The question of the moment is: what is the most important invention of all time? i would very much like to say something like Penicillin, the Lateen Sail or maybe the Printing Press. But at this particular moment and time, for me, the most important invention of all time is the noise-canceling-ear-phone. Our FOB maintenance crew is running a very loud two stroke gen set right outside of the door to my hooch. I was on my way to a serious degree of frustration before it dawned on me to don the earphones. They are worth every last penny!
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....so that got me thinking (no laughing!). What is the greatest invention of all time? Google searches dont seem to do it justice. At a cursory glance, google coughed up:
i didnt really find much else on google. So Im little disappointed there, though to be fair i didn't look especially hard. But then, for something like this, one shouldn't have to search too hard. So I gave ixquick a shot, and got the exact same results. I'm beginning to think that no one really thinks about this stuff. What is really interesting, is most of the 'basic' stuff didnt make these lists: the wheel, the spoken language, the written language, algebra, clothing, the roof, harnessed fire, the hammer... This is probably because these folks are not (or can not) thinking outside of their own context. One of the lists deliberately excluded these things and chose to focus on 'Christian era' inventions; "...Only inventions after the birth of Christ will be considered. Otherwise we'd end up with a very boring and noncontroversial list". Perspective is everything. It is staggering how much we take for granted.
If you asked an average Afghan (if there is such a thing as an average Afghan) what the greatest invention of time is, he or she would not name electricity or plumbing...these are more like luxuries for the majority of these folks. They would probably name something that they already have. Something that currently impacts their lives. They might say, man-made-irrigation or something along those lines. And no matter what they said, they would not frame it within the 'Christian Era'.
Anyways....im not really sure where im going with this little post. Just thinking out loud i suppose...
Thus, I'm sticking with noise-canceling-earphones
Posted by paul at December 16, 2007 12:36 PMWell, I guess I could go with something obvious like written language, or fire, or the wheel. Or maybe something more personally relevant - the modern computer (which of course wouldn't be possible without written language). Or maybe structured education. Or maps. Or long-distance communications (telephone, telegraph, smoke-signals...) It just depends on who you ask and when, I guess!
Posted by: David W at December 17, 2007 12:50 AMnah....I'm sticking with noise canceling earphones
Posted by: ~ A at December 17, 2007 06:03 PM