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# 2025-04-14 - Phlog Questions Challenge: Technology Edition | |
This morning i read Nathan Campos's answers to the Technology Blog | |
Questions Challenge, and followed the backlinks and tags to other | |
answers [1]. Out of all of the answers, i enjoyed reading Stfn's | |
the most. I liked their question about what counts as technology, | |
because i think of technology in a very broad sense. Even so, i | |
will constrain my answers to cyber and electro technology. | |
## When Did You First Get Interested In Technology? | |
Scouring my memory banks dislodges fond memories of using an | |
electronics kit from a yard sale. I supplemented this kit with | |
components scavenged from other electronics, components purchased | |
from RadioShack, etc. Of all the projects, my favorite was building | |
a crystal radio. Later i dabbled in making my own components | |
including diodes, tuning coils, an AC to DC rectifier, etc. | |
Science Fair 150 in 1 Electronics Project Kit Manual | |
I remember checking out a "spy" book from the middle school library. | |
It included plot points where i needed to type in BASIC code as part | |
of the story line. I remember the code worked on the Apple ][ | |
computers in the school lab, but i was limited to using them during | |
lunch time. I could access a DOS PC at home after school. Now and | |
then, the BASIC code needed to be tweaked a little to run correctly | |
on GWBASIC. My first experiences with debugging involved printing | |
the code on tractor feed paper and then scrutinizing it "offline." | |
I no longer remember the title of the book. The Internet Archive has | |
many kids books with BASIC listings to type into a computer. I seem | |
to recall that my library book had more integration between the story | |
and the code. | |
Island of Secrets | |
Computer Spy Games | |
## What's Your Favourite Piece Of Technology All-Time? | |
Unicode. If i weren't restricting myself to electronics, i would say | |
the printing press. Naturally, Project Gutenberg is my favorite | |
Internet site. Thanks to ASCII and Unicode, Project Gutenberg etexts | |
can be expected to be readable anywhen and anywhere. However, the | |
real magic behind Project Gutenberg is social and not technical: the | |
volunteers and their vision are what make it so special. | |
## What's Your Favourite Piece Of Technology Right Now? | |
Lately i have been "nerding out" with retro tech such as the gopher | |
protocol, the AWK programming language, etc. One nice thing about | |
retro tech is that it is NOT practical. It keeps a low profile as a | |
result of its so-called obsolescence. It does not attract investor | |
hype or other external motivations. As a labor of love, it is more | |
likely to be applied in harmless ways. | |
## Name One New Cool Piece Of Technology We'll Have In 25 Years! | |
Once around the beginning of this century, i was describing to my | |
grandfather how amazing computers and technology were. He pointed | |
out that many of those same things could be done "cheaper" by people. | |
All you need to "make" people are potatoes and water. I think he | |
raised an important point. I think that electronic technology stands | |
to be displaced by biological technology. Photosynthesis could | |
outperform solar panels. Carbon could outperform silicon. | |
Once i read a science story that illustrates this point. Tokyo has a | |
world class subway system designed by teams of highly educated | |
professionals. Scientists made a scale model of the subway and | |
placed food sources in it in proportion to demand. Then they placed | |
a slime mold in the model. The slime mold expanded to fill the model, | |
sat there for a while, and then overnight it suddenly transformed | |
itself into an optimal configuration for transporting the food | |
through the model. The slime mold's routes were more efficient than | |
the existing subway system. The best human technicians on the planet | |
were "schooled" by a slime mold. | |
I believe it takes a special humility and spiritual grounding to make | |
this kind of discovery. I envision a human being who is willing to | |
see the beauty in a supposedly "lowly" slime mold, to listen to and | |
learn from our natural cousins. | |
The imminent climate crisis and doomsday clock are only part of the | |
painful process to create this kind of human being. Ones who can be | |
more fully human. The darker and starker the backdrop, the more | |
brilliantly heroic these human beings can shine. In 25 years, hope i | |
am alive to see it happen. | |
## Final Thoughts | |
That was fun! I would like to tag anna and IanJ. | |
anna | |
IanJ | |
p.s. | |
## A Word About Photosynthesis | |
I was wrong about photosynthesis being more efficient than photovoltaics. | |
Photosynthesis captures 3 to 6% of solar energy while photovoltaics | |
capture 10%. | |
However, this is only one perspective. It ignores the external costs | |
of photovoltaics, such as conflict minerals, pollution, slavery, etc. | |
At the end of their lifecycle they are legally considered hazardous | |
waste. In contrast, plants are biodegradable and self-repairing. | |
As of 2024, global annual energy capture by photosynthesis is over a | |
billion times more than photovoltaics. Email me if you would like to | |
see my math and references. | |
[1] | |
Nathan Campos | |
Zero Cool | |
Matto | |
Mavica | |
82MHz | |
BASIC | |
Kyle | |
Cliff | |
Liz | |
John | |
Dom | |
Stfn | |
Steve Lord | |
tags: bencollver,technical | |
# Tags | |
bencollver | |
technical |