Recent Great Inventions
 

As per Meow's good idea, let's all have a think and more likely, an arugment over some of the recent and great inventions.

So far we have The Dean's announcement that the humble SMS is 20yrs old, so what else is 20yrs old or less that's a world-changer?

I'm wading in with Skype.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

The foolproof portable defibrilator

Anti-Retroviral drugs

Useable/affordable mobiles - I got my first one about 18 years ago. Although I am aware the mobile phone was invented sometime before that but PAYG was what really got everyone using them about 20 years ago.

The Ipod/MP3 player

Smart Phones

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Internet

Possibly the biggest change for our society today has been the internet. In 1992 the APRANET had just evolved into what we now know as the internet. In 1995 all restrictions were lifted from the internet making it completely accessible for commercial use. In 1993 it is estimated that the internet was used for just 1% of telecommunication, this figure now stands at 98%. Originally used for information and communication the internet was quickly recognized for its commercial possibilities. Ecommerce was born and whilst initially consumers stepped gingerly into the unknown, it hasn’t taken long for the internet to reach every home in the country.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Fracking

Means the world may not be so dependent on the Middle East and we can all go home and leave it to the Islamists!!

(if you are using an i-phone the above comment was not actually posted by Norm)

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Re-useable condoms. When finished remove and shake the f**k out of it.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Cut and paste is a great invention :p

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Digital cameras.

Compulsory ABS on cars.

Viagra.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Email.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Spellcheque

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

You know you've done something good when government try to ban it because it eats up their revenues.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

I was using email in the mid 1980s albeit on an internal company system (anyone remember PROFS? And there was an earlier system also whose name escapes my addled brain....). The arrival of the internet allowed it to become a useful tool to communicate with the wider world.

I got a view of what I suppose must have been Arpanet in the late '80s from one of the boffins (a chemist, not IT) at the large American conglomerate which employed me then (and utilised the aforementioned PROFS). He showed me how he could access data from other computers and communicate. It was of course an extremely useful but basic tool for the essential tasks which later powered the growth of the intenet i.e. watching pornography (very blurred and brief animations) which is what his demo consisted of!

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

smart phones :)

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Stereo-Lithography aka Rapid Prototyping aka 3d Printing.

First Person Shooter computer games:thumbsup:

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

Sky+/Tivo and the like.

Re: Recent Great Inventions
 

facebook. You can slag it off but it's a great way of keeping in vague touch with a load of people.

Google. How did we manage before it?!

Golden Syrup in squeezy bottles

WiFi

Cheap disposable contact lenses