The Second Machine Age

Are we entering into the second Machine age? Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of MIT’s Center for Digital Business, and authors of the book The Second Machine Age, sure seem to think so. Their argument is that first machine age replaced our muscles while the second will replace our minds. This isn’t to say that we are doomed to be oppressed in a world overrun by robots, instead it means that technology is growing at an exponential rate. The three shaping forces of the second machine age are Moore’s Law that states that computer processing power doubles every two years or so, Mass datafication caused from every day devices like cell phones putting out massive amounts of data to study, and recombinant innovation where we build on previous innovations.

 

 

As you can see in a variety of different areas machines are developing more into cognitive functions and because of this, there are growing concerns that with this second machine age that there will be more trouble finding jobs. Brynjolfsson and McAfee assert that unemployment won’t be any more of an issue that in already is as long as we reform education. They insist that instead of focusing on routine skills and how to follow instructions like much of the twentieth century education, the twenty first century should be focused on creativity and interpersonal skills.

 

 

 

Cleveland Whiskey

Made in Cleveland, Ohio, this whiskey has a unique store. Much like the rapid expansion of machine progress, owner, Tom Lix has come up with an idea for accelerated aging of whiskey from years down to about six months. He starts by making the bourbon in a traditional way and aging it in a virgin oak barrel for 6 months, then transfers it to a stainless steal tank for about one week. Once in the stainless steel tank, he chops up the barrel and adds it into the whiskey. He then squeezes out all of the flavor possible out of it.