4IR
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
We are at the beginning of 4IR. What is it? Let’s do key words for each so far. Industrial Revolution number:
1. Mechanisation: textile looms, plough, steam
2. Heavy industry: Mines, Oil, Electricity
3. Telecoms: Electronics, Computers, Nuclear, Space
4. Internet: ATMs, Cellphones, Smartphones
Perhaps even more simply, we can trace the developments by travel:
horse (dorp)
steam (city)
jetliner (state, continent)
rocketliner (continent, planet)
Really, rocket? Yes. Elon Musk thinks we can go anywhere on earth in half an hour. Where the Concorde billboards shouted Breakfast in London, Lunch in New York (some added "Luggage in Hong Kong"), Musk believes it can be (for example) Breakfast in London, Tea in Sydney. Since SpaceX is already well into working on getting to Mars, why not just believe him? His “Starship” (looking like a huge, stainless steel beer can, maybe as big as those cylindrical apartment blocks) launched on Tuesday 4th of August, lifted itself 150m, then gently, successfully returned to the the ground.
Only a decade ago, rockets became junk soon after launch. These days, SpaceX returns them into use, though we don’t know whether Starship will be re-used.
What has really changed from revolution to revolution, and what changes will 4IR bring?