Boomhauer

auzdafluff

Well done. You get Karma for that one.

Boomhauer

Had that saved onto my desktop from months back, knew it would come in handy one day

Dumbo

Air bags for cars.
Suicide Girls.
Wi-Fi (sorry if someone has already suggested).

shiva

for those asking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme


http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/popular

most memes start in /b
if you have to ask its probably better that you dont know

an olddie but goodie

Millhouse

I'm generally quite surprised (maybe not actually) by the responses here as most of the inventions listed are more than 20 years old. (GPS is 30 odd, internet about the same, wifi is just an application of old radio technology, fracking is 50 odd).

In fact, I would say that the human race hasn't really invented or discovered anything that notable since the 50s and we have just been refining old ideas for the last 20 years. Even the super whizzy laptop I'm using right now carried roughly the same features as the one I bought 15 years ago.

I really wanted to say the LED... but of course, that is Einstein's brainchild and was done 70 years ago. That said, it did take them about 65 years to make a white one, so on that basis I shall say the White LED... or maybe the Furby.

norsk

so essentially all ideas have already been had and all we're doing now is coming up with variations and tweaks?

Millhouse

Name something we have done that is truly original in the last 20 years - Apart from derivatives in the financial markets and look where that got us.

Seriously, I think there has been loads of innovation. But not where you may see it... the clean tech industry etc.

norsk

A lot of the technical innovation done over the last 20 years has indeed been based on existing concepts (like the internet), but there are some things which I would still consider innovation in their own right due to the impact they have had;

• online travel booking (flights, hotels, hire cars) - an extension of the traditional travel agency model which has driven efficiency and increased competition to the benefit of the customer
• online shopping - an extension of the old catalogue/telephone shopping model, but it has changed the retail market forever (improvement for the customer and worse for the retailers you could argue)

In terms of computers no innovation as such (visible), but the increased need for speed in terms of processors and memory has driven a lot of innovation in terms of manufacturing techniques. Smartphones as mentioned by someone else are just a variation of a mobile phone which has been around for ages, but I'm still not convinced it has actually made my life better (or worse)..

norsk

truly original though..not sure...some of the stuff in cancer research is pretty impressive, but probably still builds on existing ideas...

and i hear they are just a few years away from solving the issue with male pattern baldness - now that is innovation!

Millhouse

Yeh, alright don't labour the point ... but apart from the online travel booking, shopping and new manufacturing techniques, what have the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs done for us?

I do agree with you though - but what I'm saying is that apart from the internet (which is over 20 years old depending how you define it) - we haven't really had a 'big idea' for a while.

norsk

there is a danger this could turn into a 'what have the romans ever done for us' scenario...



To be honest I can't think of anything else. Like you say there will be loads of stuff going on in the background that we don't know about, but i cannot think of anything really mind-blowing that has been invented in the last 15-20 years is there? (and if someone dares to say 3D TV you should take a minute to consider how easily led you are by the marketing departments of large electronics manufacturers).

britexpat76

3D TV?

norsk

Yes. My reasons for hating 3D are as follows;

1. It is shit
2. 30% (or something - don't quote me) feel sick when watching it
3. It was invented years ago and is being pushed to consumers as best thing since sliced bread as the electronics companies had already invested loads into it. Once they have recouped a reasonable amount it will die (or more likely change into a better way of implementing the same effect)
4. The ridiculous glasses are ridiculous, and expensive. Did I mention that they are ridiculous? Also peripheral vision is seriously impaired while wearing them, I guess this could be solved by having a personal set..at an even greater cost!

shiva

Logie Baird demonstrated 3d tv in 1928