
Remember those great "home of the future" demonstrations from days past? If you're not old enough to remember them from world fairs, Disneyland, or movie newsreels, you've probably seen the cartoons parodying them: Robotic maids, self-cleaning kitchens, futuristic-looking plastic furniture, dehydrated food; everything white, round, and sparkling. Well, it's the future now, and it didn't exactly turn out the way they thought it would, but thanks to ubiquitous computer technology, today's home can have capabilities that futurists 50 years ago would never have imagined.
Member since:
2006-03-15
I like Garrett Hardin's "Filters Against Folly" for its chapter on the "Global Pothole Problem". In contrast to say healthcare, potholes are less emotionally loaded so it is easier to think rationally. Anytime I see "as one" it's my cue to bring up "Tragedy of the Commons" - title of his widely-cited 1968 essay.