That's an interesting take on things. I'm 63, when I was a kid we had rotary dial telephones and a long distance call went through an exchange. I think a lot of us would share that sort of memory and your take on the collective effects of digitising our world is a good one.Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:49 pm
You have prompted me to rattle on about one of my theories of society. Well done.
The advent of the computer age and its growth into a fundamental part of society over the last forty years or so has changed the way we look at the world.
Prior to computers we lived in an analogue world, where everything was determined around how much something was one way or another. Everything was on some kind of spectrum, everything had subtlety, loads of things were complicated.
The digital age changed that. Through everyday experience and through education, and all the other influences of digital, we started to think about things as on or off, one or zero, yes or no, right or wrong. Everything had to fall into one camp or another, no middle ground, no shades of grey. That wormed its way into society, and politics. You’re one of us or one of them. If you’re one of us you think like this. If you think like that, you’re one of them.
We just have to hope society hangs together long enough that the advent of quantum tech has a similar effect.
Personally, I'm in favour of compulsory sniper training and a standard issue long gun.