This is Exactly What I Was Talking About

In this thread at Thought Mesh, I wrote, in part:

On an inflation-adjusted, per-capita basis, the U.S. GNP tripled between 1929 and 1995. So, at least during the 20th century, the average per-capita real growth rate, over times of war, peace, boom, bust, catastrophe and cornucopia, has been about 1.8%.

Considering the coming advances in automation, robotics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology, as well as the decline in birth rates and the Boomer retirement, my forecast is that during the 21st century, we’ll do 30% better, on average. Therefore, by 2100 I see an American GNP of about $ 240 trillion, in 2001 dollars.

Comes now this:

From Harold Maass of The Week:

While most people use Internet aerial map photos to spot their houses, entrepreneurs are using free services like Google Earth and Zillow-dot-com to find clients. Roofers, landscapers, insurance firms, real estate agents, and pool cleaners are among those using aerial images from map Web sites to inspect potential jobs, drum up new business, and create long-distance cost estimates. Jay Saber, the owner of a California roofing company, recently bid a job 175 miles away by looking at a photo of the building in Google Earth. "Instead of nine hours," he said, "I spent 10 minutes on the computer." (The Wall Street Journal)