A Brief History of Technology
Technology is the collective term for any methods, techniques, systems, and practices used in the creation of products or services and in the achievement of specific goals, for example scientific research. Technology is also the collective term for many of the ways in which people interact with each other and with nature. The word technology came into use during the First World War. One of the contributors to this was Enzo Macchi, a scientist who was working on the development of poison gas. Others who contributed to the creation of technology at this time were Ampere and Von Koolee. During the Second World War, technology helped to reduce the losses suffered by soldiers fighting the German army.
In current times technology has become an essential part of our lives. Many people are now dependent upon computers for making day to day purchases. Computers have made it possible for people to communicate and interact with each other on a much greater scale than ever before. The invention of the internet opened up the ability to spread information across the globe and has reduced the costs of global travel considerably. Satellite technology has made television broadcasts available in virtually every country on earth, and the growth of wireless internet has made dial-up access available almost everywhere.
Technological change has had a tremendous effect on the way that humans live their lives. Throughout history, people have always sought to improve on existing technology to create new capabilities and to make things easier to do. However, as society becomes more reliant on technology the push for more technology is also growing.
The push for technology goes far beyond the realm of everyday living. Even though most of us are not thinking about space travel, we are all familiar with the space program, and many of us have pictures of human beings living on the moon or on the other planets. In addition to the space program, NASA is planning to send people to Mars in the next decade or so, and while they are planning to go there in search of fossilized fossils, they have funded a project to study the “habitability” of an alien habitat.
How will we use technology in the future? Probably the most important use of technology will be in our daily lives. Already we have cell phones and electronic books, and those technologies are only becoming more advanced. When you take the books out of your bookcase, what do you see? You see a computer. How far will technology take us?
We may never know what the future holds. One thing is for sure, we need technology for its value to our economy, our world, and for our overall well being. It is likely that some day technology will be more important than water or air. Technology is a necessary part of our lives, and no matter how far we think we may go, technology will always play a part.