Archived Posts » 59,699,509
What revelotionary new technology has been invented in the last 60 years?
1/10/2011 2:54:30 PM
I was born in 1951. I was talking with a friend of mine last Friday and we came to the conclusion that while great refinement of inventions has occurred in the last 60 years, we could not come up with anything new. Compared to the first 50 years of the 20th century the second half didn't really invent much at all. By 1951 there was computer, airplanes, phone systems, antibiotics, x-rays, radios, automobiles, radar, AC current, transistors and even lasers. What have we done lately? Basically so much was invented during the first half of the century we spent the second half refining what had been discovered.
Any thoughts out there?
Any thoughts out there?
1/10/2011 3:01:41 PM
Integrated Circuit.
1/10/2011 3:12:13 PM
internets
1/10/2011 3:18:34 PM
software
1/10/2011 3:42:01 PM
genetic mapping
1/10/2011 3:47:29 PM
1/10/2011 3:58:01 PM
Carbon composite structures?
1/10/2011 3:58:58 PM
Really?
Transistor radios
Cell phones
EFI
Flash memory
(E)EPROMs
Vacuum fluorescent displays
LEDs in a practical package
LCDs
Plasma displays
Minicomputers
Microcomputers
Personal computers (each one of these represented a completely new way of doing things and I believe should be classified as a new invention)
Commercially viable MOSFETs
Commercially viable bipolar junction transistors
Molten salt reactors
That's off the top of my head in a few minutes.
Transistor radios
Cell phones
EFI
Flash memory
(E)EPROMs
Vacuum fluorescent displays
LEDs in a practical package
LCDs
Plasma displays
Minicomputers
Microcomputers
Personal computers (each one of these represented a completely new way of doing things and I believe should be classified as a new invention)
Commercially viable MOSFETs
Commercially viable bipolar junction transistors
Molten salt reactors
That's off the top of my head in a few minutes.
1/10/2011 4:10:29 PM
Nuclear Power
Energy supply for industry is the basis of all recent inventions.
Energy supply for industry is the basis of all recent inventions.
1/10/2011 8:36:12 PM
DNA
Rockets capable of reaching orbit, then later interplanetary space
Communications satellites
Weather satellites
Photo surveillance satellites
Remotely operated submersible vehicles
Remotely piloted drones
Rockets capable of reaching orbit, then later interplanetary space
Communications satellites
Weather satellites
Photo surveillance satellites
Remotely operated submersible vehicles
Remotely piloted drones
1/10/2011 10:58:33 PM
Originally Posted By stevem1a:
DNA
Rockets capable of reaching orbit, then later interplanetary space
Communications satellites
Weather satellites
Photo surveillance satellites
Remotely operated submersible vehicles
Remotely piloted drones
DNA
Rockets capable of reaching orbit, then later interplanetary space
Communications satellites
Weather satellites
Photo surveillance satellites
Remotely operated submersible vehicles
Remotely piloted drones
I'm pretty sure DNA existed prior to 1951
1/12/2011 11:30:57 PM
Originally Posted By phurba:
I'm pretty sure DNA existed prior to 1951
Originally Posted By stevem1a:
DNA
Rockets capable of reaching orbit, then later interplanetary space
Communications satellites
Weather satellites
Photo surveillance satellites
Remotely operated submersible vehicles
Remotely piloted drones
DNA
Rockets capable of reaching orbit, then later interplanetary space
Communications satellites
Weather satellites
Photo surveillance satellites
Remotely operated submersible vehicles
Remotely piloted drones
I'm pretty sure DNA existed prior to 1951
Unpossible. If you can't see it with a microscope, it can't be there.
1/13/2011 7:44:21 AM
Lots of neat things here, but I mean things like the transistor which is the basis of a lot of the electronics devices mentioned above. The V2 eventually got us into space, but rockets were around a lot longer. Aerial recon is merely a mating of several existing technologies. We have refined and improved semiconductor technology to almost it's theoretical limits mainly because we have had over 60 years to improve it. Just about everything we have and use in everyday life is based upon inventions preceding 1950. I was looking for a base technology type invention. Something that will take us in a whole new direction.
1/13/2011 7:55:33 AM
Originally Posted By gaweidert:
Lots of neat things here, but I mean things like the transistor which is the basis of a lot of the electronics devices mentioned above. The V2 eventually got us into space, but rockets were around a lot longer. Aerial recon is merely a mating of several existing technologies. We have refined and improved semiconductor technology to almost it's theoretical limits mainly because we have had over 60 years to improve it. Just about everything we have and use in everyday life is based upon inventions preceding 1950. I was looking for a base technology type invention. Something that will take us in a whole new direction.
Lots of neat things here, but I mean things like the transistor which is the basis of a lot of the electronics devices mentioned above. The V2 eventually got us into space, but rockets were around a lot longer. Aerial recon is merely a mating of several existing technologies. We have refined and improved semiconductor technology to almost it's theoretical limits mainly because we have had over 60 years to improve it. Just about everything we have and use in everyday life is based upon inventions preceding 1950. I was looking for a base technology type invention. Something that will take us in a whole new direction.
You won't know what those things are until 50 years from now.
1/13/2011 12:32:55 PM
Originally Posted By gaweidert:
Lots of neat things here, but I mean things like the transistor which is the basis of a lot of the electronics devices mentioned above. The V2 eventually got us into space, but rockets were around a lot longer. Aerial recon is merely a mating of several existing technologies. We have refined and improved semiconductor technology to almost it's theoretical limits mainly because we have had over 60 years to improve it. Just about everything we have and use in everyday life is based upon inventions preceding 1950. I was looking for a base technology type invention. Something that will take us in a whole new direction.
Lots of neat things here, but I mean things like the transistor which is the basis of a lot of the electronics devices mentioned above. The V2 eventually got us into space, but rockets were around a lot longer. Aerial recon is merely a mating of several existing technologies. We have refined and improved semiconductor technology to almost it's theoretical limits mainly because we have had over 60 years to improve it. Just about everything we have and use in everyday life is based upon inventions preceding 1950. I was looking for a base technology type invention. Something that will take us in a whole new direction.
Everything I listed was after 1950.
Discounting e.g. LEDs because the phenomenon was first noticed in the early 1900s isn't right. The technology to make it commercially viable didn't exist until the 1960s. Same way we have the basic ideas for quantum computing now, but it won't be a viable technology for years or decades.
And "transistor" is a pretty broad category - I listed several types of transistors which were invented after the 50s. The mechanisms of FETs, BJTs, etc are different enough that they're different inventions. They're not improvements on each other.
1/13/2011 12:34:41 PM
fleshlight
1/13/2011 12:41:46 PM
La Rue Mounts
1/13/2011 12:51:24 PM
Glocks. 
1/13/2011 12:59:42 PM
Originally Posted By ColonelHurtz:
Integrated Circuit.
Integrated Circuit.
The first post thing again.
Many of the things listed above came as a result of the IC.
1/13/2011 3:24:59 PM
viagra
1/14/2011 1:57:51 PM
Originally Posted By Ameshawki:
Glocks. Nuclear powered hand grenades.
Glocks. Nuclear powered hand grenades.
Fixed.
1/14/2011 9:24:01 PM
Originally Posted By CTbuilder1:
fleshlight
fleshlight
BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
Guys guys, come on! THE INTERNET!!!
1/19/2011 11:50:10 PM
I can't believe no one said this yet, GPS!
1/19/2011 11:54:33 PM
Revolutionary? Try the birth control pill. It's had more impact on modern society than the atom bomb.
1/20/2011 5:53:36 PM
lasik eye surgery
arfcom
politacal correctness
arfcom
politacal correctness
1/21/2011 11:36:31 PM
Probably digital technology replacing nearly all of the analog tech. Think of the Apollo projects, those engineers used analog tech and slide rules.
2/3/2011 11:58:20 AM
Damn, somebody beat me to ARFCOM...so I'll go with internet porn
