Rollout

Yes, we have all heard about the fact tech is advancing at double exponential rates but does anyone really believe that when 65% of all software projects fail and things that WORK REALLY WELL IN THE LAB totally spaz when exposed to the vagaries of the real world. (Sorry State of Software - E Week) (21 Hardware Flops - Computerworld)

Also, when looking at shows like the one Discovery had about future cars, nothing is ever discussed about the inherent difficulty of building a viable infrastructure to support, in this case, the "smart" car of the future to insure that the damn thing will be able to steer by itself and "know" where it's going without a care in the world that the train of computer controlled cars traveling at 150 MPH could possibly experience a BSOD moment, something that happens with every system in the world as NO software environment is invulnerable to a system crash no matter how many redundancies or safeguards are built into the system.

Question, if teleprensence and immersion computing is as pervasive as it is supposed to be 20 years hence, why are we talking about cars and commuting (Something that will get worse as time goes by no matter how smart these cars may be.) outside of the fact these designs do look unbelievably cool and futuristic.

Not being a naysayer here but...building the "Automatrix" (or environments like that) is a bit of a stretch when one sees the rosy scenario of an incredibly efficient system that effortlessly extends far beyond what is being done today regarding the auto industry or anything else that deals with computers and "meat space", the harsh reality we all share on Planet Earth.

In the computer industry, the idea of double exponential rates apply because computers push bits that are displayed on a screen with nary a thought about "stuff". When bits get involved with solid objects, Murphy's law applies with a vengeance, something that seems to escape breathless futurists who have not dealt with the maddening glitches that infiltrate every project no matter how well planned out it may be. "and the beat goes on..." Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side.