How The Future Fell Short: Facebook Instead Of Mars Colonies?

18:07

November 16, 2012

LEFT: NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems). RIGHT: Facebook for Android. (Johan Larsson/Flickr)

Humans on Mars, a cure for cancer, the end of hunger were all worthy dreams of the 20th and now the 21st century. But many of those dreams failed to materialize.

The November/December issue of MIT Technology Review tackles the disconnect between what we envisioned and what we ended up with — "You promised me Mars colonies. Instead, I got Facebook," they say. The writers argue that, in the last 50 years, entrepreneurs, technologists, investors, the government have all lost the zeal necessary to solve the really big challenges.

Deputy editor Brian Bergstein joins Radio Boston to talk about the Tech Review's impassioned critique of what he calls 21st century technology's love affair with quick money and small pursuits.

Guest:

Curt Nickisch, WBUR's business and technology reporter
Brian Bergstein, deputy editor of MIT Technology Review

More:

MIT Technology Review: Why We Can't Solve Big Problems

This segment aired on November 16, 2012.