Technology in the Last Century

[Redz]

Sometimes it seems totally unbelievable.  So much has happened, so fast.  Just an amazing convergence of innovation that set things moving forward exponentially.

I've been reading a bit about Edison lately.  He came up with some pretty crazy ideas.  A few of them even worked - just not at all in the way he anticipated.

Every time I use my Kindle Fire I think of how unimaginably cool that thing would have been when I was a kid (it is now too).

Here's something someone forwarded to me on Facebook.  Just under a hundred years ago:



South Minneapolis native Alexander Heine worked for the Milwaukee Railroad but caught the flying bug at an early age and learned to fly at the Curtiss School in San Diego. He built his own airplane when he returned to Minnesota, modeling it after the Curtiss Pusher aircraft prevalent then, and flew it from the grassy meadows near Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He designed, built and flew eight airplanes and earned fame by flying around the Minneapolis Courthouse December 12, 1913.

[Roy H.]

This stuff amazes me, too.  From the early 90s, even, our entire culture has changed completely.  Internet, cell phones, email, texting...  We've come a long way in terms of technology that has changed our daily lives.

The thing I'm hoping to see in my lifetime is a major advance in medicine.  Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer's...  I'd love to see a breakthrough in some of those areas...

[Redz]

This stuff amazes me, too.  From the early 90s, even, our entire culture has changed completely.  Internet, cell phones, email, texting...  We've come a long way in terms of technology that has changed our daily lives.

The thing I'm hoping to see in my lifetime is a major advance in medicine.  Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer's...  I'd love to see a breakthrough in some of those areas...

Yes, they've already come so far with that stuff.  Life span and successful birth rates are way up and rising.  My parents have outlived all four of my grandparents.  Of course, the earth is teaming over with people as a result.

I wonder if diseases will always stay one step ahead of medicine though.  Will nature just keep coming up with more complex viruses?

[arctic 3.0]

great topic

[Redz]

OK...I'll take another stab at getting this thing some life.  Stumbled upon the story of the WW2 bat bomb today.  Fascinating.

http://www.military.com/video/ammunition-and-explosives/napalm-bombs/weird-world-war-ii-bat-bomb/661784581001/

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/old-weird-tech-the-bat-bombs-of-world-war-ii/237267/#.T5NbeDTBCjA.facebook

[thirstyboots18]

I am going to pick just one thing, and  mention only a few upgrades since I was a kid....

The automobile:  front wheel drive, air bags, OnStar (gps and phone), rain sensing intermittent wipers, automatic headlights, power steering!, remote entry, air conditioning (we were among the first to get air conditioning in the car when I was in high school.  The unit hung down under the dash board.  I don't remember the year of the car, a Pontiac Safari Wagon, but I graduated from  high school in 1964.)

It would be interesting to go from room to room, or activity to activity to review changes.

[Kiorrik]

Oh man, I think computers are the best example of technology advancing.

I sometimes think about my job, and what kind of people I work with. I work with people that get paid for Social Media management.

Now turn the clock back 20 years.

Imagine someone telling you this:

I make a living by putting messages consisting of no more than 140 characters on a computer network, and there's thousands of people like me that make earn their wages in the exact same way. Some of us even get paid around 120k a year for this, or more!

That would just sound all kinds of crazy!

[ManUp]

Nice thread.

I never really though about how quickly we've advanced.

Makes me look forward to growing old.

[GreenFaith1819]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWS1dBrAAJU&feature=related

U.S. Navy Rail Guns..future weapons.

In just my time in, I saw so much change technology-wise...capability to track contacts far away. Different types of radars...you name it.

And BLOGGING? Who would've thought that we'd be able to communicate with folks all over the world on Celtics-related stuff?

Just an awesome time to be alive.

[LB3533]

This stuff amazes me, too.  From the early 90s, even, our entire culture has changed completely.  Internet, cell phones, email, texting...  We've come a long way in terms of technology that has changed our daily lives.

The thing I'm hoping to see in my lifetime is a major advance in medicine.  Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer's...  I'd love to see a breakthrough in some of those areas...

Yes, they've already come so far with that stuff.  Life span and successful birth rates are way up and rising.  My parents have outlived all four of my grandparents.  Of course, the earth is teaming over with people as a result.

I wonder if diseases will always stay one step ahead of medicine though.  Will nature just keep coming up with more complex viruses?

I'm afraid you nor I will ever see cures for any major disease/illness known to man.

Cures = No profits

And the increase in life expectancy is only partially a positive.....but the bottomline is most people with pre-existing conditions are just "living junkies".

Dealers don't make money with "dead junkies".

[Redz]

This stuff amazes me, too.  From the early 90s, even, our entire culture has changed completely.  Internet, cell phones, email, texting...  We've come a long way in terms of technology that has changed our daily lives.

The thing I'm hoping to see in my lifetime is a major advance in medicine.  Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer's...  I'd love to see a breakthrough in some of those areas...

Yes, they've already come so far with that stuff.  Life span and successful birth rates are way up and rising.  My parents have outlived all four of my grandparents.  Of course, the earth is teaming over with people as a result.

I wonder if diseases will always stay one step ahead of medicine though.  Will nature just keep coming up with more complex viruses?

I'm afraid you nor I will ever see cures for any major disease/illness known to man.

Cures = No profits

And the increase in life expectancy is only partially a positive.....but the bottomline is most people with pre-existing conditions are just "living junkies".

Dealers don't make money with "dead junkies".

Grim.

Maybe I've been watching too many Star Trek The Next Generation Reruns..but I'd like to think we'll evolve past the trappings of capitalism.

[thirstyboots18]

I just see it differently.  It seams to me that most of these  innovations occurred because of, or at least aided by, capitalism, and that capitalism is not all bad.

[Bankshot]

I just see it differently.  It seams to me that most of these  innovations occurred because of, or at least aided by, capitalism, and that capitalism is not all bad.

A lot of it happens because of government investment, like the Internet.  Government didn't invent it, but invested in its research and development.

[thirstyboots18]

I don't want to hijack the topic (a terrific topic, IMO) so maybe if you want to discuss this part of it further it should be done in Current Events.

[Eja117]

I often find myself thinking "How on Earth did I ever do this before the internet?" and I can't even remember.

Sometimes I just use slightly lower technology than other people and they can't figure it out for a second.

About 7 years ago I don't think I owned a cell and I drove to Fenway to meet some guys for a game. They were all Ivy Leaguers and they wondered how I had found the place without a cell if I had needed directions.

I told them I had stopped in a library on the way and printed out directions from mapquest.

They all said in unison "That's so resourceful. I would never have thought of that. I'm completely dependent on this smart phone"

I keep telling the guy at radio shack he has to give me a decade to catch up to where we were  a decade ago.

I'm the kind of guy that buys a big flat scree top notch tv, then I get a tad bit discouraged by having to pay for HD, then my eyes adjust, my wife and I say "I don't see the difference at all" and then I don't buy it. 

I always buy used cds and dvds and video games.  When they come out with PS4 and XBox 720 I'll still be on PS2 and Xbox 1.    And I am telling you right now I find PS2 amazing.