Coconuts

One way to survey the trajectory the of the increase in technology would be to study the rise of mechanization through the centuries, from simple pulleys and levers, to potter’s wheels, to the aqueducts and metal forging of empires gone by, to steam engines (though Hero, the Roman inventor likely made the first true steam engine nearly two millennia before the Industrial revolution of the West), to simple computers, to…well, Amazon delivery drones, Google self-driving cars, Mars landers, and the ephemeral, yet ever-so-tangible ‘cloud’ that we all want just a little more data storage space (for the right price paid via Paypal to Verizon, or one of its competitor constituencies).  But, perhaps, another way to show that we are at the base of the logarithmic curve technologically, for that is where you are always at on a logarithmic curve if the inflection stays constant and the x-axis is temporally reflective, would be to track the technology of coconut harvesting.  The plain reality is that for literally millennia coconuts have been harvested one of two ways, either by a climber with a machete, or similar hacking device – and by hacking device, I mean…well, one that severs fibers – or with a bladed instrument on the end of long stick.  That is, until recently, because now it seems no one’s job is safe from robots and computers.  There are now robots designed specifically to repel up coconut-laden trees and collect them.  This is great for consumers but perhaps not so great for the young men (not attempting to be misogynistic, but simple demographic statistics will convince any skeptic that this the reality) that do this for a living.  It seems as we move closer to some people’s idea of a utopia, we create dystopia for others whose idea of utopia may have been to harvest coconuts, or a thousand other jobs that provided for their families.  Certainly the argument could be made that carriage drivers were disenfranchised by the invention of steam engines and had to ultimately seek out new employment, but the parry to that would, of course, be that the logarithmic curve of technological advancement had not grown quite so steep at that time.  While one is always at the base of the curve, the steepness of the curve does continue to increase, after all.  Practically, this means that the acceleration of the advancement of technology is growing at an alarming rate.  Carriage drivers were slowly replaced; coconut harvesters, cab drivers, cashiers, and perhaps even doctors (the ‘E-doctor’ will see you now…or at least in 2020, most likely) and may many more professions may not have that luxury.  Necessity is the mother of invention, but what do give a people who think they have everything, and better, what do you give them to do, occupationally?  This alarming question will become ever-more pressing in the days ahead.  It may be time to become a geneticist and increase production rates of crops, or at least to learn to farm, as population increases and growing space decreases, this may be a pivotal skill in a decade.  If you don’t live in the equatorial coastal land, and can’t grow coconut palm trees, then perhaps discover what crops you can grow and start there.  Until then, you may want to go to your local supermarket and compare peanut butter prices with coconut oil prices to get an idea of supply-and-demand economics and also the cost of importation.  Or, if your ultra-savvy, buy coconut water harvested by teenagers and not robots – to some, that may seem the wrong way around, but I assure you the teenagers don’t think so.  It might be the difference in them getting a good education or not.