Since we're getting near to a celebratory time of year here's a list of Golden Transitions by which my life was improved. Most have appeared before; so I repeat myself.Power drill (vs. hand drill). Ten holes straight off without palm blistering. Even in brick.
Microwave (vs pan). No stirring, no tenterhooks, no boiling over (unless you're a real clawpoke).
Word processor (vs typewriter). No temptation to ignore errors.
Word processor (vs carbon paper). The "black" is never the wrong way round.
FM (vs MW). Hear the singers drawing breath.
Oz wine (vs cheap French/Bulgarian/Austrian). Forced others to raise their game.
Multi toilets (vs just one). Book reader comes into his own.
Bike toe clips (vs bare pedal). Force applied as it should be.
CD (vs LP). Welcome to the two-disc opera.
Cellular blankets (vs Wilton). Insulation without weight.
Quilted toilet paper (vs San Izal). No more slipping.
Sliced bread (vs the bloomer). Boon when toasting.
Touch phone (vs dial phone). No more arm strain.
Consumer units (vs fuse boxes). Just flick the switch back up.
Comfortable income (vs poverty). Makes old age more bearable.
Novel progress 17/12/09: Ch. 8: 2425 words. Chs. 1 - 7: 33,000 words. Comment: Clare to face the camera! Literary invention was required elsewhere today but managed to squeeze in a few words at the end.
9 comments:
"Multi toilets" to me are the old biffies (outhouses) with more than one hole, hee! Thank G we've come a loooong way from those. You don't include personal computers, shocking!
Somehow what surprises me most is the power drill. I recall conversations when you defended the extra long screw driver supported by muscle power against such new fangled contraptions as the ratchet screwdriver. I still have the long screwdriver which I acquired following your recommendation and occasionally even use it. I realize that I am talking about another comparison (ordinary screw driver v ratchet screwdriver) but it doesn't seem entirely irrelevant.
M-L: I'm talking about multi-toilets you're talking about multi-seaters. In moving from Kingston to Hereford we went from one to three and felt we'd moved two notches up the social scale. Didn't include the PC because it didn't replace anything: there was no Golden Transition. However the word processor part of the computer did replace the typewriter and carbon paper.
Plutarch: Drills and screwdrivers are related, of course, but their operations are sequential not contemporaneous. I still stand by (and still have) the long screw driver and it was a revelation, especially when driving screws into Rawlplug-modified holes in brick walls. I think the reason I distrusted ratchet drivers is because I never used one long enough and therefore sliding the control up and down never became instinctive. The other failing with ratchets is that the action quickly became sloppy and the slack in the system was a disadvantage when faced with a tight screw.
Nice collage of images, BB. Doing very well with Photoshop.
:)
Just to wind you up: for me it's the dishwasher.
Dishwashers, without a doubt. The time I have spent in my life washing dishes: what a waste.
I-Pod. I shall have music wherever I go. And the Internet, a great invention.
What I would like to see catch on that we already have:
Cheap generic hearing aids have made parties and movies fun again. They are available over the Internet. I can understand what people are saying, so I no longer soliloquize or act grumpy in company. And I don't shout as much!80 bucks, last three months, disposable, no battery change.
Solar hot water and photovoltaics. I love those $.00 electric bills.
e-readers (Kindle) no more books gathering grease, dust, and insects. Newer models will have color, etc. but for now the Kindle is great. Lots of free stuff.
You and me both Sir Hugh. However when teflon replaced stainless steel on the bottom of cooking pans everyone was a winner - the dishwasher lovers and haters united briefly,,
Sir Hugh: Sir Hugh is well aware we have a dishwasher (Monsieur Ariston) which is used perhaps three times a year, but never by me. I waste time (see Hattie's comment) doing it the old-fashioned way.
Hattie: Again, I was trying to list things that have evolved. The Internet supplants nothing other than, perhaps, Encyclopedia Britannica. However, the Ipod does supplant the Walkman, very effectively.
Deaf aids. I belong to a family where severe deafness affected both paternal grandparents, my father and one of my uncles. Fifty years ago deaf aids were very cumbersome and I am delighted that the newer ones have furnished your re-entry into society.
Solar panels. But you have to have the sun. Even without it I'm tempted. Please whisper the word Kindle round this blog; my posts about my Sony ebook reader have I fear fallen on stony ground.
OS: Yes, Teflon pans should have been included.
Can go along with all of those, BB. Electric screwdrivers/drills have made life so much easier (and jobs quicker)To those I would add electric reciprocating saws - marvellous for those long cuts down fibre board, etc.
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