Tech Tonic

摘要

The course of innovation has rarely run smooth. The 15th century Benedictine monk, Trimethius, was sceptical about the value of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press: parchment lasted longer than paper, and monks, he claimed, were less likely to make transcribing errors than machines. More recent inventions such as the motorcar, the telephone and the iPhone received cool initial receptions — Western Union turned down Alexander Graham Bell and Gardiner Hubbard’s offer to sell them their patent, and the iPhone, was described as ‘a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks’.Healthcare technologies produce a range of interesting responses, too. At one end of the spectrum of opinion you can hear the sea water lapping around Canute’s sandals, while at the other there is an unshakeable belief that there is …