Posted on 12/24/2023 8:38:13 AM PST by dennisw
All-TIME 100 Gadgets TIME technology editor Peter Ha picks the 100 greatest and most influential gadgets from 1923 to the present ---- (2010)
How We Chose the List
Picking humanity's 100 greatest gadgets is no easy task. If we were starting from the beginning of humanity itself, the list would actually be a lot easier to compile: the wheel, the lever, the telescope, the syringe, movable type — the roster practically writes itself. But we're masochists and decided to limit the list to the 100 most influential personal gadgets created since 1923 — the year TIME started publishing. You'll see a lot of items that get the nod simply because they were the first of their kind.
First may not always be best, but it's surely a sign of smart innovation. We're sure you won't agree with all of our choices, but what kind of list would it be without some controversy? Oh, and one thing we left completely up to you: our list is in no particular order, so feel free to pick your own No. 1.
(Excerpt) Read more at content.time.com ...
The Shamwoo
I could have predicted that...
Propofol, martinis and Olds Rocket V8.
Seriously, jet engine,TV, PC, smart phones, chemotherapy, MRI.
The list was too specific, it was like a walking advertisement. I also didn’t see Zip-Lock baggies on the list, so it’s lame.
In automotive: GPS Navigation.
Also, the “solves all” (sawzall).
I haven’t tried one yet. I haven’t been interested. I read one book at a time, so opportunity to carry thousands of books with me ain’t a big draw.
Likewise the 15C, which I used, still have, and it still works fine (though a bit shabby). That replaced my dead 45, bought new back in the day.
I was happy to see they are making the 15C again. I also have a nice working 35 which I bought for nothing at a flea market.
All HP calculators are great in their own way, but as the first scientific pocket calculator, the 35 started the ball rolling, and sent the slide rule to the trash bin of history.
RPN rules!
Zip ties are can solve a 1000 problems, like duct tape. In the last week I saw them used to tie down netting around a Lacrosse field. To tie down thick netting, onto a chain link fence, that hides the machinery for a swimming pool.
Yes, the 35C started the ball rolling. I remember when it was introduced in 1972 — I was a junior in Mechanical Engineering at the university and lusted for the 35C more than any girl (well, I exaggerate a bit there). It sold for $395 (equivalent to $2,800 in 2022) and was way out of reach of a poor student. The used of postfix notation (RPN) instead of infix notation (later called “algebraic” notation) and a stack was absolutely brilliant.
Bread slicing machine
“Is looking at a Kindle in your hand so different from looking at the paperback in your hand?”
I’d like to see you try to hold 500 paperbacks in your hand.
When I was in Junior High I was reading almost 500 books a year (about 1.5 per day), but doing it one at a time.
Bass-O-Matic - another good one.
Ronco claims the pocket fisherman now.
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