The worlds best inventions -

[Andy B]

There goes any thought of getting a good nights sleep......ever!

[Martin]

I think I'll pass on that, you two seem well equipped with Andy bringing the gaffa tape and lube..
perhaps try the carvery pub, go large and get the bar tenders thossage

[The Gurnard]

Hmmm is a tough one .. but sadly IMO.. they have not invented the best invention yet ?

Let me explain..

Im old enough to remember the first TV set to arrive in the street I lived on. All the kids in the neighbourhood watched it through the window of the proud owner. It was a year or so later before my parents got their first one ..but by this time.. a lot of folks had them..so we didn’t have everyone looking through our living room window.

We watched things like Watch with Mother..in black and white of course .. but the TV was a great invention.
The wheel had already been invented ..but the wheelbarrow was another great invention. My father did the school run.. and dropped us all off safely ..before heading off to his work. Yup..thats a young Gurnard in the barrow.

A few years later and he had saved enough for another great invention.. the car. The wheel barrow took a back seat then..as did the kids...although if I was good I got to sit on my mother’s knee in the front .. as seatbelts were not required in those days.

I guess I inherited my father’s DIY skills and “Thinking out the Box” to cheap solutions to satisfy our needs. As kids we tended to get very dirty rummaging around the woods behind our house..so my father invented the paddling pool.. made from an old tarpaulin propped on ladders and other odds and ends. So the paddling pool which replaced the bath .. as well as the hosepipe used to fill the pool .. was another great invention

In fact it was that popular..all the kids who used to watch TV through the neighbours window.. now washed themselves in our paddling pool. So my fathers invention really cleaned up the neighbourhood.

I got my love of the sea and boats from my father as well. The sailing dinghy was without doubt..another great invention. My father made one of his dinghy’s himself .. which was common practise in those good old days. He bought the plans for a GP14.. and built it from wood ..in his garage. This photo shows me with my first boat.. the green plastic tug.. my brothers have the yellow and red ones. So plastic was without doubt ..another great invention..and provided us with all sorts of toys.

Perhaps another not so obvious great invention..was the camera that took all these photos.. but as they were expensive in those days.. my father only had one..so couldn’t take a photo of it. It had expanding bellows..and he had a separate light meter to help work out exposure times.. so the modern day digital camera is a truly amazing invention.

As I grew older ..and because I worked for British Telecoms and had to be on call.. I was issued with a pager and also one of the first mobile phones for general use. Nicknames the “brick” ..it was nothing like todays I Phones or Samsungs.

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Few folks had them in those days..and it was considered a “toff’s toy”.. not something for everyone. I used to hide in doorways or up alleys to use it as it was a bit embarassing. I recall standing in a huge queue in the Post Office one Friday. I was paid by Giro Cheque then..another great invention ..and had to cash it at the Post Office to get my wages...as did most workers in the 70’s. Anyhoo..the mobile phone rang..and everone turned and glowered at me. I just wanted the floor to open up and swallow me.

My..how things have changed now...but the smart ass phone is a great invention.



Of course..without doubt..many will tell you the computer is the best modern invention..and again because I worked with British Telecom.. who were at the forefront of technology in those days.. we had modern computers to help us do our work.

Early ones had tapes to store the data on..now everything is miniature and the average smart phone a million times smarter than early computers were.

These..Im sure you will agree are all great inventions ..as are cable ties.. super glues.. duct take .. WD 40 etc ..

but for me.. the best invention is undoubtedly.. the Tin Can ... because it means I can enjoy God’s Gravy anywhere..

Now you may wonder about my original comment.. that the best invention has not yet been invented ? I do believe that to be the case ... imagine the day scientists invent..

the Guinness Bag !!

Yup..just like the tea bag..but dip it in water..and you get a lovely fresh frothing pint of Guinness. Easy to carry to parties in your pocket.. as no weight or size to a crate of Guinness Bags. Hey..and they would be allowed into football matches too..as no one can get hurt by being hit on the head with a Guinness Bag.. could they ? I guess if you have no water handy..you could suck the bag in your mouth... now that would be a great invention.

MERRY XMAS to all when it comes

[Shannon]

Now you may wonder about my original comment.. that the best invention has not yet been invented ? I do believe that to be the case ... imagine the day scientists invent..

the Guinness Bag !!

your the smart man! I say the thermo s flask cos it keeps your tea hot and you milk cold - seems easy enough but how dos it know which to do?

[Andy B]

go large and get the bar tenders thossage

That one quote just made my day....

[Paul]

There's been some excellent answers to this thread which have had me

[Paul B]

I would say the humble toilet roll, can ya guess where I'm sitting

[Martin]

There's been some excellent answers to this thread which have had me

I thought it'd be interesting but as per usual, it turns very humerous very quickly..

I would say the humble toilet roll, can ya guess where I'm sitting

That'll be the big white telephone then Paul B

Donny, hilarious as usual...
problem being I can't get that bloody outboard in bed outa my head.. nutta !

[James]

The answers are quite interesting

For me the best invention was a computer / network system. Not only have a made a good living out of them, they've brought me pleasure too.
However, computer and networks have two sides just like a penny. The bad side is Cyber Threats and the issues they cause from annoyance, to ID theft to overloading power station systems and even Warfare. Keeping ahead of the game is very challenging as it's more fast paced than the IT industry.

A van. In my late teens, early 20's I used to own an AstraMax van with a Vaux GTE engine in it. It was never used for commercial so was nice and tidy in the back. I could take chicks to the coast, open the rear doors and have picnics with a sea view :-). That got me thinking, I have a navara now with a hard top. Maybe I should ask the wife if she wants to go for a picnic