"Most of the modern "stuff" we use every day is due to something called Quantum Mechanics."
Ridiculous.
99.9% of what we do everyday is based upon classical mechanics.
Quantum Mechanics is used only by people working at the extremes.
As I said above, that is changing, as more and more of the QM is getting applied to the practical everyday world, but it is simply preposterous to claim otherwise.
The stuff that QM is used for in the everyday work of practical applications can probably be counted on one or two hands. E.g., superconductors, superfluids. (Unless you are claiming lasers and semiconductors, etc., as in the provenance of QM, which I think is an over extension.)
But quantum chemistry and other such are changing that.
But lasers and semiconductors are smack in the middle of the provenance of QM and if you had read the papers of Schawlow and Townes on the one hand, or Bardeen on the other hand, you would understand that point. These things were invented exactly because their inventors were the brilliant and highly able students of those who invented Quantum Mechanics.
Great point Sam.