There are some events in our history exert more influences to our civilization than all others combined. The following is the list of these events.
Printing Press (Knowledge Revolution)
Since Johannes Gutenberg developed a streamline process of printing press, the pamphlets & books were spread very quickly & reached almost every corner of the Europe & eventually to the whole world. It was truly a Knowledge Revolution. Common people could access the new idea & classical books easily. It led to social reforms & changes. The impact can be seen from the fact that the majority members of the’ Top 100 Most Influential People in Our Civilization’ were born after Gutenberg.
Steam Engine (Work Revolution)
James Watt improved the steam engine to the stage that it replaced human labor easily. Before this, the human beings depend on the wind or water for transportation & work. Since Watt’s steam engine, the harness of the Mother Nature is no longer limited to the sea or near the water. Human beings can harness the Mother Nature for work that replaces the human muscle labor at any place in any time. The spreading of this power & force at low cost led to the Industrial Revolution.
Electricity (Energy Revolution)
People have used fire as main energy source since ancient time. It was until Michael Faraday & James Maxwell, human beings started utilizing the electricity to power various type of equipment & lighting. Nowadays electricity is the standard of household energy source. It is hard to imagine a common daily life without electricity. The spreading of energy to every house is a revolution in itself. So far we don't see any other type of energy can replace the electricity at home in the foreseeable future.
Internet (Information Revolution)
The electronics & computer usher in the Internet. The easy access of information changes our life & social fabric. Almost all activities in our society are affected by the proliferation of the Internet. The spreading of information is truly an Information Revolution.
It is even more striking that all the above revolutions have been going on these days are enhanced by the current electrical engineering. The printing is enhanced with instant displays, laser/inkjet printers & electronic books. The train & car are gradually replaced with electric locomotives & electric cars. The power & logical intricacies of Internet are powered by the electronic technology. All in all, these revolutions are enhanced & become part of the disciplines of the Electrical Engineering. Electrical Engineering lays the foundation of our modern society. It sows the seeds for other developments that also change our life, a life to the better. Aren’t we proud of being Electrical Engineers?
Note: The photo is from the Embankment of The Institute of Electrical Engineers (London, England) with statue of Michael Faraday in the foreground at Savoy Place.
2 comments:
I happened to encounter a weblink of a talk by Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder.
http://www.neoleader.org/?p=2554
The talk was delivered in 2003 & I found it very interesting & revealing. I'd like to share his talk with you. This is about the similarity between the Electricity & Internet Revolution. He also mentioned the California gold rush in 1849-1852. Gold Rush was some kind of adventure to get rich quickly. This kind of scheme usually fails as history can attest.
10 years ago, we were in a reunion gathering dinner in Palo Alto. I mentioned buying books from Amazon with credit card. I remember 盧遂全 & some classmates said they really reluctant to do something like this on Internet. Nowadays if you haven't bought anything from Amazon, you may be considered a dinosaur. If you never look up something on Wikipedia, you are considered obsolete intellectually. Internet changes our life. Some of us may have branched out to pursue some other interesting career. However, many of us stay with the Electrical Engineering & have the chance & experience to witness the changes around us by Internet. Some of us who directly & indirectly contribute to the advancement of the Internet should be proud of ourselves & have a feeling of fulfillment in our life.
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