TECHNOLOGY IN HISTORICAL FORM
TECHNOLOGY IN HISTORICAL FORM
Technology was created, such as to fill a void, and why we revise technology, such as better efficiency. Also, why cellphones are so much better than rotary phones.
Different Kinds of Phones
A long time ago, almost in ancient times, people used something called a rotary phone. My grandma still has one! It's that phone where something called a rotary dial is turned to dial the number. Meaning, there are no buttons to press, be they plastic or digital. Instead, you just use a finger and turn this plastic thing around in a circle to dial the phone number! Weird, huh?
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I kid about the rotary phone being part of ancient times, but it is kind of ancient when it comes to modern technology. This kind of phone later evolved into cordless touch-tone phones (the ones with buttons you press), and now into cellphones where the buttons are images on a screen.
Why did we invent the telephone? Why has it been revised? We'll address this and other reasons for the creation and revision of technology right now.
Why is Technology Created?
We create technology to fill a void, need, or want. That's an essential part of it. We needed a way to communicate faster and better between vast distances than sending mail, which could take months to get from one point to another. So, humans invented the telephone to talk to one another.
But the telephone wasn't really great for sharing large amounts of information between people. For that, we used to have (and still have) books. But man, books took a long time to ship from one place to another. Could we improve on this with technology? Yep, we invented the computer, and then the internet, to write and send vast amounts of information in almost an instant without the need for traditional mail.
Not all technology has to do with communication, of course. Microorganisms, little bugs you can't see that may potentially kill you, have killed hundreds of millions of people in the recent past. So, some big brains decided to come up with new technologies that helped us develop drugs that kill the microorganisms, such as vaccines that protect us against them, and so on.
Some technologies are less about need and more about want. Those super-expensive massage chairs? They help us feel better. The TV? It keeps us informed about world events but also gives us a good laugh when watching a comedy. Those super-processed cookies? We created technology to make those so we could more easily satisfy our sweet tooth.
Humans invented the wheel to move things like goods around without having to carry them. We invented the horse or the oxen-pulled plow to help us grow more food. We created cars to help us get from one point to another faster. The list goes on forever. But you just need to remember one thing: We create technology to fill a need, void, or a want.
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Why is Technology Revised?
So why bother revising old technology? Why not keep the wheel made of stone? Why not use the horse-pulled plow? Why not use my grandma's rotary phone in every household?
We revise technology because we find more efficient, faster, and more convenient ways of doing the same thing. A stone wheel is cumbersome, heavy, and dangerous if it falls on you. A rubber wheel is far lighter and can be moved around far more easily. A plow pulled by a horse is nowhere near as effective or quick as a modern plow pulled by a tractor. That means we can plant more stuff to feed more mouths! And my grandma's rotary phone, as I can attest, takes forever to dial a number compared with modern touch-tone phones and cellphones.
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