Customer Reviews

Charlie Rose with Bill Joy; Jeffrey Hawkins; Dean Kamen (July 3, 2000)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bill Joy one of the founders of Sunsystems , and a major innovator in the world of information- technology tells Rose about his own work, and about his own reservations concerning accelerating developments in science and technology. Joy has urged restraint in regard to what is happening now in robotics, genetics, and nano- technology, fearful that mankind will get ahead of itself, and introduce processes which will ultimately be more destructive than helpful. For this warning Joy received a great deal of flak, he sees himself in good company with Albert Schweitzer and Bertrand Russell who made similar warnings in their own time. One of his contentions is that human culture is not able to adjust to such rapid developments. Another danger is the possible misuses of the new technologies if they become democratically available. He rightly warns that there are crazy and evil people in the world who might for instance should they be able to manufacture a new kind of smallpox virus. Joy is a quite modest pleasant and of course extremely intelligent person. He also recognizes that there is very little chance his warning is going to be heeded by anyone, especially when there is so much money to be made from new technologies.
Dean Kamen is an inventor who speaks to Rose about a variety of inventions he has made. Many of these have medical application and have been of real use to humanity. Some like the helicopter he invented can perhaps be more seen as purely consumer products. A brilliant technical person of the kind who when he sees a problem sees an opportunity for inventing an answer.
An interesting show.