Everyone knows that technology changes quickly. And most people have an adequate understanding of velocity and acceleration. So I'm always surprised when people ask about the next "new technology". After all, it's relatively easy to derive the "rate of change" in a technology's "position", over time and then compute its velocity and ecceleration.

The attached article provides more than enough data that can be compared to the specifications of older equipment like the cameras used on the SR-71 "Blackbird" ("U2"). These two sets of data points can be used for a quick an dirty "linear" model. What is more interesting, however, is to acquire a few more intermediate data points and to then refine the "straight line" model's "rates of change".

Anyone that wants an effective "shortcut" can simply use Moore's Law (capability doubles every 18 months) with the banker's "rule of 72" (72 divided by the annual rate = time to double).

An even better approach is to go to any sales conv