Pre-20th Century Gadgetery

The Byelorussian Hatter writes "Wired, presumably bored to death of Cellphones, Zunes, MairBook Nacs and what-have-you, looks back at the elegant inventions of a less civilized age. 'The Turk was a chess player concealed in a table packed with cogs and gears, contrived to give the appearance of a mighty chess-playing machine. Atop the table, an articulated automaton would be seen to make the moves determined by the master within. One of the 18th and 19th century's many illustrious hoaxes, the Turk is perhaps the greatest gadget that wasn't.'"

"Ark of the Covenant"?

[random_amber]

What the heck is this in a list of the greatest gadgets for? Push a button and out comes God (to melt faces)?

Re:Makes you relize

[Anonymous Coward]

why don't you just go back to sucking dicks you luddite fag?

Didn't make the list...

[Antarius]

It didn't make the list, but was vapourware at the time:

Duke Nukem Forever

I've got one!

[ILuvRamen]

How about that one couple thousand year old computer/clock/astronomical/big gear thing that I read about on slashdot like a year ago. That thing was pretty bad ass lol. Did they ever find out what that thing did? Was it compatible with the Divx codec?

Huh

[His Shadow]

One of the 18th and 19th century's many illustrious hoaxes, the Turk is perhaps the greatest gadget that wasn't.

Kinda like Vista.

Re:Call me weird, but...

[bombshelter13]

The mechanical turk most certainly solves a practical problem if you need to defraud someone.

Re:Makes you realise

[Anonymous Coward]

s/relize/realise
s/seemless/seamless
s/Its all/It's all
s/simplier/simpler
s/eletronics/electronics
s/eletricity/electricity
s/mediums/media
s/matter. Etc../matter, etc.
s/rememeber/remember
s/were but a step/we're but a step
Recast cliché

> Makes you relize how far man has NOT come.

Amen, brother.