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すばらしい技術の躍進
すばらしい技術の躍進
筆者が中学生のとき、ある先生が
「人類史上、最も重要な発明は何か」
という質問を生徒たちに投げかけ、
生徒はさまざまな発明を挙げた。
それから20年ほどたった今、
その質問の答えは一つしかないと
筆者は確信している。
Join the Tech Revolution
By SCOTT T. HARDS
OK, what's the most important invention in human history? When one ponders this question, things like the
light bulb, computers, automobiles, the telephone, television and many medical breakthroughs come quickly to
mind as candidates for the honor.
Way back when I was in junior high school, I had a teacher who put that question to us, and the answers
that rained back were along these lines. When we were finished, he calmly announced that not one of us had
named the single most important invention in history. His winner? The printing press.
When one considers just how much impact the printed word, that is, the ability to mass distribute knowledge
and ideas, has had on human civilization, it is really quite hard to argue with this conclusion.
But now, 20 years later, I firmly believe that the printing press has surrendered its crown. Without a
doubt, the Internet will ultimately do more to change the world than any other human innovation to date.
Like the printing press, the Internet's power focuses on the ability to distribute knowledge and ideas. But it
takes the concept to levels of efficiency that even my teacher couldn't have dreamed of.
The Internet is not limited to the printed word or images. It can disseminate sound and motion pictures as
well. And it is universal, not limited by the number of copies printed, or how they are distributed. With
even an outdated personal computer, its vast store of information can be accessed from nearly any point on
earth (literally anywhere if you use a satellite portable phone!).
And to top it all off, it's organized! Though far from perfect, the numerous "search engines" on the
World Wide Web give you the ability to begin locating information on any subject you can imagine in just a
few seconds.
Think about it: In the United States, in particular, the ways that people communicate with and meet each
other, work, gather news, shop for merchandise, conduct financial transactions and carry out basic research
have all been permanently transformed by the Internet. And these changes grow more pronounced every
day.
So forgive me for being shocked, but why is it that in Ja
pan I still meet people — almost daily — who have never experienced the Internet? I regularly give lectures to
various groups around Japan, and when I ask the audience whether they have ever used the Net, I don't believe
I've ever had more than half of the hands in the room go up.
Worse, I hear stories of people who are consciously avoiding it (or preventing their kids from experiencing it!) because they've heard about all the Internet-related scams out there, or of pornographic web
sites.
I could write a hundred pages about why people with these attitudes are only harming themselves and their
children. Let's just suffice it to say that not learning to use the Net because of harmful content is just
as big a folly as not learning to read because there are dangerous books out there.
Would you ever hire a worker who couldn't read or use a telephone? The same will be true of the
Internet-illiterate in the next five or 10 years, I think.
So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a cheap computer and get in touch with the greatest invention in
the history of the world!
OK, what's the most important invention in human history? When one ponders this question, things like the
light bulb, computers, automobiles, the telephone, television and many medical breakthroughs come quickly to
mind as candidates for the honor.
Way back when I was in junior high school, I had a teacher who put that question to us, and the answers
that rained back were along these lines. When we were finished, he calmly announced that not one of us had
named the single most important invention in history. His winner? The printing press.
When one considers just how much impact the printed word, that is, the ability to mass distribute knowledge
and ideas, has had on human civilization, it is really quite hard to argue with this conclusion.
But now, 20 years later, I firmly believe that the printing press has surrendered its crown. Without a
doubt, the Internet will ultimately do more to change the world than any other human innovation to date.
Like the printing press, the Internet's power focuses on the ability to distribute knowledge and ideas. But it
takes the concept to levels of efficiency that even my teacher couldn't have dreamed of.
The Internet is not limited to the printed word or images. It can disseminate sound and motion pictures as
well. And it is universal, not limited by the number of copies printed, or how they are distributed. With
even an outdated personal computer, its vast store of information can be accessed from nearly any point on
earth (literally anywhere if you use a satellite portable phone!).
And to top it all off, it's organized! Though far from perfect, the numerous "search engines" on the
World Wide Web give you the ability to begin locating information on any subject you can imagine in just a
few seconds.
Think about it: In the United States, in particular, the ways that people communicate with and meet each
other, work, gather news, shop for merchandise, conduct financial transactions and carry out basic research
have all been permanently transformed by the Internet. And these changes grow more pronounced every
day.
So forgive me for being shocked, but why is it that in Ja
pan I still meet people — almost daily — who have never experienced the Internet? I regularly give lectures to
various groups around Japan, and when I ask the audience whether they have ever used the Net, I don't believe
I've ever had more than half of the hands in the room go up.
Worse, I hear stories of people who are consciously avoiding it (or preventing their kids from experiencing it!) because they've heard about all the Internet-related scams out there, or of pornographic web
sites.
I could write a hundred pages about why people with these attitudes are only harming themselves and their
children. Let's just suffice it to say that not learning to use the Net because of harmful content is just
as big a folly as not learning to read because there are dangerous books out there.
Would you ever hire a worker who couldn't read or use a telephone? The same will be true of the
Internet-illiterate in the next five or 10 years, I think.
So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a cheap computer and get in touch with the greatest invention in
the history of the world!
Shukan ST: Feb. 26, 1999
(C) All rights reserved
- invention
- 発明
- ponders
- じっくり考える
- light bulb
- 電球
- medical breakthroughs
- 医療界の発見
- candidates
- 候補
- honor
- (人類史上、最も重要な発明という)名誉
- Way back when 〜
- ずいぶん前、 〜 のころ
- rained back
- どっと寄せられた
- were along these lines
- 前出の(電球、車、といった)ようなものだった
- had named
- 挙げた
- His winner?
- 彼が一番に挙げたものは何だったでしょう?
- printing press
- 印刷機
- mass distribute
- 大勢に広める
- human civilization
- 人間の文明
- argue with this conclusion
- この結論に対して反論する
- has surrenderd its crown
- (最も重要な発明としての)冠をゆずった
- ultimately
- 最終的には
- innovation
- 革新
- to date
- 現在までのところ
- takes the concept to levels of efficiency that even my teacher couldn't have dreamed of
- 情報を広める効率を、私の社会科の先生が想像もできなかったようなレベルまで高めている
- disseminate
- 広める
- motion pictures
- 動画
- universal
- 普遍的な
- number of copies printed
- 印刷された部数(冊数)
- outdated
- 古い
- vast store of 〜
- 大量の 〜
- can be accessed
- 入手できる
- literally
- 文字どおり
- satellite portable phone
- 衛星回線の携帯電話
- to top of it all
- しかもその上に
- far from perfect
- 完ぺきだとはとても言えないが
- "search engines"
- 検索エンジン(どこにどのような情報があるのかを収集し、集められた情報から目的に応じた情報を検索する機能を提供)
- World Wide Web
- ネットワーク上に離散する情報を誰もがアクセスできる情報として公開するためのメカニズム
- subject
- 分野
- in just a few seconds
- 数秒のうちに
- gather
- 集める
- merchandise
- 商品
- conduct financial transactions
- 金銭上のやりとりを行なう
- (have been)transformed by 〜
- 〜 によって変えられた
- grow more pronounced
- さらに著しくなっている
- Net
- インターネットのこと
- consciously
- 意識的に
- (are)preventing 〜 from 〜
- 〜 が 〜 しないようにしている
- scams
- 詐欺
- Let's just suffice it to say that 〜
- 〜 と言うにとどめておこう
- harmful content
- 有害な内容
- folly
- 愚かなこと
- hire
- 雇う
- Internet-illiterate
- インターネットを使えない人
- get in touch with 〜
- 〜 に触れましょう