Confession: I love gadgets and gizmos... the more odd and innovative, the better.
In the day job, I'm currently getting to explore the far end of futuristic high-tech heaven, which suits me to a T. My mission: edit a huge stack of short reports summarizing some very nifty R&D science/technology projects, some of which involve creating "gadgets and gizmos" (although I suspect the researchers might bristle at this description of their creative efforts!).
For a really neat roundup of gadgets and gizmos in fiction, past and present, check out Michael's post of yesterday. Hey, what else is there left to say after his brilliant summation??
Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let's go!
I did a Google search of images for "gadgets and gizmos." Here's a quick screen capture of what came up. Notice anything... odd??
The thing I noticed was that the vast majority of gadgets and gizmos shown are electronic in nature. And if you look at the subtopics lined up at the top (at least, I think those are subtopics), the first four are:
- electronics
- high tech
- medical
- smart home
Intrigued, I tried the search term "Victorian gadgets and gizmos." Here is what popped up:
First thing I noticed: the vast majority are mechanical vs electronic (well, not all... I see a flash drive in the middle here). And wow... what a fascinating bunch of stuff (even though I suspect some of these are Steampunk inventions, so probably not authentically Victorian).
The first four subtopics here are:
- spy
- strange
- gun
- pocket tool
Personally, I find this collection far more fascinating that the collection of (mostly) displays in the first set. But then, I write about the late 1800s, so maybe that's to be expected!
Gadgets and gizmos—futuristic or long-past seem to be the ones I find interesting. The present? Not as much. What about you?? Have any favorite gadgets or gizmos you want to tell us about??
Love the comparisons between modern gizmos and Victorian gizmos. I didn't examine each gizmo separately. Is a chastity belt considered a gizmo?
Posted by: Ellen Kirschman | June 27, 2017 at 10:34 AM
Interesting comparison, Ann. The Victorian Age was an age of discovery as new things were constantly being discovered. The flashdrive really threw me, though. Steampunk, eh?
Posted by: Michael A. Black | June 27, 2017 at 08:03 PM
Fun post, Ann. You can borrow my book, The Origin of Everyday Things any time.
Posted by: Carole Price | June 29, 2017 at 01:40 PM