The Real Story Behind Inventions

Sometimes we humans can come up with some fantastic ideas. Take the now cliched, sliced bread, or Velcro, the zipper, buttons, self-lighting charcoal, box cutters, scissors, washers, dryers, and all those little things. What would life be like without them? What would life be like if we never had any of our little inventions? Paper clips, safety pins, slippers - all gone.

We take for granted all these little things, and some of the big ones, like telephones, electricity, indoor toilets, television, coffee makers, microwaves, and computers. The aging baby boomers know what life is like without some of these things, but the generations of the last twenty years don't have a clue.

Then, there are the bad inventions. These either aren't useful or just break. And some inventions need constant attention despite all our technology, or aren't good for the environment. Lots of stuff was invented before we understood all the problems that would result.

Like asbestos, lead pencils, crappy tar roof shingles, and things like that. Some of this stuff obviously wasn't meant for us to live with despite their function. Either they will make us sick, or in the case of the tar shingles, you have to call out your local Sacramento roofing contractor to get things fixed every eight years of suffer the consequences of moldy, leaky roofs or lose heat because it's letting all the air out.

So, what's this all about really? Just thoughts about inventions - what works, what doesn't, the effect on our lives - good or bad, and feeling both the awe of the amazing ones, and the bewilderment of the ones we keep using even though they aren't worth it.