Ere many generations pass, our machinery will be driven by a power obtainable at any point of the universe.
Interpretation
Nikola Tesla envisioned a future where energy could be harnessed from anywhere in the universe.
In this quote, Nikola Tesla expresses his forward-thinking ideas about future technology, particularly the potential for machinery to be powered by universal energy sources. He believes that, as generations progress, we will develop the capability to harness energy from across the cosmos, leading to advancements that could drastically change our interaction with technology and the environment.
In practice
During a tech conference, one could mention Tesla's foresight when discussing renewable energy sources.
Even matter called inorganic, believed to be dead, responds to irritants and gives unmistakable evidence of a living principle within. Everything that exists, organic or inorganic, animated or inert, is susceptible to stimulus from the outside.
Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world.
Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance.
The history of science shows that theories are perishable. With every new truth that is revealed we get a better understanding of Nature and our conceptions and views are modified.
The Secretary of Hygiene or Physical Culture will be far more important in the cabinet of the President of the United States who holds office in the year 2035 than the Secretary of War.
I am unwilling to accord to some small−minded and jealous individuals the satisfaction of having thwarted my efforts. These men are to me nothing more than microbes of a nasty disease. My project was retarded by laws of nature. The world was not prepared for it. It was too far ahead of time, but the same laws will prevail in the end and make it a triumphal success.
t century, hundreds of millions - and eventually billions - of human beings will transform their buildings into power plants to harvest renewable energies on site, store those energies in the form of hydrogen and share electricity, peer-to-peer, across local, regional, national and continental inter-grids that act much like the Internet.
Most of the value of deep learning today is in narrow domains where you can get a lot of data. Here's one example of something it cannot do: have a meaningful conversation.
The fuel cell is just a fundamentally inferior way of delivering electrical energy to an electric motor than batteries.
YouTube has a hundred engineers who are trying to get the perfect next video to play automatically. And their techniques are only going to get more and more perfect over time, and we will have to resist the perfect.
We cannot idealize technology. Technology is only and always the reflection of our own imagination, and its uses must be conditioned by our own values. Technology can help cure diseases, but we can prevent a lot of diseases by old-fashioned changes in behavior.
We did envision that some day the phone would be so small that you could hang it on your ear or even have it embedded under your skin.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.