何毓琦的个人博客分享 http://blog.sciencenet.cn/u/何毓琦 哈佛(1961-2001) 清华(2001-date)

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From a horseless carriage to a computer on wheels

已有 5964 次阅读 2017-5-5 00:44 |个人分类:生活点滴|系统分类:海外观察

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–-the evolution of the automobile, technology, and human civilization--


Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseless_carriage use the term “horseless carriage” to define early automobile and new technology to transport people by   what it did not have from the old (the horse). Modern day auto  of course evolved from that to basically a “computer on wheel”.  It now tells you time, date, temperature, geographical information via GPS and the ABSENCE of many things that automobile used to have. For example:

1.               Car key (instead it is low power transmitter that unlocks doors and the ignition switch when you are close to the car)

2.               Gear shift stick (starting, turning off engine, and shifting gears are now via push buttons)

3.               Window crank

4.               Door lock knob

5.               Antenna that is a stick (nowadays it is built into the body  and window glass)

6.               Bench front seat (allowing three people to sit in front)

7.              Front triangular-shaped side window that can be opened 8.               Regular spare tire

9.               Light dimming foot switch (it is now automatic)

10.          And more . . .

When I first learned to drive, I also learned that you need to change  oil and lubricate the car mechanism every 1000 miles. Nowadays the interval has stretched to 10,000 miles. New ad for auto even feature young drivers asking what is a “lug wrench”. Technological evolution define culture and progress.What our children take for granted without question or thinking were things of wonder for us when it was first introduced. Such pace of evolution via  technology are repeated in other fields of human endeavor from computer to medicine. When I first retired in 2001, I was very up-to-date in terms of use of the latest technology.   But 16 years later,  I am basically a technology dinosaur from the viewpoint of my children’s and grand children’s generation.

We use e-mails instead of Tweets. How Quaint!  

Such is life and the future of civilization!




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