Canon Shooter
Diamond Member
- Jan 7, 2020
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We were having a conversation at dinner this evening about technology; what it used to be and what it is now. We each had different ideas as to what the most impactful advances in technology affected.
of course, home computers were mentioned by all around the table, but that's a relatively recent invention in comparison to others.
For me it was how we watch television and how we use our phones.
When I was a kid, growing up Long Island, we had one black and white television. There was no remote. The television got channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 (WCBS, WNBC, WNEW, WABC, WOR, and WPIX). At some point, the three network stations dropped the "W" from their call letters. At 2:00am every morning every channel played the National Anthem while showing footage of a billowing Stars & Stripes.
Now, we have seven televisions on which we can watch stations from around the country. Programming is never-ending; the Anthem never plays because there's no "end to the broadcast day". We can set reminders for shows we want to watch, or we can simply record it. Hell, we can even watch two channels at the same time if we want. The television remotes operate the television, the cable box and the stereo. There are literally hundreds of channels to choose from. I remember when Bruce Springsteen released the song "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" and thinking "Man, no way we'll ever have more than that."
Our telephone hung on the wall in the kitchen. It was a rotary (dial) phone with a cord. If you wanted privacy during a phone call, you had to go behind the cellar door and close it behind you. At some point, we replaced that rotary phone with a push-button phone, but the cord was still there.
Now, we don't even have a home phone. Instead, we have this slim little phone that easily fits in our pocket, on which we can not only make phone calls, but we can shoot photos and videos and instantly post them to this thing called "the internet". We can e-mail, text, play games, navigate in our cars, do our banking and surf the web.
I read once something which said that every iPhone iteration since the iPhone 6 has more computing power than every computer used to put a man on the moon.
What do you think has been impacted the most from advances in technology?
of course, home computers were mentioned by all around the table, but that's a relatively recent invention in comparison to others.
For me it was how we watch television and how we use our phones.
When I was a kid, growing up Long Island, we had one black and white television. There was no remote. The television got channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 (WCBS, WNBC, WNEW, WABC, WOR, and WPIX). At some point, the three network stations dropped the "W" from their call letters. At 2:00am every morning every channel played the National Anthem while showing footage of a billowing Stars & Stripes.
Now, we have seven televisions on which we can watch stations from around the country. Programming is never-ending; the Anthem never plays because there's no "end to the broadcast day". We can set reminders for shows we want to watch, or we can simply record it. Hell, we can even watch two channels at the same time if we want. The television remotes operate the television, the cable box and the stereo. There are literally hundreds of channels to choose from. I remember when Bruce Springsteen released the song "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" and thinking "Man, no way we'll ever have more than that."
Our telephone hung on the wall in the kitchen. It was a rotary (dial) phone with a cord. If you wanted privacy during a phone call, you had to go behind the cellar door and close it behind you. At some point, we replaced that rotary phone with a push-button phone, but the cord was still there.
Now, we don't even have a home phone. Instead, we have this slim little phone that easily fits in our pocket, on which we can not only make phone calls, but we can shoot photos and videos and instantly post them to this thing called "the internet". We can e-mail, text, play games, navigate in our cars, do our banking and surf the web.
I read once something which said that every iPhone iteration since the iPhone 6 has more computing power than every computer used to put a man on the moon.
What do you think has been impacted the most from advances in technology?
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