Key moments in tech history

I can still, and perhaps will always, remember:

• The first day we connected our NES to our TV and Mario appeared

• The first day I instant messaged a friend using MSN Messenger from France to England

• The first day I was doing a presentation and said I could get online without a cable

• The first day I was carrying my laptop between rooms and an email popped up on my computer

• The first day I tentatively spoke into my computer and my friend’s voice came back

• The first day the map on my phone automatically figured out where I was

Each of these moments separately blew my mind on the day. It was like magic when they happened. The closest I have had recently was probably the first successful call using Facetime and waving my hand at a Kinect sensor. (Another, that most people probably haven’t experienced, was watching a glass door instantly turn opaque at the touch of a button. Unbelievable.)

Each of these moments blew me away because things happened that weren’t even part of my expectations. I expect our expectations these days have now risen sufficiently high that it’ll probably take teleportation to get a similar effect from a teenager. Maybe life would be more fun if we kept our expectations low?