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USB Flash Drive
Inventor: Dov Moran USB Flash Drives were created as a new way to store data and to back up files from one's computer. They were an improvement from previous media storage materials such as the optical disk and floppy disks which could be easily damaged. -
The Roomba
Inventor: Joe Jones The Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner that was programmed to vacuum a room while avoiding running into objects around the house. This invention helped households by helping with cleaning dirt from the floor, with or without people home. It is especially useful for people with busy schedules. -
World of Warcraft Comes On-line
Inventors: Jeff Kaplan, Tom Chilton, Rob Pardo with Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game. It features a fantasy realm where you can choose your own avatar then explore the world with friends or others online, letting you go on your own quests, battling pets, etc. This invention paved way for future role-playing video games. -
Hulu is Founded
Founder: Jason Kilar Hulu brought us the convenience of streaming television shows and movies online. It was profound for the era because in 2007, most households were using DVDs and Cable TV. When Hulu came about, it gave people the opportunity to watch shows or movies on their own time, and with the option to be commercial free. Today, households use streaming services more than cable or DVD movies, and this may have not been the case if Hulu hadn't been founded. -
Bitcoin
Founder: Satoshi Nakamoto (Likely a pseudonym to keep anonymity.) Bitcoin is an online "crypto-currency" that allows people to purchase items anonymously. People can spend it online the way they would spend physical currency in the real world. Bitcoin is significant to the early 2000's because it gave people a way to connect online through a currency that was universal. It was the first of its kind and made spending online private. Unfortunately, for this reason it is used for illegal means.
