Listen, three eyes," he said, "don't you try to outweird me, I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal.
Douglas AdamsRead
Ever since Newton, we've done science by taking things apart to see how they work. What the computer enables us to do is to put things together to see how they work: we're now synthesized rather than analysed. I find one of the most enthralling aspects of computers is limitless communication.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the shift in scientific approach from analysis to synthesis, highlighting the role of computers in enhancing communication and understanding.
Douglas Adams highlights a fundamental change in the methodology of science brought on by the advent of computers. Whereas traditional science often involved breaking things down to understand their components, computing allows us to synthesize and connect those components in novel ways, leading to new insights and limitless communication possibilities. This reflects a broader evolution in how we engage with information and ideas, fostering collaboration and innovation.
Themes
ScienceSynthesisCommunicationComputersInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about the future of technology, this quote can inspire the audience to think about the transformative power of computers.
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Computers are still technology because we are still wrestling with it: it's still being invented; we're still trying to work out how it works. There's a world of game interaction to come that you or I wouldn't recognise. It's time for the machines to disappear. The computer's got to disappear into all of the things we use.
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What the computer in virtual reality enables us to do is to recalibrate ourselves so that we can start seeing those pieces of information that are invisible to us but have become important for us to understand.
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We are stuck with technology when all we really want is just stuff that works. How do you recognize something that is still technology? A good clue is if it comes with a manual.
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