Virtual Natives

Epilogue: Invisible Architecture

One key enabler of just about everything that Virtual Natives do that sets them apart from previous generations is infrastructure. Without electricity, without connectivity, without software, hardware, and artificial intelligence, Virtual Natives are just like the rest of us.

We tend to take our amazing infrastructure for granted, but none of the future that we currently envision will come to pass without continuing significant investment from the private companies and utilities that create the digital tools upon which we all depend.

Infrastructure is, and always has been, the “invisible architecture,” the vital foundation upon which we build our lives, and the means by which we continue to improve them.

An Enduring Miracle

At the surface, looking with the naked eye, one can only make out a pit in the arid earth. Were it not for a series of orderly holes of the same dimension, one might easily overlook them. Yet these holes, which dot the landscapes of the Middle East and Central Asia, are a sign of one of the greatest early feats of engineering known to man: the Qanats of Iran.

The gardens of ancient Persia were, and remain, one of the world's greatest wonders. Arriving from a distance across a harsh and unforgiving desert, travelers of the past would be astonished to see what seemed to be a mirage in the distance, but it was no mirage: Almost miraculously, the Persians were able to coax palm trees, fragrant tuberose, crocus, peonies, pomegranate, ...