The Pitfalls of Digital Technology

Welcome back!

In my last post I talked about how there may be a limit to technology where we could lose our curiousity. I also mentioned that in order to avoid hitting this limit we must broaden our definition and understanding of other kinds of technology. The question is what do most people think of when they think "technology?"

For the most I would say that people think of anything with a microchip or processor, or is run using electricity. For the most part I don't think people consider items such as a mechanized kitchen equipment or a sink to be a form of technology. These kinds of technology fall in the analog technology category or an item that does not process bits via a processor. Analog technology is a little bit more boarder than that but I'll talk about that in my next post. In this post I want to talk about digital technology.

Digital technology is any item that functions by processing bits in the form of binary code. Your computer, cell phone, gaming system and newer TVs are all examples of digital technology. This is a very powerful technology and one that is essential for first class societies to function. Without digital technology we would have no Internet and without Internet we would not be able to stay connected as we currently do. We would not be able to fly in larger groups. Militaries around the world would not be able to control fighter jets and space exploration would not be possible.

However even with all of this power there is a limit to this kind of technology and very sensitive weakness. The whole basis for digital technology is the binary system. This only allows for two choices: 1 or 0, yes or no, true or false. Every task has to operate on this very basic and limiting principle. It has been working up to now, and will probably continue to work for some time, but we need more. For example true arificial intelligence needs more then "yes" or "no" in order to match human behaviour. Humans are not black & white. There are many gray areas when we make a decision. Maybe I'll be proven wrong in the future but it is my opinion that binary based technology is not enough. We need more choices and that may be accomplished through the use of quantum technology. There is also a major and sensitive weakness of digital technology. Electricity.

It is kind of ironic really. The source of energy that powers digital technology is also the same source that can destroy or disable it. It should be common knowledge by now but technologies such as EMPs or massive electrical dicharges can disable or destroy digital circuits. Digital technology can also be affected by liquids, extreme heat or some cosmic radiation. I believe this is the largest limitation of our current and popular technologies. We need a more natural technology that fits with the Earth or any other planetoid we happen to settle on.

There was not a lot of opinion in this post, but it is a good stepping stone into my next few posts and ultimately my purposed solution for our technological limits. My next post will be titled The Need for Analog Technology. Be sure to check back then!

Bye for now,

Superskull85 - The Dark Skull