When dealing in the technology it becomes a question of whether you overuse something. I think that's worse than having something technologically available to you and not using it.

Then I realized that there is an indigenous presence in the Solar System. It's us. So then I got to wondering what would happen if a more technologically advanced society moved next door to us the way we moved next door to the American Indians.

We're as clever as we think we are but we'll be a lot cleverer when we learn to use not just one brain but to pool huge numbers of brains. We're at a level technologically where we can share information and think collectively about our problems. We do it in science all the time - there's no reason why we can't do it in other endeavors.

If I were beginning my career today I don't think I would take the same direction. Television is at a crossroads at the moment. And although I am not up to date technologically I suspect that somewhere out there people are conveying things about natural history by means other than television and I think if I were beginning today I'd be there.

To me it all comes down to things being character-driven. It's hard for me to look beyond that. CG and all this cool stuff - so be it. But to me it pretty much begins and ends with character-driven plots rather than technologically-driven plots.

I was a 'Duck Hunt' and 'Mario' guy and stuff like that. I was never technologically driven. I never had all the cool new toys. I was the youngest child I wasn't the only child so I wasn't spoiled as a kid. And we were on the farm so we didn't have a lot. Also with computers I'm not very good with them. I just check my email.

People are craving this great progress in electronics going after computers the Internet etc. It's a giant progress technologically. But they must have a balance of soul a balance for human beauty. That means art has an important role.