Makes me think of my musings on corners cases in computer programming. As of late it feels like whenever a corner case is "fixed", a couple of new ones sprout at the edge of said fix. End result is something akin to zooming in on a fractal, and finding ever new ones.
That's actually a really great visualization. Technology and progress are fractal. There's also increasing cost, and generally diminishing returns (both also addressed by Tainter). Chip tech is a very notable outlier, but even there you've got the end result impact: what exactly does more processing power, storage, and transmission speed buy you? Particularly in terms of the lower end of Maslow's hierarchy.
Another aspect is that tech tends to have a narrower operating bound than low tech: prerequisites and conditions which must be met. Higher tech means less flexibility.
