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What is the World's Best Invention?

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akkopower said:
Do inventions exist, are all inventions just innovations.

The Calculus and Newtons Laws are two huge scientific breakthroughs which contributed to many forms of innovation.
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Technology builds upon itself. For example, in 1900 electricity was still a novel concept with limited use by a few. Finding ways to produce it cheaply, and then ways to use it, dominated innovation throughout the 20th Century and is largely responsible for the world we live in today.

Those who first connected arc lamps to a simple generator almost certainly had no idea that in 2010 we'd have a computer at home, a cinema in the lounge room and that we'd be carrying around an entire music collection in our pocket. All of that is ultimately built upon electricity, which itself is built upon coal (1700's), alternators (1800's) and steam turbines (early 1900's).

Likewise anything else. We wouldn't have aircraft, for example, if we hadn't previously worked out how to produce sheets of aluminium and also how to produce powerful, relatively lightweight engines. And we wouldn't have aluminium if we hadn't previously worked out mining and smelting. And we wouldn't have the engines without oil extraction / refining and metals fabrication. And so on.

In terms of things in the past 20 years though, I'd personally tend to look at their impact rather than when they were actually invented. In that context mobile phones, having a computer at home and the emergence digital music devices would surely top the list in terms of impact upon the general population in developed countries. :2twocents
 
the concorde, well before it was scrapped!

an amazing machine, luxury supersonic travel, gave regular folk a glimpse of space.
 
Blind rivets.

Prior to the adoption of blind rivets, installation of a solid rivet typically required two assemblers: one person with a rivet hammer on one side and a second person with a bucking bar on the other side. Seeking an alternative, inventors such as Carl Cherry and Lou Huck experimented with other techniques for expanding solid rivets. The blind rivet was developed by the United Shoe Machinery Corporation.
 
The PILL Instead of baby bonuses etc we need to get governments to provide incentives for much wider use. Would fix the boat people, global warming, shortage of housing, jobs, space, ad in fanitum......
 
Wi-fi.

An Australian invention and, just as importantly, the IP rights in the invention are held by CSIRO. So often, so many great Australian inventions have been allowed to be exploited by others without the inventor receiving due compensation because the inventor failed to secure his/her IP rights.
 
G'day all

My first post but have been on the side lines for awhile and always find the discussions that take place on ASF worthwhile. The original post asked the question of the worlds best invention in the last 20 years. The word invention can be open to interpretation and the last 20 years of inventions are yet to be fully utilized. Sorry to be taking this a bit off topic but what I have found to be must interesting during the last few years (GFC) is how a trillion dollars has become a word and no longer a number.
I am sure that discussions are taking place that will effect all of us, where neither party have any real appreciation of what a trillion dollars really is....

Teska
 
roland said:
I agree, amazing stuff condog, but are stem cells really an invention? If we define an invention as a new way to utilise something already in existance then the medical world certainly be right up there.

Was Aspirin an invention? The native South American's had been chewing on the same tree bark for ages to relieve head pain before the medical companies came along and squished it up in tablet form for commercialisation.
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In this case then was the wheel an invention becasue thousands of years prior they had used logs to roll items.

The matrix organs that the stem cells gro on to produce the organ certainly are an invention.....perhaps soon to be more defining for humanity then many other inventions.... lets not get hung up on definitions ay
 
Mr J said:
Wait, this is being practiced now? Are you sure? I thought this was probable in the near future, but are we already there?

As long as the world remains relatively stable, there's no point putting a figure on longevity. It's too bad that technology to sustain the human population hasn't kept up so far.
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Absolutely - real living examples
 
I don't know about the last 20 years but I reckon the CONDOM is the best invention ever.

It saves men from unwanted pregnancies and the duties that flow on from that.

It also protects against disease.

Best ever invention imho.

gg
 
I'd would have to say the transistor because it lead to so many developments in electronics that have changed the world.

It is the electronic wheel.
 
I have a method of sending small spaceships into Outerspace without the use of vast amounts of fuel polluting the atmosphere and cost. Also easy to do eject them into Outerspace every 15 minutes or even quicker.

Enormous compression would be required but this spring would solve many problems. Once out of the atmosphere it would travel more quickly - probably. When advanced it could travel very quickly to Mars. Taking correct aim so as not to hit the moon on the way.

Here is the mini spaceship ready for lift off sorry spring off.
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Alternative if you prefer white:
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In my world the greatest invention has been the mobile phone and its ability to sms messages, having a deaf daughter it has transformed her life and ours.
Before the ability to sms, if she went out and something happened e.g an accident, got lost, flat tyre, or even just wanted to be picked up it was impossible to call someone, because being deaf hearing on a phone was impossible.
Contacting the Police, the RAC, the bank, family, friends, even contacting work to explain she is going to be late or is sick, is now an easy task, whereas before it bordered on impossible.
Letting her know we are going to late home and can't pick up the kids, asking her to do something on the way home etc, it is all now possible.
The latest improvement has been the wrist watch that pairs with the phone and alerts her that a message has come in.
The mobile phone has improved nearly every facet of deaf peoples lives.
 
CRISPR and graphene (and carbon nanotubes) have to be contenders but it's still early days and, just like the internet, will take many years for the potential of these inventions to be realised.
 
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