The 20th century was characterized by industrial might, lowering the cost of manufacturing, transportation and computing. The 21st century so far has seen spectacular growth by lowering the cost of information and maybe even knowledge. Here are five mules pulling this century along:
• Asynchronous. Face-to-face meetings. Phone calls. The “CBS Evening News” at 7. Beyond first-class mail, life used to be synchronous. Real time. Snap decisions. Then along came answering machines. Leave a message, I’ll get back to you later. Life became asynchronous—with time to think and react.
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