I bow in thanks to these four people

[Mike Buckley]

Where would we be in digital photography today without the accomplishments of these four people in the past?

[NorthernFocus]

Maybe we'd all be shooting cameras with Foveon sensors

I recall ten years or so back that was the prediction(by Wall Street). Foveon was going to revolutionize photography and dominate the market. NOT! Though by all rights it should have done so. Because that's one tech that I declined to invest in. Historically there is an inverse relationship between my investment decisions on new technologies and their ultimate (business) success.

[dje]

Yes I think it's great to see people like this getting some recognition for their brilliance and hard work. These days we all tend to take technology for granted and the vast majority of people would have no idea of the complexity of the work going on "behind the scenes".

Most of the kudos seems to go to pop stars, screen sirens and politicians!

Dave

[NorthernFocus]

Yes I think it's great to see people like this getting some recognition for their brilliance and hard work. These days we all tend to take technology for granted and the vast majority of people would have no idea of the complexity of the work going on "behind the scenes".

Most of the kudos seems to go to pop stars, screen sirens and politicians!

Dave

Forget about technology. Most people nowadays have no idea what it takes for the lights to turn on or for bacon to show up on the table. I spent a career doing my part to help keep the gears of society turning. It eventually occurred to me that no one ever says thank you when the lights turn on. But the same nitwits that make it nearly impossible to keep the lights burning want your head when they don't

So I retired. Now I too stand by the tracks and throw rocks at the train as it passes

[dje]

Forget about technology. Most people nowadays have no idea what it takes for the lights to turn on or for bacon to show up on the table. I spent a career doing my part to help keep the gears of society turning. It eventually occurred to me that no one ever says thank you when the lights turn on. But the same nitwits that make it nearly impossible to keep the lights burning want your head when they don't

So I retired. Now I too stand by the tracks and throw rocks at the train as it passes

Sad but true...

[Mike Buckley]

Being a non-technologist, I don't feel the least bit sorry for the technologists that don't understand why there are so many people like me who have no idea about what it takes for the technology to work. Though I'm a musician, I would never expect everyone to understand what it takes to make music sound the way it does, especially when most musicians don't understand so much about that.

It seems to me that it makes a lot more sense for those of you who understand what makes the radio work to simply leave it at that. Similarly, the people like me who understand what makes the music that comes out of the radio sound the way it does should simply leave it at that.

[NorthernFocus]

Being a non-technologist, I don't feel the least bit sorry for the technologists that don't understand why there are so many people like me who have no idea about what it takes for the technology to work...

Mike, if you're referring to my comments, I think you missed the point. I don't think technical people expect John Q to understand the technology nor to feel sorry for them. Simply recognizing that it is not magic is adequate.

For example, in the USA we expect the lights to turn on without fail and we expect it to be cheap. But we don't want anyone to burn those nasty fossil fuels, we've killed the nuclear industry, and we're pulling down dams so the rivers can return to nature. Wind and solar are OK(because we conveniently ignore what's behind those technologies) as long as the turbines or panels don't create any esthetic pollution or intrude on the migratory route of some threatened sand gnat. And fusion power hasn't been figured out yet. That pretty much leaves magic as the only option

[Mike Buckley]

You're correct, Dan, that I completely missed your very valid point. I completely agree with you.

[chauncey]

If it's broken, I want to know why and, how to fix it.

Several years ago, during a quiet summer day, we lost power...why? Drove around the neighborhood
to find the cause and outer edge, checked-out the overhead wires and discovered a fricasseed-squirrel
draped over the wire
Pretty soon the guys in the trucks came around looking for a broken wire...removed said squirrel,
reset breaker and all was good in Lake Wobegon.

[DanK]

There has been a big change in this respect in recent decades: how many things work has become far more obscure. In large part because of computer technology. When I was young, I used to tune up my car and so some repairs. I just liked being able to do it. I certainly can't do it now. I can explain how tungsten light bulbs work. A few days ago, my wife asked how LED lights work, and I realized I really don't know. I wonder what the implications of that will be.

Wind and solar are OK(because we conveniently ignore what's behind those technologies) as long as the turbines or panels don't create any esthetic pollution or intrude on the migratory route of some threatened sand gnat.

This is off topic, but painting with a rather broad brush, no? Most people I know can't tell you, except in the vaguest of terms, how solar panels work, but they do understand that producing them isn't environmentally costless, and they certainly understand the problem of inconsistent production over time.

[Mike Buckley]

If it's broken, I want to know why and, how to fix it.

If it's broken I want to get out my credit card to pay someone to fix it. The only better solution for me is to get my wife to fix it for free. However, as all husbands know, nothing is really free when it comes to wives.

[Manfred M]

While I agree that what these scientists have done for digital imaging is important, their work would leave us shooting in B&W. It took Bryce Bayer of Kodak to invent the Bayer filter that lets us work in colour. That is not to discount the work of Carter Mead and others in developing the Foveon sensor.

[RBSinTo]

Mike,
Thanks for pointing them out.
Now when I get my Time Machine finished, and up and running, I'll know who to go back in time and kill.
Robert