Now that I have completed some experiments in integrating graphics with entries and looked at the results, I feel it is time to go back into a more serious mode in terms of subject matter. For this entry, I will talk about the problem called path dependency. Path dependency is, bluntly put, a threat to one of the things that we as a species desire most. We desire to progress in a forward direction, to leave the worst remnants of our past behind, and to have better than previous generations did.
The first question I am sure you will ask is, “what is path dependency?”. The best way to answer is through analogy. Imagine for a moment that you are a lion, wolf, or similar large animal of prey that depends upon a fast run and a powerful bite in order to win meals. You are chasing game that is a tiny bit slower in the long haul, and of a size that will keep you eating enough to make the expenditure of energy worth it in the end. But out of the corner of your eye, you see game that is far easier over the long term to bring down, and will yield a much bigger feast for yourself once the hunt concludes. So what do you do?
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