History of Science and Technology Q&A (August 7, 2024)
Stephen Wolfram hosts a live and unscripted Ask Me Anything about the history of science and technology for all ages. Find the playlist of Q&A's here: https://wolfr.am/youtube-sw-qa
Originally livestreamed at: / stephen_wolfram
If you missed the original livestream of this episode, feel free to submit a question you would like Stephen to answer in a future Q&A livestream here: https://wolfr.am/12cczmv5J
00:00 Start stream
1:18 SW starts talking
1:44 What is the history of data visualization? Was the discipline only able to flourish relatively recently with the introduction of computers, or is there a deep and rich history of people creating pictures by hand to extract visual insights from abstract data?
26:45 Nikola Tesla was building a machine for the wireless transmission of electricity. It seems like we're getting to a place where we can beam solar energy down to Earth from solar-harvesting satellites. I'm curious what Stephen's take on this is and the timeline for this research/what is needed to make it a reality.
27:58 From your perspective, what is the importance of compression functions in computer science?
47:58 Do we know who designed written language? Or are there still missing pieces in history such that we can't properly map out the history of written work?
50:52 What is the stage of development/history around implementing cellular automata in hardware, such as quantum dot cellular automata? What large-scale, hardware-accelerated simulations would be interesting?
57:26 I'm curious about the history of eyeglasses. Why has the tech not seem to have advanced much?
1:05:09 End Stream
Follow us on our official social media channels.
X: / wolframresearch
Facebook: / wolframresearch
Instagram: / wolframresearch
LinkedIn: / wolfram-research
Stephen Wolfram's Twitter: / stephen_wolfram
Contribute to the official Wolfram Community: https://community.wolfram.com/
Stay up-to-date on the latest interest at Wolfram Research through our blog: https://blog.wolfram.com/
Follow Stephen Wolfram's life, interests, and what makes him tick on his blog: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/