"You're scrolling on that smartphone? We built the cell networks it runs on."
As Boomers and Gen X, we didn't just witness the digital revolution—we created it step by step:
We Connected the World:
- We laid the physical internet backbone cables across oceans in the 1970s-90s
- Our teams developed TCP/IP, DNS, and HTTP protocols powering today's web
- We built the first email systems when communication meant physical mail
- We created ARPANET and early BBS communities that evolved into social media
We Transformed Entertainment:
- We shifted music from vinyl records to cassettes to CDs to MP3s
- We developed the first handheld gaming devices like Game Boy
- Our programming teams created Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Tetris
- We built the Atari 2600, NES, and PlayStation that started gaming culture
We Revolutionized Computing:
- We designed the GUI interfaces you take for granted today
- We wrote the early programming languages still powering modern systems
- We built the first laptops when "portable" meant 20-pound briefcases
- Our teams created MS-DOS, Windows, and Mac OS—foundations of modern computing
We Changed Communication:
- We developed SMS text messaging protocols in the 1980s
- We designed early mobile phones that evolved into smartphones
- We created the first digital cameras that transformed photography
- Our teams built the first satellite TV networks changing how media reaches homes
Every time you stream music, send a text, use GPS navigation, or play a video game—you're benefiting from systems we conceptualized, built, and refined decades ago. We're not technophobes; we're the architects watching how our blueprints transformed the world.