Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Top 10 Gadgets of All Time

Posted by Hemos on from the yet-another-list dept.

pulski sent in MSNBC's list of the top 10 gadgets of all time. It's a fairly interesting list, although I think some of the more ancient gadgets were overlooked - cutting tools, dams and other fundamentals of civilized life.

1 of 304 comments (clear)

  1. What "Gadget" means. by mattdm · · Score: 5
    A lot of people are missing the point here. The light bulb, the plow, birth control, etc., are important advances, inventions, discoveries, whatever, but they're not necessarily gadgets. According to Merriam-Webster, a gadget is "an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty". In fact, by this definition, a lot of the stuff on this list shouldn't be there -- not the wheel or the transistor, for sure.

    So what does count? The hand dryer, while not one of my top choices, is definitely gadgety. The television and computer and radio have moved out of gadget status, but certainly started that way.

    What else? Digital watches. Palm Pilots. Viewmaster. Gyroscopes. Those little models of the solar system which have all the planets geared so they can all rotate and revolve at the proper relative speeds.

    --