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C00002 00002	americ[e88,jmc]		notes on the American position in the world
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americ[e88,jmc]		notes on the American position in the world

Taken from some 1988 notes on paper

1. Not bad
2. Not so pre-eminent as it was or could have been
Loss of technological momentum
	The Indian barber
	We made products no-one else could.

Slogans
	Future shock
	Small is beautiful
	Soft energy - corruption of scientific institutions
		solar energy
	Technological corruption, phony demonstrations
	anti-technology
	post-industrial society or bureaucratic inefficiency
	technology assessment - a disaster
	can we allow this technology to be used before we know
all its consequences

	Examples:
	a. nuclear energy - cowardice of scientists
pussyfooting about nuclear in discussions of CO2 problem
	b. microwave ovens - Japan
	c. EFT, SST
	d. cellular radio
	e. Yalow on fear of radioactivity
	f. artificial heart
	g. We need a precise ... of what could be dangerous

extent and prospects of computer revolution

reduce the level of abstraction

robot servants
computer controlled cars
smart advisers
merger of human and ai

1. What to buy with next $10K
individually
	house,car,computer per se?, word procesor, expert systems
	Perhaps most people are spending their increased income
on eating at more expensive restaurants and going on trips.

collectively
	access to world literature
	commercial access - bargainers

2. computers and production
	blue collar
	main effects will be on white collar work
de and re skilling
	white collar and professional featherbedding
	cbcl (requires standards)
	employment - I don't know the effect of technology
on employment, and I don't believe anyone else does either.
no correlation.
(desire to maintain all kinds of monopoly, elderly carpenters,
what about us professors?)

robots, computer controlled cars, smart advisers
1. what to buy
	word processor and mail terminal, access to lit., expert systems?
2. computers and production
	a. blue collar
	b. main effects will be on white collar, cbcl
3. labor wants
	a. easier safer jobs, easier transitions
	b. better jobs (what does it mean?)
	c. variety of jobs
4. America in the world
	don't let them hold up new technology
	a. we have been unique, but (give back)
	b. Indian barber
	c. we have made products that no-one else could make
	d. we have fumbled with slogans (lawyers' technology)
small is beautiful
technology assessment - planning leads to feudalism
anti-technology
regulatory ethic, second guessing and its immense costs
post-industrial society
quote from Kling
distrust of our fellow Americans' ability to act in their own best interest
future shock, atrocity stories, lawyers
costs of safety

5. examples
	a. nuclear energy, cowardice of scientific community
	b. microwave oven, Japan
	c. SST
	d. cellular radio
	e. artificial heart, wasn't in plan, Taiwan Artificial Heart Co.
	f. Yalow, fear of radioactivity, Yalow and Goldberg (need to discriminate)