Seems like we lose a lot of good technology and progress for random reasons, like the “ram” of society is finite.
Sounds like the 2 hard things in Computer Science returning! Cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors. [1]
* "Knowledge is ephemeral": Cache invalidation
* "tower of abstraction": naming things, indirection [2]
Recommendations:
* "Reduce complexity, reduce dependencies": minimise entropy, maximise connectedness
* Learn: welcome newcomers; recurse to the next generation
[1] https://martinfowler.com/bliki/TwoHardThings.html
[2] All problems in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection" "...except for the problem of too many layers of indirection."
I like how he talked about using bare metal to run games and not needing an OS, relying on an ISA, or how games were easier to at one point before excessive abstractions.
One very memorable comment he made was when he was asked about what he thought about the M1 chip running software faster, his response was that we could use current hardware and make it run 100x faster if it was well written. Huge part of the many reason I switched to Linux. ;)
An example? Up above the treeline, there are communities relying on diesel for power.
Solar is a no go, with months of darkness. Wind turbines are hard to maintain at -50C, and snow and ice can impede them.
Even electric cars can only cover some of car use-cases, both due to range and refuel time issues.
Expect ICE in 2050 still.
And in most places, electric cars take petrol out of the car, and instead, see things like coal or natural gas burned, to make the electricity to charge them.
