CNN's top 25 innovations

[Anthony Fremont]

...depending on the definition.

I'd say the Apple and PET should qualify just as much as the first PC
that IBM put out. At least they had graphics capability. And everyone
knows that was the key factor to making the personal computer popular
;-)

In commercial use?

Read the link

Sure, we had crude, but perfectly functional email in the '70s.


Gotcha there!

GPS *is* impressive. OTOH, selective availability is not.

A lot of this is dependent on definitions.

Does the Apollo guidance computer count?

Sure. Even floppys predated '80 by a decade.

Ok

They're certainly neat, but Polaroids gave you an instant print long
before the 80's.

Whew!

Somehow, I don't think these are going to lead to great improvements in
life to me personally. They probably will lead to advertising kiosks
all over the place that call out to you by name. :-((

Ok, let's see how this one goes...

Didn't think it was quite that early. Even shoulder harnesses weren't
required until about then. Seatbelts a decade warlier.

Cadillac offered them for a couple of years (75-76) and then Ford
offered them about 10 years later.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blair_bags.htm

Not even close. We had ATM cards in '70. No networks, our bank only, but
ATMs none the less.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blatm.htm
Looks like they've been in commercial use for a good while. Patented in
1939. :-D

Were "advanced batteries" a lead-in to this one?

At any rate, I'd hardly call the hybrid car a life changing invention so
far. Well....except for those who buy one. ;-)

Good grief. Plato had plasma displays by at least the early '70s.

I thought this was kinda lame too, but didn't want to just smack the
whole list down. Though it is pretty bad all in all.

Standard (well a *lot* of standards), not a technology.

Pathetic, isn't it?

Before '80.

It was certainly gliding before then, but it didn't really fly [into
space] under it's own power until 81 so I let it slide.

How has it improved my life *now*. ...to deserve a place in the top

25.

Is nanotech gonna be another great solution in search of a problem? ;-)

Wow! There were many similar, though more expensive technologies around
before '80.

Right, magnetic core should qualify.

Either way, it's not an improvement in my life.
;-)


DSPs?

Perhaps. I was thinking that maybe they meant size, though I'm fairly
sure that in-the-ear devices have been available since at least the
70's.

EZ-Pass, cordless phones, I suppose.

I have an old cordless phone in a junk box somewhere that uses a
frequency of less than 5Mhz. That qualifies as HF. ;-)

I'd agree with the Internet. I'd also agree that they'll confuse it for
the WWW. As slick as the Mars rovers are, they haven't done anything to
improve my life.

Aw come on, they were entertaining at least. ;-)

I think software patents also came before '80.

1981 according to this:
http://www.bitlaw.com/software-patent/history.html
A very serious mistake IMO. :-(

"Panel of technology editors" is more like it. It *is* a piss-poor

list.

PHBs and CEOs come to mind, certainly not highly technically aware
people.

 

[Richard Henry]

=============================

Anything which doesn't perform according to design is poor and uneconomic
engineering.

Not only that, but funding had to be found to keep the operations cemter
running well beyond the originally budgered term.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

No, it's true - they sell them like traveler's checks.

Cheers!
Rich

Shopper's Drug Mart (just what it sounds like) has a card display in
their stores- they are all essentially vouchers printed on colorful
credit-card-like plastic cards with small glossy brochures attached.
They cover such things as hang-gliding, spa visits, tours, restaurant
meals for two, white-water rafting and such like. So if you're
desperate for a nice $50-$500 birthday present at 3:00 AM, you can pop
in and buy one. The cards are like the telephone cards and gift cards-
they are worthless until they are paid for (and presumably until their
serial number is entered into some kind of central database). So, like
the racks of phone cards at Sam's Club, people can paw through them
without them risking significant loss due to theft*.

It's a very clever example of how something as boring as gift cards
can be extended in an unexpected direction- and effectively creating a
new form of currency, as Rich implies.

* I put a fairly inexpensive Pioneer CD in-dash MP3 player/radio in my
car last week (would have had Best Buy do it, but they were backed up
for weeks and were kind of irritating to deal with). As it was, they
had quoted incorrectly and it was very easy to do- I'd already
machined up a 5-sided "Allen key" to remove the existing radio and the
wiring was straightforward. Anyway, there was a thick white plastic
molding roughly resembling a small battery holder screwed to the back
of the die-cast frame with a sturdy screw (perhaps #8 Phillips). The
instructions directed you to remove the molding and to not re-install
it. Inside the molding- an anti-theft doodad! There was also one stuck
to the *outside* of the box, presumably to fool crooks into removing
that and then trotting out through the detectors to their demise.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[John S. Dyson]

John S. Dyson wrote...

?? That time frame is the 50s. 25 years ago is 1980.

Whoops!!! Brain fart... The previous comment about me being
young would be the opposite (perhaps some dead brain cells!!!)

John

 

[Al]

John Larkin wrote...

I don't see the Internet, or the web, WWW server + internet + browser.

Uhh, why, except for 12), 13), and 16), is it all electronic? Where
would successful human organ transplantation fit into this?

Al

 

[Al]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/01/03/cnn25.top25.innovations

Definition:

innovation ) n.
1. The act of introducing something new.
2. Something newly introduced.

invent tr.v.
1. To produce or contrive (something previously unknown) by the use of
ingenuity or imagination.
2. To make up; fabricate.


So, it could have been "invented" prior to 1980.

Sorta kills some of the arguments -vs- time since invented.
The concept of sending light through conduits has been around for
centuries, but actually doing something useful with it has not.


And eliminating medical avances is sorta bogus.

Al

 

[keith]

Uhh, why, except for 12), 13), and 16), is it all electronic?

AFAIAC, #13 and #16 are primarily electronic. Without the electronics
controls developed in the past few years neither would work.

--
Keith

Where
would successful human organ transplantation fit into this?

I believe the rules said "non-medical". The first successful heart
transplant was in '67, so this wouldn't make the 25 year cut anyway.

http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/archive/speech_15.html

 

[John Larkin]

"Yet without the tiny silicon chip that sensed the impending
collision, the airbag would not have deployed in time.

""The device that causes an airbag to inflate in a crash is a nanotech
device," said David Kirkpatrick, senior editor at Fortune Magazine."

Doncha just love science journalists? As if accelerometers didn't
exist before the MEMS versions were invented.


John

 

[keith]

I'd say the Apple and PET should qualify just as much as the first PC
that IBM put out. At least they had graphics capability. And everyone
knows that was the key factor to making the personal computer popular
;-)

The IBM PC was the first to wear the label. ;-) ...and it did have
graphics capability. Again, depending on what your definition is. ;-)

Read the link

For some reason my web browser went to lunch. It still doesn't like that
site.

Does the Apollo guidance computer count?

Ok, what about muke submarine sonar? I believe the idea here was
man-portable. ...and then there's always the problem of defining exactly
what a "computer" is. HP programmable calculators fit the bill by most
definitions, and were generally available in the mod '70s.

They're certainly neat, but Polaroids gave you an instant print long
before the 80's.

Hardly "digital" though. Hardly impressive quality either.

Somehow, I don't think these are going to lead to great improvements in
life to me personally. They probably will lead to advertising kiosks
all over the place that call out to you by name. :-((

The potential for abuse is certainly there. Perhaps we could take a
little tinfoil from our hats...

At any rate, I'd hardly call the hybrid car a life changing invention so
far. Well....except for those who buy one. ;-)
;-)


Pathetic, isn't it?

HDTV? Yes. ;-)

Before '80.

It was certainly gliding before then, but it didn't really fly [into
space] under it's own power until 81 so I let it slide.

It may noit have flown until the early '80s, but it is decidedly '60s
technology.

Right, magnetic core should qualify.

....and magnetic bubbles. Floppys, EPROM...

I have an old cordless phone in a junk box somewhere that uses a
frequency of less than 5Mhz. That qualifies as HF. ;-)


Aw come on, they were entertaining at least. ;-)

True. They've done more to improve my life than has CNN.

1981 according to this:
http://www.bitlaw.com/software-patent/history.html A very serious
mistake IMO. :-(

I thought the patent for the software cursor came before, but I'm too lazy
to look it up from home.

list.

PHBs and CEOs come to mind, certainly not highly technically aware
people.

Ok, I'll meet you half way. PHBs and CEO of CNN. ;-)

 

[Anthony Fremont]

The IBM PC was the first to wear the label. ;-) ...and it did have
graphics capability. Again, depending on what your definition is.

;-)

I don't think you had pixel level control until Hercules came along and
fixed it.

For some reason my web browser went to lunch. It still doesn't like that
site.

To quote the article:

In 1975, the United States Government decided to link the computers in
the NORAD headquarters at Cheyenne Mountain using fiber optics to reduce
interference.

In 1977, the first optical telephone communication system was installed
about 1.5 miles under downtown Chicago, and each optical fiber carried
the equivalent of 672 voice channels.

Ok, what about muke submarine sonar? I believe the idea here was
man-portable. ...and then there's always the problem of defining exactly
what a "computer" is. HP programmable calculators fit the bill by most
definitions, and were generally available in the mod '70s.

My Cosmac ELF was quite portable and I built it in 77 or 78 I think.
;-)

Hardly "digital" though.

I'm not sure that's what's important in this particular case.

Hardly impressive quality either.

Sounds like my first digital camera. ;-)

The potential for abuse is certainly there. Perhaps we could take a
little tinfoil from our hats...

Where there's potential, there's soon an application. Especially where
marketing is concerned.

At any rate, I'd hardly call the hybrid car a life changing invention so
far. Well....except for those who buy one. ;-)
;-)


Pathetic, isn't it?

HDTV? Yes. ;-)

20. Space shuttle

Before '80.

It was certainly gliding before then, but it didn't really fly [into
space] under it's own power until 81 so I let it slide.

It may noit have flown until the early '80s, but it is decidedly '60s
technology.

I think the fins give it a 1957 kinda look. ;-)

 

[Joerg]

Hi Spehro,

It's a very clever example of how something as boring as gift cards
can be extended in an unexpected direction- and effectively creating a
new form of currency, as Rich implies.

Now just imagine: Pa gives son a Home Depot gift card for Christmas. Son
hands Pa a present: A Home Depot gift card! This has actually happened.
Then there are the 'sinner's gift cards'. We can buy cards that hold
x-many pounds (pounds!) of bonbons and other candy from a certain local
brand. Yeah, it all tastes great but that really packs in the weight.

We only got one card ever. From neighbors whom we helped out of a
pickle. But there is a caveat: If you don't use it all up by this or
that date the restaurant takes a monthly 'maintenance fee' until
depleted. I never figured out what needs to be maintained on a gift
card. They never came out to polish the plastic or anything.

Now after that MP3 car radio story I feel really old. We live in the
stone age. No MP3, no DVD player, neither cable TV nor satellite. But,
we have a guitar, a piano, an old Hammond organ and a wood stove.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Jim Thompson]

Hi Spehro,


Now just imagine: Pa gives son a Home Depot gift card for Christmas. Son
hands Pa a present: A Home Depot gift card! This has actually happened.
Then there are the 'sinner's gift cards'. We can buy cards that hold
x-many pounds (pounds!) of bonbons and other candy from a certain local
brand. Yeah, it all tastes great but that really packs in the weight.

We only got one card ever. From neighbors whom we helped out of a
pickle. But there is a caveat: If you don't use it all up by this or
that date the restaurant takes a monthly 'maintenance fee' until
depleted. I never figured out what needs to be maintained on a gift
card. They never came out to polish the plastic or anything.

Now after that MP3 car radio story I feel really old. We live in the
stone age. No MP3, no DVD player, neither cable TV nor satellite. But,
we have a guitar, a piano, an old Hammond organ and a wood stove.

Regards, Joerg

Our kids all went together this year and bought us multiple gift cards
(and one gift certificate), good at our four favorite restaurants ;-)

...Jim Thompson

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Hi Spehro,


Now just imagine: Pa gives son a Home Depot gift card for Christmas. Son
hands Pa a present: A Home Depot gift card! This has actually happened.

And both are as happy as can be? Could be.

Then there are the 'sinner's gift cards'. We can buy cards that hold
x-many pounds (pounds!) of bonbons and other candy from a certain local
brand. Yeah, it all tastes great but that really packs in the weight.

We only got one card ever. From neighbors whom we helped out of a
pickle. But there is a caveat: If you don't use it all up by this or
that date the restaurant takes a monthly 'maintenance fee' until
depleted. I never figured out what needs to be maintained on a gift
card. They never came out to polish the plastic or anything.

They get enough anyway when people lose them or forget to cash them
in. I suppose that's a method that makes sure that all kinds of people
don't suddenly come in and redeem them- probably keeps the accountants
happy that they can reduce this liability that's on the books.

Now after that MP3 car radio story I feel really old. We live in the
stone age. No MP3, no DVD player, neither cable TV nor satellite. But,
we have a guitar, a piano, an old Hammond organ and a wood stove.

Regards, Joerg

Just as well, you can never be satisfied once you start coveting
technology. I was lamenting that it doesn't handle DVDs or even DL
DVDs (the extra cost would be minimal and 4.7 or 8.5G is a LOT more
music).


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Michael Black]

The IBM PC was the first to wear the label. ;-) ...and it did have
graphics capability. Again, depending on what your definition is. ;-)

The Cromemco Dazzler fit into the Altair 8800. The Altair hit 30 years
ago, the Dazzler not much later, and provided color graphics. A couple
of months after the Altair was on the cover of Popular Electronics,
the Cromemco Cylcops (Cromemco may not have been a company yet) was
in the magazine, a CCD camera that interfaced with the Altair. The
Altair was on the January 1975 issue, which came out in December. The
Cyclops may have been in the next issue, overlapping the second part of
the Altair article.

The PET and the Apple were downright late, unless one is going by the
title of "PC"; it had been a generic term before the IBM PC came along.

And of course, the concept predates the Altair. ALan Kay described a
"personal computer" when at Xerox Parc even if it was never implemented
at that point. And the Xerox Alto (or was it Altos?) was a single-user
computer, bringing in many of the things that later became common, even if it
never made it to a commercial product.

Micahel

 

[Joerg]

Hi Spehro,

And both are as happy as can be? Could be.

You got a point there. Both are now relieved of the usual burden of
having to explain to their wives why they absolutely needed that new big
air compressor for the garage.

In Jim's case it is even better because both husband and wife get to
enjoy the gift cards.

Just as well, you can never be satisfied once you start coveting
technology. I was lamenting that it doesn't handle DVDs or even DL
DVDs (the extra cost would be minimal and 4.7 or 8.5G is a LOT more
music).

Why not go a step further and install a cell based data port where you
can select any tune that is stored on your PC network at home? Of course
that would require a cell plan with oodles of free minutes to handle the
data load, so maybe this idea is a bit premature. For the time being you
could also install one of those umpteen gigabyte USB drives plus a WLAN
port in your car. Then download all the tunes you might possibly ever
want while parked in the garage. However, it still won't beat the
spontaneous blues a neighbor sang and played on the piano on New Year's
after the fifth glass of rum punch. I almost thought we all had been
beamed to New Orleans.

I prefer simple life when it comes to creature comfort. If I'd be the
jury on this innovation contest I'd vote for the new generation (90's)
wood stoves. Very efficient, cheap heat, no smoke, even saves the gym
membership fees if you chop the wood yourself. Best of all, no
electronics that could conk out. Not even a diode.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Jim Thompson]

On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 00:18:00 GMT, Joerg

I prefer simple life when it comes to creature comfort. If I'd be the
jury on this innovation contest I'd vote for the new generation (90's)
wood stoves. Very efficient, cheap heat, no smoke, even saves the gym
membership fees if you chop the wood yourself. Best of all, no
electronics that could conk out. Not even a diode.

Regards, Joerg

I figured out something I need to buy for MY father. A few weeks ago,
during a big snow storm in WV, they were without electric power for
about five hours in the middle of the night. Got VERY cold.

Natural gas furnace, but no electric to drive the blower :-(

I suspect there's a motor-generator set made that runs on natural gas?
Just rig it up to run the furnace blower and some emergency lighting.

Anyone know where to look for such an animal?

...Jim Thompson

 

[Joerg]

Hi Keith,

AFAIAC, #13 and #16 are primarily electronic. Without the electronics
controls developed in the past few years neither would work.

Yeah, and I don't know what all the fuss is about #16 (hybrid car). My
sister has a VW Golf Diesel. It is older than the first hybrid that
really came to market but beats it in fuel economy. The turbos are even
better and can get 10-20% higher gas mileage than a typical hybrid.
Also, they offer much more passenger room and cargo space. Heck, there
even is a large Audi that yields 45mpg, can carry half a ton and cruise
at around 120mph if desired. My first car, a 1969 Citroen 2CV did better
than 50mpg on regular unleaded. Electronics content: Zilch. No, not even
an alternator diode. Ok, I did put in a radio after a while.

Sorry, but somehow I fail to see the progress here...

Regards, Joerg

 

[Winfield Hill]

Jim Thompson wrote...

I suspect there's a motor-generator set made that runs on natural gas?
Just rig it up to run the furnace blower and some emergency lighting.

Why bother with natural gas? Gasoline in a small tank is so much safer
to handle, and it's a thoroughly experienced and understood application.

 

[Joerg]

Hi Jim,

I figured out something I need to buy for MY father. A few weeks ago,
during a big snow storm in WV, they were without electric power for
about five hours in the middle of the night. Got VERY cold.

Natural gas furnace, but no electric to drive the blower :-(

I suspect there's a motor-generator set made that runs on natural gas?
Just rig it up to run the furnace blower and some emergency lighting.

Anyone know where to look for such an animal?

No idea and I believe it would be overkill. Here is what we did to keep
the blowers of the wood stove going (it doesn't really need them but
avoids that all the warm air gets stuck under the ceiling): I bought a
portable battery-inverter kit. This one is a "Portawattz" (by
Statpower), has I believe a 12V/18Ah battery and just sits there on
trickle charge all the time. When needed we carry it to where we want.
Stove, TV, whatever. It ran the blowers for 6 hours once. Might be able
to do more but then the power came back on. We can also connect it to
the car or a marine battery via one of its built-in cigarette lighter
plugs if needed for really long outages. Cost was about $100, at Sam's
Club. These things are also nice for an extended CAD session on the
laptop while at the beach or some other remote place where nobody
bothers you ;-)

You could also take a UPS that has a huge battery or allows an external
12V marine deep-cycle. Those batteries are also available at Sam's or
Costco. Sometimes the golf cart versions are a better deal but you need
to do a series connection of two for a total of 12V. A UPS would be
easier if your father doesn't want to fidget with stuff in the middle of
the night. The furnace would just keep going as if nothing had happened.

Gas furnaces usually also need electricity for the valve solenoid. But
overall consumption with blower and all should be low.

Regards, Joerg

 

[keith]

Our kids all went together this year and bought us multiple gift cards
(and one gift certificate), good at our four favorite restaurants ;-)

My kid gave my a gift certificate for my favorite gun store. ;-) He
didn't quite beat my best all-time present though. My wife gave me a
stainless S&W 617 .357Mag a few years ago. She's a keeper, eh?