We be Mega-3T; we are entering a Mega-4T.

[David Horn]

(08-02-2020, 11:15 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(08-02-2020, 11:01 AM)David Horn Wrote: The real problem is relating historical artifacts.  Social history, where most people do their living, is strongly impacted by economic, scientific and political history, but not necessarily in real time.  For example, the impact of a distant war or virtually all trade treaties has a delayed effect, while wars closer to home or trade embargoes are more immediate.  And how do you evaluate the impact of something as defining as the Internet?  We know it's had a major impact now and will for a long time to come, but it didn't in the 1960s when it was conceived.  On the other hand, the space race seems to be almost a nothing burger today, but it wasn't 50 years ago.

I take your point.  True enough mostly.

I might question the nothing burger on space.  Musk and SpaceX seem in a hurry to put up a global satellite internet and get to Mars.  I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people are sleeping on things space but it is about to take off launch.

Space may return as an interest if we go to Mars with a manned mission (not soon I fear), or we establish a permanent base on the Moon (the more likely short-term option).  Our attention spans are getting shorter by the day, and that may also be contributing to how the S&H cycle works -- but that's an entirely different topic.