“Things Are A Lot Better Than They Were 200 Years Ago”

February 12, 2013 in Books, Excerpts, Politics, Science/Tech, Urban Studies | Permalink

A few exchanges follow from the new Bill Gates Ask Me Anything on Reddit.

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Question:

What’s your worst fear for the future of the world? 

Bill Gates:

Hopefully we won’t have terrorists using nuclear weapons or biological weapons. We should make sure that stays hard.

I am disappointed more isn’t being done to reduce carbon emissions. Governments need to spend more on basic energy R&D to make sure we get cheap non-CO2 emitting sources as soon as possible.

Overall I am pretty optimistic. Things are a lot better than they were 200 years ago.

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Question:

What emerging technology today do you think will cause another big stir for the average consumer in the same way that the home computer did years ago?

Bill Gates:

Robots, pervasive screens, speech interaction will all change the way we look at “computers.” Once seeing, hearing, and reading (including handwriting) work very well you will interact in new ways.

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Question:

If Microsoft didn’t take off, what would you have done and be doing instead?

Bill Gates:

If the microprocessor had NOT come along I am not sure what I would have done. Maybe medicine or theoretical math but it is hard to say.

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Question:

Oh! What’s your favorite book? 

Bill Gates:

My favorite of the last decade in Pinker’s Better Angels of our Nature. It is long but profound look at the reduction in violence and discrimination over time.

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