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Sputnik
Sputnik was the first artificial satellite, and was launched by the Russians in 1957. It was not important in itself, but in the frenzy of scientific and computer-technology adavances it spurred. In many ways, it can be called the cause of today's technology. -
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Technology from Sputnik to the Present Day
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LED
While the technology behind the LED began as early as 1907, the first practical LED that functioned within the spectrum of visible light was not produced until 1962 by Nick Holonyak Jr. While not an immediate fad, LED's are indispensable today in making brighter, more efficient, longer light bulbs that benefit everything from the hiking to the housing industry. -
Electronic Fuel Injection
The first fully successful Electronic Fuel Injection system to be installed and marketed on production vehicles debuted in 1967 with Volkswagon's Type Three 1600, a coupe. It marked the beginning of a total elimination of carburation from cars in favor of more efficient, powerful, and smooth electronic injection. -
Catalytic Converter
As with many technologies, the catalytic converter existed in one form or another long before 1973, but its debute in practical, production vehicle form was not until then. The catalytic converter was one of the first major steps the U.S. auto industry took in an effort to reduce pollution. Modern converters coupled with modern car engines make exhaust incredibly safe compared to the exhaust of the 60s and earlier. -
Bic Disposable Lighters
Bic revolutionized fire starting, smoking, birthdays, camping, hunting, survival, and a great deal of other activities in 1973 with the disposable lighter. Previously, lighters had been miniature lanters which required maintenance and could lose their fuel without being used because of evaporation. With Bic disposable lighters, fire became simpler. -
Cell Phones
Another technological advance that has permeated society is the cell phone. The first practical production model was released by NTT, a Japanes company, in 1979. -
CD
The first commercial CD was marketed in 1982, and marked the beginning of a new era. No more monstrous vinyl rcords, no more cassette tapes unraveling in your car, the CD opened the era of information being stored in an efficient and inconspicuous manner that would eventually pave the way to modern, non-physical music files. -
Smartphone Origins
The ancestors of smart phones were not phones at all, but were called Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs. PDAs were miniature computers, they fit in a hand or pocket and could approzimate all the actions of a full size computers. They remained on the market until the early 2000s, when cell phone technology absorbed the concept of the PDA and the smartphone was born. -
Vehicle Improvements
There is no single event that marked the car technology of the eighties, but it is the decade responsible for modern cars. Automotive performance of the 60s was destroyed in 73 by regulations against pollution. Vehicle performance and quality suffered terribly, but with advance from the eighties, cars were able to regain horsepower without sacrificing efficiency. -
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows was introduced in the mid 80s and effectively ushered in the age of personal computers. Windows took computer use from scientific to personal, lauching Microsoft to the top of the industry to this day and creating much of the educational and business technology use seen today. -
World Wide Web
This was the date of the publishing of the first website, and the grand opening of the public internet as we know it today, with the ability to view and move between pages with all manners of information. Truly, with the ballooning technology of the eighties holding it up, the World Wide Web became one of the most influencial technologies of all time. -
Simon
Simon was the original smartphone, developed by IBM in 1993. It was equipped with a touch screen, and could send emails. -
DVD
The DVD was invented in a group effort including Sony, Toshiba, Philips, and Panasonic. It was to VHS what the CD was to cassette tapes, and it brought video files into the modern age by slimming them down significantly, and providing free irritation to anyone careless enough to scratch the surface. -
Google
While only a part of the internet, Google -being one of the world's foremost search engines- defines the internet experience. It dictates what you see and don't see, how you see it, and who sees it for what reasons. Today, Google tailors individual internet experiences. -
Smartphone Development
Early smartphones went unnoticed, and it wasn't until the late nineties to early 2000s that they became effective and publicly noticed. Among these early phones was a company called Ericsson, and the popular Blackberry, which carried the market until Apple and Android swept the floor after 2007. -
Ipod
The Ipod defined and still defines the 21st century. From a century of bulk, to CDs and DVDs, the Ipod was the next step into modern technology. It had everything the last century couldn't provide; it was light, small, user friendly, tough, had a long battery life, and could hold more music than ten times its weight in CDs. All modern handheld devices follow its lead. -
Variable Displacement
Variable displacement is the automotive concept of shutting off certain cylinders of the engine for improved fuel efficiency. It first hit the market in 2005 in response to the growing price of fuel and environmental regualtions. Often seen in trucks, certain cylinders will skip beats when the engine is not under strain, thus saving fuel. -
YouTube
YouTube is another defining part of todays internet experience. It represents a global culture, a massive, world wide city, complete with government, a town center, industry, poor parts of town, dark alleys, and and all other aspects of society. It increasingly provides educational and business oppurtunities. -
LG G2
Reviews consider this to be one of the best smartphones of 2013, and therefor of all time. The LG G2 can learn from its user, has a high fidelity sound system, and an energy saving screen, along with a polycarbonate case. I won't get into its processing abilities, but the darn thing is better than my laptop. Say hello to the future of all technology, from computers to phones to gps and everything else. -
Virgin Galactic
While the date is still tentative, Virgin Galactic will likely be the first company to allow for individuals to take a space flight with no more qualifications than having bought a ticket. This, however, is not the important part. What Virgin has also done is privatize space flight, or more broadly, pick up what the U.S. government can no longer do in its financial irresponsibility. Long live the private sector.
