Re: Finally - a solid top 50 list...

If I don't respond to this Jeffrey Johnson post, the terrorists
win. 

> Embark, dear reader, on a tour of the wisdom of Freezer:
> 
>>And it took Playboy to do it...
>>
>>In the Jan. 2004 edition - 50 Inventions That Changed The World.
>>
>>The caveat here being that these are inventions that either came
>>into being or became household names during Playboys's existence
>>- i.e. 1954 and on.
> 
> A pretty good list, but there are definitely some things
> missing, and some things that should not have been included.
> 
>>(...) The year it was invented/became well-known..
>>
>> 1. Apple Macintosh (1984)
> 
> Absolutely spot on #1 choice.  Nice to see.

>> 4. AK-47 (1960s)
> 
> James has already mentioned that this does not fit the criteria.

Actually, Playboy had the same reasoning James did - that it was 
actually created in 1947, but didn't become the defacto weapon of 
the masses until the 60s.

>> 6. Silicone breast implants (1962)
> 
> Changed the world?  I call Playboy-Centric.

Changed Hollywood, anyway...

>> 8. Viagra (1998)
> 
> Another Playboy-Centric choice.  Not that Viagra isn't immensely
> helpful to some.  But what I ask is this:  If you were
> "magically" transported to an alternate universe where all was
> the same except that Viagra was never invented, how long would
> it take you to notice?  Unless you use it, probably not until
> you realized you never saw any Viagra commercials anymore.  But
> imagine being transported into a 2003 society where the PC was
> never invented.  I'm sure fans of alternate history (Hi, Bill!)
> would have a field day with that one.

It may be a bit high (Okay, A LOT high) on the list, but given the 
rapid saturation and acceptance of it (People talk about taking it 
like they were taking NoDoz or something), it belongs, IMHO.

Of course Playboy likes to push the Sexual Revolution thing as if 
Hef himself were personally responsible, so that's why I didn't 
really bat an eye when I saw it and a few others.  

Except for one...

>>16. Hitachi Magic Wand (1970s)
> 
> I had to look this up.  At first I thought it might be a remote
> control, until that came further down the list.  Nope, it's a
> vibrator.  Again, Playboy-Centric by the alternate history rule
> above. 

Sexual Revolution again.

>>19. TiVo (1999)
> 
> I would argue that TiVo has yet to have a very big effect, all
> told.  I mean, yo ucan just tape a show on the VCR if you miss
> it.  But I think eventually TiVo *will* do something the VCR
> never did: drastically change the way television networks do
> advertising.  Just hasn't happened yet. 

To here some of my friends talk about it, yes it has.  Of course, 
I still use the original TiVo: my TV capture card.


>>22. DVD porn (1997)
> 
> Mrrrk!

_That's_ the only one I had a real issue with. Other than being 
able to jump around the disc, there's not that significant a 
difference between a DVD and a high-quality VHS tape.

Not that I watch ... enough porn to... illshutupnow.

>>28. The centerfold (1956)
> 
> Again, Playboy-Centric.

Yeah, not so much "world-changing" as "Once we did it, they showed 
up everywhere."


>>31. Advil (1984)
> 
> Now, why Advil?  Tylenol was introduced in 1961.  And frankly, I
> find Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) to be the best painkiller around. 
> And even then, Ibuprofen, Acetaminopen, Naproxen...aspirin has
> been around for about 100 years.  Why Advil?

Because Advil is "the most common brand of ibuprofen" and doesn't 
have the nastier side-effects that asprin and acetaminophen can 
have.

>>33. Ford Explorer (1991)
> 
> Can you really pin this down as the start of the SUV craze? 
> What about vehicles like the Ford Bronco/Chevy Blazer? 
> Apparently the civilian version of the Jeep was introduced in
> 1955 - and would be a better substitute here.

Playboy cops to the fact that the Jeep Cherokee has been around 
forever (And both the Blazer and Bronco as well).  But when the 
Explorer came out, it became synonymous with "SUVs." Every new SUV 
model that's come out since has been based in some way or shape on 
the Explorer. (Which itself is just a bloated Bronco, but that's 
neither here nor there) 

>>38. Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike (1981)
> 
> Was this the first non-10-Speed frame?  Otherwise, what was
> special about this bike?  Even then, I don't think it qualifies.

The Stumpjumper was the first mass-produced mountain bike.


>>40. Metal halide grow lights (early 1980s)
> 
> Another I had to look up - apparently used for growing plants
> indoors. I'll assume that we're going with the marijuana
> context, because indoor agriculture isn't a really big part of
> the food supply. 

They were originally created by television to simulate daylight 
during night football games. The marijuana thing was just a happy 
side effect. :)

>>42. Regency TR-1 transistor radio (1954)
> 
> Should be higher.  The transistor itself was from 1947, or it
> would have to be the #1 item on the list, right?

>>44. the G-string (1970s)
> 
> I'll concede miniskirts above and call Playboy-Centric on this
> one.  You can argue that clothing has helped in changing the
> sexual mores of our society from the conservative days of the
> 1950s (although you could also argue that it's the other way
> around).  But you don't get two two articles of clothing, just
> one. 

And besides, thongs are much more ubiquitous these days.  (Guess 
that's two I disagree with)

>>46. Post It-notes (1980)
> 
> <gets funny look on face>
> 
> Became used a lot, yes.  Changed the world?



>>47. Swisher Sweets cigars (1998)
> 
> Only indirectly.  They should rather say "Monica Lewinsky", but
> she was hardly an invention (vast right-wing conspiracy or no). 
> So, um, nope. 

Playboy also cops to the fact this was more a pop-culture thing 
than a "change the world thing."

>>48. Buffalo Wings (1964)
> 
> Pretty marginal.  And I love buffalo wings.

Playboy says it's because they were the first bar menu item to 
escape from the bars into the mainstream.  Still marginal, but 
I'll won't complain.

>>49. Puma Clyde (1972)
>>50. Pontiac GTO (1964)
>>
>>--
>>(Although personally, I would've tried to make space for the
>>Palm Pilot, AOL, and Cable TV...)
> 
> Well, I've knocked out 14 above (all that I commented on except
> the transistor radio and grow lights).  So we can just add in
> some of our own: 
> 
> 1. Palm Pilot (1996, although the Apple Newton [Apple again!]
> predated it) 
> 2. AOL (1989)
> 3. Cable TV (Oops, Cable TV was from 1953!  No good!)
> 3. Sputnik (1957)  (And how the hell did they miss that?)

I think they were aiming more for actual consumer products (which 
crack _technically_ qualifies as).

> 4. Gore-Tex (Mid-1970s)
> 5. Jeep (1955)
> 6. Integrated Circuits (1959)

Again, I think they were aiming for actual products rather than 
components.

> 7. Texas Instruments Handheld Calculator (1967)
> 8. Laser (1958)

See above.

> 9. Digital Wristwatch (Late 1960s - early 1970s)
> 
> JSJ1TG, that leaves at least five for somebody else to
> suggest... 


1. PrimeStar (1990)
2. Napster (1999) 
3. Liquid Paper (1956)
4. Soft Contact Lenses (1965)



-- 
(One more, anyone?)

              My name is:
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