Yes, Things Really Are Speeding Up

Here's a tidbit from an extraordinary new book on learning that I am helping to launch — about which more later, when the wraps come off.

The very first tool our ancestors invented was for cutting, and it was created by chipping at one stone with another. Now the more chips, the more effective the instrument (sounds familiar?). Our progenitors started with an average of 15 chips on the tool's cutting edge, and eventually this advanced to the high-precision version made with an average of 111 chips. "Eventually" here is a bit of an understatement. This techological advance took all of 2.4 million years — or one new chip every 25,000 years. So if you're feeling a bit rushed by the latest combination iPod-videophone-toaster-defibrillator, you may have a reason...