GEN2050 SUMMER 2026
THE TECH EXPLOSION
Technology doesn't just grow â it doubles over and over, faster each time
đĄ FROM TUBES TO TRANSISTORS
Before we explore the explosion, here's the basic building block â a bit is just an ON or OFF switch (1 or 0). Computers went from room-sized vacuum tubes to billions of tiny transistors, each holding one bit:
đšī¸ DRAG TO TIME-TRAVEL
1950
đ WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
đ HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED?
đŦ Tiny Parts Inside a Chip
â
đž Storage You Could Buy for $100
â
⥠Computing Speed
â
đ People Using the Internet
â
đž THE DOUBLING CHALLENGE
Imagine placing 1 grain of rice on the first square of a chessboard.
Then double it on each next square: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 âĻ
How bad can it get? Click and find out!
Then double it on each next square: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 âĻ
How bad can it get? Click and find out!
Square 1 â 1 grain
đ§ WHY THIS MATTERS
In 1950, a computer filled an entire room and could barely add numbers.
Today, the phone in your pocket is millions of times more powerful.
Technology grows exponentially â each leap makes the next leap even bigger.
By the time you graduate, the tech you'll use hasn't been invented yet. đ
Today, the phone in your pocket is millions of times more powerful.
Technology grows exponentially â each leap makes the next leap even bigger.
By the time you graduate, the tech you'll use hasn't been invented yet. đ