In this second instalment of the FJG Technology series, we look at technology not generally discussed, that we vary rarely sit back and look at the efforts and lengths  once went through to create. These are technologies that are taken for granted that can be surprisingly powerful….

Vehicles

This one was always going to crop up in this blog, the car is something we cannot seem to live without. In general, the direct uses of cars and other vehicles are clear, we drive them to and from work and wherever else we may need to reach. But what about the uses we don’t think about? For example, supermarkets delivery Lorries, military vehicles, postal services vehicles from vans to aeroplanes and even the Lorries that are used to transport our own cars. The car affects our lives in more ways than one; we just don’t see it everyday…

Smartphones

It is predicted they by 2016, over 2 billion smartphones will be active worldwide. But did you know the smartphone you use every day is more powerful than computers used by NASA when they began sending astronauts to the moon? In fact, the Orion spacecraft, which first launched in 2014, has less computing power than your smartphone. We really should treat these devices with more respect and appreciate what they allow us to do beyond playing Angry Birds…

The Desktop PC

Anyone who works in an office will likely use a desktop PC daily. Even so, we feel it is something we take for granted. Maybe yours is too slow, big and chunky or just older than you would like it to be. But imagine how slow and clunky your daily life would be without one altogether. Having started off as machines the size of an entire office, the Personal computer has changed how we work, how we live our lives and has advanced human capabilities such as space travel…. It really isn’t something to be moaned at.

Streaming & MP3’s

We have always listened to music, supposedly for around 50,000 years, but how we do so has been an area of constant and rapid evolution. Today more than ever that evolution is getting quicker and quicker – We stream our music on portable devices whilst being wirelessly connected to a portable speaker, but only half a century ago we depended on LP records and cassettes. No longer do we need to visit a high street shop to pick up a copy of a favourite album, we simply download, stream or play via YouTube. Streaming audio is also much more than just music – Dictation machines abound in our offices, voice recorders are at every interview around the world and the trusty radio is still going strong.

Read Part One here…

Is there on particular piece of technology missing from our list? Something we’ve taken for granted in writing this very list? Why not leave a comment or contact us via Twitter @FJGSolicitors to tell us your thoughts.