What Technology Wants (55 page)
Read What Technology Wants Online
Authors: Kevin Kelly
100 “would have turned out to be right”:
Julian Lincoln Simon. (1995)
The State of Humanity
. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 644-45.
Julian Lincoln Simon. (1995)
The State of Humanity
. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 644-45.
100 to 75.7 years in 1994:
Kevin M. White and Samuel H. Preston. (1996) “How Many Americans Are Alive Because of Twentieth-Century Improvements in Mortality?”
Population and Development Review,
22 (3), p. 415.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2137714
.
Kevin M. White and Samuel H. Preston. (1996) “How Many Americans Are Alive Because of Twentieth-Century Improvements in Mortality?”
Population and Development Review,
22 (3), p. 415.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2137714
.
101 “that we farm at the moment”:
Ronald Bailey. (2009, February) “Chiefs, Thieves, and Priests: Science Writer Matt Ridley on the Causes of Poverty and Prosperity.”
Reason Magazine.
http://reason.com/archives/2009/01/07/chiefs-thieves-and-priests/3
.
Ronald Bailey. (2009, February) “Chiefs, Thieves, and Priests: Science Writer Matt Ridley on the Causes of Poverty and Prosperity.”
Reason Magazine.
http://reason.com/archives/2009/01/07/chiefs-thieves-and-priests/3
.
101 “but simply part of our reality”:
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe
. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. xiii.
6. Ordained BecomingSimon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe
. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. xiii.
104 “may well have found them all”:
Richard Dawkins. (2004)
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. 588.
Richard Dawkins. (2004)
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. 588.
105 species coinhabiting Earth:
W. Hardy Eshbaugh. (1995) “Systematics Agenda 2000: An Historical Perspective.”
Biodiversity and Conservation,
4 (5).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00056336
.
W. Hardy Eshbaugh. (1995) “Systematics Agenda 2000: An Historical Perspective.”
Biodiversity and Conservation,
4 (5).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00056336
.
105 “Evolution is remarkably reproducible”:
Sean Carroll. (2008) “The Making of the Fittest DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution.”
Paw Prints,
p. 154.
Sean Carroll. (2008) “The Making of the Fittest DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution.”
Paw Prints,
p. 154.
106 evolution is hundreds long and counting:
(2009) “List of Examples of Convergent Evolution.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_examples_of_convergent_evolution&oldid=344747726
.
(2009) “List of Examples of Convergent Evolution.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_examples_of_convergent_evolution&oldid=344747726
.
107 many of which evolved independently:
John Maynard Smith and Eors Szathmary. (1997)
The Major Transitions in Evolution
. New York: Oxford University Press.
John Maynard Smith and Eors Szathmary. (1997)
The Major Transitions in Evolution
. New York: Oxford University Press.
107 which uses a bubble to breathe:
Richard Dawkins. (2004)
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. 592.
Richard Dawkins. (2004)
The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. 592.
109 “independently reevolved fins”:
George McGhee. (2008) “Convergent Evolution: A Periodic Table of Life?”
The Deep Structure of Biology
, ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation, p. 19.
George McGhee. (2008) “Convergent Evolution: A Periodic Table of Life?”
The Deep Structure of Biology
, ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation, p. 19.
111 Size Ratio in Life:
Data from K. J. Niklas. (1994) “The Scaling of Plant and Animal Body Mass, Length, and Diameter.”
Evolution
, 48 (1), pp. 48-49.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2410002
.
Data from K. J. Niklas. (1994) “The Scaling of Plant and Animal Body Mass, Length, and Diameter.”
Evolution
, 48 (1), pp. 48-49.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2410002
.
112 “rates and times are remarkably similar”:
Erica Klarreich. (2005) “Life on the ScalesâSimple Mathematical Relationships Underpin Much of Biology and Ecology.”
Science News
, 167 (7).
Erica Klarreich. (2005) “Life on the ScalesâSimple Mathematical Relationships Underpin Much of Biology and Ecology.”
Science News
, 167 (7).
112 “being invariant platonic forms”:
Michael Denton and Craig Marshall. (2001) “Laws of Form Revisited.”
Nature
, 410 (6827).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35068645
.
Michael Denton and Craig Marshall. (2001) “Laws of Form Revisited.”
Nature
, 410 (6827).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35068645
.
113 “pass examinations on Arcturus”:
David Darling. (2001)
Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology
. New York: Basic Books, p. 14.
David Darling. (2001)
Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology
. New York: Basic Books, p. 14.
115 “largely incapable of self-replication”:
Kenneth D. James and Andrew D. Ellington. (1995) “The Search for Missing Links Between Self-Replicating Nucleic Acids and the RNA World.”
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
, 25 (6).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01582021
.
Kenneth D. James and Andrew D. Ellington. (1995) “The Search for Missing Links Between Self-Replicating Nucleic Acids and the RNA World.”
Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres
, 25 (6).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01582021
.
116 “strangest molecule in the universe”:
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe
. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe
. New York: Cambridge University Press.
117 “functional groups used in life”:
Norman R. Pace. (2001) “The Universal Nature of Biochemistry.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
98 (3).
http://www.pnas.org/content/98/3/805.short
.
Norman R. Pace. (2001) “The Universal Nature of Biochemistry.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
98 (3).
http://www.pnas.org/content/98/3/805.short
.
117 at least “one in a million”:
Stephen J. Freeland, Robin D. Knight, et al. (2000) “Early Fixation of an Optimal Genetic Code.”
Moleculor Biology and Evolution
, 17 (4).
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/511
.
Stephen J. Freeland, Robin D. Knight, et al. (2000) “Early Fixation of an Optimal Genetic Code.”
Moleculor Biology and Evolution
, 17 (4).
http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/4/511
.
117 several billion years of evolution have produced it?:
David Darling. (2001)
Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology.
New York: Basic Books, p. 130.
David Darling. (2001)
Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology.
New York: Basic Books, p. 130.
118 “where there is carbon-based life”:
Michael Denton and Craig Marshall. (2001) “Laws of Form Revisited.”
Nature
, 410 (6827).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35068645
.
Michael Denton and Craig Marshall. (2001) “Laws of Form Revisited.”
Nature
, 410 (6827).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35068645
.
120 “encoded implicitly in the genome”:
Lynn Helena Caporale. (2003) “Natural Selection and the Emergence of a Mutation Phenotype: An Update of the Evolutionary Synthesis Considering Mechanisms That Affect Genomic Variation.”
Annual Review of Microbiology
, 57 (1).
Lynn Helena Caporale. (2003) “Natural Selection and the Emergence of a Mutation Phenotype: An Update of the Evolutionary Synthesis Considering Mechanisms That Affect Genomic Variation.”
Annual Review of Microbiology
, 57 (1).
121 from the same starting point:
(2009) “Skeuomorph.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Skeuomorph&oldid=340233294
.
(2009) “Skeuomorph.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Skeuomorph&oldid=340233294
.
122 “the embodiment of contingency”:
Stephen Jay Gould. (1989)
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and Nature of History
. New York: W. W. Norton, p. 320.
Stephen Jay Gould. (1989)
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and Nature of History
. New York: W. W. Norton, p. 320.
123 The Triad of Evolution:
Inspired by Stephen Jay Gould. (2002)
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 1052; designed by the author.
Inspired by Stephen Jay Gould. (2002)
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory
. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 1052; designed by the author.
124 “walk through genetic drift”:
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Hum
a
ns in a Lonely Universe
. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 132.
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Hum
a
ns in a Lonely Universe
. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 132.
124 “back hundreds of thousands of years”:
Stephen Jay Gould. (2002)
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory.
Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 1085.
Stephen Jay Gould. (2002)
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory.
Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 1085.
124 if the tape of life was rewound:
Michael Denton. (1998)
Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe
. New York: Free Press, p. 283.
Michael Denton. (1998)
Nature's Destiny: How the Laws of Biology Reveal Purpose in the Universe
. New York: Free Press, p. 283.
125 “are rigged in favor of life”:
Paul Davies. (1998)
The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin of Life
. New York: Simon & Schuster, p. 264.
Paul Davies. (1998)
The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin of Life
. New York: Simon & Schuster, p. 264.
125 “predetermined by the interatomic forces”:
Ibid., p. 252.
Ibid., p. 252.
125 “seem to direct the synthesis”:
Ibid., p. 253.
Ibid., p. 253.
126 “but we the expected”:
Stuart A. Kauffman. (1995)
At Home in the Universe
. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 8.
Stuart A. Kauffman. (1995)
At Home in the Universe
. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 8.
126 “an inevitable process”:
Manfred Eigen. (1971) “Self-organization of Matter and the Evolution of Biological Macromolecules.”
Naturwissenschaften
, 58 (10), p. 519.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00623322
.
Manfred Eigen. (1971) “Self-organization of Matter and the Evolution of Biological Macromolecules.”
Naturwissenschaften
, 58 (10), p. 519.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00623322
.
126 “into the fabric of the universe”:
Christian de Duve. (1995)
Vital Dust: Life as a Cosmic Imperative
. New York: Basic Books, pp. xv, xviii.
Christian de Duve. (1995)
Vital Dust: Life as a Cosmic Imperative
. New York: Basic Books, pp. xv, xviii.
126 “becomes increasingly inevitable”:
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe.
New York: Cambridge University Press, p. xiii.
Simon Conway Morris. (2004)
Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe.
New York: Cambridge University Press, p. xiii.
127 with details left to chance:
Richard E. Lenski. (2008) “Chance and Necessity in Evolution.”
The Deep Structure of Biology
, ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation.
Richard E. Lenski. (2008) “Chance and Necessity in Evolution.”
The Deep Structure of Biology
, ed. Simon Conway Morris. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation.
127 “lines on similar phenotypes”:
Sean C. Sleight, Christian Orlic, et al. (2008) “Genetic Basis of Evolutionary Adaptation by Escherichia Coli to Stressful Cycles of Freezing, Thawing and Growth.”
Genetics
, 180 (1).
http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/abstract/180/1/431
.
Sean C. Sleight, Christian Orlic, et al. (2008) “Genetic Basis of Evolutionary Adaptation by Escherichia Coli to Stressful Cycles of Freezing, Thawing and Growth.”
Genetics
, 180 (1).
http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/abstract/180/1/431
.
127 “all outcomes would be different”:
Sean Carroll. (2008)
The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution
. New York: W. W. Norton.
Sean Carroll. (2008)
The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution
. New York: W. W. Norton.
128 precisely, but elegantly, backward:
Stephen Jay Gould. (1989)
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and Nature of History.
New York: W. W. Norton, p. 320.
Stephen Jay Gould. (1989)
Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and Nature of History.
New York: W. W. Norton, p. 320.
128 Buckminster Fuller once said:
Richard Buckminster Fuller, Jerome Agel, et al. (1970)
I Seem to Be a Verb
. New York: Bantam Books.
7. ConvergenceRichard Buckminster Fuller, Jerome Agel, et al. (1970)
I Seem to Be a Verb
. New York: Bantam Books.
132 strung across our countryside:
Christopher A. Voss. (1984) “Multiple Independent Invention and the Process of Technological Innovation.”
Technovation
, 2 p. 172.
Christopher A. Voss. (1984) “Multiple Independent Invention and the Process of Technological Innovation.”
Technovation
, 2 p. 172.
132 “claimed by more than one person”:
William F. Ogburn and Dorothy Thomas. (1975) “Are Inventions Inevitable? A Note on Social Evolution.”
A Reader in Culture Change,
eds. Ivan A. Brady and Barry L. Isaac. New York: Schenkman Publishing, p. 65.
William F. Ogburn and Dorothy Thomas. (1975) “Are Inventions Inevitable? A Note on Social Evolution.”
A Reader in Culture Change,
eds. Ivan A. Brady and Barry L. Isaac. New York: Schenkman Publishing, p. 65.
132 the efficacy of vaccinations:
Bernhard J. Stern. (1959) “The Frustration of Technology.”
Historical Sociology: The Selected Papers of Bernhard J. Stern
. New York: The Citadel Press, p. 121.
Bernhard J. Stern. (1959) “The Frustration of Technology.”
Historical Sociology: The Selected Papers of Bernhard J. Stern
. New York: The Citadel Press, p. 121.
132 came upon the same process:
Ibid.
Ibid.
133 occurred within a month or so:
Dean Keith Simonton. (1979) “Multiple Discovery and Invention: Zeitgeist, Genius, or Chance?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 37 (9), p. 1604.
Dean Keith Simonton. (1979) “Multiple Discovery and Invention: Zeitgeist, Genius, or Chance?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 37 (9), p. 1604.
133 “is not the electric railroad inevitable?”:
William F. Ogburn and Dorothy Thomas. (1975) “Are Inventions Inevitable? A Note on Social Evolution.”
A Reader in Culture Change,
eds. Ivan A. Brady and Barry L. Isaac. New York: Schenkman Publishing, p. 66.
William F. Ogburn and Dorothy Thomas. (1975) “Are Inventions Inevitable? A Note on Social Evolution.”
A Reader in Culture Change,
eds. Ivan A. Brady and Barry L. Isaac. New York: Schenkman Publishing, p. 66.
134 known in statistics as a Poisson distribution:
Dean Keith Simonton. (1978) “Independent Discovery in Science and Technology: A Closer Look at the Poisson Distribution.”
Social Studies of Science
, 8 (4).
Dean Keith Simonton. (1978) “Independent Discovery in Science and Technology: A Closer Look at the Poisson Distribution.”
Social Studies of Science
, 8 (4).
134 greatest discoverers buy lots of tickets:
Dean Keith Simonton. (1979) “Multiple Discovery and Invention: Zeitgeist, Genius, or Chance?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
37 (9).
Dean Keith Simonton. (1979) “Multiple Discovery and Invention: Zeitgeist, Genius, or Chance?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
37 (9).
134 Westinghouse laboratory in Paris:
John Markoff. (2003, February 24) “A Parallel Inventor of the Transistor Has His Moment.”
New York Times
.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/24/business/a-parallel-inventor-of-the-transistor-has-his-moment
. html.
John Markoff. (2003, February 24) “A Parallel Inventor of the Transistor Has His Moment.”
New York Times
.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/24/business/a-parallel-inventor-of-the-transistor-has-his-moment
. html.
135 within months of each other in 1977:
Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, et al. (2000, April) “The Meaning of Patent Citations: Report on the NBER/Case-Western Reserve Survey of Patentees.” Nber Working Paper No. W7631.
Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, et al. (2000, April) “The Meaning of Patent Citations: Report on the NBER/Case-Western Reserve Survey of Patentees.” Nber Working Paper No. W7631.
135 “far above the accidents of personality”:
Alfred L. Kroeber. (1917) “The Super-organic.”
American Anthropologist
, 19 (2) p. 199.
Alfred L. Kroeber. (1917) “The Super-organic.”
American Anthropologist
, 19 (2) p. 199.
135 but never quite reached it:
Spencer Weart. (1977) “Secrecy, Simultaneous Discovery, and the Theory of Nuclear Reactors.”
American Journal of Physics
, 45 (11), p. 1057.
Spencer Weart. (1977) “Secrecy, Simultaneous Discovery, and the Theory of Nuclear Reactors.”
American Journal of Physics
, 45 (11), p. 1057.
136 the same body by different means:
Dean Keith Simonton. (1979) “Multiple Discovery and Invention: Zeitgeist, Genius, or Chance?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 37 (9), p. 1608.
Dean Keith Simonton. (1979) “Multiple Discovery and Invention: Zeitgeist, Genius, or Chance?”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
, 37 (9), p. 1608.
136 “singleton discoveries are imminent multiples”:
Robert K. Merton. (1961) “Singletons and Multiples in Scientific Discovery: A Chapter in the Sociology of Science.”
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society,
105 (5), p. 480.
Robert K. Merton. (1961) “Singletons and Multiples in Scientific Discovery: A Chapter in the Sociology of Science.”
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society,
105 (5), p. 480.
136 “to investigate something else”:
Augustine Brannigan. (1983) “Historical Distributions of Multiple Discoveries and Theories of Scientific Change.”
Social Studies of Science
, 13 (3), p. 428.
Augustine Brannigan. (1983) “Historical Distributions of Multiple Discoveries and Theories of Scientific Change.”
Social Studies of Science
, 13 (3), p. 428.
137 another 26 percent more than once:
Eugene Garfield. (1980) “Multiple Independent Discovery & Creativity in Science.”
Current Contents
, 44. Reprinted in
Essays of an Information Scientist: 1979-1980,
4(44).
http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v4p660y1979-80.pdf
.
Eugene Garfield. (1980) “Multiple Independent Discovery & Creativity in Science.”
Current Contents
, 44. Reprinted in
Essays of an Information Scientist: 1979-1980,
4(44).
http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/essays/v4p660y1979-80.pdf
.
138 or even the patent office examiner:
Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, et al. (2000) “The Meaning of Patent Citations: Report on the Nber/Case-Western Reserve Survey of Patentees.” National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2000, p. 10.
Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, et al. (2000) “The Meaning of Patent Citations: Report on the Nber/Case-Western Reserve Survey of Patentees.” National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2000, p. 10.
138 “involve near-simultaneous invention”:
Mark Lemley and Colleen V. Chien. (2003) “Are the U.S. Patent Priority Rules Really Necessary?”
Hastings Law Journal
, 54 (5), p. 1300.
Mark Lemley and Colleen V. Chien. (2003) “Are the U.S. Patent Priority Rules Really Necessary?”
Hastings Law Journal
, 54 (5), p. 1300.
139 “a regular feature of innovation”:
Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, et al. (2000) “The Meaning of Patent Citations: Report on the Nber/Case-Western Reserve Survey of Patentees.” National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2000, p. 1325.
Adam B. Jaffe, Manuel Trajtenberg, et al. (2000) “The Meaning of Patent Citations: Report on the Nber/Case-Western Reserve Survey of Patentees.” National Bureau of Economic Research, April 2000, p. 1325.
139 inventors of incandescent bulbs prior to Edison:
Robert Douglas Friedel, Paul Israel, et al. (1986)
Edison's Electric Light.
New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Robert Douglas Friedel, Paul Israel, et al. (1986)
Edison's Electric Light.
New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
139 Varieties of the Lightbulb:
Collage by the author from archival materials.
Collage by the author from archival materials.
141 “merely an efficient source of insight”:
Malcolm Gladwell. (2008, May 12) “In the Air: Who Says Big Ideas Are Rare?”
New Yorker
, 84 (13).
Malcolm Gladwell. (2008, May 12) “In the Air: Who Says Big Ideas Are Rare?”
New Yorker
, 84 (13).
141 “one third of our ideas”:
Nathan Myhrvold. (2009) In discussion with the author.
Nathan Myhrvold. (2009) In discussion with the author.
141 “of when, not if”:
Jay Walker. (2009) In discussion with the author.
Jay Walker. (2009) In discussion with the author.
142 all had the same idea:
W. Daniel Hillis. (2009) In discussion with the author.
W. Daniel Hillis. (2009) In discussion with the author.
142 The Inverted Pyramid of Invention:
Inspired by W. Daniel Hillis; designed by the author.
Inspired by W. Daniel Hillis; designed by the author.
144 “merits of both investigators as being comparable”:
Abraham Pais. (2005)
“Subtle Is the Lord . . .”: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein
. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 153.
Abraham Pais. (2005)
“Subtle Is the Lord . . .”: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein
. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 153.
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