Sunday, November 07, 2004
Futuristic visions quickly come to fruitation
Over five millennia ago, the first areas of the world began the slow transition from the Stone Age into the Bronze Age. Quality of life increased dramatically with the new technology made available and the rise of complex urban civilizations and cultural centers. Around this time, the first written languages appeared. It was not until the 1450s that this process was automated with the invention of the movable type printing press by Johann Gutenberg, and information was truly available to the masses. Two hundred and fifty years ago, steam power was revolutionizing the world, bringing the major powers into the Industrial Age with mechanical innovations. Fifty years ago, the Space Age was still only a dream and the modern world was still relying on industry to keep the world running, with vacuum tubes only seen in a few applications. All of that changed within a decade.