While researching a paper in the library, I was struck by a memory of finding a book in my elementary school’s library by searching for its location in a card index. Just what a card index was is beyond the grasp of my feeble memory, but the thought of not being able to type in a general description of what I’m looking for and having hundreds of related books, articles and sources regurgitated by the magnificent machine in front of me is terrifying.
I was in front of that card index only 12 years ago. Twelve years is nothing. It’s a heartbeat, a flash, a microcosmic pop that will go unnoticed in the great cosmic scheme of the universe. Our generation and technology hit puberty at the same time, so its explosive growth spurt has gone relatively unnoticed and unappreciated.
Just think about the advancements we’ve made since 100 years ago, when horses were the mainstay alternative to walking and refrigerators were merely prototypes. Since then, humanity has made automobiles a common form of transportation, put a man on the moon, created not only computers, but PCs and even ones that fit inside of your pocket.
Moore’s Law (circa 1970) claims the number of transistors manufacturers can put on a circuit will double every two years, which incidentally increases computing power and speed. Many thought Moore’s Law wouldn’t last, but it’s been pretty spot-on and doesn’t look like the innovation is going to stop any time soon.
We’re still making extraordinary progress in a number of scientific and technological fields. Scientists have cured deafness using cochlear implants, which utilize electrodes to stimulate auditory nerves. This Christmas, you’ll be able to buy a toy called Mindflex, which literally reads your mind in order to control the movements of a ball. Companies have also found ways to wirelessly charge electrical devices using radio waves and inductive charging, which only requires a device to have contact with a charging pad. Northwestern even has its own International Institute for Nanotechnology, which studies and develops devices that are as thin as a few millionths of a millimeter, things you can’t even see with your naked eye.
Take that iPhone or BlackBerry or even that regular cell phone out of your pocket, and think about what it took to make it. There’s no way that you’d be able to jerry-rig one of your own (unless you’re in McCormick). In fact, you probably have no idea how its basic functions actually work, I know I don’t. These everyday things like cars, phones, computers as well as fantastic new developments like nanotech and hydrogen fuel cells are all incredible achievements of human technology.
Like the great contemporary American philosopher Bill Watterson once said, “It’s a magical world.” Who knows what we’ll think of next.
Weinberg senior Kenny Levin can be reached at [email protected].
