Raw

We now know how to do this computer stuff. Networks even. The Web of Data is now mainstream, yesterday's news. But we're still at the stage like Luther pinning his notice to the church door, can't find a stapler. Out of my window I see a little electricity pylon, that will be on a DB somewhere. I also can probably see 50 trees. I should be able to describe them individually, that's actually a plum tree that I cropped last year. I should be able to identify the caterpillar crawling up the twig, on that branch, of that tree. It's totally Engelbart, augment the person. But I don't think anyone (except perhaps for Phillip K. Dick) envisaged the possibility that this could be networked. The separation between human individuals can be huge, but there is a way of having a shared intellectual overlay of the whole of reality. We have all the bits of technology, easy, already. To pick a cliche, imagine there's a starving kid in Africa. We can know about that almost immediately, divert appropriate resources. Ok, just some guy with a mobile, taking a piece of bread. As a species, we have the potential to be so beautiful. First time on this this planet, let's make the best of it.