This toaster:
Might as well link the Technology Connections video already.
Yes, it's an 18 minutes video on a 1950s toaster, you can thank me later.
Knives.
About as low tech as it gets, even for modern knives that are pretty high tech in how they're made.
But it's entirely possible for a person to make a knife with nothing but tools they can make by hand, with no need for anything other than rocks as tools. I've done it, and it isn't like I'm some kind of super genius.
You can make slightly more high tech tools if you want, and make metal knives. The caveat to that is that you have to know how to identify sources for the metal in the first place, unlike stone tools where you can figure it out by banging rocks together until you find some that make sharp edges. But making an oven that can turn out low-grade materials is realistic for a single person to do.
But a knife, in its essence is just an inclined plane done to a very fine degree. Doesn't get any more low tech than that. Mind you, there's plenty of complexity involved in all of the basic machines like inclined planes, but that's more about understanding them than using them or making them.
Knives are mankind's most important tool. They were among our first tools, and it can be argued that they were our first manufactured tools. And we still use them regularly. Some of us use them every day, multiple times a day.
That's a lasting technology in every degree of refinement.
Bicycle
Books
Sharpening stones.
you need an edge so many times in your life. When you're using scissors, slicing veggies, pruning trees, harvesting mushrooms, posting online, mowing grass, carving wood, cutting roots, trimming nails, scraping stoves/ovens, shaving, digging, trimming, pealing whatever.
There are so many dumb fancy arse awful tools that butcher edges and work in one specific case. No! For millenia people have been grinding edges, it is not difficult to learn it just takes practice.
Modern manufacturing means we can enjoy extremely consistent stones in well characterised grades. Go use some, and enjoy how much less effort life requires when everything that cuts, cuts easily.
Waterwheels. Thousands of years old but still an essential part of our energy system.
Automatic (mechanical) wristwatches.
I love the idea of a truly symbiotic relationship between a thoughtfully and carefully designed mechanism and a human. I walk around and live my life, and by doing so, I give it the kinetic energy it needs to keep its mainspring wound, and in return it tells me what time it is. Always. Without fail. I just have to tweak the time if it starts to get too far off, but that’s barely even an imposition. After a good long while, it’s prudent to have them serviced, but if you’re not observing any problems, it’s generally perfectly fine, and will keep ticking along as long as you wear it regularly.
String/rope. With a couple of knots, loops and tension you can make a lot of things with it.
Dice.
Siphons
The anvil, can make a lot of stuff with it. You can even use it to make fire, striking a piece of iron until it's hot enough to light a forge or small fire. Older copies of the Machinery's handbook(the machinist's Bible) have a few things on blacksmithing.
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Tweezers.
When you realize how many wars were averted because of them.
Axes, I have four and I will get another next year.
I have a hatchet for small tasks, a midsized axe for cutting small trees down and chopping, a Pulaski for landscaping/ digging tasks and I have a splitting axe/maul for splitting rounds.
There is something incredibly rewarding and fun about swinging an axe.
Wheels are pretty cool
Hand tool woodworking. It's amazing what you can make without a single electron. Its also amazing to feel the tools, the resistance and subtle vibrations as you use them. Like an extension of your own body. I love chiseling, especially large mortises. Hearing that sharp, deep thud, and seeing it sink in as it bites into the wood is so satisfying. Especially when using metal hammers, they are so responsive.
I love sawing, especially when relaxed and working at a slow pace, seeing all the sawdust fly out with each stroke. Sawing isn't fun when working on difficult pieces of wood, when working in a relaxed manner with softwood, the hoarse sounds of the saw starts to sound like purring and it begins to cut exceptionally well.
I love the finish of handplanes, so smooth it becomes water resistant.
Overall very spiritual and relaxing (as relaxing as you allow it to be at least)
Rock.
fire!
Recently made some jam. Was really impressed by how low tech the process was. Just cook some fruits, separate the roughage and branches and seeds, etc. Add sugar and cook it again. I believe you also have to add pectin if the fruit you’re turning into jam doesn’t have a lot of it.
Then bottle the stuff and enjoy it with bread for a long long time!
Chopsticks
Stools
Candles
I like to get all up in my snuggie. Get a little weird.
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As a user of threaded fasteners, the inclined plane.
Knipex Cobras. It's like being able to pinch anything with a force of about ten tons per square inch, they're indispensable
Exercising equipment. Jump rope, dumbels, pullup bars, rowing thingie and such.
Sleeping pad shnozzle bags (pump sacks).
Using a brush to paint my house as opposed to an hvlp setup
The Thermos!
I have a crowbar that I named Art. I like to compare my crowbar to a piece of art, it's a masterpiece of engineering. So many uses for the humble crowbar, such a simple and powerful piece of equipment. I love the way it feels in my hand, I love the way I can stash it anywhere easily and keep it handy and secret. The Crowbar is Art, and I study the Art of the Crowbar.
Hands. They’re freaking awesome and allow you to do lots of things.
On that topic, if you are in a squeeze and don't have a sharpening stone in the kitchen, you can use the bottom rim of a ceramic mug to sharpen a kitchen knife
The alarm clock
Cooking
Pasta House cheese grater
G-Shocks 🤗
Turbine style desk fans. They push wind very fast.
I agree with knives, love them.
Natural fermentation is a technology I love, that is pretty ancient. The way I make bread, it's leavened the same way as almost 15,000 years ago. Beer is like that too - it's commercial now but you can achieve it at home without the industrial tech.
Windshield wipers are so clever.
Swamp cooler
