technology

Malthus, Ricardo and the Light Bulb

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This morning I thought of Professor PJT, a born techno-optimist. We never really liked each other, but we respected each other’s opinions—and perhaps quietly irritated one another too. Mutual sympathy was certainly not helped by the fact that my better half didn’t hesitate to rub it in early on that she was an ecologist, from … Read more

In memoriam calculatoris

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I found a handful of pocket calculators in a drawer. I haven’t used them in ages—Excel, MathCad, the software called Derive, and smartphones have taken their place—but I thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering their science! Once upon a time, they were important and expensive tools, and even today, machines with similar capabilities aren’t cheap. Yet they seem … Read more

The Radio Speaks

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“It was still called broadcasting, and it cost a lot of money,When the first speaker excitedly sat down at the microphone.His ringing voice soared and flew far away,And in one listener, something responded:— The test was successful!”(LGT: The Radio) Today, digital technology is making its way into every area of communication and broadcasting. The crystal … Read more