tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post5380852692035638352..comments2024-03-28T01:35:19.028-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/28/24: There was something big behind the iPhone, and it wasn't just AppleNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-82573601238674290492017-01-09T15:17:28.382-06:002017-01-09T15:17:28.382-06:00That many of the radical changes in the way we liv...That many of the radical changes in the way we live have been spearheaded by govenments has been true for a long time. Double entry accounting, the basis for all business systems, was created by municiple administrations in 13th Century Italy; large scale mechanical computation was developed in this country by the Census Bureau; the first operational electronic computer, "Goliath," was built by British Postal System engineers for Blechly Park code breaking; the internet began as a Pentagon project; the statisical control systems which make possibe efficient mass production came out of government armories and shipyards. Etc., etc.<br /><br />The fact is that govenments face situations, like going to war or the need to count millions of its citizens, that justify enormous investments that can't be assessed in bottom-line terms.<br /><br />Tom EvansTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09641357239788323783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-120577736730600942017-01-09T08:57:48.645-06:002017-01-09T08:57:48.645-06:00The one word that for me illustrates both the stre...The one word that for me illustrates both the strength and the weakness of current economic theory is "externality." It's usually used to describe the costs of economic activity that are left out of the equation. For example, the benefits of fracking usually don't account for the costs of the earthquakes and other environmental devastation that the companies involved need not pay. But I believe that government participation in technological development could also be called an "externality," in that the benefits are not paid for directly by the beneficiaries of the technology. Whereas if Samsung uses Apple technology, it must pay Apple and vice versa. I doubt that factoring the costs of externalities into the grand economic equation would work, but at least the government, maligned as it is likely to be over the next few years especially by those most in control of what it does, should get a modicum of credit for its input. And I don't think doing so will tarnish the reputation for genius ascribed to entrepeneurs such as Steve Jobs.<br /><br />johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-35214223900995173222017-01-09T08:14:31.883-06:002017-01-09T08:14:31.883-06:00Interesting your should call the Apple Watch a cur...Interesting your should call the Apple Watch a curiosity. It is the rest of the iPhone, the part you didn't know you needed until you found that you did; it completes the iPhone. It eliminates all those bothersome times of hauling the iPhone out of your pocket to check why it vibrated; it previews what's on your iPhone.Bill Herrmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16211085421268894530noreply@blogger.com