What's the biggest change the world has seen in your lifetime?

[scooterscot]

Even that is a bit vague... HOW has it caused the world to change in ways that affect you?

Then the question should have read:

What's the biggest change you have seen in the the world during your lifetime?

[NickFitz]

Nobody darns socks anymore.

Oh, and the Beatles have split up

[pacharan]

The advent of cheap throwaway goods.

For example, the purchase of a lawnmower would be a significant outlay.

Nowadays you can pick up a cheap rotary with a Briggs unit for under £100.

When it inevitably packs up at the end of the summer you go back to Homebase for a replacement.

[Mich the Tester]

Well of course it all kicked off with old Jethro and his seed drill, then along came Watt and Newcomen and so on with their steam engines, Brunel with his iron ships and those crazy yankee Wright brothers with their aeroplanes. The there was that clever Turing chappy with his compyouters and before you knew it I had my own webby blog on myuglyfacespacebook.com.

greetings,

Threaded

[Ignis Fatuus]

As someone just turning 30, I suppose I'd plump for how it's not only so easy to contact anyone, but socially expected that you BE contactable.

I happened to be right on the cusp of two big shifts in communication - I started university just as mobile phones became ubiquitous, and I graduated just as Facebook was kicking off.

What would you nominate, and roughly how old are you?

I'd say the Internet. Tough choice between that and mobile phones though. It's hard to remember now how even a few years ago, if you wanted to meet someone you had to make definite plans, often with a fallback plan, because if you missed each other there was no way to get in touch.

Either way, it's connectivity (and as you say the expectation of it).

I'm 60.

BTW I don't agree about the EU and the fall of communism: that's Situation Normal, it's just that we got used to a postwar stability that actually was only temporary.

[Spacecadet]

The rise of the microprocessor and everything that goes with it

They were around before I was born (late 70’s) it was only after I was born that owning a home computer became feasible and then to see the amount of computing power available per pound spent increase exponentially over time has been phenomenal.
I don’t think all the money in the world could by my laptop if prices had increased at the same rate!

[MarillionFan]

The wheel

Threaded.

[MarillionFan]

Well of course it all kicked off with old Jethro and his seed drill, then along came Watt and Newcomen and so on with their steam engines, Brunel with his iron ships and those crazy yankee Wright brothers with their aeroplanes. The there was that clever Turing chappy with his compyouters and before you knew it I had my own webby blog on myuglyfacespacebook.com.

greetings,

Threaded

Oh FFS!

[Old Greg]

I'd say the Internet. Tough choice between that and mobile phones though. It's hard to remember now how even a few years ago, if you wanted to meet someone you had to make definite plans, often with a fallback plan, because if you missed each other there was no way to get in touch.

Either way, it's connectivity (and as you say the expectation of it).

On a similar note, not having to get your weekend cash out of the bank on a Friday. And paying in the pub with plastic.

[Scrag Meister]

It has to be the INTERNET, as mentioned by a lot of you.

As has been proven in some odd examples you don't have to leave your home to shop, communicate, learn, work etc.. etc.. etc.. now we know where all the obesity comes from.

Mobile communications is another big thing too.


I do remember being very chuffed when my parents bought a colour TV back in the day with a remote control, not a dial on the front of the B/W that you actually had to get up to change.