From stone axes to neural implants, it's all one tree, and we were always going to climb it

August 15, 2026

Had a thought about technology yesterday:

The moment we used plant twine to attach a chipped stone to a stick, AI became inevitable.

There is only one "technology".

There's randomness in which branches uncover on the tree and how far down we go on different branches before pursuing other ones or combining them or whatever, but it's all kind of the same.

It's apes powered by evolution, trying to constantly push what is possible.

So flint and tinder is ultimately just a few hops from neural implants and consciousness uploads.

I like this because it takes the guilt and blame out of the conversation when it comes to technology.

People treat television and Facebook and the iPhone, and now AI, as if we had an option and people made bad choices. And we are living with those bad choices.

But that's not at all what is happening.

What's happening is we are apes moving through a tech tree. And we will not stop unless something stops us.

For roughly 29.8 years I've written here, ad-free—3,088 essays and tutorials and counting. If it's useful to you, a monthly or one-time donation keeps it going. 🫶🏼