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Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

blogs.forbes.com

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Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#81

Post by nitrogen »

bad_user wrote: post #69
Detrus wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We already have huge negative repercussions. Climate change, mass extinction, overpopulation thanks to industrial agriculture. Now it might be more dangerous if tech slowed down, because we need new tech to fix disasters caused by the old. In some industries, like energy, automotive, people have been catching their collective breath for decades and now we're in trouble.

IMHO, that's exactly the thinking that got us into trouble in the first place: that we have the capability to change nature, however we want, and yet we can't even predict earthquakes or give accurate weather forecasts. Heck, we even have problems estimating the ecological footprint of anything. E.g. that proof of concept electrical car that's extra efficient might require some rare metals to produce, and the manufac…

Consuming less (I mean at the consumer level, not raw resources) is hardly a way to promote the progress of our civilization. Finding a way to sustainably consume ever more will yield much greater outcomes in technology and happiness.

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#82

Post by varjag »

evgen wrote: post #51
MoreMoschops wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The HN title of this needs fixing - I think Kasparov is talking about innovation within the U.S. (although the article itself is maddeningly unclear, saying "thinks the U.S. has become complacent when it comes to innovation" but then seeming to push a worldwide brush that the "last technology that could be thought of as revolutionary, he says, was the Apple II"; I think he meant in the U.S. and this is just sloppy jo…

The first mobile phone network was done by NMT in Japan, but the first commercial mobile phone was invented by Martin Cooper of Motorola and the first call made on this phone was to the head of a competing program at Bell Labs.

In Japan? That's surprising, since NMT stands for Nordic Mobile Telephony.

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#83

Post by xentronium »

vl wrote: post #8
devmonk wrote: post #3

Well said! I agree with all of it. I'd only add that the U.S. isn't the only country that can innovate, and that innovation needs purpose beyond energy production. I feel that purpose should be: - Colonizing space. - Making better use of our land for sustainable agriculture to feed the hungry and the children of our future.

While I understand dream aspect of it, in practical terms, why and how would you colonize space?

Space program development requires: a) Technology b) Infrastructure

Boosting those boosts economics, creates workplaces and moves towards a better future. Even if they don't invent a hyperdrive or any other way to outsmart spacetime.

Another good thing about it for the countries is that it boosts morale, gathers everyone under national colours etc..

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#84

Post by gjm11 »

rbanffy wrote: post #75
astrofinch wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure that being the best chess player in the world is evidence that Kasparov is very intelligent--any more than being the best poker player, the best piano player, or even the best marketer. Chess is a learned skill just like any of those. Put another way, looking at all of the world's very most intelligent people, the fraction that care enough about chess to become the world champion if they had the aptitude…

Actually, computers have demonstrated over and over that you don't have to be intelligent to be a brilliant chess player.

They've demonstrated that a brilliant chess player doesn't have to be intelligent. They haven't demonstrated that a brilliant human chess player doesn't have to be intelligent.

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#85

Post by gjm11 »

jesus wrote: post #55
astrofinch wrote: post #31

I still think Google Maps is pretty cool.

As cool as pornography relative to sex.

Could you explain your analogy in a bit more detail? Google Maps is like pornography, and ... what ... is like sex? Physical paper maps? (I'm not seeing the big difference compared with electronic ones.) The actual full-size terrain itself? (OK, sure, but that's a bit tricky to carry around with you and use for route planning.)

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#86

Post by weavejester »

ladon86 wrote: post #7
InclinedPlane wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ubiquitous cell phones are definitely a revolutionary development. This becomes obvious when you read or watch fiction of any sort. How many story lines would be completely disrupted by the presence of a cell phone? As it turns out, a great many, even for stories being written today, as many writers haven't fully absorbed the way things have changed.

We have a long running series of phone ads in the UK which make fun of exactly this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlX9G7s2AnQ

The Orange ads are more about clueless producers ruining film ideas with rampant commercialism. I don't think there have been any Orange ads where a plot has been ruined due to the presence of a phone within the movie itself.

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#87

Post by kraemate »

gjm11 wrote: post #17

Kasparov complains that there aren't enough revolutionary technologies that push the world forward, as opposed to incremental improvements driven by wanting to please consumers. And then he says the last genuine technological revolution was ... the Apple II? Huh? The Apple II was a fine product. But it was an incremental advance on its predecessors like the Commodore PET and, er, the Apple I (whose existence Kasparov…

The internet is older than the Apple II. Apart from GPS and FMRI, i dont agree that the other consumer-products are revolutionary at all. CDs are notoriously unreliable data storage mechanism which are already obselete; laser printers haven't done much other than enable people to waste more paper ; digital cameras are just dense CCDs, nothing great or new about that.

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#89

Post by stcredzero »

simonsarris wrote: post #2

It's rare I want to call someone with conservative technological estimates unrealistic. Usually I see the opposite. But I don't think Kasparov is on the mark here. The cellphone was invented after that and has forever changed the way we reach people and fundamentally how they are reachable. Do you remember life pre-cellphones? When you left your house you literally dropped off the map. There was no way of anyone know…

All sorts of tiny events required massive planning.

We old-timers just used to call it "planning."

Re: Garry Kasparov: The Last Revolutionary Technology Was The Apple II

#90

Post by stcredzero »

sfphotoarts wrote: post #22
jhancock wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Do you remember life pre-cellphones? When you left your house you literally dropped off the map." Yes. I miss those days.

you can always leave your cell phone at home, but for many the cellphone is an integral part of going somewhere. planning en route, picking alternative an rendezvous etc.

I've noticed that some groups of people never meet at the place previously discussed. It's like "Hey, let's go to X" really means let's go some as-yet undisclosed location downtown.
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