While we all lust after new phones, tablets, laptops, audio equipment and whatever other electronic device might make our lives more enjoyable in some way, sometimes it pays to appreciate the more straightforward things in life. So, what’s your favourite non-electronic gadget?
Personally, I’m a simple kinda guy. I spent part of last weekend stripping bikes and rebuilding them to create a Frankenstein single speed to use as a round-town cruiser. The bike’s fun to ride, but the process made me realise just how much I appreciate the timeless simplicity of bicycles. Sure, they’ve gotten better over time, but the simple mechanical linking of human legs through cranks, chain, sprockets and finally the back wheel hasn’t changed in an age. It’s an amazing piece of technology which is almost impossible to better. It awes me.
But there are plenty more, too. The elegance of a well-engineered automatic watch; the subtle charms of a perfectly designed pen; maybe even the perfect shape of bottle opener that has you drinking in the fastest possible time. What’s your favourite non-electronic gadget?
Image by -Kevong- under Creative Commons licence