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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2014
Key moments in tech history
I can still, and perhaps will always, remember:
The first day we connected our NES to our TV and Mario appeared
The first day I instant messaged a friend using MSN Messenger from France to England
The first day I was doing a presentation and said I could get online without a cable
The first day I was carrying my laptop between rooms and an email popped up on my computer
The first day I tentatively spoke into my computer and my friend’s voice came back
The first day the map on my phone automatically figured out where I was
Each of these moments separately blew my mind on the day. It was like magic when they happened. The closest I have had recently was probably the first successful call using Facetime and waving my hand at a Kinect sensor. (Another, that most people probably haven’t experienced, was watching a glass door instantly turn opaque at the touch of a button. Unbelievable.)
Each of these moments blew me away because things happened that weren’t even part of my expectations. I expect our expectations these days have now risen sufficiently high that it’ll probably take teleportation to get a similar effect from a teenager. Maybe life would be more fun if we kept our expectations low?
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