Explore:

Alt Text
|Home/Opinions |Opinion Archives |Second Opinion |Open Forums |Sig Archives |NewsFactor
|OS News |Top Tech News |Newsletters |Cartoon |About |Submit Opinion
The Myth of 'High Tech'
9/28/00
By Stanislav Kelman

News Photo
You may be among the many who (incorrectly) believe that "high tech" is now all around us.

If you are one of those people who blindly trust the mass media, you were probably led to believe that "high tech" is now all around us. But next time you hear this omnipresent expression, stop for a brief moment to ponder its meaning. I bet that you will be surprised at what now passes for the so-called "cutting-edge technology."

When informally asked about their own interpretation of "high tech," most folks would not think twice before telling you all about "that one site they saw on the Internet" or "the cool PC upgrade they got on sale." Indeed, computers are fascinating and, in all honesty, I would not be writing this article if I did not think they were. However, what I'm trying to point out is that most of what's available to the general public is dirt cheap mass produced lowest-common-denominator stuff that ceased to resemble anything "advanced" quite a few years ago.

The fact of the matter is that the basic principle of the Internet, the "packet switching" concept, dates back to 1961 when it was introduced by Leonard Kleinrock of MIT. The still-dominant Ethernet hardware specification was originally developed in 1973 at Xerox PARC. And, by 1983, TCP/IP was accepted as a universal digital communications standard. Perhaps, what most people don't realize is that in the mid-eighties the Internet was already a vast network interconnecting tens of thousands of computers worldwide.

Believe it or not, little has fundamentally changed since 1989, the year when Tim Berners-Lee laid out the groundwork for what later came to be known as the World Wide Web. While this limited scientific information exchange effort has since evolved into a cultural phenomenon, all the subsequent "technological breakthroughs" mostly boil down to little more than grossly over-hyped evolutional developments.

Lets fast forward to the year 2000 and check out the "latest advances" that everybody is so excited about. For example, consider all the enthusiasm surrounding the MP3 standard, perhaps the first ever "innovation" in the audio reproduction technology that sacrifices sound quality for the ease of illegal music distribution. Now, look at the "hot developments" in the e-mail technology where reliable standards-compliant desktop clients are being quickly replaced with slow browser-based solutions complete with their awkward Web interfaces packed with ad banners. And, while you are at it, witness the gradual death of the UseNet community forums as they are being supplanted with proprietary Slashdot-style flame-boards.

Now, let's talk about the people who are driving the so-called "New Economy." In sharp contrast with the brilliant researchers who made the Internet possible, the new crop of Web developers are mostly stereotypical Silicon Valley college dropouts whose aspirations are largely centered on stock options. Many modern "high tech workers" have little interest in basic science or technology. While it is still necessary to have a college degree to become, say, a librarian, even a high school diploma is an over-qualification for many of the advertised "high tech" positions.

In some cases, cramming the first few chapters of the "Web Design for Dummies" can land one a better-paying job than a Ph.D. in neural science. What's even more alarming is that academic education itself is now being looked down upon as something that does not provide sufficient monetary return to be of any value whatsoever. Perhaps, for the first time in the history of technology, having a strong scientific background became a drawback rather than an advantage.

As for the "New Economy" itself, only a handful of "dot-coms" are coming out with innovative ideas. Lately, it seems like the majority of the high-flying "technology" firms offer little more than glorified catalog shopping, basically fitting a hundred-year-old idea with a new pretty face. Besides, since when did opening a small-scale grocery store become a "high tech" enterprise, worthy of a multi-million venture capital investment? Suddenly, we are living in the world where everybody who has a PC and twenty bucks for a prepackaged "e-commerce solution" can become a "high tech entrepreneur."

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading the Sunday New York Times when I came across an article authored by Timothy Draper, one of California's premier "high tech" venture capital investors. In his writing, he claims that "the Internet is the greatest revolution in the history of the world." While, understandably, somebody who has made a fortune investing in the nineties might think that the Web is the most important invention ever, I can easily name dozens of technologies that have had far more impact. For starters, how about the wheel, the plow, the printing press, running water, electricity, internal combustion, the phone, the microchip, or space travel?

What's even more disturbing is that Mr. Draper proceeds to testify that the Internet enables a company to "reach all six billion of us," which could somehow "power a 12-fold increase in the world economy." This is wishful thinking at best and deliberate deception at worst. The fact that a poor farmer somewhere in Ethiopia can purchase a luxury automobile online does not automatically mean that he would magically be able to afford one. And, if he would have had the money in the first place, chances are that not having Internet access would not have prevented him from buying the car of his dreams anyway.

The above is just one example of corporate propaganda that is cultivating the myth of "high tech." The reality is that in the U.S. alone, there are close to ten million people whose only purpose in life is to provide "information technology" development and support, making sure that typing a letter, one of the simplest everyday tasks, is still possible even given all the "productivity enhancements" offered by the "digital revolution."

Historically, the term "high tech" was used to refer to groundbreaking developments coming out of research institutions and laboratories, not the hastily thrown together low quality commercial products available to everybody. It puzzles me why companies like AOL and Amazon are considered "high tech" while Boeing and General Dynamics are not. For all I know, sky-high market valuations should not have much to do with that. Or, am I living in the past?

Talkback Forum


Author's background:
Stanislav Kelman is not as old and grumpy as he might sound. The only reason he knows a little bit about the origins of the Internet is that he has spent some time exploring the numerous online resources on the subject, including those offered by the Internet Society. Also, he has been maintaining his own site, LetItBe.org for almost five years now. Feel free to contact him at osOpinion@LetItBe.org.

 

Sponsored Links
Reach Thousands of Tech Savvy Pros with NewsFactor Newsletters!
Need the right tools for your e-business? Click here.

E-Business Industry Guide. Click Here.

Click here for Linux news.


Real-Time
Technology News
Updated Every
5 Minutes
24 Hours a Day
NewsFactor.com
E-Commerce Times
TechNewsWorld
CRMDaily.com
Linux Insider
WirelessNewsFactor
osOpinion
TechExtreme
FreeNewsFeed.com

Click here for today's tech cartoon!
Daily Cartoon


January 10, 2002



New iMac Lives Up to the Hype
Full Story

Just What is Gigawire, Anyway?
Full Story

21st Century Tech Strategy War: Apple vs. Microsoft
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

iPhoto Makes Working with Pictures Fun Again
Full Story

Companies Unveil New Technologies at Electronics Show
Full Story

Online Customer Support Strategies Take Center Stage
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

Will Apple Roll Out New High-End G5s In March?
Full Story

Apple's Aqua To Trigger a Consumer Backlash?
Full Story

Gates 'Hitting Apple Where It Hurts'
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

Apple's Extraordinary Macworld Expo
Full Story

Apple Introduces Flat-Panel G4 iMac
Full Story

Alleged Microsoft Memo: Windows is Cheaper Than Linux
Full Story

Just Say No to Internet Micropayments
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

The Napster Facelift - Strings Attached
Full Story

Macworld Expo 2002 - The Hype vs. The Hooey
Full Story

Rumors Swirl Ahead of Macworld 2002: A Move to Intel?
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

Best Way To Save the Be, Inc. Operating System
Full Story

What's the Use of Managing Bandwidth?
Full Story

Satellite Radio: Will Drivers Tune In?
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

An Insecure Feeling About Microsoft's Security
Full Story

The Dissing of IT Workers
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun

Many Windows XP Users Slow to Patch Security Hole
Full Story

Nine States Accuse Microsoft of Stalling
Full Story

Tech Cartoon
Just for Fun


More Opinions

Get news by e-mail

Visit open forums



osOpinion.com
Front Page | OS News | Open Forums | Cool Sites | Opinion Archives | Daily Sigs
Article Reprint Information | FAQs | Friends of OSOpinion
 
Other NewsFactor Network Sites
NewsFactor Portal | E-Commerce Times | TechNewsWorld | Linux Insider | Wireless NewsFactor
osOpinion | allEC | CRM Daily

FreeNewsFeed | Free Newsletters

Business Development | How To Advertise | How To Contact Us | About NewsFactor Network
 

© 1998-2002 Triad Commerce Group, LLC. All rights reserved. See Terms of Use and Privacy notice.