[awb]

> I think they've been slow for maybe the last 20 years

Really? 20 years is the difference between a generation being raised pre/post:

* smart phones

* streaming services (endless free content)

* massive computing storage / processing upgrades

* mass adoption of eCommerce

* video calling

* ubiquitous social networking

* EVs

* mRNA vaccines

* Mars exploration

* LHC

* 3D printing

It amazes me to look back at 2003 and see how far we’ve come.

[ClumsyPilot]

Between 1940s to 1980s we went from a disconnected world to spaceflight, moon landings and global commercial aviation. Radar was invented, the atom was split, nuclear weapons shook the world. Television appeared

What have you got to place against that, smartphones? Streaming, seruously?

[awb]

40s-80s is a 40y gap vs. 02-23 is a 20y gap.

The last 20 years have been more revolutionary from a digital / social / information perspective. A person in a remote village in a foreign country can now use StarLink to access the world’s information on Wikipedia. They can learn any new skill on YouTube. And they can work for a large US tech company via Slack / Skype, or open up a small business on Shopify and accept money instantly in any currency. Translation across any two languages can be done instantly via smartphone. It’s transforming cultures, countries and the global marketplace.

It doesn’t have the visual of a moon landing, but it’s still incredible and has more practical implications for a larger number of people.

I don’t think we’ll really start to see how massive the impact is until another 20 years when we look back and see the ripple effects of this digital connection we’re creating throughout the world.

[nostromo]

Compare 1940 to 1960, 1960 to 1980, 1980 to 2000 -- then compare 2000 to 2020.

2000 to 2020 is the least impressive 20 year period by a long shot.

[icedchai]

I would agree. 2000-2020 feels more evolutionary, not revolutionary. I grew up in the 80's and 90's, so perhaps my own perspective is warped.

[kgwgk]

> massive computing storage / processing upgrades

I feel that the improvement in the previous 20 years was much more massive.

Forty years ago PCs had been introduced quite recently and an internal disk was still a non-standard option.

Ditto for “smart phones”. Forty years ago 1G telephony was not yet available in the US, nevermind how dumb and bulky those phones were.

[bumby]

Some of these are really just older tech advancements that have become more mainstream. E.g., Mars exploration is older than 20 years, 3D printing took off in part when decades old patents expired, rna vaccines date back 30+ years etc. etc.