It doesn't add up because you have to know the big picture. It has to do with our evolved capacity to suppress non-kin conflicts of interest, using the threat of coercive violence, on a larger and larger scale throughout our history. Every time humans developed a new way to do this, you notice an "adaptive revolution", followed by a period of adaptive sophistication:
(Dates are fairly approximate)
~2 m.y.a. - development of elite throwing: We could throw accurately, and fast enough to kill. This is precisely when the first Homo evolved.
~50,000 yrs ago - the Atlatl: a spear-like device enabled us to kill at farther distances. Behaviorally modern revolution occurred soon after.
~10,000 yrs ago - the bow: a long distance precision weapon (relative to what was before). The agricultural revolution occurred soon after. This might be what you're referring to as "civilization" in your post.
~5,500 yrs ago - Body armor & "Shock weapons" such as swords coincides with the rise of the archaic state.
~600 yrs ago - gunpowder/artillery: with gunpowder came the rise of the modern state. Things started to change rapidly after this. Body armor was no longer effective in stopping gunpowder, so we could threaten coercive violence on a larger scale.
~400 yrs ago - handguns: different from artillery in the sense that it allowed mostly anyone to possess an accurate, small deadly weapon. The democratization of the modern state occurred. See: The United States of America
~50 yrs ago - aircraft and missles: this enables us to effectively coerce non-cooperating persons on the other side of the planet. We are in the midst right now of a formation of a pan-global coalition.
note: There're a few game-theory terms used in the aforementioned explanation.
Perhaps non-modern refers to homo-erectus, the first hominid which lived ~2 million years ago, whereas modern humans refers to homo-sapiens (you and I and most slashdot readers).
Brain size doesn't correspond to intelligence. The significance regarding hominid brains has less to do with mass and more to do with the development of Broca's area which enables the capacity for language.
Its certainly to Microsofts credit, that they usually drop the "sucky" ideas fairly quickly. Remember MS Bob, or Windows ME. I'm sure the list goes on.
Not that I'm one to necessarily defend Microsoft, but whats to say that Bill Gates (and subsequently Microsoft) hasn't changed their attitude towards bugs since this interview took place: over 7 years ago.
Slashdot Mirror
It doesn't add up because you have to know the big picture. It has to do with our evolved capacity to suppress non-kin conflicts of interest, using the threat of coercive violence, on a larger and larger scale throughout our history. Every time humans developed a new way to do this, you notice an "adaptive revolution", followed by a period of adaptive sophistication:
(Dates are fairly approximate)
~2 m.y.a. - development of elite throwing: We could throw accurately, and fast enough to kill. This is precisely when the first Homo evolved.
~50,000 yrs ago - the Atlatl: a spear-like device enabled us to kill at farther distances. Behaviorally modern revolution occurred soon after.
~10,000 yrs ago - the bow: a long distance precision weapon (relative to what was before). The agricultural revolution occurred soon after. This might be what you're referring to as "civilization" in your post.
~5,500 yrs ago - Body armor & "Shock weapons" such as swords coincides with the rise of the archaic state.
~600 yrs ago - gunpowder/artillery: with gunpowder came the rise of the modern state. Things started to change rapidly after this. Body armor was no longer effective in stopping gunpowder, so we could threaten coercive violence on a larger scale.
~400 yrs ago - handguns: different from artillery in the sense that it allowed mostly anyone to possess an accurate, small deadly weapon. The democratization of the modern state occurred. See: The United States of America
~50 yrs ago - aircraft and missles: this enables us to effectively coerce non-cooperating persons on the other side of the planet. We are in the midst right now of a formation of a pan-global coalition.
note: There're a few game-theory terms used in the aforementioned explanation.
Perhaps non-modern refers to homo-erectus, the first hominid which lived ~2 million years ago, whereas modern humans refers to homo-sapiens (you and I and most slashdot readers).
Brain size doesn't correspond to intelligence. The significance regarding hominid brains has less to do with mass and more to do with the development of Broca's area which enables the capacity for language.
Its certainly to Microsofts credit, that they usually drop the "sucky" ideas fairly quickly. Remember MS Bob, or Windows ME. I'm sure the list goes on.
Well I always suspected something more insidious with that whole MSN butterfly.
I am. And I'm overdue for a big-budget hollywood flick starring Ben Affleck as me.
Yea, its generally my policy to avoid using the words Gates and G-d in the same sentence.
Not that I'm one to necessarily defend Microsoft, but whats to say that Bill Gates (and subsequently Microsoft) hasn't changed their attitude towards bugs since this interview took place: over 7 years ago.