Even PBS can come up with something interesting once in a while.
Is your business plan focused on the past or the future? It’s ok to focus on something hot in the past if it’s still a keeper now. And you can mess yourself up jumping too quickly into the new and untested. Finding the right spot to focus on is part of being an entrepreneur. Sometimes harnessing new technology to produce a time tested result is the key to blending the past and the present.
Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years
The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) began its regular broadcasts of the Nightly Business Report in 1979. In celebration of their 30th year on television, Nightly Business Report partnered with Knowledge@Wharton to identify “The Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years.” NBR viewers suggested the advances they admired during the 1979 to 2009 time frame. Professors at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania selected and ranked the top thirty. We think the list is worthy of sharing with our Agurban readers. You will note that several have specific applications to rural America.
#30 – Anti-Retroviral Treatment for AIDS
#29 – SRAM/Flash Memory
#28 – Stents (coronary stents)
#27 – ATMs
#26 – Bar Codes and Scanners
#25 – Biofuels
#24 – Genetically Modified Plants
#23 – RFID and applications (Radio Frequency Identification)
#22 – Digital Photography/Videography
#21 – Graphic User Interface (GUI)
#20 – Social Networking via Internet
#19 – Large Scale Wind Turbines
#18 – Photovoltaic Solar Energy
#17 – Microfinance
#16 – Media File Compression
#15 – Online Shopping/E-Commerce/Auctions
#14 – GPS
#13 – Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
#12 – Light Emitting Diode products (LEDs)
#11 – Open Source Software and Services
#10 – Non-Invasive Laser/Robotic Surgery
#9 – Office Software
#8 – Fiber Optics
#7 – Microprocessors
#6 – Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
#5 – DNA Testing and Sequencing/Human Genome Mapping
#4 – E-Mail
#3 – Mobile Phones
#2 – PC/Laptop Computers
#1 – Internet/Broadband/World Wide Web
HT:Jack Schultz
Mp4 Players on March 26th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
This is a really interesting compilation. It is unbelievable how much technology has advanced in such a short span of time.