Re: New 3D business opportunity -- let's get rick quick!!

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> You miss the point.  The ability to look at a stereoview or play back
> an LP can NEVER become "lost technology" because in the stereoview's
> case, NO technology is required, and in the LP's case, almost no tech
> is required.

I understood that point.  My response was "so what?".  I explained
how I'm not a Luddite.

> If I handed you a deck of IBM 029 punch cards, which are a heckuva lot
> less than 100 years old, could you read them quickly and easily?  Can

I *could* convert them if needed.  Note that I'd convert them, not
just use them in that form forever. And the conversion would be
lossless.  Once converted the cards can be burned for fuel.

I'd also assume that anything significant enough to be kept would 
be converted while the conversion process is still easy to do.  One
doesn't (yet) jump a hundred years in the future and say "convert this".
There's a hundred years inbetween to do it in.

> you locate a working card reader?  Would you be motivated to try, if
> you hadn't a clue what was on them?

Actually when I moved a few months ago, one of the things I tossed
into a dumpster was a Mowhawk (NCR I think) card reader that I had
been keeping "just in case".  I think I wasn't the LAST to toss'em
and that one could be found somewhere.  :-)

> >> Will you be able to retrieve those proprietary PhotoCD images in 100 years,
> 
> >Yes undoubtedly.  I'll betcha another quarter!
> 
> I'm nowhere nearly as sure.  I'll take that bet.

You've got a bet.  I'll be by in a century to pick up my money.  :-)

> As technology progresses, people's ability to hack will be restricted
> to more and more primitive technologies (relatively speaking).  People
> used to be able to construct relatively state-of-the-art projects at
> home, when state-of-the-art was transistor technology (remember Heathkit?).
> Now it's ASICs, and I don't know too many people who hack ASICs at home,

If you want to design FPGA's you can download free software from Actel's
site.  They gave me a full-blown version of "Designer" for my PC at home.

One can "hack" (not sure of your definition) when either the technology 
is primative or by "hacking" at a higher level in the technology heirarchy.

One once would "hack" at the trannie circuit level.  I used to hack at the "tube level"
when I was a small kid.  Now you can design FPGA's at your desk at home.  You
can use computers on a board (pre built) to build custom computer controlled 
systems at home.  You don't have to build the computer just as you didn't
have to construct the transistors in "the good old days".  Instead of "trannie" parts
you now use computer-board parts.  Alternatively, one could "hack" in some field
that isn't yet matured much.  Or in software.

Things stay the same. Only the names are changed to show one's age.  :-)

Mike K.


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