And Why Tech Websites Shouldn’t Cover Automobiles
I use to work at Stennis Space Center where NASA would test fire the Space Shuttle engines. It was glorious. Working for NASA I got much closer access than any other John Q. Public. A rocket test or launch is one of those things that you literally can’t put into words to explain to someone else. They just need to experience it for themselves. And despite the view that I’m about to explain, I still think rockets are super cool.
But Darrell Etherington has an interesting piece out today on how it is sensors, and not starships, which are the next big thing in space.
I couldn’t agree with him more. I worked at NASA in the early 90s and it was there where I was exposed to the school of thought which has colored my whole worldview on technology. In short, moving data is the higher calling versus moving pounds.
Rocket ships are important in that they transport probes. But when you rub shoulders with NASA scientists behind closed doors, where they speak freely away from the press and contractors. That’s grunt work. The real future lies with creating robotic probes and AI to explore new worlds. Boeing and SpaceX are glorified trucking companies which are hired to move things. That job is to carry cargo far more valuable than the vehicle it is in.
I kind of wish tech websites in general would adopt this same school of thought in how they cover developments in the tech world. As everything around us from refrigerators to cars get more and more computerized, it seems that all the tech websites are confused and don’t know where to go with it all.
They should take a page out of NASA’s handbook and ask “Is this technology about moving bits or pounds?” If it involves moving pounds, they should let the old school trade magazines cover it. Adding computer chips to cars and vacuum cleaners is simply refining 20th century tech.
Cars are the perfect example of what not to cover. Tech websites shouldn’t be covering technology that is essentially a continuation of the horse-drawn wagon. The car exists to move pounds of flesh from point A to point B. Cars will change and evolve but their primary mission will not.
Roomba’s carry dirt from your floor to the garbage can. Sensors can open your blinds. And cars have fancy cruise control. Blah, blah, blah, this stuff is nice but it isn’t world changing.
The future is about digitally connecting people, moving information, access to knowledge, and artificial intelligence. In other words, it’s about bringing the world to you, not you to the world.
I couldn’t agree with him more. I worked at NASA in the early 90s and it was there where I was exposed to the school of thought which has colored my whole worldview on technology. In short, moving data is the higher calling versus moving pounds.
Rocket ships are important in that they transport probes. But when you rub shoulders with NASA scientists behind closed doors, where they speak freely away from the press and contractors. That’s grunt work. The real future lies with creating robotic probes and AI to explore new worlds. Boeing and SpaceX are glorified trucking companies which are hired to move things. That job is to carry cargo far more valuable than the vehicle it is in.
I kind of wish tech websites in general would adopt this same school of thought in how they cover developments in the tech world. As everything around us from refrigerators to cars get more and more computerized, it seems that all the tech websites are confused and don’t know where to go with it all.
They should take a page out of NASA’s handbook and ask “Is this technology about moving bits or pounds?” If it involves moving pounds, they should let the old school trade magazines cover it. Adding computer chips to cars and vacuum cleaners is simply refining 20th century tech.
Cars are the perfect example of what not to cover. Tech websites shouldn’t be covering technology that is essentially a continuation of the horse-drawn wagon. The car exists to move pounds of flesh from point A to point B. Cars will change and evolve but their primary mission will not.
Roomba’s carry dirt from your floor to the garbage can. Sensors can open your blinds. And cars have fancy cruise control. Blah, blah, blah, this stuff is nice but it isn’t world changing.
The future is about digitally connecting people, moving information, access to knowledge, and artificial intelligence. In other words, it’s about bringing the world to you, not you to the world.
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