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82 Comments
- Qubous, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21This *IS* a population graph. Look at the y-axais.
- PhantomTrain, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21Where's the printing press? (telephone is on its own, why not the press?)
And why is 'Stem Cell Research Approved in the US' a major leap in advancement? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21If these types of graphs and information interest you I suggest getting Ray Kurzweil's book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. It has an entire chapter full of graphs, statistics, and information regarding the coming digital age all relating to Moore's Law. You can also visit his website where a lot of information can be found at http://www.kurzweilai.net/ .
- Helfax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Poor representations of data make the baby cry.
- DavidTrom, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16I also felt like the graphic was hopelessly bias. I don't deny the increased rate of discovery after the Industrial Rev. ( who named it as a "revolution" ). but it seems to me that you are bound to see more discoveries on a immediate age than far into the past.
Historic perspective; like standing on top of a tall building, you can see every window across the street but way down in the horizon you only see the most remarkable features. Why do the graph gives the same weight to say; Writing and PCs or Math and a Cloned Sheep.
Just my 2 cent
But as most graphics you can read it anyway you want. I found interesting how the spike coincide with the discovery of the new word
I would like to see this graph superimpose on the Know (by the western word) population of the world. - pbaehr, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16If you look at the axis you realize that really all the graph shows is that population has skyrocketed since the 2nd agricultural revolution. This is hardly news. In fact, it reveals almost nothing about the pace of technological advancement.
- zaqintosh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10The picture of Keira Knightley from the the movie "King Arthur" really lends to the prestige of this incredible and inspiring graph. (Sarcasm)
- grunherz5x5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8It's a population graph with hand-picked historical references.
Interesting, but not earth-shattering. - skotski, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Good point.
for that matter, where is Mtv and the ipod? - mathmanjeffy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Not to burst your sense of self-pride for degrading someones work, but...
The x-axis is "Time", the y-axis is "Human Population." Those are fairly well related. The "cherry picked" innovations are just labels along the graph. - SmurfyBrown, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10It looks like a 7th grader made it for a school project. The layout is really annoying, and I don't really find the content that enlightening. There's hardly any perspective. Furthermore, i find the use of "negative years" (as in the year -4000) to be bush league
- jonsedar, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12The two axes are completely unrelated! The size of the global population has no bearing on a group of cherry-picked historical events.
This is junk. Buried. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@kevincannon:
You ignore the fact that most of what is plotted are enormous paradigm shifts where the nearly all of the population adapts and harnesses the technology in a relatively short amount of time.
You are right to say that if the number of inventions were plotted the graph would be different, but not by much. You have to believe that there are far more inventions being made now that are unique and novel than there were in the past and that this rate is only increasing. Each new invention may not mark a new milestone for mankind but an accumulation of technologies used in a particular invention do, and that is what sets the next milestone.
We are progressively getting more and more technologically advanced and the world's population is growing ever more adaptive in accepting these technologies. This will rush in a new era: where man and machine merge. Hard to accept but very likely. - snypa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4MTV an achievement? More like the beginning of the downfall of man.
- MuscleAnimal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4 Exactly, like where is the "Peak of Chinese Civilization" (8th Century) and the Invention of the Jock Strap (19th century)?"
- Vaelan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@jwyles mentioned Ray Kurzweil's book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology
One of the charts he's referring to is here:
http://singularity.com/images/charts/CountdowntoSingularityLog.jpg
Keep in mind that it's a logarithmic chart so it's scaled as such...
Enjoy! - mapkinase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4How did they estimate the population of the past?
- willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Invention begets invention.
Each invention is supported by the ones that came before it. As inventions make peoples lives better, they have more time to invent. As inventions make it possible for the planet to support more people, there are more people and ideas, thus more inventions.
So, of course the graph takes that shape. And the rate of invention will continue to increase as the standard of living and population of the planet increases. - willcode4beer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Maybe you should get a few barrels and hide them in the garage
- wthulhu, on 08/29/2009, -2/+5So Dolly the Sheep is, to date, our greatest achievement?
- jhshukla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3read carefully. it did not take that long to go from pottery to plow. it is "I plow". apple jokes aside, it translates to "Iron plow". earlier plows were softer and more prone to breakage. Iron plows allowed us to spread agriculture farther than possible earlier.
- marnaq, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Thought digg.com was.
- hockachu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This graph doesn't have the year 1500 but you get the point from it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population#History
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Population_curve.svg - alecks, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Exactly, plus, i'm sure if someone from 1000 yrs ago would draw a similar graph, they too, would clutter their immediate 50-100 yrs with "important" things. Just shows how naive we were, as kevincannon mentioned above as well.
- kevincannon, on 10/12/2007, -7/+10That graph is slightly flawed and backs up what's refered to as a chronocentic view of the world. That is, that the time we're living in the most important.
As bitcloud said, inventions take place in spurts. The graph shown there is cumulative so it's quite misleading. If it was graphed with number of important inventions over time you would see a different result.
Obviously increased population, education levels and communications will lead to a higher pace of development, but I think the graph is still quite misleading as it is there. - SlappyMc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you're reading the graph wrong. The are not labeled in order of significance.
- Aeiri, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Interesting how I was modded down...
@capnjosh
That was my point. The title says "mysterious pace", and I was just saying it's not really that mysterious at all since the population has grown exponentially as well. - praisethelard, on 06/06/2008, -3/+5We'll come full circle soon enough.
- Scottamus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Not a damned life shattering thing has come from dolly the cloned sheep. Plants have been cloned for centuries, where is that on the chart? It's a cool gauge of medical advances, but IMHO the internet has changed society just a wee bit more than a cloned sheep with genetic defects.
In short, this graph is a piece of *****.
FTA:"Where will be tomorrow?"
back in junior high for you I hope. - troydoogle7, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I didn't realise how quickly world population is growing.... I predict that in the next 20 years a can of oil will be like gold...
This is really unsustainable... I reckon we should start a war somewhere and bring the numbers down... oh wait.. - Ruckgesicht, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2But you fail to recognize how this technology will be able to turn around and advance everything else in turn - the modern futurists's NGR (Nanotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Robotics). Nanotechnology alone will allow for nano-assemblers (also referred to as molecular engineering) which is basically a small factory no bigger than a fridge capable of making almost anything - and this done by a machine that would be in every home. And so on with these other aspects of NGR.
- shardex, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I'd love to hear Edward Tufte's take on the graphical integrity of this overly-decorative graphic. I wonder what the lie-value, if any, is?
Lie Factor = size of effect shown on graphic / size of effect in data
Lie factors greater than around 1.05 are distortions of fact.
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/ - eliotmat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4MTV and the ipod are steps back.
- jatlasb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3And why does the black death (most devastaing plague in known history--yes, I know that the 19187 flu killed more people, but in terms of percentages, the Plague was worse) coincide with a RISE in population? And why is the black death considered an acheivement? (everything else on this graph is...)
If we're going to start with "and" all the time I might as wel join in. - alecks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2According to that graph, the world population was less than 500Million people around 1500AD. Is that right??
- SlappyMc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1good call vvvv.
- SlappyMc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Thats keira knightley bitch
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2The graph itself looks pretty interesting, but the images don't do much to add to the information. (and jesus, i'm all for saving bandwidth, but ease off the JPEG compression a few notches :p )
- migbike, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I don't know, but it's been said that 10% of the people that have ever lived are alive today. Just another interesting fact about population counts.
- jonathono2000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2That is assuming that the human race was "ready" for calculus, electronics, etc. at that point where it is very likely that just because something is discovered or invented does not mean that it will be instantaneaously exploited.
It is my feeling that most of the human race trudges along at a slow pace and certain individuals make magnificent leaps forward from time to time that they themselves may not even fully understand the ramifications of, let alone the general public.
Right now there are physicist that can prove that time travel in theory is possible, that doesn't mean in five years I will be able to go back and party with cavemen. - SlappyMc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@starvo.
I'm betting on the Nature option.. - speel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Be ready for the collapse.
- ezrider0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This is ridiculous. It fails to mention ALL of the fundamental discoveries which gave rise to modern technology. For example, this does not include the discovery of Newtonian Math [Calculus] or any of Gauss' discoveries. It also fails to mention the discovery of the transistor which made all modern electronics successful, or the discovery of radioactive material, which is far more profound then nuclear fusion. It does not account for any of Descartes' fundamental discoveries in Logic and Proof theory. What about theories of economics?
Over all this graph only points out the end result, not the building blocks of technology and science, which are significantly more important. - osbjmg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Did it really take that long to go from pottery to plow? What were we doing in the middle? Maybe we just started seeing the plow more often? This reminds me of Germs and Steel where civilization didn't need to farm for more than themselves to eat until you have people specializing and able to do other things such as raise animals so that others can take more time and grow food and then trade with each other. Trade is the key.
- williamdyer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2When people get a middle class lifestyle, the women start to say "No" to pumping out 7 kids. Don't worry about it, unless the economy stops growing in India and China.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3This is one of the worst graphs I've ever seen.
- capnjosh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Aeiri - "We should also superimpose a population graph on this. The more brains out there, the more innovation."
That is exactly what is required for progress. The more theoretically-thinking, logical-minded people there are, the more cool stuff that will happen.
now if we could just get everyone on the planet to think that way.... then we could have holo-decks and the cool microwave-looking things that synthesis food from nothing. That's what I want for Christmas! - ChrisDScott, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Well, if you knew anything about Robert Fogel - the source of the graph - you would understand the ground-breaking research he has done in historical economics and the substantial amount of data he has that correlates population size with technological achievement. I was introduced to this by an Economics professor that I took a class from that studied under him while he was at the University of Chicago.
- vvvv, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The graph will take a sharp downturn in a few years once the nations of Earth get into a nuclear war over the shrinking supply of natural resources.
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