The human cloud

Lately, cloud computing and storage have been in the vogue, taking technology back to where it started – centralized storage and processing. As accountants, financiers and engineers may say, there is clearly scale in both storage and processing. So "the cloud," is likely more efficient. Slowly we can turn our computers to "dumb terminals," the way they used to be, while super computers will crunch away at a central location, exactly how they use to be as well. History does repeat, itself.

The problem to solve though is not making storage of data and information processing more efficient. It must be clear to most scientific disciplines by now that more data and more processing, do not create insights. The real problem is how to connect the 7 Billion brains together – constructs that can think, create insights, innovate and advance knowledge. This is not a question of efficiency but one of creativity. This is not an engineering problem but a policy question. This will not be solved by technologists toiling away in dark basements nor will it solved by dumb politicians who think internet is a series of pipes.

The issue at hand is whether humans are willing and able to advance thinking. So far, the answer is in the negative. Some fancy sending aluminum tubes carrying themselves to nearly planets. Some others want to build massive guns to smash particles together and collect the bread crumbs in an effort to "prove," the theory they already know simply does not work. Yet others, want to "exponentially," increase computing power and storage and centralize them to increase the efficiency. None of these have any significant impact on society or any single individual's ability to contribute.

Current systems are simply ill equipped to advance thinking. Is there anybody out there, willing and able to raise the debate to a higher level?