What's the most important invention in the last 108 years?

[fundonny]

The snow outside is making me restless, hence this thread. Figured we could get some good discussion. For me, it's Penicillin. Kinda boring, I know.

[mpare]

The microprocessor might be it for me. It's hard to conceive of our present world without it. More than that, without it, the Net as well know it would not exist. The entire fabric of our world would radically have been altered.

[fundonny]

Ah yes, but for the better or worse? Some could argue that technology is responsible for most of the heartache around the world. Technology is a slippery slope and without getting too 'Terminator' or '1984' on you, I don't think we're heading towards a utopian society.

[mpare]

Technology is not, and has never been, the problem. It's the willingness to sublimate ourselves to it that is problematic. Technology cannot operate as a proxy for humanity. For these myriad tools to be of real benefit to man, they must be used wisely. Unfortunately, wisdom and its corollary, courage, seem to be in short supply these days.

Ah yes, but for the better or worse? Some could argue that technology is responsible for most of the heartache around the world. Technology is a slippery slope and without getting too 'Terminator' or '1984' on you, I don't think we're heading towards a utopian society.

[Golfbum]

There has been so many wonderful inventions in the past 100 years it would be tough to nail one down.

Computers, internet, cell phones, METAL DRIVERS Hybrid vehicles, the list goes on and on.

Donny mentioned penicillin. Good argument for that one.

Now unless you know someone or are someone who has had bypass surgery you might not marvel at this. I do, I've been there and done that. Now think about this. Your are cut open and a team of highly skilled surgeons take arteries that are the size of pencil lead and bypass them. I asked my doctor about this before my surgery and wondered how they stitch them together. Think about that, stitching together a piece of artery the size of pencil lead so it doesn't leak. Amazing. 5 weeks later you are back on the golf course

I feel you just can not nail down one invention from the past 100 years. There are just too many to single one one. Major advancements in health care are allowing people to live far longer than humans used to 100 years ago.

Flying to the moon, who would have thought that would happen 100 years ago? Wireless communication, which started out with Morse code. Televisions, satellites. Where do you start?

Technology is a wonderful thing, but it can not replace the following:
Love
Good Health
Peace on Earth

[Mattchew]

The snow outside is making me restless, hence this thread. Figured we could get some good discussion. For me, it's Penicillin. Kinda
boring, I know.

Penicillin …not the best invention for me, unless you want to kill me!

[guitarman]

Wireless remote. I don't like getting up.

[Hacker]

I'm going to take the liberty to expand your time frame a bit and say that the invention of PLASTIC is the most important invention of the past 200 years.

Where would we be without polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polymethyl methacrylate, and other acrylics, silicones, polyurethanes, etc.

[Shivas Irons]

PLASTIC is the most important invention of the past 200 years.

Tough to top that one.
I'll nominate birth control, it might not be the most important but it certianly has it merits.

[Big Shooter]

How about the "push-button" phone....with the amount of phone calls WE make, can you even FATHOM still having to Dial a Rotary phone!?

[landlord]

Although it slightly predates 1900, and perhaps not a singular invention per se, I'd put affordable electricity at the top of the list.

Almost everything else follows that.

Another one would be civic water and sewage treatment. Most places in the world didn't have that till the early 1900s. Some don't have it yet.

More recently, it's the Heavy Putter.

[Hacker]

Another one would be civic water and sewage treatment. Most places in the world didn't have that till the early 1900s. Some don't have it yet.

No need to pile on Toronto now.............they are still trying to cope with the loss of their NHL team

[foxman]

No need to pile on Toronto now.............they are still trying to cope with the loss of their NHL team

That hurts.

[landlord]

You make it sound as if we had one once.

[Hacker]

You make it sound as if we had one once.

I'm just trying to be polite since we have an influx of T-dot folks around here these days

[big mac]

The "no-cut" golf ball----it's too early to think--I'm retired.

[larry]

Antibiotics.

[The Saint]

Michael Jackson... When ever I have a bad day I think "I could be Michael Jackson".. and then everything is rosey again

I know it doesn't fall into the catagory as an invention.

[Nat Williams]

I'd say it would be hard to specify which device, but something to do with mass communication ... really, the satellite, tv, internet, etc all have played amazingly large roles in the last 100 years.

In addition to the lighter things, like entertainment, mass communication was responsible for bringing light to things that would have been left uncovered years before. Things like war, more specifically the many atrocities of war that would otherwise have been only known by a few...It has helped show the world how racist many 'great' nations were, it helped Russian people see the world outside of their communist walls...Countless unsafe work environments exposed, illegal business practices, environmental destruction all uncovered with millions viewing; many horrible things were forced to change. This global communication has helped countless people have their stories told, and even when we have been unable to help, we have learnt from them, and evolved.

I just wonder what the state of several places would be without cameras and reporters having exposed them. Our world has never been more accountable for its actions, and we are definitely benefiting from that.

[LobWedge]

Two words... AIR CONDITIONING. No contest.

The ability to escape sweltering heat by entering a climate controlled environment, whether it be your car, home, or building, is worth its weight in gold, diamonds, and oil.