Gordon argues that the major technological changes that raised the standard of living in the past are much more important than anything that can happen in the future. He points to examples such as indoor plumbing, automobiles, electricity, telephones, and central heating, and argues that all of them were much more important for living standards than recent innovations like the internet and mobile phones.
戈登认为，过去提高生活水平的重大技术变化比未来任何东西都要重要得多。他援引自来水、汽车、电、电话、中央供暖等例子，指出所有这些东西对于生活水平的提升所起到的作用远远高于互联网和移动电话等最近的创新。