A century ago gasoline-powered cars really came into their own. (In 1920, if memory serves, Ford sold a million Model Ts for the first time.) Now, a hundred or so years after that milestone, we’re living in the midst of another significant change.
Mr Man and I were discussing electric vehicles today. As an example, in the space of a block we spotted half a dozen Teslas. Regardless of what one thinks about the company (or its owner’s shenanigans), it has been a pioneer and visible symbol of the shift from fossil fuels to electrification. Despite decades of resistance from established interests, that change is now happening at a rapid pace.
That also got me thinking about the speed of technological change over humanity’s history, which brings me to this article.
Technology over the long run: See how dramatically the world can change within a lifetime
…we live in a time of extraordinarily fast technological change. For recent generations, it was common for technologies that were unimaginable in their youth to become common later in life.
The graphic captures this well.
It makes me think of my grandparents, born around the time of that Model T milestone. They lived to see the moon missions, internet and cell phones.
It’s been said before but it bears repeating. We’re living our ancestors’ dreams. Let’s make them good ones.
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J.R. Johnson 
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