Life Changing, History Making Gadgets
There are some Gadgets that make interesting novelty item. The “I-dog”, for instance - cute and entertaining for about 15 minutes, then it became just another item sitting on a shelf collecting dust.
Then, there are other gadgets that can affect the lives of a whole generation. Let’s consider, for example, the Nintendo Wii, which has brought us that much closer to living our lives “virtually”.
Video Gaming
Few gadgets have had a more significant impact on a generation, and all future generations, than the video game.
Nuclear Physicist William Higinbotham is thought to have created the first ever video game, called Tennis for Two in October 1958. Higinbotham was simply thinking that having an interactive “game” display at the Brookhaven National Laboratory where he worked might create more interest in the lab’s scientific exploits from visitors than the usual static displays.
Of course, he was right. It didn’t take long before long lines of people were waiting to play the electronic game.
Unfortunately, Higinbotham never patented his idea. Who knew that in 50 years his technology would expand into what it has become today? According to the Entertainment Software Association there were more than $9.5 billion in video game and software sales in 2007, more than triple what they were in 1996.
Of course, had he done so, the patent and the money would have gone to the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Higinbotham passed away in 1994, living long enough to see the dawning of the gaming age and knowing that he had brought fun to millions.
Well, we’ve come a long ways from simple two-dimensional gaming to the all out interactive virtual-reality games of Nintendo’s Wii. Something that was considered “sci-fi” just 20 years ago can now be found in homes all over the world.
Wii software is not just limited to games. By being able to sense your movements, you can now get feedback on your aerobic and Pilates workouts, play guitar, and even play interactive games with someone from across the globe. For those in remote locations, or who have difficulty socializing in public, the technology has opened up a whole new world.
Today, according to the ESA, more than 65 percent of all households in the United States play video or software games. And, of that number, more than 63 percent of parents think that video games have a positive affect in their children’s lives.
Mobile Phones
The mobile phone is another gadget that has had a remarkable effect on the lives of this, and all future generations. Now, it would seem that folks from five to 95 can’t seem to make it through a trip to the grocery store without having the phone stuck in their ears.
In fact, according to a study of 1,000 people, conducted by British consumer website, which.co.uk, the mobile phone was the gadget that people said most changed their lives.
And, it’s easy to see why. The mobile phone, in addition to putting you into instant communication with others, adds an element of safety and security like no other gadgets can.
Parents can keep better track of where their teens are and, mobile phones can certainly take the edge off of getting stranded alongside the road in a disabled vehicle. Even in tragic situations, the mobile phone has allowed people to communicate one last time with their loved ones.
Laptops
While computers are, by their very nature, an awesome invention, laptops have cut the ties to our desks and made us mobile Now, regardless of where we are whether on an airplane, or on a sidewalk in front of caf in the south of France we’re connected and functional.
When the first laptop came about is a little fuzzy, but many historians believe that the 24-pound Osborne 1, with its 5-inch screen was the first “portable” computer. When introduced in 1981 at the cost of $1,795, it was a phenomenal overnight success, selling more than 10,000 units in the first month. Nowadays, laptops can be found in all situations where portability is crucial, for example, the invention of laptops and interactive whiteboards have revolutionised the way that children are educated in schools.
Today, of course, we’re able to access computer software and check and send emails on our PDA’s.
And, speaking of computers and history making gadgets, here’s an interesting sidenote in 2006, the discovery of a fully functional computer dating back to the first century B.C. was confirmed. It was believed to be a result of the work of ancient Rhodes engineers as they tried to develop a way for ships to avoid getting lost between Athens and Alexandria.
MP3 Players
Portable music has come along ways from the bulky 8-track tapes and cassettes that were prone to getting melted in the heat, or stepped on and crushed by careless users. Today, we can get hours and hours of music on a device that’s not much bigger than a credit card the MP3 player.
While compact discs are still very popular, there’s something about a device that will allow you purchase and download songs off of the computer, without having to buy the whole CD.
And, not only does it make high quality tunage easily accessible to the listeners, this technology also makes listeners available to up and coming bands that would normally have difficulty getting heard otherwise.
Essentially, MP3 stands for Moving Picture (Expert Group Level) 3 (level of compression). It has become the standard by which high quality music can be compressed without losing sound quality.
The technology behind the MP3 deserves to go to Karlheinz Brandenburg, section leader at Germany’s prestigious Frauenhofer Institute. Said to be comparable to Boston’s MIT Media Lab, some of Europe’s greatest minds coexist there.
Brandenburg, and a group of his “think tank” comrades, worked on the possibilities of compressing music as early as 1977, well before the computer age. So “outside the box” were his theories, according to the institute, that he was provided no research funding to pursue his ideas.
Nevertheless, Brandenburg pushed on and, in 1997, took his technology to the techno-geeks in Silicon Valley, who welcomed it with open arms. And, the rest is history.
However, as with the video gaming technology, the technology was developed under the umbrella of a government project, so Brandenburg received no profits from his work.
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March 14th, 2009 at 8:07 am
, thank you for info ,keep it up..like it