Way back in 1938 - in Nine Chains to the Moon - Buckminster Fuller coined a term, the "dymaxion principle," to describe a progression in technology that he was seeing all around him, and expected to see much more of in the future.
It was this: as technology became more advanced, it did more and more with less and less. Lighter, smaller, more flexible devices were more powerful.
Transistors, which would replace vacuum tubes, were right around the corner. Microchips were a few decades away. Two prime example of the dymaxion principle in operation.
It occurred to me, when I first read Fuller in the 1970s, that our brains are the ultimate embodiment of the dymaxion principle - we think, dream, plan, imagine, reason all from that kilogram of matter in our skulls.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that Apple will likely sometime next year replace its popular iPod Nano with a Nano iPhone. At first, the Nano iPhone will no doubt do less than the bigger, current model. But I predict that pretty soon, the standard iPhone will be both smaller than the current iPhone and more powerful ... all according to the dymaxion principle...
Indeed, this will happen, whether these initial reports are true or not...
See also: Hats off to George Hotz ... iPhone Arrives - I Predicted It in 1979 and iPhone Boosts Literacy and History Lesson: iPhone Sales Will Exceed Expectations and New York Times' David Pogue Sings "I Want An iPhone" to "My Way" and iPhone: Not Better iPod but New Species Media ... Mouth-Watering iPhone Commercial and the Real World ... Harry Potter and iPhone ...
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
It was this: as technology became more advanced, it did more and more with less and less. Lighter, smaller, more flexible devices were more powerful.
Transistors, which would replace vacuum tubes, were right around the corner. Microchips were a few decades away. Two prime example of the dymaxion principle in operation.
It occurred to me, when I first read Fuller in the 1970s, that our brains are the ultimate embodiment of the dymaxion principle - we think, dream, plan, imagine, reason all from that kilogram of matter in our skulls.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that Apple will likely sometime next year replace its popular iPod Nano with a Nano iPhone. At first, the Nano iPhone will no doubt do less than the bigger, current model. But I predict that pretty soon, the standard iPhone will be both smaller than the current iPhone and more powerful ... all according to the dymaxion principle...
Indeed, this will happen, whether these initial reports are true or not...
See also: Hats off to George Hotz ... iPhone Arrives - I Predicted It in 1979 and iPhone Boosts Literacy and History Lesson: iPhone Sales Will Exceed Expectations and New York Times' David Pogue Sings "I Want An iPhone" to "My Way" and iPhone: Not Better iPod but New Species Media ... Mouth-Watering iPhone Commercial and the Real World ... Harry Potter and iPhone ...
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
4 comments:
okay Paul you have had enough time I want my meadowlands review!!
:) I always listen to my readers...
enjoy...
I'm not so sure. I feel like the size of cell phones and other wireless devices is beginning to plateau. Unless manufacturers find a way to give something smaller an bigger screen. The current average touch screen phone size is steady because people want to be able to see videos, surf the internet, etc. In fact the Ipad and the dawn of tablet electronics prove quite the contrary - consumers are looking for larger screens, having more powerful machines but seeing more of it. It's true that electronics will run faster, smoother, and become thinner, but not necessarily always smaller. I liked how you compared the Dymaxion Principle to the human brain, that was interesting.
I agree with point completely, but what you say does not necessarily count against the dymaxion principle.
In the short-hand description I provided, I said technologies do more and more with smaller and smaller sizes. But a more complete description of the dymaxion principle would say technologies get to the smallest possible sizes to perform at their peaks. In the case of using fingers to type, and using screens to see vids and press icons, it's clear - as you point out - that our devices cannot get any smaller without losing their typing and viewing functions. In other words, the devices have their shrinkage limit.
Many thanks for your cogent comment.
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