Quote:

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when the von neumann computer design architecture gets outdated and replaced by a more modern, nanotechnological approach

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Actually whe have some kind of "non von Neumann" architecture already.
Speaking of distributed calculation over networks. (client-server approach)
Even if the single computers still have a von Neumann architecture, the
computers working within a network is an additional step.


Views of the future:

2 new Ruling Powers: China and Norway.

Norway?! My GOD!

Cheers

it's difficult to tell, but i think the european union will become more and more important, overruling the countrie's own governments. the current borders in the eu are ok, there's not much controlling done so that theoretically we can go everywere in europe (except for maybe some eastern states).

the distributed computer system will indeed outgrow local processing of tasks. look at current projects in the internet (ajax powered applications) like image manipulation, writely and google spreadsheets. you can also record tv shows and download them afterwards, and all that one year after the ajax functionality has become so popular. one year! what about that in, let's say, ten years? local disks and computer hardware will only be for translating the data that comes via net into visual information (the linux x-server is a good example for that).

joey.

woops... is it countrie's or country's? country's, right? well then...

i'm definately for a united europe. i don't like national pride and such stuff. you can't be proud on something you haven't helped doing imo.
do you think the euro will be the strongest currency in the future? or still the dollar?

Now if you would have a united Europe and with that a democracy,
then a collective vote by France ,Germany and GB would overrule all other nations.

Contries like Luxembourg would have virtually no influence, since they have much less inhabitants.

Dont think of this too simple, as Europe is not a (more or less) homogenious culture like in the US.

And it is also not the meaning of democracy, that the vote from an ihabitant in Luxembourg
weights more than in Germany, (if you grand each contry the same weight in votes).


I am not for a united "EU-govenment", it would just not work out.
Europe is a collection of nations, not a single nation made of districts.


I was also happy that the election for a EU constitution was droped by France and Holland.
Why? because I had no option to vote for/against it.
A contitution can only be legalized by a collective vote of all that are affected by it
, and not by some government that
was not elected dor this specific question.
(social contract theorem)

He might mean the per habitant saldo,
might be higher in Holland. (I would have to look up the statistics)

But Germany is the largest net-payer.

Yes, I meant per citizen indeed. However, it depends a little on which information you rely. At the moment Belgium seems to be paying slightly more per habitant than Holland. About 400€ versus 335€. Germany pays only 259€ per habitant. France pays more, about 286€ per habitant. Like I said though, this depends on which statistics you use. Usually Holland can be found in the top 5, just like Germany.

On second thought though I think we shouldn't complain. I tend to totally forget that our country is quite wealthy compared to other countries. Ireland, Denmark, Holland, Austria and Luxembourg all are quite wealthy, so actually it's not that strange that 'we' pay more.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/European_union_gdp_map_de.png

Cheers