In this short and witty interview with the editors of Fortune magazine, Penzias provides at least three engaging ideas. As miniaturization continues and computers become as small as postage stamps and about as expensive, they will become ubiquitous. The computer will disappear into the background. In a sense, technology becomes less technical as it becomes a part of the fabric and framework of everyday life.

Second, the network linking computers will become indistinguishable from, and more significant than, the computer itself. Penzias gives the example of two phone networks. One provides great bandwidth and availability; the other knows how its customers are using the network--what they are buying and with whom they are communicating. Which one thrives as a business? The first ends up being leased at commodity rates to provide a commodity service by the second, which captures the real value added, growth, and capital. I suspect that this is the difference between AT&T and some future version of Lucent or Microsoft.

Finally, the promise of this technology to address grave environmental problems--including traffic, pollution, and stress--is great, according to Penzias. The technology for solving problems of urban transportation--using vans, on-board chips, and geographic positioning software--is available. Is the political will? Now that Penzias has fewer corporate budgetary responsibilities and more time to write, I hope to hear additional insights and anecdotes.