A comment on the radio this morning got me to thinking along the lines of the best inventions that make our lives more comfortable. The radio personality was talking about the fact that birds seem to follow him around. Last weekend, as he was about to walk into a wedding reception in formal attire, a bird splattered his suit jacket. This weekend, when he was attending a civic function, he parked his car in an outdoor lot. When he returned at 1:00 a.m., his car was covered with 100 or more "deposits."
Of course, that lead me to sigh with relief that this house has an attached garage. I have NO idea who decided to connect houses with garages, but it was a stroke of genius! I don't have to suffer the cold rain, sun, birds or even prying neighbors. It's just a few steps up into the house, rather than a hike, when it's time to bring in groceries. Who would have thought that such a simple change could make your life so much easier?
I think it must have been a female engineer who suggested putting ice and water service into the door of a refrigerator. From a mother's point of view, it has to be a benefit (once the kids are past the age where playing in the water fascinates them). You can provide your children with cold drinks without having to open the freezer door, or they can serve themselves if they are old enough. BUT, no one has to fill the ice cube trays! How many times have you gone to the freezer to find ONE ice cube left?? Think of the family arguments this has saved!
I suppose that men like the idea of a gas log, rather than having to chop wood, lug it in, and then carry the ashes out. Personally, I prefer a wood fire for the rare times we use the fireplace, but there is something to be said about not having to clean out the ashes.
Have you tried the product that is a toothbrush with toothpaste ready to go? I understand that some parents pack these disposable brushes with their children's lunches, and other people use them on short trips. There are dozens of variations on this idea. It's instructive, and amazing, to stroll down the toothpaste aisle of the grocery store these days.
There are tons of things we take for granted that most of the world has yet to see: in-home washers and driers, showers, garbage disposals, trash compactors, towel heaters, security systems, microwave ovens, and, of course, computers.
I like to think that I could do without a lot of these creature comforts, but while they are here, I plan to enjoy them. I can recall the interest in the Foxfire books when they first came out. There are twelve of them now. These books record what life was like in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia, and supply instructions on how to accomplish every day activities such as spinning, weaving, creating tinctures and poultices from herbs, butchering a hog, or making a dulcimer. I think it's a GOOD idea to record this information. I can see a time when we might need to know those things, and certainly there are still places in the world where it's important to be self-sufficient.
But, I have the great, good fortune to be living at a time, and a place, where I can take advantage of men's inventions. I live modestly. I recycle, I don't litter. I combine my errands to I can make fewer trips and use less gas. My house is not overheated, or over cooled. If needed, I could grow my own fruits and veggies. I'm going to quietly enjoy my attached garage, knowing that I can contribute more to my world if necessary.
What invention is important to you?
Comments (14)
There are so many things that I enjoy.
1. Radio (It made long-distance communication "instant", I enjoy listening to it and, if HH and I were not hams, we should probably never have met.)
2. Mechanical pencils (It has probably been 50+ years since I've used a wooden pencil long enough to need to sharpen it.)
3. Ice-making capability for the home. (I love iced drinks)
4. Wonderful things that have been available for hundreds of years, but which have become available to many more of us in the modern era: books, music boxes, musical instruments, fresh fruits and vegetables, cloth and clothing, hand tools and cutting implements, quiet electric fans....
5. A good mattress and pillows
6. Water-Piks and dental floss.
I shuddered in reading about the disposable toothbrushes. Unless they can be planted to fertilize the roses, I should think they would be like disposable razors--a drain on resources and a scourge to our environment.
Posted by Cop Car | July 9, 2006 3:08 PM
Posted on July 9, 2006 15:08
P.S. Have you read "Lucier's Hammer"? It addresses the advisability of preserving books that tell "how to".
Posted by Cop Car | July 9, 2006 3:09 PM
Posted on July 9, 2006 15:09
Lucifer's. Lucifer's. Sorry about my bumble fingers.
Posted by Cop Car | July 9, 2006 3:09 PM
Posted on July 9, 2006 15:09
Ooooh....right, Cop Car. I hadn't thought about the disposability of the toothbrushes. Good point.
I agree with all your choices. I hadn't thought about a good mattress, but that's a necessity for a lot of us!
Yes, I've read "Lucifer's Hammer." I just re-read it last year. The one character who knew what was coming, and stored "how-to" books in the cistern was fascinating. It's a cautionary tale.
Posted by buffy | July 9, 2006 4:06 PM
Posted on July 9, 2006 16:06
lucifers hammer is a brilliant book.
whilst i recognise the joy of some of our inventions, i also realise that true progress is realising what things have been good and bringing those along with us notjust dumping everything and running with a new idea. everything has its place.
its a smart man that keeps the ...how to..books.
Posted by bod | July 10, 2006 12:24 AM
Posted on July 10, 2006 00:24
I suppose that I shouldn't begrudge people their disposable toothbrushes. Heaven knows that toothbrushes are to be prized (I recall before we had them!) AND I haven't yet given up my non-biodegradable chewing gum (as nearly all chewing gum is, these days, if I understand correctly). Perhaps I shouldn't quibble (people in glass houses and all that.)
Posted by Cop Car | July 10, 2006 1:51 AM
Posted on July 10, 2006 01:51
Gum. Hmpf....It's a good thing the only time I chew it is when I fly. I didn't know it was not biodegradeable.
Posted by Buffy | July 10, 2006 9:52 AM
Posted on July 10, 2006 09:52
Yes, Bod, it IS brilliant....and it scares the pants off me. I don't know that I would be tough enough to make it through a situation like that, so my only recourse would be to have enough "how-to" knowledge to be necessary to the community.
Posted by buffy | July 10, 2006 9:55 AM
Posted on July 10, 2006 09:55
Thanks for making me stop and think this morning. Too, too many things to single out one invention over another, but obviously the automobile has been our blessing and our curse.
I haven't read Lucifer's Hammer, but am adding it to my woefully long list!
I am fortunate to be married to a handyman, and a gardner!
Never heard of the Foxfire books. And here I thought I was a literary elite. Huh.
Posted by Cowtown Pattie | July 10, 2006 1:19 PM
Posted on July 10, 2006 13:19
Yeah, Pattie, the car is a double-edged knife. I know people who will drive rather than walk one block. We're getting a lot less cardio exercise than earlier generations, but look at all we get done with the spare time!
I SO envy you a husband who gardens, and who makes repairs. Mine knows how to do both, but they are no longer a priority for him.
The Foxfire books were created to preserve the traditional folk culture of the Southern Appalachians. They are slices of life complete with "how-to" instructions. The first came out in the late sixties, and there are now at least twelve volumes available.
"Lucifer's Hammer" is a gripping story of what happens to civilization when a comet strikes Earth. Pockets of people on high ground make it through the initial devastation, and then have to reform society. Move this book to the top of your list!
Posted by buffy | July 10, 2006 3:45 PM
Posted on July 10, 2006 15:45
Y'all are too global. My favorite is indoor plumbing - with a lock on the door.
Posted by Frankie | July 11, 2006 9:56 PM
Posted on July 11, 2006 21:56
First thing that sprang to mind was AIR CONDITIONING. That and the microwave.
Posted by Jessica | July 12, 2006 10:13 PM
Posted on July 12, 2006 22:13
Autos and computers - without them I wouldn't have much of a job. Most other things mentioned, I quite merrily live without anyway (except the chewing gum and microwave, which certainly are not neccessities).
Posted by bogie | July 13, 2006 4:11 AM
Posted on July 13, 2006 04:11
93 today - mid to high 90's thru next Wednesday. That is too a summer (okay, a very short summer).
I lived 7 years in Kansas without air conditioning in our apartments or vehicles AND worked a lot of that time in places that had no air conditioning doing physical labor (truck loading and the like). Some places I stay when we go back to KS have no air conditioning (WS's sisters house for one).
Posted by bogie | July 14, 2006 7:44 AM
Posted on July 14, 2006 07:44