The gulf between what the press and many regular people believe Bitcoin is, and what a growing critical mass of technologists believe Bitcoin is, remains enormous.
Interpretation
There is a significant disconnect between public perception of Bitcoin and the understanding of it by technologists.
Marc Andreessen's quote emphasizes the disparity between the views held by mainstream media and average individuals about Bitcoin compared to the insights possessed by technologists. While many in the public may have a rudimentary or skewed understanding of Bitcoin, technologists are likely to grasp its underlying potential and implications, highlighting the need for improved communication and education regarding this technology.
In practice
This quote could be used in a presentation about the misconceptions surrounding emerging technologies.
People are so bad at driving cars that computers don't have to be that good to be much better. Any time you stand in line at the D.M.V. and look around, you're like, Oh, my God, I wish all these people were replaced by computer drivers.
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Five or ten years ago, when it was clear the Internet was becoming a mainstream phenomenon, it was equally clear that a lot of people were being left out and could be left behind
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Surveillance technologies now available - including the monitoring of virtually all digital information - have advanced to the point where much of the essential apparatus of a police state is already in place.
I find that writing unit tests actually increases my programming speed
I have no problem with technological solutions to social problems. The key question for me is, 'Who gets to implement them?' and, 'What kinds of politics of reform do technological solutions smuggle through the back door?'
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