Technology is a vast umbrella term that encompasses many things. It is impossible to talk about technology in its entirety without giving an entire science degree to do so. Technology is simply the collective sum of any methods, skills, processes, or skills utilized in the achievement of specific goals, including scientific research, technological development, or the creation of new products. Technological change occurs on a massive scale, even changing the way that we communicate with one another and the world around us.
In a broad sense, technological systems are those that have been developed by humans for the purpose of enabling communication or the transfer of information over a wide geographical area or over a period of time. These processes can be classified into two general categories, technological systems and non-technical systems. Technological systems are the result of human design or exploration. They include things like electricity, steamboat engines, and jet aircraft. On the other hand, non-technical systems are the result of scientific discoveries or technological innovations.
As defined by Wikipedia, a technology industry is “a business industry that develops and implements novel technologies, often derived from well-known and often experimental scientific, technological and economic fields.” In the context of the science and technology industry, new technologies are those that are not yet available in traditional scientific methods but which are developed through rigorous and often expensive research and development processes. Examples of such technologies in use in the science and technology industry include nanotechnology, computer science, renewable energy, genetics, computer engineering, and biomedical technology.
One important place where technology has made substantial advances is in the field of the industrial arts. Industrial arts refers to the collection of different artistic practices (such as painting, architecture, photography, printmaking, music, spectacle, or sculpture) that are related to the manufacture of physical goods. The most prolific areas in which industrial arts have grown in recent years are visual and performing arts (designing computer software, producing television shows, performing stage shows, or film), audio visual arts (designing, audio-visual production, sound recording, or video production), and the visual and performing arts (such as acting). Johann Friedrich Schatzberg is probably the most influential artist in the history of the science and technology industry.
During the first decades of the twentieth century, artists such as Carl Seibel, Otto Adler, Arthur Lackner, and Hans Memch delivered some of the most innovative theories on how to apply science and technology in their respective art forms. Among these, Memch’s notion of ‘aesthetic science’ and ‘composition’ stands out as being far more advanced than anything produced by earlier artists. Moreover, even though his approach was far more scientific than holistic, his ideas still managed to impact the industrial arts. And his works helped to popularize the term technology in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
In the last twenty years, there has been a resurgence in interest in German science and technology, particularly because of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie, Cool Machines. In particular, the movie’s portrayal of the semiconductor industry as a breeding ground for countless transistors led to renewed interest by both scientists and industrialists in Germany and around the world. The semiconductor industry is today one of the most advanced industries in the world, employing over one hundred million people. It has contributed largely to the world’s technological progress. Whether it was Arnold Schwarzenegger himself who inspired the use of the term ‘skewering’ in science fiction, or whether his characterisation in Cool Machines pushed this idea further, one thing is clear: in twenty years time, we will once again be seeing brilliant German scientists and industrialists making contributions to our world.