On Wed, 2014-09-10 at 10:14 +0530, Udhay Shankar N wrote: > Again, not really. It turns out that the pace of change is such that > such studies are not the most useful way to deal with the future.
Udhay the pace of change is exactly what I am talking about. Who does the studies that tell us how humans adapt and use game-changing technology when the pace of change is slow (many generations), or medium fast (one generation) or super-fast (every few years). Usefulness or lack thereof of data cannot be pre-determined in the absence of that data. Human psychology does not change rapidly - but the environment (as in "way of life", not as in "ecology") changes with technological change. The rate at which the environment (way of life) changes has had a bearing on human history and how societies across the globe have absorbed and adopted technology or have rejected it. Ignoring pace of change and its effect on humanity as a subject of study would be a mistake. I can quote a few examples but the ones I quote would definitely be biased to suit my own views and my narrow concerns - so I am looking for ostensibly "neutral" and "academic and broad-based" studies. shiv
