Game Boy. The metronome. The Hohner harmonica and the Swingline 747 stapler. The Rubik's Cube and the abacus. The Zippo lighter. Tickle Me Elmo and Etch-a-Sketch and Cuisinart. The abacus and the P-38 (the can opener, not the plane). The Swiss Army knife, the Leatherman, and the iPod.
What do they all have in common? Why, they're on Mobile PC's list of Top 100 Gadgets of All Time.
I'd like to see disposable contact lenses on that list, or for that matter bifocals or even regular spectacles, but they don't meet the list criteria (must be electrical or electronic, or if mechanical, have moving parts). And would I like to see Intellivision or the TRS-80 or the original PowerBook removed? Hmm....no.
And as for "top 100 of all time, well, what about the microwave oven? The 747? The book? Okay, so we'd be starting a debate between "creation" and "gadget," and we don't want that.
Anyway: damn, it's a cool list. Take a long, slow, thoughtful look, think about man's contined ingenuity, and enjoy.
(Hat tip: Martin Lindeskog at EGO)
Posted by Craig Ceely at February 20, 2005 11:26 AM