November 9th, 2011
2. Technology will never be the obstacle.
Wow. The new Lytro camera. It allows the user to chose after-the-fact what part of the picture they want the focus fixed on.
And I was certain that image focus would always be a challenge.
But one of the laws I’ve learned is that just when you think it can’t be done, you find out that not only can it be done but it’s probably been working (at least in the labs) for most of the last decade. Technology doesn’t just advance these days. It races.
What it means:
This is a modest conceptual technique to add to your futurist’s toolbox.
When you’re trying to assess likely outcomes of technology trends don’t stumble on the tools. They’ll figure out a way to make it work. Whatever “it” is. The futurist’s biggest challenge is trying to understand how humans will adjust to inevitable technological advances. The tools nearly always develop more rapidly that our ability to adapt.