From Pirate Ships to Black Helicopters: A History of Technological Wealth

Author: Debra L. Spar
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Features: From Privateers to Black Helicopters is essentially a book about the cutting edge of technology. It begins with the explorations of the Portuguese in the 15th century and tells the story of the development of the telegraph and radio in the mid-19th century, as well as the 20th-century evolution of satellite television and the internet. In short, the book aims to tell these stories because they are fascinating and little known outside the academic world. Its deeper purpose is to connect the development of current technology with its true ancestors through these stories. It will explain how Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates, in many ways, inherited the practices of Henry Prince and Samuel Morse, and what they might still learn from these predecessors. Spar is a brilliant storyteller who makes every chapter of the book read like an adventure story. Behind the stories are the dynamics of politics and business, rules and markets, as they play out in the realm of technology. She tells of pioneers who forge ahead when technological development outpaces government regulation and market constraints, leaving governments in the lull of sleep. But ultimately, inevitably, even the cowboys realize the need for rules: property rights, cooperation rules, competition rules. So the original pioneers turn to the government, persuading it to create rules and set the stage for the next wave of innovation. What truly makes this book compelling is the underlying institutional norms it describes, as well as the parallels it draws between historical events and our own chaotic era. Historically, there have been many moments when technological progress outpaced government development, giving rise to new markets, social structures, and vast profit opportunities. Some entrepreneurs stand on the fringes of history, bending governments to their will and seizing incredible gains. Many of their successes even exceeded their originally wild dreams. Others of the pioneers were not as fortunate. Though they also had some groundbreaking technologies and shone brightly in this chaotic world for a time, they ultimately found themselves stranded when markets still adhered to old rules and governments transcended jurisdictional boundaries to regulate the tech sector. In this way, the new world reverted to the old ways, leaving these pioneers stranded on the very paths they had fought to pioneer toward the future.