With all of the talk recently of an increasingly global world it is impossible to shake the feeling that an average person just doesn’t matter much anymore. However the reality is actually quite the opposite. Small groups of like minded individuals continue to influence the future in ways which are far greater than the sum of their individual accomplishments. A group of about a hundred has the power to shape the future if dedicated to a transformative idea.
The start of the world wide web was marshaled in by a small group of people who shared a vision of a global network of devices which could communicate in a reliable manner. This idea has led to an information age where anyone with access can share and create information at extremely low cost to all parties involved. I’m sure that the founders of the world wide web could not have imagined just how many programs and companies would emerge from this simple idea.
Linux was founded in 1991 by Linus Torvalds when he adopted the GNU Unix-compatible operating system and added his own kernel. The program was released for free and a number of new contributors collaborated on a first full release of the operating system in early 1992. Today there are many derivatives of Linux available to anyone with the interest in using it. Popular versions such as Ubuntu are used by tens of thousands of computers around the world. Even more interesting is the adoption rate for Linux in the server market with over 70% of large enterprise users reporting to use Linux as their primary cloud platform in 2014. What started as a big idea became a successful reality because of the hard work of a few dozen or more early adopters.
Another idea which is slowly gaining traction in the economy now is 3D printing. The original idea was patented by Chuck Hull in 1983 and large companies have used the process for decades to produce limited batches of prototypes in expensive machines. Since the expiration of that patent and subsequent release of a greatly simplified version of the machine the prices have fallen dramatically. One particular version called the RepRap (self-replicating rapid prototype) was started by Adrian Bowyer in the UK in 2006 with the goal of producing a 3D printer which could eventually make all of its own parts. Each version of the machine is open-source and anyone can create a new version of the machine to add to the project. Now ten years on there are more than 67 distinct versions of the machine. In a testament to the originality of the movement, the 3D printing giant Stratasys purchased MakerBot in 2013 in order to tap into a growing consumer movement which started with the original RepRap release in 2006.
Finally no phrase has been more misused in the media recently as artificial intelligence. Whether it is “summoning the demon” as Elon Musk has so eloquently termed the potential problems or nothing to fear as Ray Kurzweil has continued to maintain. It is clear that this area of technological development is progressing rapidly. But just how many people are pushing this field forward? Google acquired a company called DeepMind Technologies in 2014 which at the time had about a dozen researchers which specialized in deep learning or machine intelligence. It was estimated at the time that there were about 50 experts in deep learning worldwide. With so few brains working on this problem it is remarkable how quickly their work is affecting everyone on the planet. The defeat of Korean Go master Lee Sedol by Google’s Alphago (a feat which was previously estimated to not take place for another ten years) is one example of how powerful this new machine learning technique really is. All of the major technology companies are investing heavily in deep learning because it is expected to produce dramatic results in technological progress over the next decade. This is yet another good example of how a hundred or more people can make a big impact on the future of the world.
The great promise of the ever expanding information age is that now more than ever any individual can make a difference in this world if connected with the right people. There are endless possibilities when you find the other people scattered across the planet who care about the same things that you do. Like the ocean and want to know what’s hidden in the 95% which is unexplored? Then join the OpenROV project and explore the ocean using a robotic submersible. Or perhaps space is more interesting for you. In that case you can build your own inexpensive automated robot observatory created by the Open Space Agency and discover asteroids as they zip by earth. My personal favorite is a robot controlled CNC farming machine called the Farmbot. It will allow you to create a real-life version of Farmville in your backyard and give you more control over the food that you put into your body. The point is there are a hundred or so people out there who share your passion. Reach out and find them.
(CH)
