Wonders of the Modern World

I would like to take this opportunity to put down a few thoughts that I have been having recently on...well...pretty much everything actually! We are now living in a rapidly changing world. A period of future history which is in a state of constant flux, moving at an unprecedentedly swift pace. We are blessed to be born into a time of countless wonders. So here they are, my 7 wonders of the modern world. Feel free to add your own below!

1. The Internet Connects Everyone to Everyone Else

Undoubtedly the internet is the greatest invention of our time and in years to come may very well be considered as important as the development of fire, the rise of agriculture and the wheel.

I'm hungry. A few taps on the keyboard of my laptop and In 30 minutes a delicious hot pizza will arrive at my door. I don't need to give them cash, I paid online too.

My cousin lives in a small village in the South of Kenya. I want to speak to her. So I boot up my laptop, switch on the webcam and she may as well be in the room with me.
[snip]

2.The United Nations

Like Team America; World Police, you may love them, you may find them irritating, but the U.N. represents the very first time that mankind has joined together regardless of religion, race or nationality to create a genuine, global force for good. They may bicker and make mistakes, but the idea itself can surely not be disputed.

3. Air Travel

My cousin really does live in Kenya. If I had been born in 1884 not 1984 then if I wanted to visit her I would be spending at least 3 weeks on a boat to Mombasa. Now though, I can fly from London to Nairobi in 8 hours. On particularly slow days I've been known to spend longer than that masturbating.

4. Modern Medicine

I initially entitled this paragraph simply "Medicine" but "Medicine" (this time imagine I'm irritatingly doing the quote marks with my fingers) has been around for centuries. Some of it good, some of it AWFUL, but by the standards of doctors even 100 years ago, modern medicine is nothing short of miraculous.

This time, imagine I had been born in 1584 not 1984. I have a fever and have been coughing for days. The physician visits and instantly identifies that my humours are not balanced. He cuts me open and drains out some blood and maybe some bile. I should be fine now. By the following morning I have died from blood loss sustained while being treated for a bad cold.

Now imagine I had been born in 1484. I have a head ache. No problem for the doctor who drills a hole in my skull to let the demon out. And with only a 60% chance of permanent brain damage.

Fast forward to 2013. I have a chronic stomach ache. The doctor refers me to another person who deals only with stomachs. He sees that there is an ulcer by putting a camera down my throat and taking a look himself. A quick course of antibiotics and a few weeks of a special diet and I am fine. He didn't even have to let the demon out.



So there are four to get you started, It will be interesting to see what everybody comes up with. Go forth and discuss!

reply to post by digdeep


5. Me

reply to post by EA006
care to elaborate? I can't just take your word for it!!

I think the greatest inventions of modern times is birth control and Lasik.

reply to post by digdeep


I'm sorry to say but you clearly have not been paying attention or undersstood what the UN is about. The only part you are correct is:

Like Team America; World Police

You are correct there, the UN is a creation of the US and those that had geopolitical power after WW2, I advise you to read more about the function of the UN, the history of its creation (by whom) and the project that preceded it The league of nations. In one world the Un is a geopolitical tool to protect the status quo more than anything else and preserving the positions of established powers by creating international law. You can look at it as a super state where the nations are immortal citizens, consider the life of any newborn and the purpose of the elder ones on devising such a system.

They may bicker and make mistakes, but the idea itself can surely not be disputed.

I grant you that it is better than chaos but at the same time consider how lucky you are if you are not part of the recent arrival or those that never had real independence (I'm certain that you know about vote trading at the UN or how the powers that be push the little kids into line).

reply to post by digdeep


Regarding modern medicine (and flying for that matter) I don't see why pick it apart from the core Scientific Progress (Technology) in fact medicine is probably the field that has advanced less on its own merits (as a science) but most of it consists on applying other fields of knowledge to it, from Chemistry to Physics, even Mathematics. Medicine alone (diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease) has not evolved as much as other fields in comparison.

reply to post by digdeep


The best modern invention? Well that's got to be the lean, mean, fat reducing machine. Yup, the George Forman all-purpose grill! Fantastic bit of kit.

reply to post by angryhulk


says a Scotsman?! The times they are a' changin'