This post goes on about how we're addicted to gadgets, new technologies, and how we love to buy cellphones, but there's something at a far lower level than that which means "technology" will always thrive.
Technology directly drives economic growth. Indeed, other than "resources" it's the main driver of economic growth. Whether it was the invention of the plough that led to significantly more efficient planting, through to the invention of the combine harvester to more efficiently collect food, technological inventions of all sorts have created our economy as it is.
Given this, it's certainly possible for us to "innovate" or "invent" ourselves out of the current crisis. What about those $1/watt solar panels that were talked about lately? Once in mass production, power at that price could revolutionize the world, significantly improve the environment, and give us close-to-free energy in places where it wasn't possible before.
It's not just the big inventions though. Even if you develop a piece of software that adds significant value (by reducing costs or otherwise) to businesses, you've helped the economy.. not just by earning yourself some money, but by making other companies more efficient and more profitable.
Technology isn't just iPods and cellphones that we throw money at.. it's one of the most significant levers we have to push our economy up with.
Technology directly drives economic growth. Indeed, other than "resources" it's the main driver of economic growth. Whether it was the invention of the plough that led to significantly more efficient planting, through to the invention of the combine harvester to more efficiently collect food, technological inventions of all sorts have created our economy as it is.
Given this, it's certainly possible for us to "innovate" or "invent" ourselves out of the current crisis. What about those $1/watt solar panels that were talked about lately? Once in mass production, power at that price could revolutionize the world, significantly improve the environment, and give us close-to-free energy in places where it wasn't possible before.
It's not just the big inventions though. Even if you develop a piece of software that adds significant value (by reducing costs or otherwise) to businesses, you've helped the economy.. not just by earning yourself some money, but by making other companies more efficient and more profitable.
Technology isn't just iPods and cellphones that we throw money at.. it's one of the most significant levers we have to push our economy up with.