“I wish I never invented the digital camera!”
ENGLAND - As the inventor of the digital camera, you’d think that Dr Michael Tompsett would be a rather enthusiastic snapper.
But the man whose ideas led to Instagram and the camera phone actually bemoans the very ‘selfie culture’ that he helped to create.
And the 77-year-old Briton, who was recently awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering along with three others, has even admitted that at times he regrets inventing the device.
Speaking as he accepted the £1million award, the highest accolade for engineering, the pioneer admitted that he is irritated by people using digital cameras to take selfies. He said: ‘I never take selfies. It’s totally unnecessary.
‘Here in London, for example, there are hordes of tourists even at this time of year and outside Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament you can’t go anywhere without people standing in the middle of the pavement taking pictures and taking selfies, and shoving selfie sticks in front of you.
‘At that point I just say, “Why the hell did anybody invent this stuff?”
‘How many people look at their selfies? It’s just to prove they are at a particular location.
‘I don’t think you are doing justice either to yourself or to the location, frankly.’ Dr Tompsett, who was originally from Writtle, Essex, and now lives in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, added: ‘Of course, it’s generational. I’m in the older generation and younger folks are doing this all the time.’ Engineers Eric Fossum (from the U.S.), George Smith (U.S.) and Nobukazu Teranishi (Japan) were also announced as prize winners for revolutionizing the way we capture and analyse visual information. Between the 4 of them, they created three digital imaging breakthroughs that span three decades: the charge coupled device (CCD), the pinned photodiode (PPD) and the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. Together, these innovations have effectively allowed digital cameras to shrink without sacrificing quality. It’s the technology that gives doctors a high-definition view inside your body; permits a NASA probe to send back detailed pictures from Mars; and lets cellphones capture a selfie.
(time/ dailymail)