Movie Camera & ProjectorIn 1878, Muybridge famously created high-speed moving photos, calling his machine a Zoopraxiscope. His photos illustrated how people and animals move. Eventually, Walt Disney and other animators and artists later famously used the strips to create more realistic animations. Eventually Edison’s Kinetoscope, publicly demonstrated in 1891, was a primitive device that showed moving pictures to … Continue reading "Movie Camera & Projector"
LinuxLinux is a stable and secure operating system. The operating system is open-source and free. However, there are many companies that sell support for Linux, and maintenance is typically the source for most of the cost comes of maintaining an operating system. Background Limited to 16 concurrent users at his school’s computer, Linus wanted a … Continue reading "Linux"
24-Hour NewsBroadcast news was a staid affair, a half-hour visual summary showing events of the day. American networks NBC, ABC, and CBS each had a newscast and each aired at the same time. Ted Turner inherited an outdoor advertising company. To build more advertising outlets he purchased a third-rate television station running old TV series and … Continue reading "24-Hour News"
FiberglassFiberglass has multiple uses. It acts as an insulator, building material, and even boat hulls. First, in 1870, John Player developed a process to mass-produce glass strands with seam jets used for insulation. By and large, this is arguably the first fiberglass. Eventually, in 1880, Herman Hammesfahr patented weaving glass fibers to silk, making it … Continue reading "Fiberglass"
WikiSearch, a Wikipedia Search EngineIts origins were deceitful, duplicitous, and downright dumb but Google needs a competitor and maybe it’s not such a bad idea. I’ve been focused on Wikipedia lately, after my article published by the Institute of New Economic Thinking, INET, Wikipedia’s Ties to Big Tech, here. That put me in touch with lots of senior Wikipedia … Continue reading "WikiSearch, a Wikipedia Search Engine"
Laser PrinterLaser printing is the only Xerox research project to generate significant revenue and profit for the company. However, it predates PARC. Subsequently, most Xerox laser printing revenue came from licensing the technology to other firms. Despite their success in the enterprise market and strong brand Xerox never built a widely used Xerox-brand laser printer. Background … Continue reading "Laser Printer"
Multi-Shot Revolver“God created men equal, Sam Colt made them equal.” Samuel Colt Overview Colt’s revolver reduced the cost and risk of settling the US. Before the revolver, Native Americans could shoot arrows faster than pioneers could reload muskets, making westward travel and settlement dangerous. The Colt revolver reversed the dynamics and is widely credited with winning … Continue reading "Multi-Shot Revolver"
StatinsStatins dramatically lower blood cholesterol, and the likelihood of heart attacks. Akira Endo discovered statins. Akira Endo & His Molds Endo is a Japanese researcher with a lifelong fascination related to fungi. Recalling that Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin, he theorized that fungi might hold other miracle drugs. Endo noted that Americans are much heavier than … Continue reading "Statins"
Automated Teller Machine (ATM)Automated Teller Machines (ATM’s) dispense cash, take deposits, and perform other limited banking functions 24×7. In 1964, James Goodfellow patented and created a machine that used a punched card combined with a secret PIN. He built this out into a full-fledged ATM, filing a patent on May 2, 1966. Later ATM makers, including NCR, licensed … Continue reading "Automated Teller Machine (ATM)"
Braille Writing1829 Louis BrailleCharles Barbier Most of the innovations on Innowiki are for-profit inventions. While it could be argued that Braille’s writing technique opened new markets, the size of that market was limited to blind people. However, the impact of the innovation — a process enabling the disabled to regain one of the most important human … Continue reading "Braille Writing"
Personal Portable Music PlayerBattery operated portable personal music players are fun, enabling users to build a cocoon of their own music. Portable radios and stereos date back to the invention of the transistor. Over time, these grew in size and power. Enormous stereos run from batteries, “boom boxes,” were commonplace. However, boom boxes played music from speakers and … Continue reading "Personal Portable Music Player"
Highway (Limited Access Road)High-speed streets with minimal interruptions were a novel concept when first created. Highways, technically called limited access roads, have entry and exit ramps are few and located far between. Long Island, near New York, was home to the first highway in 1911. Americans continued to build highways, enacting the Federal Highway Act of 1921. Germans … Continue reading "Highway (Limited Access Road)"
Fast FoodMcDonald’s primary innovation is that food should be ready instantly. No sooner does a customer order than food appears. Individual restaurant orders, individually prepared was the norm for non-buffet restaurants before McDonald’s. In 1937, the McDonald brothers created their iconic restaurant and built several stores. Eventually, Ray Kroc was a 52-year-old milkshake machine salesman who … Continue reading "Fast Food"
Sit-Flat Paper BagsSure, sit-flat paper bags are not the condensing steam engine, the telegraph, pneumatic tools, or the dynamo generator but they represent something new: a woman entrepreneur. After realizing the hassle of bags that would not stand Margaret Knight set out to create a machine for a bag with a flat bottom. She worked with three … Continue reading "Sit-Flat Paper Bags"
Communication Satellite“This satellite must be high enough to carry messages from both sides of the world, which is, of course, an essential requirement for peace…” President Kennedy, July 23, 1962 Communication satellites bring the world closer together, with instant communication. They are especially important for communication, beaming information from one central place to many more. For … Continue reading "Communication Satellite"