Saturday, September 24, 2005
Invention
Fellow humans - does it not fill you with pride to consider the many seminal inventions of the past which have propelled our species forward - forward to our present state of exalted civilization.
The inventions of agriculture, the wheel, toolmaking, art, railroads, autos and airplanes, electric power and computers - what a dizzying sample array, and all in just a few thousand years.
To what Olympian heights can we now expect mankind’s inventiveness to carry us.
I’d like to suggest three recent candidates for your consideration.
Late in the twentieth century (Remember that one?), Bloomingdale’s introduced "the Pet Rock" to an eagerly awaiting world. It was a small chunk of stone presented in a fancy box with a slip of paper delineating its pedigree and advising about its proper care.
This was an ideal pet. It was quiet, did not cost anything for food, didn’t require to be walked, especially in cold or rainy weather, and never had an accident. It merely lay contentedly inert in its box. It sold, if I remember correctly, for about $15.00, and Bloomies sold thousands.
Naturally, a follow-up product was needed for the next year, and mankind’s insistent inventiveness created one - "the Nothing Box." As I remember, this was a shiny black plastic two inch cube with one button and several lights dotted randomly around its surfaces. Once the button was pressed, the lights began randomly blinking, until the end of time, or until its batteries ran out, whichever came first. This too, sold well.
And then, of course, there’s Viagra.
The inventions of agriculture, the wheel, toolmaking, art, railroads, autos and airplanes, electric power and computers - what a dizzying sample array, and all in just a few thousand years.
To what Olympian heights can we now expect mankind’s inventiveness to carry us.
I’d like to suggest three recent candidates for your consideration.
Late in the twentieth century (Remember that one?), Bloomingdale’s introduced "the Pet Rock" to an eagerly awaiting world. It was a small chunk of stone presented in a fancy box with a slip of paper delineating its pedigree and advising about its proper care.
This was an ideal pet. It was quiet, did not cost anything for food, didn’t require to be walked, especially in cold or rainy weather, and never had an accident. It merely lay contentedly inert in its box. It sold, if I remember correctly, for about $15.00, and Bloomies sold thousands.
Naturally, a follow-up product was needed for the next year, and mankind’s insistent inventiveness created one - "the Nothing Box." As I remember, this was a shiny black plastic two inch cube with one button and several lights dotted randomly around its surfaces. Once the button was pressed, the lights began randomly blinking, until the end of time, or until its batteries ran out, whichever came first. This too, sold well.
And then, of course, there’s Viagra.
