Saturday, June 25, 2005
Cyling past the future
Techtalker talks about tech all the time, and this is no different occasion. The only difference being a recent national survey in UK where people were asked to poll (online offcourse) on the most significant technological innovation since 1800. And hold your breadth, it is neither the PC or the cellphone or the Internet, but the humble bicycle.
Nearly 60 per cent of the voters voted for the bicycle in a poll conducted by BBC Radio 4. The transistor came second with less than 8% of the vote, and the electro-magnetic induction ring - the means to harness electricity - came third. Our dear computer on which I am filing this story cam fourth with less than seven per cent votes. Both radio and the Internet polled less than five per cent votes.
There were more than 4,500 votes cast in total. There are other questions like a tech innovation which had great practical utility at home. Here the washing machine polled one thirds of the vote, with central heating getting a quarter, and the PC a little less at 24 per cent at the third place.
People were asked about a technology that they wished to carry to a Desert Island, and half of the voters opted for the Internet, followed by a quarter who wanted the radio. Only three per cent wanted an MP3 player, two per cent wanted a TV and one per cent a DVD.
Which takes us to another survey carried out by Lemelson-MIT. The annual 2004 invention index had people voting for the cellphone as an invention they most hate but cannot live without. 30 per cent voters opted for the cellphone, followed by the alarm clock (25%) and television (23%). In addition to cell phones, the Lemelson-MIT
Invention Index also looked at the impact of popular inventions such as email, voicemail and credit and debit cards.
81 per cent of teens believed that email had made life simpler. Adults agreed to a lesser extent with a little less than 60 per cent voting for this. On the other hand, teens did not seem too excited about credit and debit cards. 32% said they made life easier, while 26% said they make life more difficult with 39% felt they make life both simpler and more difficult. Half of the adults surveyed said the
benefits of credit and debit cards outweigh any disadvantages.
But back to the BBC survey. People were asked if they desired any particular innovation to be developed. Voters opted for an AIDS vaccine and interplanetary travel.
Now the bicycle and interplanetary travel both figuring in the same survey. I guess I will wait for a bicycle that can pedal me to space.
Nearly 60 per cent of the voters voted for the bicycle in a poll conducted by BBC Radio 4. The transistor came second with less than 8% of the vote, and the electro-magnetic induction ring - the means to harness electricity - came third. Our dear computer on which I am filing this story cam fourth with less than seven per cent votes. Both radio and the Internet polled less than five per cent votes.
There were more than 4,500 votes cast in total. There are other questions like a tech innovation which had great practical utility at home. Here the washing machine polled one thirds of the vote, with central heating getting a quarter, and the PC a little less at 24 per cent at the third place.
People were asked about a technology that they wished to carry to a Desert Island, and half of the voters opted for the Internet, followed by a quarter who wanted the radio. Only three per cent wanted an MP3 player, two per cent wanted a TV and one per cent a DVD.
Which takes us to another survey carried out by Lemelson-MIT. The annual 2004 invention index had people voting for the cellphone as an invention they most hate but cannot live without. 30 per cent voters opted for the cellphone, followed by the alarm clock (25%) and television (23%). In addition to cell phones, the Lemelson-MIT
Invention Index also looked at the impact of popular inventions such as email, voicemail and credit and debit cards.
81 per cent of teens believed that email had made life simpler. Adults agreed to a lesser extent with a little less than 60 per cent voting for this. On the other hand, teens did not seem too excited about credit and debit cards. 32% said they made life easier, while 26% said they make life more difficult with 39% felt they make life both simpler and more difficult. Half of the adults surveyed said the
benefits of credit and debit cards outweigh any disadvantages.
But back to the BBC survey. People were asked if they desired any particular innovation to be developed. Voters opted for an AIDS vaccine and interplanetary travel.
Now the bicycle and interplanetary travel both figuring in the same survey. I guess I will wait for a bicycle that can pedal me to space.
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