So... When you think about computers and lasers today, is it a military application that comes to your mind? Even rocketry is iffy.
I read the GP completely agreeing with your point, but this comment is such a clear reminder that we have no hope of knowing what change will come from a technology that I had to change my mind.
There is no single application that comes to my mind, so I can answer neither yes or no, and I can't deduce what answer you seem to be supposing.
> I read the GP completely agreeing with your point, but this comment is such a clear reminder that we have no hope of knowing what change will come from a technology that I had to change my mind.
Okay, but why? Because a military application doesn't come or come to my mind when I "think about computers and lasers"? I'm not following.
Because this is an excerpt from a smart person just a bit out of touch with his times (it would be a majoritarian opinion among smart people a few years earlier) claiming that computers are inherently linked to the military, to the point that new CS undergrads would certainly work in military projects after graduation.
I read the GP completely agreeing with your point, but this comment is such a clear reminder that we have no hope of knowing what change will come from a technology that I had to change my mind.