THE ENGINES OF OUR INGENUITY Gore's Metaphor

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

Gore reminds us that we live by metaphors. The factory was once our metaphor for making things. Our livers were blood factories; our minds were idea factories. The metaphor of the factory, the large central production unit, has been breaking down ever since Henry Ford. Where is a computer made today, or an automobile? Pieces are made all over the world: China, Mexico, Taiwan, the US. My computer was assembled at a little shop down on the corner.

Not just computer manufacture, but computer use as well, has been decentralized. Ten years ago the last vestige of the large central computer was the so-called super-computer which we used only for huge computations. But each new generation of PCs has taken over more super-computer turf. At the same time, super- computers themselves become smaller and more affordable.

Besides, we can now do many large calculations with blinding speed using arrays of cheap PCs wired to work in parallel with one another. The upshot is that machine intelligence actually gains in effectiveness as it distributes itself into the population.

Now, Gore says, that's the way human potential also works. Large central organizations can't think. Only individuals can think. We must capitalize on individuals thinking in parallel.

(snip)

https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/1114

[Kid Berwyn]

1. Each person represents infinite possibilities.

Al Gore knows we can do so much more thinking — and thereby working — together.