Have you ever got a surprise email lately? I am not talking about spam emails which bombards everyones mail box. I received today an email from a student R.Y. in Kwansei Gakuin University in Sanda, Japan who is doing a research project on the history of computer. He had a question for and it goes like this:

Question: In your opinion, what is the greatest invention of history of computer? Why? (I think it is “Transistor” because it can downsize very smaller.)

The question gave me a chance to think on how computer is affecting us now and in the near future. My simple answer to the question was:

If we talk about computers as a hardware.. I think your idea is a good
one.. considering the silicon wafers in the area of computer and
currently the nanoelectronic fabrics.. and lately integrating them
with organic substance or even replace them with protein molecules to
create biological computers.

I am not sure if I helped him on his reasearch but it’s my own 2 cents view of the subject. What do you think of the question? Do you have another idea in mind? Give me a comment. Thanks.