This is a tough one, because , as Bill Clinton might say: I guess it depends on what your definition of important is. After consulting with the Google Machine, I have to say the three most important inventions in my lifetime (1974 – present) are:
- The personal computer
- The World Wide Web
- The Human Genome Project
I list the personal computer because it was such a game-change. It revolutionized the computer industry altogether. The PC made computers smaller, more affordable and put them in almost every home in America. Personal computers gave birth to laptops. Laptops and cellular phones eventually led to smartphones. That entire chain of inventions started with the personal computer. Next to the invention of the automobile, the personal computer may be the most important technological creation of the 20th century.
So much of our lives have become interconnected with the World Wide Web. How we store and access information, communication, entertainment have all been radically altered by www and .com .net or .org. Likewise, commerce, how we work, and do business have all be forever changed because of the World Wide Web. I’m curious to see what the next step in the evolution of the World Wide Web will be.
The release of The Human Genome Project has accelerated our understanding of the human anatomy and resulted in genetics become in THE hot field of study and THE future of medicine. Like the World Wide Web, I think science is only scraped the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and what they will uncover, thanks to The Human Genome Project.
In your opinion, what is the most important invention of your lifetime?
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:
- Teacher Armor and the Saturday Clearing
- The Extra Day: A Ten-Year Memory
- Of Training Wheels and Christmas Lights
- Charity Starts at Home (And I’m Back in My Childhood One)
- The Muscle of Empathy
The article “The Personal Computer, The World Wide Web, and The Human Genome Project“ originally appeared on Rebuilding Rob
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