They are the tiny computers built into thermostats, clocks, car engines, and all kinds of machinery. Today, a Nikon F4 camera contains four tiny computers in a local-area network. Every time a spark plug fires in your car engine, it s because a computer told it to. That s why today s cars are easier to start on cold mornings, and much less finicky about gasoline. We re in the middle of a technological revolution on many fronts, and technology shouldn t be left to engineers.
Technology needs the human touch.
It s sometimes fashionable for educated people to brag of their disdain for technology. I think that s rather like being an aristocrat who wants all the work to be done by the servant class. Intelligent people need technology, and technology needs the wisdom of the wisest human beings. Last I come to Category 4, things that were not predicted and did not happen. So I shall now be silent.