Technological progress comes with a Dark Side where good ideas and
intentions produce undesirable results. The many and various
unexpected outcomes of technology span humorous to bizarre, and
even result in situations which threaten our survival. Development
can be positive for some, but negative and isolating for others
(e.g. older or poorer people). Progress is often transient, as
faster electronics and computers dramatically shorten retention
time of data and knowledge (e.g. documents, data, and photos will
be unreadable within a generation). This is also destroying past
languages and cultures in a trend to globalisation. Advances cut
across all areas of science and life, and the scope is vast from
biology, medicine, agriculture, transport, electronics, computers,
long range communications, to a global economy. Our reliance on
technology is now matched by vulnerability to natural events (e.g.
intense sunspot activity) which could annihilate advanced societies
by destroying satellites or power grid distribution. Similarly,
progress of electronics and communication produced a boom industry
in cyber crime, and cyber terrorism. Medical technology may
maintain our health, but we ignore possible drug related mutagenic
changes, and we continue with errors in creating a global food
economy by devastating the environment and causing extinction of
species, just to support an excessive human population. This
diverse coverage of the book is consciously presented at a level
designed for an intelligent, but non-scientific readership. It
includes suggestions for positive future progress with planning,
investment, and political commitment, as well as contemplating how
failure to respond endangers human survival.
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