why did technology suddenly sky rocket?

i dunno witch catagory this is ment to be in, but i was wondering why in the last 500 years we have created more new technology than in the last 5000 years, sumthin to do with the dark ages? alien intervention, su,thin like that?

Hehe, for example computer technology completely revolutionizes itself every couple of years, yet something like automobile technology hasn't really advanced too much in over a hundred years (relatively speaking). If automobile tech was on pace to computer tech advances, I would have already been to Andromeda and back by now in my new Chevy GalaxaCruiser 5000 GT fully decked with A/C and all leather interior).

Good thing computer power currency is not based on the american dollar, like oil is...

just the domino effect, and the things like mass production has helped.

people also say, that the cycles that the earth goes through, opens up our minds to be more creative during certain points of these cycles.

[edit on 24-1-2007 by andy1033]

I think part of it has to do with better standards of living for the average person. People are better educated compared to people 1000 years ago. Also, since the invention of the computer, it's helped us to advance further and faster then we would have if we were still doing calculations with pencil and paper. It's impossible to say if there is any 'alien' intervention. But to me, this seems like a normal thing for a civilization at our level to experience an exponential like curve in our development.

Not sure, but lets make sure we dont give credit to human beings actually advancing through improved education, greater available time to be able to learn rather than chasing rabbits in fields to eat, etc etc. Must be aliens!

My mums cakes have all ways been dodgey, but last week they suddenly got better - I think she must have been genetically altered by aliens.

Apologies for the sarcasm, its not intended to offend, I just hink sometimes we could give these old walking apes a bit more credit than we do.

This "sky rocketing" of technology is due almost exclusively to the establishment of the scientific method, of course.

Harte

1) Could it be that our present level of faith in God(s) as a race has severely diminished over the millenia? Way back when, EVERYTHING was contributed to the gods. There was no need to look any further for explanations. Then one day, one of our distant ancestors discovered scientific reasoning, and it's snowballed ever since?

2) Could it be that we have mutated recently in the last millenium and it has resulted in a significant increase in our reasoning ability and imagination? Evolution of a highly complex and successful organism takes a very long time yes, but I believe that said organism's history would not be consistantly gradual. I rather think it would be littered with long periods of insignificant change, coupled with short periods of drastic advance following one of these mutations.

3) Could we have possibly been much more advanced in the distant past, the existance erased by some natural occurence or by our own hand, and we're now on the upswing of a second go-round for intelligence?

Maybe all three are correct?

Great topic sonic!

2PacSade-

spelling

[edit on 24-1-2007 by 2PacSade]

It's because we are living in the end times, at least that's what I think, look at what is said in Daniel 12: 4



Take a look at the knowledge explosion in the 20th century, there has never been a time so different in history as there is now.

If you would go back in time and bring someone from ancient Greece to, let's say the 18th century, they wouldn't find life has changed too much. The means of getting water, food, and travel would still be similar, but bring them to the time we live in, and there is no way they can relate to us, not one iota.

We are running "to and fro" all the time now with all our means of transportation. Before there was automobiles or trains, people wouldn't travel far at all, maybe 20 miles, and that was if they really needed something.

But now we can travel around the world in a day, it's something to think about.


[edit on 24-1-2007 by thehumbleone]

Harte & 2PacSade: exactly what I thought as well

...more and more people started to use science instead of speculation.

But there are still too many people who prefer speculation as it's easier to speculate (this forum is a good example )

[edit on 24-1-2007 by atomsk]

A couple things I can think of:

1) The 'domino effect' previously mentioned. Once you invent something key, like steel manufacture, the transistor, plastics, or that sort of thing, the inventions that stem from those basics will be almost innumerable.
2) Religion. The Catholic church used to condemn certain scientific discoveries, like Galileo's moons around Jupiter or Copernicus' idea that the Earth goes around the Sun. People are less likely to attempt discovery when they know there is a good chance they will be condemned for it.
3) The printing press. With the mass production of books, literacy and knowledge became much more accessible, meaning that smart inventors who would ordinarily not have had access to the kind of information that would let them be innovative, now did have such access, and used it.
4) Medicine. People live longer and healthier than they used to, giving them more time, and thus a greater chance of inventing something. There are also more people around to do the inventing, as the world population has been steadily growing. (I don't think it's gone down since the black death)

There's probably lots more, but I'll put those ones out for discussion for now.

Dragon did a pretty good summary of it, as did others.

You need technology before you can make new technology. No matter how many modern manuals you have, you can't make a silicone wafer chip with stone tools and a basic hearth fire. You can't even weld with that sort of setup.

Cultural exchange of knowledge is important, as is longevity and the ability to write something down. Social formal education ("schooling") is also important in teaching the basics (math and engineering and science) so you can make new discoveries.

Old tech generates new tech. The paper-and-pen engineering of the early 1800's could not be done quickly enough to do math calculations on engineering of modern cars or planes. You need computers to aid in the design.

Because knowledge spreads through culture, techniques learned in one culture spread to another. Knowledge is lost when there's no longer a need for that tech or when it's superseded by an improved technology.

The thing we seem to forget is commericalism. As soon as something new hits the market, everyone tries to improve it. Just look at mobile phones. If 10 years ago you told me that we could have watched tv on a mobile, I'd have laughed....now its real.

WHY?? To make money.

Thats the real reason things have taken off. Make profit, invest heavily into R&D, launch new product, make more profit, invest into R&D, launch another must have goodie....and on and on and on.

Look at the game console market. I remember in the 80's playing Pong with the basic console with those funny pads..... 20 odd years later and we have PS3.

i think we've probably made more technological advancement in the last 25 years than we have combined since we stopped living in caves. the curve is exponential

The more we know the easier it is to create. Plus now with computers that can help us think and process information faster, things are VERY easy to create compared to a decade ago.

Some things helped.

In the 20th century people lived longer than before, learning was easier than before, communication between scientists became faster, and, one thing most people forget to mention, the Earth's population reached 4,000 million people.

It is easier to have inventions made with a 4,000 million populations than with a 500 million population (the estimated world population around 1500).

Just a comment about the comparison between cars and computers, cars were not invented in the end of the 19th century, what was invented at that time was the internal combustion engine, cars were invented many centuries ago, the only thing that changed was the power source.

Its all from electricity, more work and time from the light bulb= more stuff.

What makes it move along faster you ask. Better education, the scientific method, a handful of people that are just above and beyond anything our minds can imagine. Can you belive we have gone from sticking sticks in the ground rooting out ants to eat to venturing out into outerspace. We can go as far as our imagination takes us. Nothing is impossible or out of reach. We advance thru trial and error, we strive for greatness...its a beautiful thing isnt it.

No, they had light before the invention of the light bulb.

In fact, the appearance of electric light made little changes in the cities and houses because they had only to adapt the existing gas tubes to carry the electric wires.

In the lighting aspect, the bigger revolution was the gas light, it was then that people started to have a good and reliable way of having light at the turn of a valve.

I don't know if you have seen any old electric switch. They were made of china and were activated by turning a knob, like people were used to do with the gas valves.

in the lighting aspect the bigger revolution was the candle, it was then that people started to have a good and reliable way of having light at the strike of a match
no wait
in the lighting aspect the bigger revolution was the oil lamp, it was then that people started to have a good and reliable way of having light at the strike of a flint

bugger all to do at night with all that light though until some guy came along and invented TV
no wait
bugger all to do at night with all that light though until some guy came along and invented the printing press

From wikipedia.org


Perhaps exponential growth applies to technology to some degree too... Also, I know that it's a bit dated but Moore's Law may have something to do with it too... From webopedia.com