This year it will be 65 years since Gerald Giles opened an electrical store on Rose Lane here in Norwich in 1948. In 2007 we moved to new, bigger and better premises on Ber Street. But Gerald Giles electrical is still a family run business with Paul Giles at the helm – Gerald’s son.

But since the 1940s – technology has changed dramatically and the pace of change is getting even faster.

This year we aim to try a demystify the often baffling world of modern technology, we will help you understand the difference between LCD, LED and Plasma TVs not to mention OLED, 4K Ultra HD & HD. We’ll help you make sense of Blu Ray, home cinema, smart TV, DAB radios and Wireless Music Systems.

Back in 1948 the only DAB Gerald would’ve come across would have been a brown flatfish often thrown back into the sea in favour of Cod or Haddock. Incidently, according to celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – the Dab (fish variety) is making a bit of comeback.

But what was technology like in the 1940’s.

Well this was the dawn of the TV. Monochrome sets starting becoming available in 1951 after much wrangling over what standards would be adopted.

The first electronic digital computer made an appearance in 1942 when the team of John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry built the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) over five years at Iowa state university.

We also saw the development of the microwave oven – very much by accident though. Dr Percy Spencer who was working on a radar research project noticed that whenever he turned the machine on – his chocolate melted. He then tried popcorn and an egg before developing a metal box to contain and concentrate the microwave energy causing the temperature of food to rise rapidly. And low, Spencer had revolutionised cooking for ever!

The 1940s also saw the invention of the Slinky, Silly Putty, Tupperware, Velcro and the Frisbee.

What will 2013 bring us? Well the Consumer Electronic Show (CES2013) held in Las Vegas earlier this month is usually a good indicator. In our next blog we’ll be taking a look at some of the gadgets revealed including bendable phones, curved TVs and steam boxes.