#2: A Profound Technology

Technology is the result of applying existing knowledge to solve a problem. Applying existing knowledge to any problem leads to one or more solutions. The solution may create any combinations of physical product, procedural method and systematic process. Possibly resulting in one, two or all three of them. Each of these, if novel, could become a new technology.

For example, doing error-free calculations (computations) has always been a problem hence tools like abacus, log tables, and calculators were invented. Introduced in 1971, the Busicom HANDY-LE 120A was the first pocket-sized calculator that used Intel 4004 for computations. Intel 4004 was the first microprocessor computer on a single chip, a novel technology. Since then computers have evolved from a mere computation technology to achieving more.

According to Mark Weiser:

The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.

A profound technology exhibits the following traits. First, it becomes useful and gets user attention. After serving the user's needs it disappears from users attention without disrupting his everyday activities. Second, over time it becomes useful to many people worldwide and in that process it merges into the fabric of everyday life, everywhere. Third, an entire ecosystem with industries evolves to fulfill the demand of this technology. Fourth, it becomes necessary for the future and is made a mandatory part of education. Fifth, the perpetual demand of technology makes it an indistinguishable part of surroundings forever.

Many technologies claim to be profound. However, most of them are fads, they generate enthusiasm for sometime and then fizzle out. Few amongst them set trends indicating they have taken the right direction. Many trending technologies see their usage go up and then come down in favor of a better technology rising up. Rest of the trending technologies sustain for lack of better alternatives. Amongst all the technologies writing is a profound technology.

Prior to writing, thoughts were communicated using spoken language. But when human societies emerged there was a need for recording agricultural produce, history, knowledge, laws, census, contracts, trade, treatise and other information. The mind had problems storing vast amounts of information generated from these social needs. It was also weak at remembering and reproducing the information. The mind could not be trusted.

Writing freed information from the mind of an individual. It used symbols for representing spoken language. Archaeological evidence suggests that information was first inscribed using a stylus on the surface of a clay tablet which acted as a storage medium. Perhaps we could call writing as the first information technology.

An individual today can be found surrounded with many writing products from different eras and he may switch between the use of either a paper-pencil, a whiteboard or a tablet as and when different needs arise.

Besides communicating thoughts, writing is used in billboards, shop signs and other informative places which could be considered simple products of writing technology. People are not conscious about these products in their surroundings. Such products are used briefly and only when there is a need. For example, before eating packaged food one may check the information on the wrapper for its ingredients and expiry date. Such writings do not disrupt the activity of eating but add a value of care to it. Writing has disappeared into many such informative products, which dont grab user attention or disrupt everyday life.

Other than laptops, smartphones there are products like ATM machines, POS (point of sale) machines, etc. People are not conscious about these simple computer-products in their surroundings. For example, inside malls or at any store individuals make payments using a card which gets swiped through a POS machine. The POS makes use of the computer inside it for making transactions. This money transaction is possible because the bank of the individual, mall, store and the POS are connected over the Internet. Use of POS does not disrupt the activity of purchase but adds a value of convenience to it. Computers are disappearing into many such hardware products, which don’t engage user attention or disrupt activities in everyday life.

Multiple writing scripts in the world indicate that writing originated at many places. A road sign typically displays two languages: the local language and English, the de facto global language. It became a de facto language due to the proliferation of information technology products that were driven by modern scientific thinking which originated in the west. The printing press was the first product that enabled mass production which resulted in dissemination of information in forms like books, etc. This was followed by inventions like telegraph, telephone, radio, television, computing, Internet and mobile. The scientific and business community in the rest of the world had to learn the English language to understand the progress and find ways to adopt it locally. Due to technology adoption writing spread worldwide.

Modern computers originated in the US with English language support initially but now they are multilingual. This makes them useful everywhere. Today more than half of the world, that is roughly five billion people, use smartphones. PCs and laptops sell millions of units each year. These products connect to the Internet using telecommunication networks. All such local networks in each country are interconnected amongst themselves and to the global networks of around 150 countries. The infrastructure of these networks use computers. The millions of apps on smartphones, laptops now operate as software services on remote computers each supporting thousands or millions or billions of users. There are other computer-products like gaming consoles, smart TVs, smart speakers, wireless routers and more. The adoption of such computer products has put it on the path of merging with everyday life.

The writing technology improved with better products, methods and processes. The inscription method evolved from using styluses to include pencils, pens, typewriter, keyboard, touch keyboard. The inscription surface evolved from using clay tablets to include paper, slate, enameled surface, displays and touch screen. With technological progress new words were adopted in spoken language. These new words were added to the dictionary which was updated every year. Writing gave birth to industries like publishing, content creation, journalism, technical documentation, academic research, entertainment and fiction, translation and localization, marketing and many more. The entire writing ecosystem evolved in response to demand from individuals, society and industry.

After the use in calculators, computers found application in a new product category called Personal Computers (PC). ‘IBM PC’ was the first product to set a trend in this category. More computer products followed in categories like laptops, gaming consoles, smartphones, tablets and wearables, each setting a new trend. The PC gave birth to the Semiconductor Manufacturing and Information Technology (IT) industry, which are one of the largest industries today. It became a catalyst to existing industries, for example, the education industry was catalyzed to spawn a new industry called ‘educational technology’ or in short ‘edtech’. Similarly it catalyzed industries like media, entertainment, telecommunications, industrial automation, financial, health, agriculture, transportation and logistics. There is an emerging ecosystem of computer products that is constantly growing.

There is a common pattern in human behavior that makes us less conscious or mindful of the writing technology in our surroundings. After learning something well, we stop being aware of it. When looking at any writing, our brain does not make concentrated effort at reading each symbol of the writing. Instead a quick glance over the content is sufficient to absorb the information. This is because we have been educated and skilled in writing. Knowing to write and read is necessary to operate in this world and hence it is an essential part of our basic education.

Computing technology was built using knowledge from domains like mathematics, logic and philosophies, electrical engineering, physics, algorithms and complexity theory, information theory, cryptography and others. Many technologies have originated from computing like software engineering, operating systems, applications programming, programming languages, databases, web programming, artificial intelligence, machine learning, embedded systems and many more. Computing has influenced all kinds of jobs making it a necessary learning for everyone irrespective of the field of work. Hence it is now an essential part of basic education.

If writing is the first information technology, then computing is a modern form of information technology. Computing is an emerging technology that is constantly growing as well as evolving. Writing has flourished over many generations making it a profound technology. The introduction of computers in basic education signals that computers like writing are going to be part of everyday life forever and hence is the next profound technology.

Recently, the governments in many countries around the world have pledged substantial grants to encourage the local semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem and supply chains. These investments are a worldwide phenomenon in many countries including India. This is a favorable change that would benefit manufacturing of internet-things locally.

The IoT ecosystem has barely started and is projected to contain trillions of internet-things which are specialized hardware and software systems. It presents a bigger opportunity for innovation and market advantage to first movers.

Stay tuned!

Reference:

1. Writing (wikipedia link)
2. Global Governments Ramp up Pace of Chip Investments? (link)
3. Where are all the Semiconductor Investments going? (link)