Actually, we couldn't afford to build the pyramids today because the software costs would be too high....
Sure, I'd rather live here than in ancient Egypt. But that's only because I've got the advantage of knowing a bit about both. The exponential growth of our technology is fascinating, but it is also a very novel situation and unprecedented in human history. It's not clear if we can keep up this kind of growth indefinitely, or if it will be restricted by social or even physical limits and constraints. It may be premature to think that we can maintain this kind of growth indefinitely, or even if we should try.
As you say, we've only been doing this for a couple of centuries now (I count the turning point as the introduction of steam and electrical technology in the early 19th century). We've never had to deal with this kind of self-generated instability before, and it's not really clear whether or not we can handle it. Right now we're just hanging on for dear life.
I don't think the Pharaohs would have envied us much.
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re: Egypt
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