Flight959 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 So what inventions do we have that shaped our world or the society we live in... The wheel, electricity, the Maxim machine gun, valves?? Let me start of with the British RAF Spitfire, one of, if not the greatest war plane ever built.. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVH5445 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 vaccinations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 On one hand it was DDT. In my opinion, it should still be used in developing, impoverished countries, like Africa, South America, South Asia any where mosquitos and malaria are present. Penicillin is another of those inventions that changed the world. The repeating rifle is another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 The Marine Spitfire while may not have been the best fighter (difference of conclusions)' date=' it was IMO the most beautiful fighter made in WW2 if not the entire time of flight. The lines, oval wings and the fact that while everyone was using metal the brits did this thing in plywood..........[/quote'] The biggest masterpiece in flight was Concorde... The 8th wonder of the world!! IMO Iam proud to say I have flown faster than a rifle bullet and on the edge of space.... Thanks to my wife! Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 http://www.pown.it/3226?r=928059 Changed my world, anyway.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Another British plane' date=' that is currently used by many countries including USA with the USMC using this jet also. [center'][/center] This plane went up against real supersonic fighter in the Falklands (is that spelled correctly) and not one Harrier (AV8A) was brought down during that war by a Argentina jet. The planes record speaks for itself even in the Gulf Wars (91 and now) this plane just kicks butt........... We lost 1 Harrier In the Falklands to a french made SAM Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Allen Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 The television. It is probably the invention that single handedly stopped millions of people from having to think. Not that there isn't some good things on the tele. I like history and science shows. And the occasional sci fi show. But I don't watch a lot of television. I try to spend my free time interacting with my family, playing my guitar, writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Was that flight on the cheap ticket program? If so can your wife adopt me as a Bro in-law; I want cheap tickets for the Concord. I have never seen this one fly. Yep! and Nope! and she will never fly again...SADLY! Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I built steel buildings for a few years, did a lot of construction work, and the "self drilling/self tapping" TEK screw with the neoprene washer, along with the real "screwgun", a 2500 rpm hammer type drill built to use those screws, made a HUGE change in construction technics. The price of building went down drastically, and a huge boom took off. GREAT TOPIC.................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Okay, laugh at an old man, but try this list: 1. fire 2. specialized stone tools 3. Animal domestication 4. plant domestication 5. copper, then bronze manufacture 6. iron manufacture 7. gunpowder - general explosives for construction 8. steel manufacture 9. steam power 10. manufacture with interchangeable parts - 11. electricity domesticated 12. antibiotics - saved my life at least twice, btw 13. integrated circuitry Don't get me wrong, I'm a tech freak. But without a basic progression... Airplanes wouldn't happen without the internal combustion engine and that wouldn't happen until basically we had earlier had the manufacture of interchangeable parts in domestication of electricity which made the internal combustion engine possible. The list is just my own, but... I see them as hallmarks in "progress." For example, what's the difference between baroque music and pre-baroque in ways? Music went beyond the chamber or drums and very basic noisemakers with lesser materials until drawn steel wire became relatively common... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I'm surprised it hasn't already been mentioned. The personal computer, we're all using them now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I'm surprised it hasn't already been mentioned. The personal computer' date=' we're all using them now.[/quote'] I'm not..... It's using me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 http://forums.gibson.com/resource.ashx?u=1352 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Lest we forget... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mick Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Milod you rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 best one yet Bluemoon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 ... Okay, the PC? That was almost inevitable after the IC - which then kept shrinking. Hey, when I was a teen in the hospital with both eyes taped over my "transistor" radio was $100 bucks. Ditto an add, subtract, multiply and divide hand calculator. The 8-bit chip was a step up to PCs. Then the 16 bit chip up again, etc., etc., etc. But the concept came from the transistor, then multiple transistor IC replacing tubes or mechanical calculation devices. As for the latex device pictured on one contributor's comment, <huge grin> that ain't all that new. Apparently use of somewhat similar devices crafted from various renewable resources appears to predate Vitruvius' book on architecture - or, if you will, the "common era" or anno domini. I suppose one might suggest the "arabic numeral" decimal system was pretty important too... Note how it's currently in use everywhere, ditto the 12-24 hour clock concept. But neither of those latter two technically may be considered "inventions" in the sense of physical devices. And if one disagrees with that last statement, I guess binary and/or hexadecimal (base 16) math would have to be included too. But I'd suggest that these intellectual inventions were made possible in large part by the increasing comfort of a world made possible by the use of physical inventions. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homz Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 *Stuff *see details in thread : Murph your expertise is requested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I'm with milod (great thoughts). There is so much to say here, like the refrigerator, the light bulb, the radio (sorry Marconi but it really was Tesla who invented it first), the AC motor (this one goes to Tesla for sure), Goddard's liquid-fueled rocketry, the jet engine, the cell phone, GPS, Al Gore's internet, etc. But my uncle invented the ultimate device that changed the world forever. He invented the Curly-Q french fry machine (he he he). He actually did it in the 50s, but the earliest patent I could find for him is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 eBay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Zamboni :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Did anyone say Internal Combustion Engine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Firstmeasure... Yeah, I mentioned it - but not separately. After steam power reached a certain point, some sort of internal combustion engine not dissimilar to the cylinders of a steam engine was pretty much inevitable. The firearm is another precursor and functionally is nothing but an internal combustion engine in terms of prior similar engineering. Mass production with interchangeable parts had to be part of the equation, as did harnessing electricity - although one might make a case that Diesel's glow plugs weren't quite along those lines and the diesel didn't require much electricity as did gas engines. They've never really worked that well for passenger vehicles, btw. Neither did electric cars that are being revived and will get you killed even in current inceptions by the weather in winter where I live. Heck, there even have been various steam passenger cars on the road or on drawing boards. Too inefficient. Mechanical devices really hit their stride up to around the time electrical devices such as radio really hit. Some day check out a linotype machine. If you've a chance to see one in operation and don't find yourself in awe of the engineering involved - the internal combustion engine seems rather simple by comparison - I'll be surprised. Then too, various sorts of turbine, other "jet" and rocket engines may also be considered "internal combustion." Much as I love the way we've picked up "space" stuff, in ways the space shuttle and satellite-carrying rockets are very little different conceptually from the fireworks developed many, many centuries ago. Refinement in engineering and adaptation of more modern inventions I did mention set the stage for a lot of fancy stuff. Some 50 years ago I could have taken apart a pickup's 6-banger engine and put it back together and had it work better than it did with 30-40,000 miles on it with fuels and lubricants of the era. Now? No way Jose. Nope. Frankly I wouldn't even try if I had the tools and the shop. To me the big change came when a person with a bit of skill, blueprints and a lot of basic hand tools could no longer create a "copy" of basic consumer materials. That era might be said to run up to the transistor era, or that of the IC. Heck, most of us could at least "sort of" make an electric guitar and with time, a tube-type amp that would function. But a PC? (BTW, the linotype is so complex it's said it drove its inventor mad, and it's entirely mechanical - well, with heat for the pot of lead, too.) Rocketman, tell 'em how it is. <grin> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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