What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Which technological advance has benefited the world around us the most?

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

I'm going to say the Internet.

With the Internet, everything shrank. No longer do I have to wait three days for my friend to receive a note--now three minutes is more like it. And all of a sudden, information is cheap to distribute (at least in relation to paper). Instead of printing a ginormous booklet to hand out, all you have to do is stick it online and pass out a business card with the address. That easy.

The examples go on and on.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

I'll bet just about every suggestion in this thread will ride on the back of Electricity. Along with that, all major development followed the combustion engine. But living in Florida I'm going to give a big slap on the back of whoever invented the Air Conditioner!

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Thus that means the silcon chip would be the most important because without it the powerful entity known as the internet would not exist.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

The Transistor. I did a research paper (attached. can't find the biblography, but references are made within) just covering that, and the story behind the little wonder is interesting.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

i second that one...central air is a beautiful concept!!! :)

and of course the heater for up north..lol

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Whatever piece of hardware which enabled computing (Be it transistor, silicon chip, whatever)

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

In 1436, German inventor Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. Prior to this all books and scripts were hand copied! Clearly this process of extremely slow and very expensive. Owning a book was a sign of wealth, not something for the common person. As a result, literacy began to be a reality for more than just the upper class.

As a result of Gutenberg's invention, books of all kinds were made readily available to the public, impacting millions. Education was now more accessible, everyone could have their own Bible (Leading to the Reformation), and modern democracy would be catapulted into the future as the printing press allowed for the first newspapers! In the pre-printing press era, it was very easy to silence new thought/ideas. But now, with a printing press, people could expose their ideas to the world, without the fear of it all being destroyed. (Mass produced copies vs. a few hand written manuscripts)

So we're talking about an invention which changed the course of modern western religion, enabled education to become accessible and the great equalizer that it is today, and prevented those in power from hiding the truth. From those three points alone, we see the impact the printing press has had in shaping our current world.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

The wheel over all of those. We wouldnt be anywhere without the wheel, soemthing we take for granted.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Probably the zipper. Fast, easy, secure closing method. Imagine all the stuff we would have to tie with string or use buttons...pants zippers, bags, bodybags, coats.
I actually have pants that have buttons instead of a zipper and it's a pain in the $@#$@#$@#. go zipper-inventor man!

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

This is a very interesting question, no doubt, but I don't think I would ever be satisfied with anyone's answer because of the nature of invention. It is too difficult to tell where one invention ends and another starts. Printing presses already existed when Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press. Many, many people researched electricty at the same time and it took many inventions to get to the point where houses had light bulbs. The internet and computers are of course the product of thousands of inventions. The question that really interests me is what single person's work in technology has had the greatest impact. Perhaps I should start another thread...

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

our science and technology is built on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

If we all had to start from scratch and re-invent our technology with each generation, we would still be living in caves with open cooking fires.

I think communication is the key that got us where we are today. Starting with spoken and written language

and greatly advancing with the Guttenburg press (as someone else already pointed out)

being able to communicate without being physically present (ie, reading what someone wrote 1000 years ago) and being able to communicate in mass (books that are mass produced)

remember all this next time you sit in an english class :^)

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

I know y'all are gonna think this is silly but I would say the camera. The idea of capturing a moment perfectly, with every detail the same, and keeping it for a long time is amazing. I love photography and think that it not only captures moments but it captures memories too. It doesn't save lives and it doesn't decrease world hunger, but photos can do something to you emotionally and I don't know of anything else that can do it.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

My high school engineering class debated this over and over again, and finally came to a concensus:

Standards.

Did you know ... in England, before standards, "a foot" was the measure of the current king's foot, and thus changed every time there was a new king! Without standards, you wouldn't be able to cut a 12" piece of aluminum, dive a league under the sea, or even measure a cup of sugar!!

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Chiefdelphi, obviously! :rolleyes:

Depending on where you draw the borderline for "technological," but i'd have to say that written language is the greatest thing to ever happen to humanity.

If you are going by actual technology, i'd have to say the the button has been the most important technological advance ever. I don't know about you, but i can't imagine typing with a scrollwheel.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

The development and widespread installation of flush toilets during the 19th century probably did more to reduce disease and extend average lifespan than any other single invention.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

except for that little thing called penicillin.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Look here for a historical perspective.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Since penicillin wasn't used until the 1940's, you win this time... :)

Thanks for the history lesion I guess you really do learn something new everyday.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Very interesting about the toilet... I now have a newfound appreciation for my own loo!

In a similar line of thought as Kyle, and to quote "Donnie Darko" nonetheless, I'm going to have to say antiseptics. Joseph Lister did us a great favor in developing antiseptics. Before them, medicine itself was almost a complete failure (eg: The Middle Ages).

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

I think that man’s ability to mine and smelt iron and later on to create steel is pretty much my favorite technological breakthrough. It is a fundamental building block of civilization and has been since the iron age.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Let's not forget about fire. It has paved the way to most (if not all) technological breakthroughs, such as electricity, and has saved countless lives and made infinitely many more lives possible. And just think, the inventor of one of the most important things is unrecognized even today. Thank you, java man!

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Definitly the combustion engine. It takes you from point a to point b. With out it we would still be using horse and buggy.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

The Gas Grill. C'mon people, it's the coolest thing going. I'll shovel snow to get to mine :)

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Ok, so Rich officially has an obsession with his grill. Someone get this man some steaks and bbq sauce! ;)

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Maybe the "most beneficial invention" award should go to whichever of our primate ancestors was the first to use a rock to bang a chip loose from another rock, and then notice that the sharp edge just created could be used to cut things. He or she had just invented machining and made the first tool.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

Agriculture. And certainly the most important development therein is the iron/steel plow, so you have to give a tip of the hat to the development of the ability to forge iron.

Re: What is the most benefitial technological advance ever created?
 

I can't think of anything more important. The transfer and storage of information for the masses is HUGE. Heck, the internet is just a fancy printing press.