Gavin Weightman's delightful novel tells a story of the importance of environment, individual drive, entrepreneurial vision, and perseverance for the acceleration of innovation.
Was capital more free? Were people more willing to be innovative? Were we at the begging or middle of the Solow Growth Model? It feels like we were breaking free of 20k years of labor driving growth, and tipping into technology driving growth.
We switched into technology driving growth and we basically just grabbed all of the "tier 1 and 2" inventions.
Also, all of the aristocratic capital that had been held by them started to be dispersed and circulated.
Most importantly though, one guy in a machine shop with a lathe could make a major innovation - kind of like 2000s "write a billion dollar app in your room".
Henry Ford building quadrycycle in his backyard was 10x easier than building the first steam locomotive, but 10x harder than Zuckerberg hacking together Facebook in his dorm.
I just watched the first two minutes of that movie, and I will absolutely be finishing it.
Second, I could probably build a rocket engine - 3d printers and cheap CNCs make it possible. It is ridiculously awesome that I can make that statement.
Was capital more free? Were people more willing to be innovative? Were we at the begging or middle of the Solow Growth Model? It feels like we were breaking free of 20k years of labor driving growth, and tipping into technology driving growth.
We switched into technology driving growth and we basically just grabbed all of the "tier 1 and 2" inventions.
Also, all of the aristocratic capital that had been held by them started to be dispersed and circulated.
Most importantly though, one guy in a machine shop with a lathe could make a major innovation - kind of like 2000s "write a billion dollar app in your room".
Somewhat cyclical in that way.
I wonder if creative destruction lowers barriers to entry of "The means of production"
it absolutely does.
Henry Ford building quadrycycle in his backyard was 10x easier than building the first steam locomotive, but 10x harder than Zuckerberg hacking together Facebook in his dorm.
Could you Build a space ship in your back yard? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F9vUUjvJMQ
I just watched the first two minutes of that movie, and I will absolutely be finishing it.
Second, I could probably build a rocket engine - 3d printers and cheap CNCs make it possible. It is ridiculously awesome that I can make that statement.
1979. We could be to mars by now.
We could be!
Imagine how many space derived new technologies we would have. Would have paid for the whole thing.