Technological advancement since the moon landing

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I'm speaking specifically of "game-changing" inventions like the car, TV, telephone, refrigerator, etc. Things that changed the way the average person lived. Things that spurred secondary industries revolving around them. I'm really just using the moon landing as an arbitrary marker to represent a high point in technological advancement. And no doubt we've had some neat stuff come along since then, but except for the internet/home PC's and microwave ovens I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that has been a game-changer and not just a refinement or natural progression of technology we had 40 or more years ago. Weren't they saying back then we'd have flying cars by now? Seems "innovation" these days is just coming up with more expensive little flashy convenience gizmos and not anything that's an actual advancement for society.

 

[jpeyton]

INTERNET

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
INTERNET

QFT

 

[compuwiz1]

Wait, what?
We landed on the moon?

 

[Deleted member 4644]

GPS, cell phones, hand-held computers, insane medical devices and scanners and monitors, medical lasers, industrial lasers.

Long life batteries, LCDs, DNA stuff, bio tech..

Yes.. most of these *existed* in the 1960s, but they were not practical or usable. The truth is, some areas of advancement are hitting up against Einsteinian physics (ie, we will never have a production model "car" that goes 500 mph, because it would start to fly)... but other areas are just getting started (bio tech).

 

[compuwiz1]

What will be awsome is when they can regrow every part of the human body. Dead, no problem, we'll bring ya back and you can even do it again if you like.

Technology is heading that way.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
I'm speaking specifically of "game-changing" inventions like the car, TV, telephone, refrigerator, etc. Things that changed the way the average person lived. Things that spurred secondary industries revolving around them. I'm really just using the moon landing as an arbitrary marker to represent a high point in technological advancement. And no doubt we've had some neat stuff come along since then, but except for the internet/home PC's and microwave ovens I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that has been a game-changer and not just a refinement or natural progression of technology we had 40 or more years ago. Weren't they saying back then we'd have flying cars by now? Seems "innovation" these days is just coming up with more expensive little flashy convenience gizmos and not anything that's an actual advancement for society.

I think you honestly have no idea at the rate of advancement in the last 40 years. I highly recommend reading this book for some thoughts on what actually happening out there.

In short, the rate of growth in computer science, biological system, and nanotech is increasing exponentially. We have learned more in the last decade then the 50 before that, and we'll do more in the next 2 years than the last decade. Being in the middle of it, the trend isnt obvious, but read Kurzwel, Michio Kaku's 'Visions' for a good start...

 

[MadRat]

The internet as we once knew it came and died. Awww the good ole days of aol chatrooms, mp3's, divx,....

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
What will be awsome is when they can regrow every part of the human body. Dead, no problem, we'll bring ya back and you can even do it again if you like.

Technology is heading that way.

I can think of a few people that could use new material between the ears. Not talking anyone here, mostly rl.

We don't need no stinking though control, we can just grow you a new brain.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: bsobel

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
I'm speaking specifically of "game-changing" inventions like the car, TV, telephone, refrigerator, etc. Things that changed the way the average person lived. Things that spurred secondary industries revolving around them. I'm really just using the moon landing as an arbitrary marker to represent a high point in technological advancement. And no doubt we've had some neat stuff come along since then, but except for the internet/home PC's and microwave ovens I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that has been a game-changer and not just a refinement or natural progression of technology we had 40 or more years ago. Weren't they saying back then we'd have flying cars by now? Seems "innovation" these days is just coming up with more expensive little flashy convenience gizmos and not anything that's an actual advancement for society.

I think you honestly have no idea at the rate of advancement in the last 40 years. I highly recommend reading this book for some thoughts on what actually happening out there.

In short, the rate of growth in computer science, biological system, and nanotech is increasing exponentially. We have learned more in the last decade then the 50 before that, and we'll do more in the next 2 years than the last decade. Being in the middle of it, the trend isnt obvious, but read Kurzwel, Michio Kaku's 'Visions' for a good start...

I'll check out the book, but that's kind of my point. We have all these advancements "out there" but what has trickled down to the average person?

And even in the medical field, in the past 40 years have we rendered any ailments as moot as we did polio or smallpox before then? With all our advancements have we managed to eridicate anything that has been killing people since before the moon landing? We still can't even manage to get flu vaccines right.

Edit: Ok, I did just think of a game-changing medical advancement: birth control. And I'll grant that that is a pretty big one.

 

[Mavtek3100]

The Personal computer.
The Video Game.
The Internet
The Graphical User Interface.
Fiber Optic Cable gains acceptance and use.
Super composites like Carbon Fiber, Kevlar, Carbon nanotubes, etc.
Chinese Capitalism.

 

[Rainsford]

Well the last business trip I was on, I was in an unfamiliar town and really had a craving for some sushi. So I typed "sushi" into my phone and it found several places close to where I happened to be at that moment. I picked one and my phone verbally gave directions to me, guiding me right into the parking lot. But I'm pretty sure you could do that 40 years ago.

 

[bsobel]

I'll check out the book, but that's kind of my point. We have all these advancements "out there" but what has trickled down to the average person?

A few from 1975-1999
MRI machines
Artificial hearts
Hep-B vaccine
Scanning tunneling microscopes
Human growth hormones
Contact lenses
Doppler radar
HIV protease inhibitor

 

[Eeezee]

Seriously? You don't see any difference between technology now and technology 40 years ago? I'd say there have been quite a few significant advances...

 

[maddogchen]

where's my damn hoverboard??

 

[MovingTarget]

There are a lot of things that have occurred since then in the realm of technology. I think the problem lies in that people are dissatisfied with the progress we've made in areas that we should have moved beyond by now. Take the flying cars thing. A car from the 60's isn't all that different mechanically from what was used in the 80's generally. Sure, fuel injection and other safety features were added, but this was incremental and barely noticed at the time. What people would've expected for a "leap" in technology would be widespread, increased capability EVs that would outperform their ICE-powered counterparts. People dont' see improvements on existing technology as the type of innovation of the scale of the Apollo program.

When we get away from the ICE for transportation, or move to a viable fusion or renewable based technology for most of our grid generation, then most people would really say "wow". Either we get the "wow" factor over large-scale infrastructure innovations like these, or we end up taking them for granted.

 

[hellokeith]

Online Banking

Pay-at-the-Pump

Amazon MP3

 

[ericlp]

Well, I feel we should have had cars (In production) you could buy one tomorrow that drove themselves. A personal robot to do the dishes, vacuum the floors, clean the bathroom and do the laundry. We were on our way with all types of progress to make this world a little better ... But oh no... The christain freaks pretty much took a shit when we were going to destroy some stem cells in a lab dish...

Sadly we HAD the knowhow to get all these things done but I guess we will have to wait for China to invent these things since our engineering department is in the gutter. Apparently we are too smart and we need to dumb down america. Pretty much all cell phones yes even the MOST technological advanced Iphone was designed and made in China. Pretty much all of apples crap and computers (dell / gateway) are made in china. Give em another 10 years and they will have laded on the moon "for real" this time...

Hey but you can feel good that we spent 3-4Trillion in Iraq and never really won are accomplished shit.... If anything we made it worse... What other accomplishments do you need??????????? You can also feel pretty good about the whole USA being at least 85% religious nut cases and half of think god is coming back to save em! hahaha What a bunch of BS!!! Hey!!! This is the time to celebrate the dark ages....


Edit....


Uh..... Ok... On a positive note... DLP was invented in the USA from TI... Produces an amazing Image. Dishnetwork beams HD to your house in full glory! We don't watch TV's with tubes in them any more. HI DEF LCD panels are thin and very inexpensive and produce super black! I don't know if you tried to figure out how LCD's are made but it's just amazing!!!!!!! DLP is amazing by itself... DLP uses nano technology billions of Mirros one for each pixel, are on a grid the size of a postage stamp with their own gears that rotate to turn on or off light... Computer Chips are now at 45 NM's with over 800Billion Transistors that's a far cry from the 4004 chip with only 2000 transistors ....

We got Ram that will retain it's memory even tho when powered down (flash drives) Digital Camera's have come along way ... GPS has come a long ways... GPS unit's even get signals when you in doors... That's pretty amazing... We even now have Sat Radio! No more crappy AM / FM static BS. Wind, solar technology has grown by leaps and bounds the efficient ratings have shot up pretty fast...

Evolution at work! Soon computers will be smart enough to design robots and they will keep making them better... Weather you like it or not... One day we will get there... I just hope we get there sooner then later...

You really want to see technology? Try the gaming system from Pong to Crysis....

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
Wait, what?
We landed on the moon?

No.......it was all faked and filmed out in Area 51.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Either we get the "wow" factor over large-scale infrastructure innovations like these, or we end up taking them for granted.

These little incremental advancements are granted. There is always some natural progression that occurs in production. The more you keep doing the same thing, the more effecient the process and more refined the end product become. That is not innovation.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
I'm speaking specifically of "game-changing" inventions like the car, TV, telephone, refrigerator, etc. Things that changed the way the average person lived. Things that spurred secondary industries revolving around them. I'm really just using the moon landing as an arbitrary marker to represent a high point in technological advancement. And no doubt we've had some neat stuff come along since then, but except for the internet/home PC's and microwave ovens I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that has been a game-changer and not just a refinement or natural progression of technology we had 40 or more years ago. Weren't they saying back then we'd have flying cars by now? Seems "innovation" these days is just coming up with more expensive little flashy convenience gizmos and not anything that's an actual advancement for society.

What did you type thyis msg on and where?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
I'm speaking specifically of "game-changing" inventions like the car, TV, telephone, refrigerator, etc. Things that changed the way the average person lived. Things that spurred secondary industries revolving around them. I'm really just using the moon landing as an arbitrary marker to represent a high point in technological advancement. And no doubt we've had some neat stuff come along since then, but except for the internet/home PC's and microwave ovens I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that has been a game-changer and not just a refinement or natural progression of technology we had 40 or more years ago. Weren't they saying back then we'd have flying cars by now? Seems "innovation" these days is just coming up with more expensive little flashy convenience gizmos and not anything that's an actual advancement for society.

What did you type thyis msg on and where?

What did you use to read it?

 

[Rainsford]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
There are a lot of things that have occurred since then in the realm of technology. I think the problem lies in that people are dissatisfied with the progress we've made in areas that we should have moved beyond by now. Take the flying cars thing. A car from the 60's isn't all that different mechanically from what was used in the 80's generally. Sure, fuel injection and other safety features were added, but this was incremental and barely noticed at the time. What people would've expected for a "leap" in technology would be widespread, increased capability EVs that would outperform their ICE-powered counterparts. People dont' see improvements on existing technology as the type of innovation of the scale of the Apollo program.

When we get away from the ICE for transportation, or move to a viable fusion or renewable based technology for most of our grid generation, then most people would really say "wow". Either we get the "wow" factor over large-scale infrastructure innovations like these, or we end up taking them for granted.

The problem with technology prediction is that people aren't very imaginative. They have trouble imagining truly new ideas, so instead they basically take existing ideas and try to "futureize" them. This results in expectations of "advances" like flying cars, while far more useful things like the Internet come out of nowhere and transform society in ways that the predictions would not. People are disappointed because they are looking for advancements in the wrong place. But if they really thought about it, I don't think they'd be so disappointed. I mean think about it, we've gone from basically doing everything with paper and pencil to having a practically unlimited capability to store and process information. That is an astounding advancement in the last few decades, next to that flying cars are mundane elements of mediocre science fiction.

 

[Colt45]

embedded everything. How much more processing power does your cell phone have vs. the apollo computer?

 

[desy]

Cracking the human genome

 

[Farang]

That guy from the infomercials cured cancers but the FDA doesn't want you to know about it.