Top 10 Modern Life Changing Inventions

Suggested by SMS

Picking the inventions that changed the way people live is often a matter of opinion. Some people could care less about whether or not they have a cell phone or GPS; on the other hand, it would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t think electricity changed life. Here are the top ten most life changing inventions in the modern world that have altered the way people think and do things on a daily basis.

10. Microwave Ovens

Working all day and then spending the next hour in the kitchen preparing dinner was at one time considered the norm for mothers and wives. Not anymore. Microwave ovens and the enormous variety of foods that can be prepared with no more skills than the ability to push a button have made it possible for the man of the house to prepare a meal. Microwaves make it possible to cook a variety of foods and reheat them later in the week to help make dinner time less stressful. The microwave has also helped make snack time easy enough for younger kids and teens to handle on their own. Many people find it hard to go back to pre-microwave times and if theirs goes on the fritz will make the trek to their local appliance store immediately to get a new one. Microwave ovens have changed the traditional kitchen with an apron waiting on the counter to a fast food, pop and go diner minus the drive-thru and check.

9. Debit Cards

 

People who carry cash are quickly becoming an oddity, thanks in part to the debit card. This automatic, electronic means of accessing money is slowing making paper bills obsolete. Invented in the late 1980’s debit cards have become a way of life for some people. One look around at the local convenience store proves the point. Most people don’t have the cash in their pocket to pay for a soda; instead they pull out their trusted debit card. Debit cards have made it possible for people who don’t have credit cards or are not able to get a credit card to flash the plastic anyway. Many young adults don’t know how to balance a check book simply because they don’t use them; they use their debit card and keep up with the balance on the go.

8. Hybrid Cars

Although still a relatively new invention, hybrid cars are poised to change the way the modern world looks at transportation. These vehicles use both gas and electricity for power and help decrease the demand for gas which in turn eliminates the need for oil. The invention and continued improvement of the hybrid car was born from the necessity to stop the depletion of the Earth’s resources and help families save money on their transportation bills. It is doubtful that the gasoline engine will ever go completely away. It’s hard to imagine a muscle car running on electricity; however, the day may come when gasoline engine cars are considered the exception rather than the norm.

7. Smartphones and MP3 Players

Once upon a time owing vinyl albums was the only way to listen to music. As time progressed the 8-track tape and cassette came along and started the transformation of the music industry. The digital format MP3 revolutionized the way music is listened to and stored. The IPod was not the first portable device for listening to MP3s but it was the one to change the digital music world. MP3 music files and MP3 players allow people to carry thousands of songs in their pocket, often in devices as smaller than a playing card. On one hand, these devices and files made it possible to carry music anywhere; on the other hand, these digital files quickly became easy to share and thus cause musicians to lose out on royalties. Regardless of how it is looked at, the MP3 changed the shape of the music world.

6. Cell Phone

You see them in cars, restaurants, libraries, schools, and in some cases you can’t see them at all, all you see is an earpiece. What is it that has people everywhere talking? The cell phone, of course. It seems that everybody has a cell phone and while that might be an exaggeration, it is a fact that the cell phone has taken over as the preferred means of telephone communication. Many people have given up their land lines in favor of their cell phone. These phones have made it possible to stay connected to family and friends without looking for a phone booth and digging for a quarter to make a call. Parents can check on their children no matter where they are and business deals can be strategized while on the way to the office all because of a tiny little device.

5. Text Messaging

As if the cell phone weren’t convenient enough, text messaging came along and made it possible to have conversations anywhere, anytime, even in the library or during church. Text messaging has created a generation of people who can type with two fingers on a hyphenated keyboard quicker than most people can type on a traditional keyboard. It has also made it possible for messages to be sent without other people hearing what is being said, often a frightening fact for many parents. Sadly, text messaging along with the next most popular invention, email, has also made a generation of people who would rather communicate online or by text rather than talk.

4. Email

Sitting down and writing a letter with a pen and paper then addressing the envelope and putting a stamp on it has become something of rarity in today’s modern world of electronic mail. The mailman no longer delivers sweet words of wonder from loved ones, today’s mail is mostly made up of flyers and junk mail along with the occasional bill if the resident hasn’t opted to have those sent by email. Email is simply a much faster, less expensive way to communicate with people. Email has changed the way people send messages including replacing the fax machine in many offices. Email doesn’t have the personal touch that writing a letter does but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming the means of communication for millions of people.

3. Internet

The Internet has changed the way people find and share information, shop, read, watch movies and so many more things it’s impossible to imagine not having the web. From personal communication across the globe or across the street to business meetings and contract negotiations the web has made it possible for people thousands of miles apart to interact as though they were in the same room. Doctors can collaborate online while others are researching everything from illnesses to their dogs while others are shopping for clothes and cars. It is hard to imagine a world with no Internet.

2. Computer

Even without the Internet the computer would be a life changing invention. The ability to process information in lightning speed and store it in tiny spaces has made the computer one of the greatest modern inventions. There was a time when the typewriter was considered a marvel, the computer moved the typewriter into extinction and made word processing fun rather than a chore. The computer made it possible to accomplish more in a shorter period of time than ever and also became an entertainment option for millions of people.

1. Google

This is what happened when you google too much

Google’s search engine and many other Internet applications has been the number one life changing invention in modern times for millions of people around the world. Ask a question and if someone doesn’t know the answer they will Google it. Google has even become an action word that people use to show they are searching for an answer. Go Google it is the catch phrase of the century. Google has made it possible to find practically anything on the Internet in the course of a few short seconds. From telephone numbers to archived books can be found using Google. For those who don’t believe it, go Google it and be amazed.

Modern inventions have increased the pace at which lives move. Everything is faster and easier than ever before and shows no signs of slowing down. Perception plays a big role in determining if an invention is life changing and not everyone will agree with the inventions here; however, it is a given fact the modern inventions are life changing for everyone in one way or another.