Nobody Said the Sky Was for Sale!

What did “Moore's Law” say again?

Every 18 months, the number of components that can be placed on a circuit doubles, while the cost of production stays the same or tends to fall. Moore's Law

In other words, technology advances at short intervals, along a logarithmic curve. Short interval? 18 months? Is it still like that today — or is the speed making your head spin? 😇

There's a true anecdote I love…

In 1946, Thomas Lee Causby, a farmer in North Carolina, took the matter to court, claiming that military planes flying over his farm were trespassing on his property. The US Supreme Court ruled in Causby's favor. Because in those years, the legal definition of property also covered the entire volume formed when you extend your land's boundaries up into the sky. So, under the law of the time and technically, the planes had indeed entered Causby's land! 😄

After this case, airspace ownership and civil-aviation rules were reshaped in the US. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defined the concept of “navigable airspace,” establishing that the airspace above a certain altitude belongs to the public and that private ownership does not cover it. This ruling is said to be a “milestone” that opened the way for civil aviation. 🚀

The reverse is possible too — and usually is. Just like how, after seeing email invented and used, the definition of “spam” was drawn up to prevent public harm.

A question I run into often: “Why aren't measures taken in time for the legal gaps that innovation creates?” People think the laws and regulations are inadequate. How could they be adequate? It's impossible to foresee every new technology — especially while it's developing this fast…

The caravan has to be set right on the road. It's always been this way…