What? No Ultegra 10-Speed Derailleur?
Okay, it's time for another of Howard's lists, although this one isn't a Top 10, but a Top 101 -- 101 Gadgets That Changed the World. Bicycles (invented in 1861) are on the list, so I'm happy. Other favorites? Gore-Tex (1972), GPS (1978), Laptops (1982), the Internet (1969), Noise-Cancelling Headphones (1988), Pneumatic Tires (1845), Post-It Notes (1973), and the Zipper (1913). Discuss your own favorites in comments.
posted by Howard at 8:00 PM
8 Comments:
Really, now, the Atari 2600 in the top 10 ? I sincerely doubt that more than 1 out of 1000 people even know what that is, let alone credit it as one of the top 100 gadgets of all time. Certainly I'd rank the gun and the plow far higher, if not in the top ten. Definitely a overfocus on relatively recent techno-toys.
Not gadgets, certainly, but two things that shouldn't be overlooked for their role in revolutionizing shipping and worldwide commerce, are the lowly shipping pallet and the shipping container. I could expound on this at some length, but won't.
Well, I certainly think velcro is up there someplace. My personal favorite is Butt Butter and/or Bagbalm. Never a bike ride without either, ever again!
anonymous,
You work in shipping, don't you? The list of 101 gadgets is in alphabetical order, not order of significance. Plus, it appears the list allows limited non-gadgets. Not sure how to classify a bar code, but I'm pretty sure it's not a "gadget". Perhaps they should have said "the bar code reader". Also, it's hard to figure how fire is a gadget.
So what IS a "gadget"?
from wikipedia w/out permission:
A gadget is a device or an appliance that has a useful specific practical purpose and function but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technology at the time of their invention. Gadgets are sometimes also referred to as gizmos. In some circles the distinction between a gadget and a gizmo is that a gizmo has moving parts, whereas a gadget need not have them. [citation needed] For example, a digital watch would be a gadget, while an analog watch would be a gizmo. Thus a gizmo is essentially a mechanical gadget.
thus, fire could have been considered a gadget by the cavemen, but it loses its gadget handle over the ages.
I'm surprised that things like the indoor gas or electric stove, or the electric light didnt make it. At one time both of these would've been considered gadgets.
The inclined plane, which could not have been forseen so important to the eventual advent of the motorcycle stuntman. But not the declined plane which wether correctly placed or not bears no significance to the creation of a legend.
Howard's tag line is as cleverly written as IOL Technology's. The Derailleur is a device with no adaptive utility and should never be included on the list. My litmus test would be that if in the wrong hands could the device be re-purposed? Or said another way, is a monkey with a typewriter a threat to us?
Another important contribution left out.
The Etch-A-Sketch
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