Advanced information technology appears to be contributing to the erosion of personal memory: "Digital dependence 'eroding human memory'" by Sean Coughlan. For a discussion of personal and social memory, see: Mowshowitz, A. The end of the information frontier. AI & Society, 28 (1), 2013, pp. 7-14; DOI 10.1007/s00146-012-0414-2.
The World's 85 Richest Now Worth as Much as 3.5 Billion Poorest
Economic growth has all the earmarks of a Ponzi scheme. The detailed workings vary from place to place and change over time, but certain basic features of the scheme are noteworthy. Each succeeding generation pays into the scheme by undergoing a protracted period of costly education and training. When certified as skilled workers, the rising generation begins to receive ‘interest’ on its ‘investment’ in the form of wages derived from a job, and at the same time continues to contribute to the scheme.
Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actual numbers. The reality is often not what we think it is.
The possibility now exists of capturing a cradle-to-grave record of everything a person says or does. No longer must a personal history be a partial picture. Technology has made it possible to record, process, store, and retrieve all the text, sounds and images that are required to paint a complete picture of an individual’s life.