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Slashdot Asks: What Do You Think Is The Most Influential Gadget Of All Time? (macrumors.com)
TIME has published a list ranking the 50 most influential gadgets of all time, from cameras and TVs to music players, smartphones, and drones. Can you guess what was the number one most influential gadget on the list? That's right, the Apple iPhone. "Apple was the first company to put a truly powerful computer in the pockets of millions when it launched the iPhone in 2007," according to TIME. "The iPhone popularized the mobile app, forever changing how we communicate, play games, shop, work, and complete many everyday tasks."
There's a lot of interesting gadgets on the list that have had a profound impact on mankind in some form or another, for better or worse. Do you agree with TIME's number one choice? What do you think is the most influential gadget of all time?
There's a lot of interesting gadgets on the list that have had a profound impact on mankind in some form or another, for better or worse. Do you agree with TIME's number one choice? What do you think is the most influential gadget of all time?
Firearms have forever changed both warfare and personal security. You can say, bow and arrow had a similarly dramatic effect — Spartans captured by Athenians 2500 years ago complained bitterly, that reed (from which arrows were made) does not distinguish between the brave and the cowards. But arrows weren't useful against fortifications and bow was not a good short-range weapon.
Now, refrigerators have dramatically altered the way we buy and prepare food... I'd nominate them if only because they tend to be underappreciated these days.
Railroads, airlines, personal cars — not sure, if you can call them "gadgets". Telegraph and telephone — sure!
And then cellular phone, followed by "smart" phone. But I think, telephones were more revolutionary than these next stages.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
My grandmother, who before passing away not too long ago at the age of 99, felt that despite seeing automobiles, computers and television all come of age, the microwave oven was the thing that made the largest impact in her life as a housewife. Her husband was a doctor, and with his irregular hours, it was nearly impossible to have a hot dinner ready for him when he got home, but the microwave changed that completely. It was a revolution in the production of hot meals, which is something most of us take for granted.
Agreed. The 4 most influential gadgets have been:
* Wheel
* Gun
* Printing Press
* Computer
I'd like to note the irony of a magazine not mentioning the printing press anywhere on their list.
They would look far less stupid if they had simply limited the list to the last 50 years (which is where almost all their items come from).
The electric motor is not strictly necessary. Automotive air conditioners rely on power taken from the crankshaft to turn the compressor.
It probably has never been built, but it should be possible to build pneumatic-start into a mechanical-injected diesel truck, with a full-time, clutchless, belt-driven AC compressor, and with a belt and shaft-driven cabin fan, with a belt-driven compressor to recharge the compressed-air tank to drive the starter.
Obviously there isn't a benefit in doing this, electrical technology is ubiquitous enough to where we generally can get away without having to go nuts to avoid it, but we could if we really, really wanted to.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Without low cost paper of consistent quality, none of the other gadgets could have been designed.
My first choice would have been the pencil, but I thought again and realized that pencils are not very useful without good paper.