"atfsgeoff" (atfsgeoff)
12/23/2019 at 16:27 • Filed to: None
2
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"atfsgeoff" (atfsgeoff)
12/23/2019 at 16:27 • Filed to: None | 2
| 10 |
Aside from completely revolutionizing human culture at large and allowing technology and science to advance at an unprecedented rate over the past 73 years, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor or
MOSFET
also holds the distinction of the most mass-produced device in history, at an estimated 13
sextillion
or 13,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 produced between 1960 and 2018. Probably up to 14 or even 15 by now. This invention is, as the History Guy in the video below states, history that deserves to be remembered.
You are probably utilizing several billion MOSFETs on the computer, tablet or phone you’re reading this on. Your car, if made in the past 30 years, probably also contains millions or billions, if not possibly trillions of them.
Mind-boggling.
Cash Rewards
> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 16:41 |
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In all seriousness, Rome and Egypt did alright without them. Wheel, fire, process to domesticate dogs, all might have words with that claim
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atfsgeoff
> Cash Rewards
12/23/2019 at 16:47 |
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Man-
made fire, the wheel, and animal domestication were all instrumental in the formation of human society and culture at large, but I still think the transistor has had a more sudden and
profound impact on society at large than any one of those ancient discoveries/inventions.
lone_liberal
> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 16:58 |
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When I was in the Navy the transmitters I worked on were all discrete components so I got lots of quality time with good old 2N2222.
DutchieDC2R
> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 17:19 |
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Came in for a ‘Twisted Transistors’ reference, left disappointed....
Grindintosecond
> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 17:31 |
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Sweatpants. THE most important invention.
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> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 17:38 |
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Sudden, sure. Profound, nah. There’s a school of thought that domestication of dogs effect both human and canine evolution. Our poor sense of smell is due to early humans delegating that to dogs, and why dogs can understand human facial expressions. So the internet is in my hand, and my car is more advanced. In the scale of living in caves to now , that’s a big So What.
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atfsgeoff
> Cash Rewards
12/23/2019 at 18:05 |
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The profundity is that transistors have trivialized global communication, record keeping,
and all manner of audio/visual education (among many other things). Western day to day
life now
is more different to
100 years ago, than the difference between life in 1920 and 1820, or the difference between 1820 and 500 BC.
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> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 18:29 |
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Thats where I disagree. A couple generations ago you could order a house from Sears. A entire fucking house, that would be delivered. So I had to mail in the order, instead of on my phone. The speed of life has changed. Life itself, less I think
SiennaMan
> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 18:30 |
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I think this is the thing. There is so much about 2020 in the first world that would amaze 1920 man and appear to be the devil incarnate to 1820 man.
I suppose if you wanted to argue that certain processes (such as assembly lines or industrialization) were more important, perhaps
, but if you’re just looking at things, yeah, the transistor.
coqui70
> atfsgeoff
12/23/2019 at 20:08 |
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I was thinking of the fermentation of grain mashes and fruit mashes to make alcoholic beverages, the wheel ... but electronics are cool too.