Deming has criticized "sustainability" as a misleading concept, a chimera," at least as far as it pertains to technology, pointing out that "present day technologies and practices are never sustainable, nor should we expect them to be . . . . of current technology into the future are always invalid because technology does not stand still . . . . [Technological progress is our birthright and destiny." In 2003, speaking at a meeting of the "Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association", Deming said, "I think it would be foolish to try to predict what our technological capabilities will be years from now, just as it would have been foolish for someone from the 19th century to try to predict what we could do today."