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Where Did The Magic Go?
- byoung2 15y agoThe human race has become spoiled. Every day, new and incredible technology debuts, and we just seem to brush it off as expected, or worse, a late arrival. So where did the magic go? What happened to the days when we would be blown away by a piece of wax that could record sounds? Or pictures that could move? Or the miracle of human flight? We expect things now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions Modern inventions happen so frequently that they lose their impact. In the 1st millennium, AD, you see 1-2 major inventions per century (e.g. bridges, dams, gunpowder, banknotes). In the latter half of the 2nd millennium, that number jumps to 4-5 (e.g. steam engine, thermometer, blood pressure cuff, printing press, newspaper). The reason for this is that the earlier inventions, plus a larger population make it more likely that new inventions will be discovered. In the era from 1800-present, we have seen hundreds of revolutionary inventions (e.g. light bulb, radio, telephone, television, computer, nuclear energy, automobile/gas pump, internet, airplane, helicopter, IV pump, digital media). It's hard to continue to be impressed by individual inventions when they are happening so frequently. Some inventions from the last 50 years that have become commonplace are: DNA testing. GPS, smartphones, microprocessors, LCD, LED, compressed digital media, fiber optics, tablet PC, ATM, email, internet. Compare that to people who only saw the invention of the steam engine and the cotton gin during their lifetime.