It's a pretty silly article I think. Of course the Internet itself is not
going to directly provide you with some kind of physical thing like a
flying car or ray gun. So it is not directly comparable with something
like combustion engines. But on the other hand, the access to information
that it provides can allow someone to make a bunch more money than they
otherwise might be able to pre-Internet, thereby allowing that person to
buy a lot nicer combustion engine vehicle, etc. It is an indirect in
many cases, but very real revolution in physical terms. Not to mention
the new kinds of entertainment, productivity enhancement for corporations,
and acceleration of innovation that the Internet makes possible.
phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu wrote:
>
> Paul Krugman:
> http://www.nytimes.com/library/opinion/krugman/061800krug.html
>
> Arguing (superficially; 300 words) that economic measures fail to capture the
> extent of material progress, and questioning how significant the current
> 'revolution' really is. Not really new ground, especially the latter, but I
> throw it out again.
>
> -xx- Damien X-)
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