What has been one of the greatest changes in our living environment during the last millennium (Y2K)?
The fading of natural sounds and the colossal increase in artificial sounds. By the year 1001, the only sounds most people had ever heard were human voices, animal cries, birdsong, wind, waves, thunder, or cracking ice in winter - and perhaps of simple tools like the hammer. The few artificial sounds at the time included temple or church bells, gongs, and simple musical instruments like the drums and lyre. And most of these sounds were heard only by the few living in towns and cities (10 to 20,000 dwellers in one place was tops in those days).
Compare this with today's 5,000 FM radio stations in North America alone. Plus thousands of AM radio, television, phone and loud speaker systems blaring away. And car horns, train whistles, ship horns, foghorns, and elevator speakers with voice and music. Industrial Revoluton ?
And add in musical sounds playing to large audiences or individuals around the world -- via direct performance or through Walkmans, car radios and new MP3 devices like the Nomad.
Now coming on strong is the Internet, plus the prolific sounds coming from computers, either for music, voice-activation commands, voice replies or voice playback when you tire of reading. In year 2000, a totally new sound machine via the Internet: dialpad.com
With this new FREE software and a microphone, computer wizards can soon contact any phone on the planet -- even those without a computer but with an ordinary phone -- FOR FREE! It is available and operating now for calls within America. Because of the simple country code(1) for all North America, Canadians can latch on just like Americans. Some hackers HAVE FIGURED OUT ALREADY HOW TO MAKE dialpad.com CALLS FROM EUROPE TO THE U.S. It is now a part of my own communications system and my phone bills should soon drop dramatically.
What is this going to do to the once-arrogant and monopolistic phone companies? I foresee massive and continuous restructuring for those that built up huge bureaucratic empires charging up to $2.17 for the first minute to call Hawaii. Now they find they can't be assured of any revenue from anyone who can access dialpad.com
If such relatively simple innovative software from some David (plus a microphone) can make giants shudder, what rest can any Goliath find when many things from the past are under attack?
General knowledge is increasing in western countries at a rate bouncing around 100 percent every 12-14 months(and generally around the world). In the fields of science and technology -- since 90 percent of all scientists who ever lived are alive today -- that specialized knowledge is doubling every five to seven years. By 2020, that time span will likely drop to EVERY 73 DAYS! That's even with the astronomical amount of info, old and new, that will have accumulated by that time.
The barometer of accelerating data may soon replace current weather barometers tomorrow in home and office.
