Thursday, May 15, 2008
I dream about new battery technology
You know that commercial for batteries that starts something like "So you think there's nothing new in battery technology..."? You probably don't, because it's boring. It's also sort of weird, isn't it? If I thought there was nothing new in battery technology, eh? Do people think this? Are people under the mistaken impression that technology surrounding the battery has reached its peak and cannot possibly go further? George Costanza said toilet paper couldn't improve anymore; does everybody else think that you can't improve the battery? Probably not. Furthermore, who is spending any time thinking about battery technology? I've never thought about battery technology outside of school. It's never crossed my mind that it can't improve, but it's also never crossed my mind how it might improve. I don't really think about it. I don't think about it at all. But that battery company is selling batteries to people who used to think there was no new battery technology, but are now made aware that some sort of new battery technology has made a particular brand's batteries super awesome.
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There are all kinds of people working on battery technology. I believe a certain roomate of ours from a summer in River Falls is one of those people who was working on some battery technology.
ReplyDeleteI was making just that point to my summer class when telling them about the importance of magnet technology to changes most people associate with "computers". Two areas of mundane R&D (magnets and batteries) are what is mainly responsible for portable devices.
ReplyDeleteSimplest example: The difference between "brick" cell phones and what we have today is mostly in the batteries. Lithium Ion batteries will improve hybrid cars by a factor of 3 or 4.
Elsewhere, in the small-world-scary category, I know three graduates of UW - River Falls and I have barely set foot in Wisconsin. (Does Hurley count?)
That's sort of why I thought the commercial was silly. There's new and improving technology in just about everything--why would people assume there was nothing new going on with the battery?
ReplyDeleteThere's also a commercial now that is for allergy medicine that starts "You know that song 'Time in a bottle'?" Every time I see that commercial I say "No."