycommontoseethesenetworkeffectskickinwhereyouhave“themoregetsmore,”andthethinggrowsbiggerandbigger.Themoreyouhave,themoreattractiveyoubecomeandthemorepeopleyouget,andthemorepeopleyouget,themoreattractiveitis,andsoyouhaveexplosions—theseexponentialexplosionsofnetworks,whichishowMicrosoftgotverybig.It'showGoogleisgettingbigandFacebook.They'realloperatingonthesameprinciple.Thisisakindofnaturalmonopoly.First,it'snatural,ithasnothingtodowithcoercionorscalpingcustomers.It'saphenomenathatallnetworksshow,thatthereisgoingtobethesewinner-take-allthingsbutthatthesameforcesthatmovetomakingthemverylargewillalsohelpthemunraveljustasfast.Thesearetemporarysuccessesinacertainsense,justasfastastheycangrow,theycancollapse(Blackberry).Weshouldn'tbetooenviousofthatkindofscaling,becauseit'saveryephemeralthing,andit'saverynaturalthing.                        Winner-take-allphenomenon:technologyisincreasingnewwaystowin Anotherpointaboutthiswinner-take-allphenomenonisthatatfirstwehaveanaturalreactionsaying,"Well,winnertakeall;therecanonlybeonewinner,"buthere'swhattechnologyisdoing:technologyisincreasingthenumberofracesinwhichyoucanwin.Therearemoreandmorenichesandmoreandmoreplacesinwhichthetechnologycreatesnewwaysinwhichonecanwin.Thereisn'tafinitenumberofwinners,there'saninfinitenumberofwinnersaslongasyou'renottryingtowinsomeoneelse'srace.Thewayeverybodycanbecomeawinneristocontinuetoincreasethenumberofwaystoplay,eventhoughyouhavethesewinner-take-allphenomena.There'sonlygoingtobeonesearchwinner,buttherearesomanyotherwaystoraceandtowinotherthanin,say,search.Inmostcases,tryingtocompeteagainstawinnerisnotgoingtosucceedinthiskindofdynamic.Whatyouwanttodoismakeupanewwaytowin.          ThecurrentinfatuationwithTwitterand,tosomeextent,Facebook,isaboutpeopleexploringthismode.Itwillremainasanoptionforothers,foreveryoneinthefuture,andsowillbloggingandsowillwritingbooksandsowillYouTube.Whatwe'redoingiswe'reincreasingthemodes,andrightnowthere'sahugeflurryofactivityaspeopleexplorewhatyoucandowithTwitter.Thenwe'lllearnwhatwecandowithTwitter,anditwillbeinthecontextofwhatwecandowithbloggingandbooksandotherthings. Tenyearsfromnowwe'renotgoingtohaveanyconversationsaboutTwitterjustlikepeoplearen'treallytalkingaboutblogsnow.It'sgoingtoworkitswaythroughandwe'llunderstandthatit'sanotheroptioninthisgrowingspectrum,whichwillcontinuetoincreasebecausetenyearsfromnow,there'sgoingtobesomethingelsethateverybody'sgoingtobedoing.PeoplewilltalkaboutthegoodolddayswithTwitter,whenpeoplewereonlytweeting.Rightnowpeoplearetryingtofigureout,whatcanyoudowithit?HowfarcanyoutakeTwitter?Howfarcanyougojusttweeting?That'sawonderfulthingtoexploreevensocially,andsoitdoesn'tmeanthatthewholeworldandthewholemediaworldisonlygoingtobetweeting,that'sreallyshortsightedbecausethesethingsdon'tgothatway.Whathappensistheybecomeanotheroptioninthespectrumthatpeoplehave.Lookhowfastblogscameandgone.Theydidn'tactuallygoaway.Therearestillblogsthere,butthey'rejustinthatlittlepaletteofthingsthatyouusetogether,andsomepeoplearebetteratitthanothers.That'sokay.I'mnotsoupsetbyit.        There'salotofconcernaboutteenagersplaying40or50hours,wastingtimeonagameorcommentingonRedditorwhatever.There'stalkaboutaddiction,Internetaddiction,whichIdon'treallybelieve.Imean,thereareoccasionalcases,butmostofthetimeit'syoungpeoplewhoarebecomingobsessedaboutsomething.Obsessionisatremendousforce;realcreativitycomeswhenyou'rewastingtimeandwhenyou'refoolingaroundwithoutagoal.That'softenwhererealexplorationandlearningandnewthingscomefrom.Evenasasocietywecanhavetemporaryobsessionswithsomethingthatwewillworkthrough,andthat'sonewayinwhichasocietycanexploreanidea.Wecancallthemfadsorwhatever,butthey'reactuallymoreproductivethanjustthinkingofthemasafad.Thinkofthemaskindofacompulsionthatistryingtoexploresomething,andrightnowthere'sacompulsionaboutwhatcanyoudowith140characters,andwe'llworkthroughthatandwe'llsay,"Well,here'swhatyoucando,andthat'saboutit."        Copiesareworthless;sellwhatcan’tbecopied TheInternetistheworld'slargestcopymachine.WhattheNetdoesisitcopiesthings.Whenyousendamessagetoanybodyelse,it'sbeingcopiedinbetween.Takeapicture,postingit.It'sbeingcopiedallalongtheway,andsoanythingthatcanbecopiedwillbecopiedontheInternet,andanythingthattouchestheInternetwillbecopied.That'swhatitwants.That'swhatitdoes,andsoyouhavetohaveaneconomybasedaroundthingsotherthancopies,becausecopiesaresoprolificthatthey'revalueless.They'reworthnothing,soyoudon'twanttoprotectthem.  Youwanttoearnmoneythroughgenerativesandthingsotherthancopies—thingsthatarehardtocopy. Likeimmediacy,orauthenticity.That'showyoumakemoney. Coveillanceandconviviallytrackingeachother Thesamethingistrueabouttracking.TheInternetwantstotrackjustlikeitwantstocopythings,andit'sgoingtobevery,verydifficulttopreventthisthingthatwe'reonallthetime24hours,sevendaysaweek,fromtracking,becauseallthetechnologies—fromsensorstoquantification,digitization,communication,wirelessconnection—wanttotrack,andsotheinternetisgoingtotrack.We'regoingtotrackourselves.We'regoingtotrackeachother.Governmentandcorporationsaregoingtotrackus,wecan'treallygetoutofthat.Whatwecantryanddoiscivilizeandmakeaconvivialkindoftracking. Therearesomethingswecantryinthatdepartment.Oneismaintainingsymmetrysowewanttohavecoveillanceratherthansurveillance.Wewanttobeabletowatchwho'swatchingus,trackwho'strackingus,trackwhatthey'retracking,trackhowaccurateitis,correctitifneededandbenefitfromitinkindofapeer-to-peerway.That'samuchmorelikelyregimethatcouldbeproductivethanhavingaone-way,asymmetricalsurveillancewhichisthey'retrackingus.Wedon'tknowwhatthey'relookingat.Wehavenobenefitfromit.Wecan'tcorrectit.Wedon'tevenknowwhotheyare,andsothat'sthenegativeside. That'stheharmfulsideofit,butthereareotherthingswecandobesidesthesymmetry,andwedoneedregulation.Theremayhavetobeportionsofourlivesthatareprivate,andsoincombinationwiththis,wecanmanagethisubiquitoustracking.Idon'tthinkwecan stop theubiquitoustracking.IntermsoftheNSA,whatwewantistosay,"Yes,okay,you'retrackingus,butifthere'sawatchlist,youhavetobeaccountable."Itcan'tbesecretandoutsideofanykindofaccountability.Wehavetobesymmetrical.Wehavetounderstandwhyit'sthere,whattherulesare.Ifit'sincorrect,wecancorrectit.Therehastobewaystoappealit,allthiskindofstuff,andsothat'sthekindofworldthatIthinkwouldmakethisaproductivetypeoftracking.  Intermsofcorporations,whicharedoingthesamethings,therehastobemoreworkatmakingittransparentbothwayssothatifwe'regoingtobetransparentinourown,wehavetobetransparentwithwhathappenswiththisinformation.IgoalongwithwhatJaronLaniersays,whichisthereshouldbebenefits.Thereshouldbeco-benefitsinthesensethatifmydataisbeingusefultoothers,thenIshouldbenefitfromthat.ThereshouldbemechanismstotryandmakesurethatthedatathatIamallowingtobetrackedandthatIamevenself-trackingmyself,whenit'sbeneficialthatIpartakeinthatvalue.Soagain,therehastobethatkindofsymmetry,andifweunderstandthat,thenwe'llbealotfurtheralonginmakingthisproductive.What'snotgoingtoworkistryingtoprohibitthistracking,becausethat'sliketryingtoprohibitthingsfrombeingcopied.It'snotgoingtowork. Adepartmentofleakmanagement Intelligenceleaksareinevitable.TheU.S.usedtohaveapolicyofSmokeytheBear—zerotoleranceforfire.Andsofirewasbad.Therewerenogoodfires,andyouwerescoldedintopreventingforestfires.Well,whatthatdidwasitsuppressedthewildfiresandbuiltupthishugebankofflammablematerial,sowhenafiredidcomein,itjustdestroyedeverything,andthat'swhattheNSAandtheotheragenciesareexperiencing.They'retryingtobesecret,andyoucan'tbesecretiftheInternetwantstocopystuff.They'rerunningontheInternet,andit'sgoingtobecopied,andsoratherthantryingtosuppresstheleaksandthenhavingthisonce-every-ten-yearwildfireconflagrationconsumethem,whichiswhatthey'rehavingwithSnowden,theyshouldthemselvesallowandpermitandmanagethesewhistleblowingrevelationsincontrolledburns.TheyshouldhaveadepartmentofintentionalleaksorsomethingwheretheyareworkingwithagencieslikeWikileaks,whichtheyeventuallywillhavetodo.That'sthecuriousthing. Infacttheagenciesarenowworkingwiththenewspaperstomanagethese.Whydidn'ttheydothatbeforeinsteadofnowwherethey'reinaweakerposition?Theyneedtobeactiveaboutthisandunderstandthattheyhavetoworkwiththeseotherstodispelanddispensetheseleakssothattheydon'tbuildupintothisterrible,terriblefuelbankthat'sjustgoingtoblowupwhenitdoes,becauseitwill.Theywillhaveleaks.YoucannotrunanythingontheInternetandnothaveitbeingcopied.       Whatyouwanttodoistomanageyourleaksandworkwiththemandnotconsiderthesethingsastreason.Youwanttohaveawhistle-blowingprogram,ofwhichEdwardSnowdenwasagoodexample,andtheyshouldtreatthisinaresponsiblemanner.Peoplelikehimareactuallyhelpingtheminacertainsenseclearoutthisdeadwoodandremainlegalanddothingsaboveboardandhavethesupportofthepublicbehindthem.          Zeroandinfinityarenewnumbersinfinance FifteenyearsagoIwroteabookabout"theneweconomy",inwhichIwastalkingaboutthewaytheeconomicworldwouldshift.Unfortunately,itwasreleasedrightatthepeakofthedotcomera,andeverybodyatthattimebelieved,withoutreadingthebook,thatitwastalkingaboutthedotcoms.Ididn'tevenusetheworddotcom.Iwasn'tinterestedindotcoms.Iwastalkingaboutthereconfigurationoftheeconomiclandscapeduetothesenetworkeffects,duetothefactthatyouhadcopiesproliferating,duetothefactthatwehadashiftfromplacestospaces,duetothefactthatwehadtwonumbersthatwerenotcommoninbusinessbeforenowbecomingessential:freeandinfinite.Zeroandinfinitywerenowpartsoftheequationsasyouthoughtaboutthings,pricesgoingtothefree,infinitybeingthesenseofthescalingpotentialofanetwork.AllthethingsthatIwastalkingabouttookalongtimetoplayout,butthey'reactuallymorevalidnow.  OneofthethingsIsaidinthefirstcouplepagesofthebook,wasthatyoushouldrunyourbusinessasifitwasasoftwarecompanynomatterwhatyourbusinesswas.Basicallythesoftwarewouldeateverything.Thedynamicsoftheintangibleworldofcodewouldreallybecomethedynamicsofeverything;thatthisstuff,thissoftwareandcodeandinformationwouldbecometheprimaryavenuesofwealthwhetheryouwereinchemicalsortransportation,healthcare,farming,whateveritis,thattheseweregoingtobecomedominatedbytheseintangiblesandsounderstandinghowtheeconomyofintangiblesworkedwasessential.That'sbecomingvery,very,veryclearnow,andsothenextneweconomynowthatwe'reheadedintoisonewhereit'sbeingrunbybigdata,whichisanintangible. Therealrevolutionhappeningrightnow Bigdataistherealrevolutionhappeningrightnow.Yes,Ithinkit'sabuzzword,butit'sactuallyjustified.Bigdataissomethingyoushouldpayattentionto.We'reintheperiodnowwherethehugedimensionsofdataandtheirvariablesinrealtimeneededforcapturing,moving,processing,enhancing,managing,andrearrangingit,arebecomingthefundamentalelementsformakingwealth, Weusedtorearrangeatoms,nowit'sallaboutrearrangingdata.Thatisreallywhatwe’llseeinthenext10years. That'swhatthesenetworksaregoingtodo.They'regoingtoreleasedatafromlanguagetomakeitmachine-readableandrecombineitinaninfinitenumberofwaysthatwe'renoteventhinkingabout.Buttodothatwillrequireasetoftoolsthatwedon'thaverightnow.Thisdataisoperatingintherealmofzillionics,sowe'rebeyondthelastprefixthatwehadoftheexa,yotta,lotta.Wedon'tevenhavescientificprefixesfortheordersofmagnitudeofthisdatathatwe'regoingtobegeneratingandmanaginginrealtime.Wedon'tevenhavemathematicsrightnowtodothisatthelevelof10tothe23rd,orwhateverscaleitisthatwe'regoingtobeheadingto,andthatthatisbothanopportunityandachallengeforbusiness. Howmanythingsdoyouwanttocarry? IthinkitwasJeffHammerbacheratFacebookwhosaidthatthebestmindsofhisgenerationweretryingtogetpeopletoclickonads. NealStephenson,thesciencefictionwriter,andothers,havetriedtosuggestthatweshouldstepupandthinkbigandnotjustbeconcernedwiththeseverycommercialandpedestrianandnextquarterconcerns,butreallythinkoutatthegenerationalorcivilizationalscale.Iapplaudthat100percent.Thereisatendencyrightnowtoshort-termthinking,tobeconcernedaboutsomethingthatwillworkandscaleupwithinfiveyearsorwhenever.Thatisabadhabitforus,andthereisintheculturerightnowadefiniteshort-termbiasthatisunproductiveforthelongterm.It'shardtoconvincepeopletotakethatlong-termperspectivebecausethefutureissouncertain.Arepeoplestillgoingtocarrythingsintheirpocketintenyears?WillWi-Fievenbearound?WhyshouldItryandmasterthis?Theuncertaintyofthefutureisreallyworkingagainstthinkinglong-termperspectives,andyetthey'reevermoreneeded. IfIwasayoungperson,daringtotranscendtheshortterm,daringtothinkaboutsomethingthatmighttake10yearstodo,IwouldlooktoElonMuskandseewhathe'sdoingwithhiselectriccarsorhiscrazysupertunnels,orgoingtothemoonagainorMars.Elon,andpeoplelikehimshouldbeourrolemodels,becausewehavethecapabilitytodothat,butitrequiresacertainkindofdisciplinetoforestallthoseimmediaterewardsandgoforsomethingthatwouldtake10years. Newplatformsforartandconnecteddifferences There'salotofgreatartbeingmadenowandsomeofthebestartever.IwouldsaythatsomeoftheseserialTVprograms, likeLost and TheWire,willgodowninhistorynexttoDickensandShakespeare.Theyarecomparableintheirachievement,andtherewillbeuniversitycoursesandprofessorsspecializinginstudyingthemjustastheyhaveDickensexperts.Weareproducingart,andthere'slotsofroomtodothat,althoughmaybeoursocietyisnothonoringtheartistsasmuchasitoncedid. Buttheplatformsandgenresareshifting.TheNobelPrizeforpoetryshouldgotoBobDylanbecausepopmusicisthepoetryoftoday.It'sinsongs.It'sinlyrics.Peoplearedoingart,butsometimesit'snotcalledthat.Itmaytakeawhileforustorecognizeit.There'snoreasonwhyyoucan'thavegreatartistsmakingWebpages.IdoexpecttheartiststobeworkingoniPhoneandatabletsoonerorlater. Anartistissomebodywhoisoutsidealittlebit,whospeakingtruthtopower,provokingthesociet.Areallygreatquestion,ishowonecanprotestagainstthesystemwhenitseemsimpossibleeventocommunicatewithoutitor,insomesenses,beamodernpersonwithoutit?Youcouldsay,well,theAmishareprotestinginsomesensebecausethey'reoutofit,buttheirprotestisveryfeeble. Itwillbehardtoprotestthesystem,butit'snotjusthowdoyouprotestoutsidethesystem;It'showdoyouremaindifferent?Goingbacktotheneweconomy,theneweconomyispoweredbydifferences—thedifferencethatmakesadifferenceastheBatesondefinitiongoes. Butit'snotjust“difference,”it'sconnecteddifference.SotheaboriginalsinsomeremoteAmazonjunglehaveaverydifferentviewpointoftheworld.Theyhaveasetofknowledgethat'sseparatefromscience,it'sshamanticknowledgeandit'sverydeepandconsistentwithintheirsystem,butbecauseit'snotconnectedtous,itdoesn'treallyaffecttherestoftheworld. Therealkeyistoremaindifferentwhileyou'reconnected.Theproblemwithbeingconnectedisittendstohomogenizeeverybody,sothere'sthispressuretobethesameifyou'reconnected.Yougotoanylargecityaroundtheworld,andthereisauniformityinwhatthatdowntownlookslike.Connectiontendstodrivethingstouniformity,butthevalue,thepowerofbeingconnectedisbyremainingdifferent.There'sthisconundrum,thisdilemmaofremainingdifferentwhileconnected,becauseifyou'rejustdifferentbutnotconnected,there'snopowerinthat,andthat'sactuallyeasytodo,butcanyouremaindifferentwhileconnected?You'redifferentincertaindegrees,yetyou'repartoftheuniformstandard.Soit'slikeyoudon'twanttomakeupnewwordsthatdon'tmeananything.Youwanttowriteabookthatusesthestandardwordsinthedictionary,soyou'regoingtobedifferentwhileconnectedtothestandard.You'reconnectedtotheEnglishlanguage,butyou'regoingtobedifferentwithwhatthewordssay. That'sthechallengeforartistsorevenprotestorstosomeextent,eventhosewhoaretryingtochangethings,isthatyouwanttobeconnectedandyetremaindifferent,andthat'satremendoustrickandtremendouschallengeandrequiresacertainartinyourlife,butthat'swhattheleveragewillbe:tobedifferentwhileconnected.  Somebody'salwaysgoingtobetheboss Inthiskindofnetworkeconomy,whichisbasicallybeingrunbycommercialenterprisesratherthan,say,thegovernment,somebody'salwaysgoingtobetheboss,andsoifit'snotcommercial,it'sthegovernment,andyouhavethesameproblemaboutifyouwereaprotestoryoucanonlydothingsthatthegovernment'sgoingtoallowyoutodo.Ifthegovernmentfeelsyouarethreateningtothem,youcan'tsayanything.They'llputyouinjail,andsoGandhiandthecivildisobediencepeopleworkedwithinthecontextofthelawsoftheBritishEmpire,knowingwhatwasacceptableandwhatwasn't.Theywerealwayskindofplayingthatedge.Nowcorporationshavealotmorepowerandwillcontinuetohaveprobablymorepowerinanetworkeconomy,andsothereyoucanonlydothingsthatarekindofwithinthetermsofagreementwiththecorporationsotherwisethey'llkickyouoff.  They'reallthetimetakingdownmaterialandclosinge-mailaccountsandpreventingPayPalpayments,whichwesawwithWikileaks.Aretherewaysaroundthat?Well,actuallyinacertainsense,Ithinktherearemoreavenuestoworkaroundthatthanthereistoworkaroundagovernment.IftheU.S.governmentdecidestogoafteryou,there'sreallynowaytoescape.IfGoogledecidestoclosedown,actuallywedohaveothertechnicalavenues.Youcanactuallystillhaveane-mail.Youcanstillsendsomebodysomethingthatyouwouldn'tbeabletodoifthegovernmentwasrunningthisenterprise.Soinacertainsense,asonerousasitistohavecorporations,whicharelessaccountable,runningthings,inacertainsensethat'sstillbetterthanhavingonlythegovernmentrunit,whichiskindofwhatyouseeinChinaalittlebit.        TheexceptionalismofAmericawillbechallenged I'mgoingtoChinatwiceayearormore.IaminAsiaalot,India,Korea,etc.Imarriedintotheculture.TheaverageAmericandoesn'treallyappreciatehowfastthingsarechanginginthesecountries,changinginthesenseofmovingfrombeingaveryresource-intensecopyculture,intointangiblesandaserviceeconomyandtryingtobeinnovative.Thattransitionwillcomeasasurprisesoonerthanmostpeoplethink.Militarypowerwillcomewithit,andthesupremacy,hegemony,andexceptionalismofAmericawillbechallenged.ItwillrequirearecalibrationofAmerica'sroleintheworld,andthiswillbeabenefitforAmericansandfortherestofthecountriesandpeoplesoftheworld. Analogordigtial? FreemanDysonputupachallengeaboutwhethertheuniverseasawholewasultimately,fundamentally,atitsessence,discreteorcontinuous.Atitsessence,wasitbinaryinthesenseofinformation,orwasitanaloginthesenseofwavesandwaviclesandifitwascontinuous—ifitwasanunbroken,unquantumizedfield.Idon'thaveanyintuitiononewayortheother,andheisabetterjudgeofthat,butitcouldmakeahugedifferenceinourunderstandingoftheworld.Iwouldbetthatthedigitalwins.Imean,ifIhadtomakeabetonwhichwayitis,Iwouldsuspectthatit'sabinarydigitalworldinasensethatit'sinformation-based.Idon'tthinkwedon'tknowwhatinformationis.It'sahugemystery,butovertimewe'llbegintorecastandtranslatephysicsintermsofinformation,andIcouldbewrong,butifIhadtomakeabet,Iwouldbetthattheuniverseisdigital. Technologybeginswithlife Theordinarypenyouuseeverydayseemsverysimplebutitprobablytook100differenttechnologiestomakethispentechnology,technologiesofplastic,ink,ballbearing,metal,andeachofthosedifferenttechnologiesprobablythemselvesrequiredanother100sub-technologiestosupportitand,ofcourse,there'skindofacircularwayinwhichpensmightbenecessarytomakeaballbearinginthesamewaythatelectricityisnecessarytomakeagenerator,andageneratormaybenecessarytomakethewiresofanelectricalsystem.Ahammerrequiresahandleandahead,andthesawrequiresthehammertomakethesawthatcutsthehandle,sothereisasenseinwhichallofthisisveryrecursiveandthatthereisanetworkofdifferentsupportingtechnologies,andthatthewholewebofallthesethingsIcallthetechnium.Thetechniumisthatlargestnetworkofallthetechnologiesworkingtogethertosupporteachother,andwhilethispenisdefinitelynotalive,thereisasenseinwhichthetechniumasawholeexhibitslife-likebehaviorsinthesamewaythatyourneurondoesn'treallythink,butthenetworkofneuronsinyourbraincanmakeanidea.          AndsoIlookatthenetworkofallthetechnologyintheworld,pastandpresent,asformingasystemthatseemstohaveitsownurgesandtendencies.Likeanykindofasystem,itwillhavecertainwaysthatit'sbiasedto,andthosebiasesareinherentinthesystem.Itdoesn'treallymatterwhichhumansarelivingornot;it'sasystemsbias.ThequestionI'vebeenaskingmyselfis,whatarethebiasesofthissystemofallthetechnologiesintheworldtogether?Ifwecanunderstandwhatthosebiasesare,thenwewouldhavesomeideaofwhereit'sleaningtowardsandwhereitgenerallywantstogo.Notsurprisingly,sinceIseethisasalife-likesystem,Isee itsoriginsinlife.Thatis,inacertainsense,thistechniumisanextensionofthesameforcesthatself-organizedintolife,andthatarecontinuingthroughthetechnium,sothatthetechniumisinherentlynotanti-life.It'sactuallyverymuchderivedfromandcompatiblewithlivingthings.Intermsofthecosmos,it'sactuallycontinuingandacceleratingthethingsthatlifeandevolutionweredoingontheplanet. It'smovingincertaindirections,andIwouldsaythatifweweretomakealistofwhereit'sgoing,it'snotadestinybutkindofadirection.It'smovingtowardscomplexity,andit'smovingtowardsmoresentience—moremind.It'smovingtowardsmorespecialization.It'smovingtowardsmoreenergydensity,andthere'sawholesetofotherdirectionsthatlifeisalsomovingtowards.Soifwewanttoimaginewheretechnologywillbein100yearsor1,000years,wecangodownthelistandsayit'sgoingtobemorecomplexthanitistoday.There'sgoingtobemoremindsandartificialmindseverywhere.Whateverwemaketoday,we'regoingtohavemorespecializedversionsofitinthefuture.Itbecomesmoremutualistic,inthesensethattechnologybecomesmoredependentonothertechnologies.Weourselves,oursociety,willbecomemoremutualistic.TheseareallsomeofthethingsthatIwouldsaytechnologywantsbecausethesystemitselfisbiasedinthesedirections,inherentlyoutsideofwhathumanslikeuswant. Chinainventedeverythingexceptthemostimportantinvention There'saninterestingthingaboutancientChina,becauseifyoureadthroughthehistory,almosteverysinglemajorinventionoftheworldwasinventedinChinafirst,andsometimesittookhundredofyearsforeachtoeitherittomakeit'swaytoWesternEuropeortobereinventedinWesternEurope.Thatincludespaper,printing,steel,gunpowder,thecompass,rudder,suspensionbridges,etc.It'salmosteverything,andforalongtimeChinaledtheworldincivilizationbecauseitwasabletomakethesethingslongbeforeanyoneelse.ButtherewasoneinventionthatChinadidnotinvent,anditwouldturnouttobethemostimportantinvention,andthatwastheinventionofthescientificmethod. There'sstillaquestionaboutwhyChinadidn'tinventthat,whichwasinventedintheWest.Becauseofthatoneinvention,theWestsuddenlyhadamethodforinventingnewthingsandfindingnewthingsthatwassosuperiorthatitjustblewpastallthegreatinventionsofChinaandinventedsomanymorethingsbecauseofthepowerofthisoneinvention.Andthatinvention—thescientificmethod—isnotasinglething.It'sactuallyaprocesswithmanyingredients,andthescientificmethoditselfhasactuallybeenchanging.Intheverybeginningitwasverysimple,acoupleofprocesseslikeacontrolledexperiment,havingacontrol,beingabletorepeatthings,havingtohaveaproof.Wetendtothinkofthescientificmethodassortofawhole—asfixedintimewithacertaincharacter.Butlotsofthingsthatweassumeorwenowassociatewiththescientificmethodwereonlyinventedrecently,someofthemonlyasrecentlyas50yearsago—thingslikeadoubleblindexperimentortheinventionoftheplaceboorrandomsamplingwereallincrediblyrecentadditionstothescientificmethod.In50yearsfromnowthescientificmethodwillhavechangedmorethanithasinthepast400yearsjustaseverythingelsehas. Sothescientificmethodisstillchangingovertime.It'saninventionthatwe'restillevolvingandrefining.It'satechnology.It'saprocesstechnology,butit'sprobablythemostimportantprocessandtechnologythatwehave,butthatisstillundergoingevolutionrefinementandadvancementandweareaddingnewthingstothisinvention.We'readdingthingslikeatripleblindexperimentormultipleauthorsorquantifiedselfwhereyouhaveexperimentofNequalsone.We'redoingthingslikesavingnegativeresultsandtransmittingthose.There'smany,manythingshappeningwiththescientificmethoditself—asatechnology—thatwe'realsoimprovingovertime,andthatwillaffectalltheothertechnologiesthatwemake. Technologyisanythingamindproduces Mydefinitionoftechnologyisanythingamindproduces,soIhaveaverybroadscopeoftechnology,andIwouldsaythatthefirsttechnologiesactuallycamefromanimals.Inacertainsensethecollectivemindofananthillortermitescanmakeaskyscraper.It'skindofliketheexternalphenotype.Youcanhavebirdsweave.Theydoweave.Theyweavenests.Beaversengineerdams,andthatjustaswehadanexternalphenotypethatwemadewithourownminds,wemadetechnologyandtools.It'sanythingthat'sbeingproducedbyourminds,andthatwouldincludenottheindividualworksofartbutthetechnologiesofart,paintingandsymphonies.Thesewereall,insomesenses,technologies,theyareproductsofourmindandnotjustapersonalexpressionbutsomethingthat'suseful,andsointangibleslikeacalendarareatechnology.Softwareobviouslyisatechnology.Infrastructureslikeroadsandalibrary,thesearetechnologicalinventions,andsoit'saverybroaddefinition.IwouldsuggestthatinthefuturewhenwehaverobotsandAIs,theinventionsthatthesemindswillmakewillalsobetechnologies.That'swhattechnologyis.          Toolsaretechnologies,whichcanbeintangiblesandprocesses.Theydon'thavetobehardware.It'susefulstuff,andthebesttoolsaretoolsthatenableothertools.They'reopenpossibilities,possibilitiesthatunleashfuturepossibilities,andthosearethegreatesttools. Scienceisexpandingourignorance Oneofthethingsthatsciencedoesisareallycuriousthing. Everytimeweusesciencetotrytoansweraquestion,togiveussomeinsight,invariablythatinsightoranswerprovokestwoorthreeothernewquestions.Anybodywhoworksinscienceknowsthatthey'reconstantlyfindingoutnewthingsthattheydon'tknow.Itincreasestheirignorance,andsoinacertainsense,whilescienceiscertainlyincreasingknowledge,it'sactuallyincreasingourignoranceevenfaster.Soyoucouldsaythatthechiefeffectofscienceistheexpansionofignorance. Inacuriousway,Googleisallaboutanswers.SoyoucouldsaythatGoogleisincreasinganswersovertime,butwhat'sinterestingisthatanswersarebecomingcheap;they'realmostfree,andIthinkwhatbecomesscarceinthiskindofplacethatwe'reheadedtoisquestions,areallygoodquestion,becauseareallygoodquestioncanunleashnewquestions.                        InacertainsensewhatbecomesreallyvaluableinaworldrunningunderGoogle'sreign,aregreatquestions,andthatmeansthatforalongtimehumanswillbebetteratthanmachines. Machinesareforanswers;humansareforquestions. TheworldthatGoogleisconstructing—aworldofcheapandfreeanswers—havinganswersisnotgoingtobeverysignificantorimportant.Havingareallygreatquestionwillbewhereallthevalueis.  News Highconceptalltheway.Brockmanseeksoutthebrightestscientistsandthinkerstodayandengagestheminheadyinterviewsandseriousdiscussionscenteredaroundideas.Thecontentisunfashionableandorthogonaltothemedianews.It'sdeepandrefre KevinKelly:TheTechniumandthe7thkingdomoflife PredictingthePresent,FirstFiveYearsofWired What'sRelated People KevinKelly SeniorMaverick,Wired;Author,WhatTechnologyWantsand... Audio [2.3.14] BeyondEdge OfficialKevinKellyWebsite Books WhatTechnologyWants By KevinKelly Hardcover Events Edge-SerpentineGallery-MAPSFORTHE21STCENTURY SpecialEvents [10.16.10] THEEDGE"BILLIONAIRES'DINNER"2009 EdgeDinners [2.5.09] THESANFRANCISCOSCIENCEDINNER EdgeDinners [7.28.08] THEEDGE"BILLIONAIRES'DINNER"2008 EdgeDinners [2.25.08] THEEDGE"BILLIONAIRES'DINNER"2007 EdgeDinners [3.6.07] THEEDGE"BILLIONAIRES'DINNER"2001 EdgeDinners [2.22.01] THEEDGE"BILLIONAIRES'DINNER"1999 EdgeDinners [2.16.99] ConversationsatEdge KEVINKELLY'SQUESTION [2.6.13] [email protected]|AnEdgeConversationinMunich [1.24.11] BETTERTHANFREE [2.5.08] THETECHNIUMANDTHE7THKINGDOMOFLIFE [7.18.07] SPECULATIONSONTHEFUTUREOFSCIENCE IntroductionbyStewartBrand [4.6.06] TheThirdCulture [2.27.98] Digerati-Chapter16 [10.1.96]