In the concluding chapters of this book the author introduces GIM the Global Intelligent
Machine. GIM is a huge global hybrid machine a combination of production machinery
information machinery and mechanized networks. In the future it may very well encompass all
machinery on the globe. The author discusses the development of machines from the Stone Age
until the present and pays particular attention to the rise of the science of machines and the
development of the relationship between science and technology.The first production and
information tools were invented in the Stone Age. In the Agricultural empires tools and
machinery became more complex. During and after the Industrial Revolution the pace of
innovation accelerated. In the 20th century the mechanization of production information
processing and networks became increasingly sophisticated. GIM is the culmination of this
development.GIM is no science fiction. GIM exists and is growing and getting smarter and
smarter. Individuals and institutions are trying to control parts of this giant global robot.
By looking at its history and by putting GIM in the context of the current developments this
book seeks to reach a fuller understanding of this phenomenon.
