On the tech beat

Lots of interesting technology stories out that I ought to be blogging about, most via Felix Salmon.

Salmon examines the career of "the Man Who Makes the Future."

Neal Stephenson and Tyler Cowen have some questions about innovation in the internet age.

While the other side seems to be retreating to the position that we're doing fine; just look at how slow progress was in 1900.

And finally, Noah Smith effectively makes the case that, in an era of limited budgets, particle accelerators are a bad place to spend our research dollars.