

Where Did The Magic Go? - rafaelc
http://mgalligan.com/post/11032316740/where-did-the-magic-go

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byoung2
_The human race has become spoiled. Every day, new and incredible technology
debuts, and we just seem to brush it off as expected, or worse, a late
arrival. So where did the magic go? What happened to the days when we would be
blown away by a piece of wax that could record sounds? Or pictures that could
move? Or the miracle of human flight? We expect things now._

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions> Modern
inventions happen so frequently that they lose their impact. In the 1st
millennium, AD, you see 1-2 major inventions per century (e.g. bridges, dams,
gunpowder, banknotes). In the latter half of the 2nd millennium, that number
jumps to 4-5 (e.g. steam engine, thermometer, blood pressure cuff, printing
press, newspaper). The reason for this is that the earlier inventions, plus a
larger population make it more likely that new inventions will be discovered.
In the era from 1800-present, we have seen hundreds of revolutionary
inventions (e.g. light bulb, radio, telephone, television, computer, nuclear
energy, automobile/gas pump, internet, airplane, helicopter, IV pump, digital
media). It's hard to continue to be impressed by individual inventions when
they are happening so frequently. Some inventions from the last 50 years that
have become commonplace are: DNA testing. GPS, smartphones, microprocessors,
LCD, LED, compressed digital media, fiber optics, tablet PC, ATM, email,
internet. Compare that to people who only saw the invention of the steam
engine and the cotton gin during their lifetime.

