

Gadgets and Technology I'm Thankful For - jbail
http://jeffbail.com/gadgets-and-technology-im-thankful-for

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jdludlow
If we're measuring this by function:cost then this is easy. I bought a Sony
ICF S10MK2 radio last spring for $10. It's used two sets of batteries so far,
so make that $15. It's a great example of 1950's technology still being
relevant today. There's absolutely nothing fancy about this unit. It just
works.

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sudont
That's why the computers on the Apollo mission were so primitive, even
compared to processors of that era: old electronic technology is stable
technology.

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Travis
It's not necessarily that the older technology is inherently more stable, but
that there's a survivor effect. Old technology that wasn't stable fell to
newer technology that wasn't stable. Stuff that "just worked" (like the radio
mentioned here) didn't see much improvement, because the stability was the
issue (not the audio quality, as evidenced by the lack of uptake on HDRadio).

It's an example of the classic software graph -- on the y axis, there's
stability, on the x-axis is age. As age increases, so does stability.

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jimmyjazz14
My gadgets are nice and all but when it comes to technology what I am really
thankful for are the machines that clean the water I drink and deliver the
electricity my devices consume; also the advanced computers that allow
scientist and doctors to cure diseases. I'm pretty thankful to all the
programmers that spend countless hours working on open source projects as
well.

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mrlyc
Ventolin inhaler

