How important was the invention of the lithium-ion battery?

How important was the invention of the lithium-ion battery?

Is the lithium-ion battery the most important invention of the past 50 years?
It is definitely important. And the inventors just won a Nobel Prize. Powers all kinds of stuff. But no, I'm gonna go with the Internet as the most important invention of the last 50 years.

Was PG&E shutting off power to 600,000 Californian customers the right call?
Hard to say. They do have a pretty solid argument that you have to shut off powers at this time of the year, with these kinds of winds coming, to prevent forest fires. On the other hand, surely there's a better way to get the same benefit in forest fire reduction than taking away all the electricity? It's a big problem.

What can we expect with the just announced PlayStation 5?
It's coming next holiday season. It's going to start much faster. The hard drives a lot better. The thing I'm most excited about, the haptics in the controller. When you play video games, there's usually some soft rumbling that can help you understand feedback. There's gonna be a lot of much cooler stuff in the PS5.

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The BMW Foundation is dedicated to addressing concrete challenges that, when solved, create the greatest global impact. With the first challenge, “International Collaboration to Develop Energy Transition and Infrastructure Solutions,” the foundation aims to facilitate international collaboration that accelerates the net-zero transition. Access to reliable and affordable energy powers industries and businesses. Technology is one of the most important drivers for a successful transition, but it is international collaboration that will leapfrog societies across the globe. Find out how the BMW Foundation helps drive collaboration and solutions toward a clean and secure energy future here.