Resource: Technology at Home

Think about the devices you have in your home -- a refrigerator or a television, for instance, or possibly a personal computer. How would your life be different if you didn't have these? Innovations in technology introduce new products and services to many of our homes, with the power to affect the way each of us lives our life. In many cases, these devices are developed as a response to society's changing needs. But they also reflect and even shape the values held by a society: a wish for more convenience or durability, or for something smaller, safer, and easier-to-use.

Often, new technologies begin as luxury items and are available to the few who can afford their high initial price. But over time, as the costs to develop and manufacture them decrease, they become more widespread. The television is an excellent example of this phenomenon. Rapid technological change, as evidenced in household devices over the past century, has often been accompanied by major social changes. Although it often promises a better quality of life to everyone, technology and the change it brings about actually frightens some people. Still others are concerned that much of the change may not really be for the better.

New technologies -- or modernizations of existing ones -- often begin as attempts to solve specific problems. But sometimes they happen unexpectedly. An American engineer named Percy Spencer was researching radars for military use at the end of World War II when he noticed something unusual. While testing a new kind of vacuum tube that emitted a certain frequency of radio waves, a candy bar he kept in his pocket melted. Curious about why this had happened, Dr. Spencer tried another experiment: placing popcorn kernels near the vacuum tube. When the kernels began to pop, the first microwave oven was born -- completely by accident.

Pick one technology and describe how its development changed the way people live.

How do you think people kept food from spoiling before refrigeration?

Have you used or seen any of the older items in your house or the home of an older relative? How are they different from newer versions?

What changes in size do you notice in various technologies?

Many of these items are for entertainment. How have they impacted our lives?