Improving our Technological Focus
Advancements in technology are reaching frontiers beyond our imagination. We have robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual realities. We have quantum computers, 3D printers, nuclear missiles, and military planes that can travel five times faster than the speed of sound. These new inventions are leading to radical changes in the way we live, some for the better, and others for the worse.
Technological advancements are born from different reasons. Some things are created to solve problems, others to make money, and the rest are the result of curiosity and creative pursuits. Sometimes it takes nothing more than a couple of people, like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, to create a tool that ends up affecting the whole human race.
It is possible that many of our resources are being misused, create stuff that springs more damage than good. Some people see firearms and others weapons as the perfect example. These tools always lead to pain and suffering. Humanity would be better off without them. On the other hand, there are inventions that clearly benefit mankind at large, the most popular include the wheel, the compass, the printing press, telephones, and cars. Now days we also have the Internet, crowdsourcing, water filter straws, portable solar panels, and energy-harnessing soccer balls that power lamps for 3 hours after 30 minutes of play.
Imagine how many more awesome inventions we could enjoy if our resources where better managed. Imagine what engineers could make if they focused on improving organic fruit production, instead of spending time, brain power, and billions of dollars, on the next generation of nuclear bombs.
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Acknowledgments
