I'm doing some really detailed comparison work today, and I'm using both monitors on my computer to make the work a lot easier.

I actually found myself thinking "how did I ever do this stuff without two monitors?"

Which led me to how I felt about posty notes (Post-It Notes - I'm sure there's some generic product name - sticky notes maybe?) when I discovered them.  "How did I ever live without these?!"  Or a UI in my computer instead of the command line . . . 

What about you?  What little gadget or piece of technology do you look at and wonder how you did x without it?

Also:  Happy Friday, friends!

*fistbumps*

Haha, I have 2 monitors too!  No way I could do stuff with just one.  Also love Post-it notes.  Too funny - I was just thinking this morning how much I love those little yellow stickies.  Must be something in the water cooler.

Uhhhh, I'm gonna be stating the obvious here, but teh interwebz is the 1st thing that jumps to mind.  Seriously - where else can you get so much information in a split second?  Or dialog with pplz from all over the world at the drop of a hat? 

Interwebz, totally. You had to consult an encyclopedia when you wanted to find anything out, and many times, the stuff there was outdated.

How about mobile phones? You had to agree to meet somewhere at a certain time and if one of you was late or couldn't come, the other person would just have to wait there and wonder what was up. 

It's not a mobile phone, it's my Auxiliary Brain.

I had a Palm Handspring in about 1999-2000 and LOVED it.  Haven't been without a planner or PDA since.

The automobile!!! OMG.... I was happier than a clam when I got my first one , able to go anywhere and actually get some things done quicker than taking the mass transit system.

The Internet is a very close second place.

It's not a mobile phone, it's my Auxiliary Brain.

Oh, you Gems  

Q-Tips.  I sigh with happiness when I use them in my ears after a shower. 

I haven't lived in an age where we didn't have automobiles, Glenn,  but you make a good point.

SMG, I am who I am.  *shrug, grin*

@Shannon - And that is just fine with me, please don't ever quit being you because that's why I like you!  

Um...  I am a Luddite and an infidel!

Luddite because I can remember perfectly well how I did things without the technology of the past oh... 15(ish) years and most of the time still prefer "the old way."  (I am rather fond of having two monitors, though.  S'niiiiice.  *smiles*)  I chalk this up to Uranus square my moon -- while I like the tech itself, I don't want to have to use it!  It fouls my groove, dude.  *looks @halo*

Infidel because I'm super happy about DVR.  No commercials!  ZOOOOOM!  *laughs @self*

The Elsa Elsa Boards!!!

@SaD - As soon as I read this topic, I shouted (to myself) - DVR!! I must've gone two years without seeing a single commercial. It's magical.

@shannon - "I had a Palm Handspring in about 1999-2000 " Me too! It was fun being the first person I knew to have this new technology but the truth is I never used mine. Not once. Even though it cost like $500.

netflix.  I can't be bothered to go the the trouble to find a dvd, put it in the machine and switch settings now.

(on the subject of PDAs) I used to have a sony clie:

I liked to mess around with it, but preferred paper/pen/pencil.  I am a huge fan of the ipad, though, now.  I got one for xmas and I use it like I was supposed to use the PDA... I use it because it's big enough to satisfy how I like to see my information presented.   and because of ragdoll blaster.

Internet, closely followed by the car.

But I've lived without all those things we take for granted, in the past - no running water, no electricity, no heating source except an open fire, didn't drive until I was 40, had no TV for many years, nor telephone, didn't get a computer or mobile til 2002 etc ... so I'll be better placed than many if or when the great energy crash happens

apologies to the males on this board, but i have to say

FEMININE HYGEINE PRODUCTS THAT DONT REQUIRE A BELT TO HOLD THEM UP OR MAKE YOU WADDLE WHEN YOU WALK

and I know some of you ladies will be suddenly remembering just what im talking about hahahahahahaha!

My Roomba.  It is one of the best purchases I've ever made in my life.  This Aries appreciates the fact that it cleans under furniture and better than any vacuum I've owned.   I was considering a Dyson since it has such a good reputation, but seriously, for less money, I get clean floors every day and I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF.  It's a daily cleaning lady for about what I would spend to have one come in for two days.  Occasionally it will get stranded in another room and I have to carry it back to its docking port, but big deal.  I love that little thing and pet and praise it often. 

Great answers, everyone!  Yes, I remember wanting to know something and having to go to the library or the encyclopedia set, which was outdated within a few years.  Very frustrating.

SaDiablo, how do you know about "S'niiiiice?"  Are you from the South?  A corollary to "that is real, real niiiiice," which I'm sure you're familiar with!

And OMG, the feminine hygiene products.  I can't imagine having to use the apparati my mother talks about.

CELL PHONES!!!!!

I could live without cell phones.  I miss the luxury of being truly unavailable at times.

"I miss the luxury of being truly unavailable at times."

Amen!  *nodnodnod!*  I honestly tell people this:  I don't talk or text while driving, I rarely answer when I'm outside the house (only answer for people who are home, in case they want me to pick something up on my way back), and I will not answer when I have company unless it's important -- then I'll call you back.

Never wanted to be on the cellular leash, but we got rid of the house phone so it became inevitable.  :/

"SaDiablo ... [a]re you from the South?"

Upper South (Appalachia).  :)

smart phones! Mine is my brain! I"d have to carry so much in my pursea and have such a hard time without my cell phone! And yes, the internet!

@abluelily -- I can't live without my Instead menstrual cups (sorry if that's tmi, ya'll). I can 'do my chick-thing' while not loading up a landfill somewhere, or allowing dioxins from paper/cotton products to leach into my bloodstream. As Martha would say "It's a good thing".

Otherwise, I can (and have had to, post-disaster) live pretty primitively; so I'll throw in a mention for ethanol-based disinfectants, and antibioitics. Ditto for painkillers. Having those three, I could get on top of an illness or injury. Everything else is gravy. Hell, I could even go back to horses for transport, if I had to, no problem ! I'm very self-sufficient, and have proudly passed this on to my kids. It's just not a good idea to get too comfy with modern conveniences, IMO. ; )

The internet and my iPhone because I like the calendar reminder option that keeps me from forgetting stuff.

Vacuum cleaners, I mean really, how long did we have to suck on those hoses to clean house before someone put a motor on it.

*LOL @VA*  ;D

I still remember Grandma using these:

Designer Paddles to beat kids with I assume........................

 VA

"Designer Paddles to beat kids with I assume?"

*snort*  :D

(*whispers*  PS:
They're carpet beaters, for those who don't know.  *grins*)

Thats just what they told us................but we know the truth.

Yeah, we sure do, VA.  *rubs remembered welts*  :P