X-Message-Number: 21037 Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 05:34:59 -0500 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: CryoNet #20895 - #20905 For Daniel Crevier: I note first that your discussion of slowing progress involved develop- ments in FUTURE technology, no look at how fast PAST and PRESENT technology has advanced. There is another way of looking at this problem, which assumes (sorry!) that people become most interested in recent developments, and less interested in past developments which may even have meant much more. And as for future developments, the time it has taken us to develop (say) flying cars looks very long in our view since we're living through it, but when they come about people will look back and marvel at how fast they came (only 100 years! That's SHORT). Think of how long it took to bring steam engines to the high point they reached in the 19th Century. One consequence of this view is that our ideas that progress is moving slowly or rapidly come more from how close we are to the changes than to any objective rate of change. The invention of eyeglasses in the Middle Ages meant a lot for many people, but now they are accepted as simple devices. Best wishes and long long life for all, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21037