SMIDGEN

Landing on the moon is one of man's greatest dreams realized. But the invention that made it possible is often overlooked. The transistor was invented at Bell Laboratories on December 23, 1947. Its creation was an accident on the part of scientist Walter Brattain, but it would revolutionize the world. (And even our relationship with the moon)

To start with my own home, on an average day there are three computers running with our recent installation of Wireless Internet. My mom works all day online with other colleagues, I study or research online, and my brother downloads music and talks to his friends online. We are all connected in an intimate world of computers, cell phones, Internet, and advanced technology.

My dad does not know how to use the Internet and he is cut off from social events, receiving college bills, and countless opportunities. He realizes that he is distanced from a fast, modern way of life. For example, I baby-sit for a five-year-old boy who uses Internet daily to download T.V. shows and play games. Spending time with him is a reminder that his generation will take the transistor to even more tremendous heights. The transistor seeps far into our lives, even my father's. The cell phone would not be possible without the transistor. Gradually, globalization is becoming a reality as information is shared readily and with great speed. Economically, socially, politically, we have made such tremendous advances that it is miraculous, and possibly dangerous.

Though the entire world does not yet possess Internet access and cell phones, everyone is affected by their presence. Trading and exchange of ideas are felt around the world. Tragedies and genocide can no longer occur without global witness of crimes against humanity. Citizens now possess precious information and tremendous capabilities but they must use morality to ensure integrity and to help advance humanity.

Our lives and mode of communication have changed drastically. Last year, I taught a senior citizen to use the "computer" in a nursing home because she wanted to be "connected." Due to difficulty in writing, she was literally isolated from family and friends. After I taught her how to turn on a computer and open an email account, her whole life was changed. She gained contact with old friends and family who lived far away. She represents a microcosm of the Revolution caused by the tiny transistor. This Revolution and dream of the transistor will continue to inspire generations to come, and hopefully to alleviate the inequalities between the North and the South, or the developed and the developing world.