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Old 10-10-2020, 12:18 AM
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StainlessSteelCynic StainlessSteelCynic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Legbreaker View Post
But how important were REE's 30-40 years ago in comparison to today when everyone in the developed world has a PC/laptop/tablet and another computer in the form of a smart phone in their pocket?
Virtually every vehicle is loaded with electronics now, whereas in the 70's and 80's they were either completely analogue, or only the most rudimentary of systems.
The amount of technology in our every day lives, and in industry as well has increased a thousandfold or more in my lifetime at least. Can we really blame the Soviet leadership for not being able to see into the future, especially since their own system actively discouraged "unauthorised thinking".
It's a good question and the answer is basically - still pretty damned important (although obviously they are even more so with the proliferation of personal comms & computing devices these days).
REEs have been used from at least the early 20th century, being used in ceramics, glass, catalysts, petroleum refining, fluorescent lights, batteries, fertilizer enrichment, alloys and magnets before they were used in modern electronics.
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