Favourite Technology Innovation

Monotype

There's been a lot of great new technologies in recent decades. 50 years ago we didn't have the personal computer, 25 years ago we didn't have the world wide web and 15 years ago everyone wasn't running around with phones - well if you did have a phone, it was very chunky and you were very well off.

So what's your favourite pieces of technology?

Thinking of a building perspective, we've had some big changes with the massive hard disks approaching a new standard of 2.5'' with SSDs. There's SSDs themselves.
Floppy disks.
Optical drives. Invention of the 80s, exploded into every PC and sound system but is now taking a back seat.
Screens - LCD, IPS, eyefinity, bigger, brighter, quieter screens, 3D.
USB.
Computer games.
Online games.
Photoshop, browsers, social networking, digital distribution?
Multicore processors, APUs.
Really good PSUs. Huge strides in efficiency and noise.


For me, obviously the internet has changed how I live and all but thinking of hardware, I love SATA cables. They're just fantastic. I started building towards the end of PATA and even any time I'm working with an older build those ribbon cables are just awful. Bad for airflow, just hard to move around, having to worry about slave and master, just being limited to 4 drives as well while you can typically get 5 or 6 with a standard board using SATA.

SSDs are great too. No need to explain myself much there. Ah, I'll just say a few quick words - I love getting a browser open before my internet has even connected. Just the instantaneousness of it. Mmmm... :pac: :P

TL;DR - name your favourite tech.

Procrastastudy

Out of all the technology in the world you pick SATA cables! Mono I think you need to come to the AH beers night so we can get you drunk!

Barring the space shuttle or the X project - has to be GPU technology for me - especially when used in conjunction with MMOs

Also I know this is an odd an specific one but the the various technologies that have revolutionised law reporting. And who can forget the spell check.

Unregistered.

Fleshlight.

Eboggles

Great idea for a thread!

I'm probably doing this wrong, buuuttt.....

The HD7870 Hawk







In all seriousness though, the awesome graphics card designs that have been released (Sapphire Dual-x/VaporX, ASUS DCII etc). I'm a sucker for a cool cooler .

Monotype

@Procrastastudy, I'm thinking more of the stuff that I like personally rather than to benefit all of mankind. Smaller picture stuff. But big picture is good too. Anything you like. :cool:
When I've got an SATA cable, I'm thinking that I'm really glad I don't have to deal with those horrible ribbons. It really makes those whole build so much nicer. On a computer without an SSD, it feels like I'm back ten years using a machine that hasn't been defragmented in a while. :pac:

kippy

Favourite Technology innovation?
Virtualisation.

Craig B

dem tags

N64

DirectX

Tea_Bag

im with you on SATA cables. my god PATA was an ugly messy rubbish. back then everyone had several CD drives too, so the inside of the case looked like a rats nest. eew.


for me maybe the SOC. its the reason my phone is such a powerhouse. im actually seldomly on my PC anymore unless im actually gaming, which is a big change from a few years ago.