I wish I had been alive in 1969. I consider a man walking on the moon to be one of the greatest feats mankind has ever accomplished. Why have we stopped innovating on the big ideas? A good portion of the smartest people in technology spend their day devising ways to let us consume content faster whether it be Internet searches, computer performance, or social media.
The first part of the 20th century had so many big innovations that the later part of the 20th century and now the 21st has seen a backlash of innovation. Today, our risk averse society refines existing innovations instead of pioneering the big ideas. Today’s world looks like 1969 after a fresh coat of paint and a shrink ray. Our devices are smaller and our cars look more futuristic but they are built on the same fundamental innovations from the 1960’s. Mac OS X is built on a UNIX, a system that was developed in 1969!
“The threat now is not too much innovation but rather not enough innovation.”
Neal Stephenson on Getting Big Stuff Done
Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash, gave a talk at Solve for X where he lamented our lack of ambition in science and innovation. I’ll be the first to admit Mr. Stephenson isn’t the most vibrant speaker but the things he has to say are powerful and important.
“A small number of people have to be willing to shoulder greater risks in order to create changes that eventually reduce risk for civilization as a whole.”
Bring back the space program. Find a cure for cancer. Build a flying car… Never mind. That all costs money. That takes effort and there might not be a payday at the end. Besides, somebody could get hurt or even die. Let’s just stay focused on making sure everyone can see their Twitter feed instantaneously.