On the Bubble
5th January 2025
Humans born in 1900 witnessed a startling stream of technologies that transformed their everyday lives and their understanding of the universe. Cars, telephones, and the internet overturned where we lived, how we worked, and whom we knew. Other scientific feats took the breath away by their sheer might—most of all, the atom bomb and a man on the Moon. Whatever else, rapid innovation ensured that the 20th century was never boring.
But those witnesses’ grandchildren have seen comparatively little change, as all that dynamism has devolved into stagnation and repetition. Infinite digital novelty distracts from the lack of progress in the physical world; look up from your phone, and everything is in stasis, or even decay. Energy density, transportation speed, and crop yield have hardly budged in half a century. Scientific productivity has declined, and we haven’t gone to the Moon in decades, let alone Mars. Our culture is worn out, too, hooked on sequels and reboots. Is there a way out of this endless present?