Looking back over my lifetime, these have been my “eureka” moments

Being a writer I have spent many hours looking back over my life.  It hasn’t been a question of what I would do differently as much as a situation of analyzing and writing about what took place.  It is more about establishing historical markers than about mentally reconstructing the past— although, I admit, I do a little of both.  In this essay I want to highlight those events in my life that did not just happen but that changed the way I did things.  They are my “eureka” moments.

I am aided in my quest by an article in USA Today (May 20, 2007), by Byron Acohido, Jim Hopkins, Jefferson Graham, and Michelle Kessler entitled “25 years of ‘eureka’ moments.”  In their article, they present and briefly discuss the top 25 life-changing inventions. 

Now, I have to admit — although I don’t like doing this — that I am slow to change.  I prefer my comfort zones because they are safe, secure, and require no new learning.  For me, my comfort zones protect my routines, plans, methods, customs, and habits.  When my pattern is predictable, I do not have to spend time thinking about how to do something; all I have to do is plug in the new content.  I like my typical, everyday, commonplace activities, and I protect them. 

This admission — that I’m slow to change — will explain why much of the technology that has been introduced over the past 25 years has not taken root in my activities.  For example, some of the top “life-changing inventions” according to the authors of the USA Today article, are not included in my list: cellphones (my wife and I have them, even though I seldom use mine), laptop computers (because I am not “on the road” for my work, and I do not take a computer with me on vacations), and blackberrys, iPods, iPads, or any similar devices. (Unlike Barack Obama, I have no need for a mobile e-mail device nor the bells and whistles (apps) they offer, since I spend most of my time at home writing at my desktop computer).   

These were the authors’ top three “eureka” moments.  Others were iPods (the iconic portable digital music player), digital cameras, flat-panel TVs, online stock trading, TiVo (the digital device that allows subscribers to record their favorite TV shows and to view them without advertisements), home satellite TV, and karaoke.  None of these, too, make my list, although I have to say that may not be true in the future.  

When I wrote this essay, blogging was not part of my life.  Now, I have to include blogs and blogging as a eureka moment because it is currently part of AndThenSomeWorks.com, a website (that did not exist when I originally wrote this essay) that promotes and discusses products (primarily books) designed for sale by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.   I was brought (kicking and screaming) into this aspect of new technological developments — but only when dragged in at the hands of concerned family members!  As a “eureka” moment, it now falls somewhere within the list offered below. 

Here, then, is a list of my “eureka” moments over my lifetime.  Interestingly, the first four are technology related.  I list them in order, and I offer a brief discussion of their importance to me as justification for their inclusion on my list. 

The first and most influential “eureka” moment in my lifetime was, indeed, technology oriented.  It was the invention of the Word Processor which allowed me, as a writer, to move from a typewriter to a computer screen. For me, this occurred in 1985. And in that change the three most important aspects involved, first, the ability to easily move large pieces of information from place to place within a manuscript (“cut and paste”), the ease of pressing on the keys to get an impression, and, third, the ability to produce an error-free manuscript. 

The second most influential “eureka” moment in my lifetime was also technology related.  It was the invention of the Internet.  Yes, it has value as an important entertainment alternative, and, yes, it yields tremendous benefits in maintaining contact with others.  For me, however, the most important feature is its use in researching (searching out) ideas and information.  Never before has so much information been so available so quickly. 

The third most influential “eureka” moment, also technology related, had a direct, but secondary, effect on me.  PowerPoint changed public speaking forever.  Although I have never made use of it, I have had to write about it in all of my communication textbooks; thus, I had to learn it well enough to explain it to readers.  Because it allows speakers from CEOs to sixth-graders, to display topic headings, charts, and animation with the click of a mouse, it has become not just a dominant, but an overwhelming, force in presentational public speaking. 

Because I love moview, the fourth most influential “eureka” moment is the invention of DVDs.  As DVDs were being released, and as my family rented them for home viewing, I watched in the rental venues as DVDs slowly acquired more space, and the space devoted to VHS rentals plummeted.  Then DVDs began to fade as direct downloading of movies took place.  A whole generation of technology swept through like a brisk wind. 

A related invention, CDs, also had a major influence.  I had a very large (500 plus) collection of 45s, and my LPs numbered close to 500 hundred as well; thus, replacing my collection with CDs took some time; however, I have now acquired most of the recordings I am interested in.  Then my wife bought me a music center which allowed me to transfer my LPs to CDs, and now my CD collection far surpasses that of my former record collections—and is soon likely to be replaced by MP3s (but only after a great deal more kicking and screaming). 

For my fifth “eureka” moment, it took me awhile to finally convert, but it happened suddenly on one of our many vacations.  Instead of pumping gas then proceeding into the station to pay the cashier, I used my credit card at the pump.  The saved time is what affected me most, but the ease of the process, too, convinced me that my fifth most influential “eureka” moment had to be the invention of “pay at the pump.” 

Lettuce in a bag is my sixth most influential “eureka” moment.  My wife and I eat a lot of salads.  When the garden isn’t producing lettuce, we depend on lettuce in a bag.  The variety is outstanding, the quality is superb, and the cleanliness has been proven over and over. 

My seventh “eureka” moment—and most recent—is microwaveable popcorn.  What’s odd about this choice is that I wrote an earlier essay on popcorn in which I talked about how I prepare and season it.  The problem is the time it takes to do that.  When I am writing, have other tasks to complete, and feel pressured to produce, I find microwaveable popcorn to be a godsend.  It is tasty, nutritious, and fast— pops entirely during one commercial break!  (As I updated this essay for current posting, I have to admit that several weeks ago I purchased another 50-pound bag of popcorn kernels—so, even though I sometimes use microwave popcorn, I kick and scream and cook it the old-fashioned way as much as I can.

It was Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer who, having made a discovery or created a new machine, forgot himself and ran around the town, butt naked, shouting “Eureka! Eureka!”  I never ran around shouting “Eureka! Eureka!,” but I kick and scream a lot.  It’s amazing how drums seldom beat and bugles never blare, but the effect is the same; the effect of these changes, alone, has been immeasurable.  

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What are the top ten eureka moments in history?  Find them listed and discussed at the Science Channel website, .  It states, “... These stories represent times when inspiration struck like a bolt out of the blue and the world was changed by that eureka... that, or these scientists are just the ones with the best P.R.”  They are: 1) special relativity, 2) alternating current, 3) nerve impulses transmitted chemically, 4) Archimedes and the Golden Crown, 5) television, 6) PCR (the way a small amount of DNA can be exponentially amplified), 7) coordinate geometry, 8) microwave oven, 9) Velcro, and 10) Post-It Notes.  Don’t agree?  What would you add or subtract from the list? 

At the Newsweek website ,   Sharon Begley has a terrific essay on how the brain produces these “Eureka” moments, entitled, not surprisingly,  “Eureka! How the Brain has 'Aha' Moments.” 

Want to read the article that spawned my essay?  Read, “Twenty-five Years of Eureka Moments,” at USA Today . 

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Copyright May, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.