This is good bye!

Finally, we've reached the end of the year! It has been a long and stressing semester but we got through it...together! I enjoyed talking about stuff that interest me because I was also learning new things and I hope that you guys also learned a couple of things while reading these posts. I wasn't able to cover all the amazing inventions that changed world due to the lack of time and limit on posts but I'm sure you guys will do some extra research wirelessly on some other inventions that changed the world (possible due to the invention of "WiFi"... haha). 

In my opinion, I think that I've covered most of the inventions that many people are curious the most to know about. That would be everything from wheels, computers, WiFi (making the use of computers even better), light bulbs and other interesting inventions. I talked about these inventions because those were the inventions I was curious to know about and find out who invented them and when they were invented. I enjoyed educating you guys about these inventions and if you guys have any questions about anything feel free to ask me or just research it.

To be honest, there was one post that I enjoyed writing the most and it was the invention of computers. I enjoyed writing about the other ones but this one made me feel something I've never felt before for technology. I was getting goose bumps as I was reading/writing about this invention. I have this strong connection to computers because I couldn't picture my life without mine, it's been with me through hard times and it would let me use it when I would be bored. It's been a great experience being able to share my thoughts with you guys and I hope you guys enjoyed reading my blogs.

This is good bye to everyone and I hope you guys follow your dreams and who knows, maybe one day someone might write a blog about inventions that you guys invented. 

What is "WiFi" and when was it invented?

Hello guys! This post will be my 9th and last post about inventions that changed the world. I wanted to end it with something that everyone here has and wouldn't be able to read this post without it. This incredible invention is called Wireless Fidelity (WiFi). Let's all be honest, whenever we visit someone, one of the most things we ask for his their WiFi name and password. We all have these new high tech technologies but most of them are useless without WiFi. Now, let's take a look at the history of WiFi and what it is.

"WiFi is a wireless networking technology that allows computers, some mobile phones, ipads, game consoles, and other communication over a wireless signal. The same way a radio can tune into a radio station signal over the airways, your device can pick up a signal that connects it to the internet " said Mary Bellis. What this means is that now we are capable of searching anything we want on our phones or computers, and all this is possible with WiFi. Before WiFi was invented, if someone was curious to know something or wanted to know a definition of a word, they would have to walk to a library and read books or dictionaries. Now all we have to do is click a couple of buttons on our laptops or phones and we get access to all the information we want in the world.

This is an example of the old routers 

To have WiFi, you need a router. The router is physically connected to the internet by an Ethernet cable. "The router then broadcasts a high-frequency radio signal which carries data to and from the internet" (1). There are many patents connected with WiFi technology but there's only one that actually defines the beginning of this great invention. This patent is called Vic Hayes & The 802.11 Standard. Vic Hayes created the 802.11 standard in 1997 but it wasn't the greatest because it was slow. It would take them a couple minutes just to load a simple page on the internet. As the years passed, many improvements were made and look where we've gotten with WiFi technology. Now when we search the web for something, and we get millions of results in just seconds and that's incredible.

Routers that we'll see nowadays 

Sources: (1) http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/WiFi.htm

               (2) http://dailybarrage.com/2013/10/01/a-brief-history-of-wifi/

Quick look at the history of Computers

Ever wonder how life would be without computers and social networking? Before the 1900s, computer didn't exist and everything (messages, mail and other ways of communications) was dealt with manually. Every time anyone wanted to tell something to someone else they had to write a letter and send it by hand. 

Now all we have to do is log in to a social site and direct message anyone we want from around the world and all it takes is a couple of seconds for them to receive it.

The invention of the computer dates back to 1941. Anything that was considered a computer before that was a calculator. In 1941, a German engineer Konrad Zuse built the first computer that he called "the Z3 computer". It wasn't until 1974, researches at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center designed the first work station with a built-in mouse, it was capable of storing files, it offered icons and menus. They called it "the Alto". In 1977, The Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was one of the first personal computers with either 4 or 8 kilobytes of memory, two built in cassette drives, and a keyboard.

Invention of Konrad Zuse

It wasn't until 1988, when Apple co founder Steve Jobs unveiled the NeXT. It was the first personal computer to incorporate a drive for an optical storage drive, a processor that allowed voice recognition. It came with 8 megabytes of RAM, and 256-megabyte of disk storage. This was a huge advancement in technology in that time and we are where we are today with computer technology because of those inventers.

Invention of Apple co founder Steve Jobs

Today we have high tech computers and laptops that are capable of doing almost anything. Almost every computer is super fast, has great graphics and other very good specs (depending how much you spend on a computer or laptop). Some of the many things that amaze me the most about computers is how small they've gotten and how we can have a couple terabytes (1 terabyte= 1000 gigabytes) built in our laptops and we still manage to keep them small.

Example of today's computers

Technology is advancing and the development of better computers could only be getting better and more high tech. Stay tune for more great inventions that changed the world.

Sources: http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=cmptr

               http://www.livescience.com/20718-computer-history.html

The invention of the Wheel Chair

Don't you guys ever wonder how handicaps people use to get around before wheel chairs were invented or even crutches. Most of guys would say that they would simply craw on the floor or have people hold them around. Obviously the person who invented the wheel chair (unknown) was tired of carrying people around and found a way to make it easier for people like him.

In 1783, John Dawson invented a wheel chair that consisted of two large wheels  and one small one in the back. It was called the "Bath" and it wasn't the first wheel chair ever invented but it did outsell all the other previous ones. Although it outsold many other wheel chairs, it wasn't the most comfortable. It wasn't until the late 19th century were many improvements were made to the wheel chair, like new hollow rubber wheels and push rims. Of course, there was some handicap patients that weren't able push themselves and didn't have anybody to push them and that was when the invention of the self powered motorized wheel chair was invented.  In 1900s, there was a major advancement in the wheel chair technology. The first motorized wheel chair was manufactured in London by George Klein.

One of the first wheel chairs ever invented 

Long after these inventions, the mind controlled wheel chair was invented. This new wheel chair technology was invented for those with very limited mobility, who couldn't use a wheel chair by themselves. They plant a device named "The BrainGate" the a person's brain and hooked to a computer to which the patient can send mental commands that allow them to control the wheel chair to make it do whatever they want it to do.

Modern electric Wheel Chair 

With this incredible advancement of technology, I can't wait to see what else they can add to the wheel chair to make it easier and more efficient for those who need it. Who knows, maybe they'll invent a wheel chair that hovers everywhere instead of having to roll on the ground.

Stay in touch for more amazing inventions that changed the world.

Sources: http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/wheelchair.htm

              http://www.1800wheelchair.ca/news/post/modern-wheelchair-inventions.aspx

Evolution of Automobiles

Hello my fellow curious class mates! In some of my last few posts I talked about wheels and light bulbs. I mentioned that light bulbs are used on cars and the primary function of wheels is to make a car move. Now let's get in to details about the history and functionality of auto-mobiles.

Cars existed long before our generation, that's why we all drive without even asking ourselves who invented the first auto-mobile or even how auto-mobiles functioned  before motors were invented. We've gotten so far with car technology that we forget the small things that matter the most to have a functioning car. A car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers and goods. The main definition of a auto-mobile is that they are primarily designed to be run on roads; they should be able to have enough seating for one to eight people; they should typically have four wheels (but with the advancement of technology, we are starting to see vehicles with three wheels); and lastly, they are initially constructed to transport people.

The first type of car to appear was a windmill looking like car. It moved with the power of wind and it was invented in 1335. A couple centuries later, in 1678,  a steam powered vehicle was invented by a priest in China. In 1769, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot from France invented the first self propelled mechanical vehicle. It was considered the first true auto-mobile. It consisted of three wheels, a steam engine, capable of carrying 4 passengers, and a maximum speed of 2.25 MPH. In 1876, Nikolaus August Otto created the first gasoline powered engine, but at that time, these kinds of vehicles were considered for the wealthy. In the end of the 19th century, the three horse power Oldsmobile was the first successful commercial vehicle because it allowed people to travel longer distances, safer and it allowed them to travel at higher speeds. In 1908, Henry Ford invented Model T and basically it was a vehicle that the middle class people were able to afford because it wasn't too expensive. Later on, in the 1930s, engines and bodies became larger and more luxurious.

Steam powered engine

Nowadays, we have cars that progressed a lot with all these new technologies that make cars a lot safer, faster, more comfortable,  and make it a heck of a lot easier for us to drive better and prevent accidents. 

Recent cars

Sources: http://www.slideshare.net/the_al3lwi/history-of-cars-presentation

                   

Light Bulb

Here I am again with another amazing invention that changed the world. We definitely all have light bulbs in our homes and let’s face it, we can’t imagine living without them. We all go insane when we have temporary black outs while it’s dark outside.   When all you have is natural light, we are very limited to do anything  to daylight hours. Light bulbs changed the world by allowing us to be active at night. The first light bulb was invented throughout the 1800s but the light bulbs had a short life period, they wouldn’t last longer than a few hours. Wasn’t until 1879, when Thomas Edison created a completely functional lighting system which consisted of having a generator and wiring as well as a carbon-filament bulb. 

Light bulb created by Thomas Edison

 As the years passed, more people were interested on the functionality of the light bulb and with research they succeeded to create even better light bulbs. Now we see a whole bunch of different light bulbs with different varieties of functions and shapes. Here are the different types of light bulbs that we can find on the market today:

Incandescent: this type of light bulb produces light when an electric current passes through a filament and causes it to light up. This is the common type of bulbs we find in homes because they're cheap and are kind of bright.

Incandescent light bulbs

 Fluorescent: this type of light bulb produces light when an electric arc passes between metals  from the periodic table that conduct electricity  to excite the mercury and other gasses in the light bulbs producing radiant energy, and this energy is converted in to a visible that we can see. We are starting to see more and more of these types of bulbs in homes because they last longer and don't need a lot of electricity to light up a room.

Fluorescent light bulbs

      High-Intensity Discharge (HID): produces light when electricity passes between metals that can conduct electricity in a pressurized tube. They have long lives and are extremely energy efficient. You can find these on cars that have a different color headlights. I myself just installed HID lights on my dad's SUV and this type of light bulb is very bright. 

HID light bulbs

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs):  this type of light bulb produces light when voltage is applied to negatively charged semiconductors to create light. You most often find these types of light bulbs on cars that have neon lights. I find it amazing how we can produce light with a variety of colors now.

LED light bulbs

I’ve pretty much covered all the basic things you need to know about the invention of light bulbs and where we are now with the advancement of this invention. If you want to know more about this amazing invention feel free to do more research and I’m sure all your questions will be answered or you can even ask me a question by writing a comment! Stay tuned for more wonderful and exciting inventions that changed the world!

Sources: 

1) https://www.americanlightingassoc.com/Lighting-Fundamentals/Light-Sources-Light-Bulbs.aspx

2) http://www.livescience.com/33749-top-10-inventions-changed-world.html 

3) http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/edison/lightbulb.shtml

Glasses

Everyone knows or has seen that family in which every family member wears glasses. Yet, most of us never question if they all wear glasses because of a genetic trait they share or because of the environment they live in. Studies have proven that poor eyesight does run in families. Although, that doesn't mean that the environment doesn't have a role with people’s poor eyesight. Another interesting thing is that we all appreciate the invention of glasses but we never take a moment to question who invented them or when they were invented.

First pair of glasses ever invented

The inventor of the first pair of glasses remains unknown. Most historians believe that the first form of eyeglasses was produced in Italy around 1285-1289. These magnifying lenses (glasses) for reading were shaped like two small magnifying glasses and set into bone, metal, or leather mounting that could be balanced on the bridge of noses. Of course before that time they had something to help them see, but it wasn't as advanced as the glasses. After the invention of the first pair of glasses, people were amazed with the design of it and how you can magnify whatever you want without having to hold anything in your hand. The design of the first glasses was great except that after years and years of just having a plain piece of metal with lenses in it, they deiced to make a few changes to it to make it better for them. They shaped it to make it fit better around the ears and they also made it possible to fold the pair of glasses to fit in places where the normal pairs couldn’t fit. 

Standard pair of glasses

Google has recently come out with a special pair of glasses they call ‘Google Glass’. Google glass is basically a computer that you can wear as glasses. It can display information that you would normally use your phone or computer to see. With this invention, you don’t even need your phone anymore, because you can answer your texts; emails; calls and much more with the new Google Glass. Some people have some concerns about this high tech inventions because these glasses allow you to invade other people's privacy. In example, it has a camera that's able to do 'face recognition' and with this type of technology you can find out many things about people without them even knowing. Which is why Google Glass is illegal in many countries. 

New Google Glass

We've advanced so much with glasses over the past few years. It all began with a simple objective which was to help people read and see better and now we're able to use our glasses to search the web and communicate with others. Personally, I want the Google Glass because I find it incredible that they were able to put so much technology on a small pair of glasses. Although, I wouldn't want anyone else to have one because I wouldn't want someone to invade my privacy and look at my information just by facing a camera that's on his glasses at me in public. 

Sources: - http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventions/a/glass_3.htm

              -  http://www.glasseshistory.com/

              -  www.google.com (images)