the lathe bugs me. It is cool, but I'm not really sure how it changes anything.

Well, baseball bats would be pretty funny looking without the lathe. Also, chair legs. Yeah, it's a stretch.

Printing press definitely belongs.

Let's be fair and say "movable type". People have been printing for ever so long, but the idea of taking small pieces of printable stuff and reassembling them over and over in different order to create a larger document -- that's a big deal.

What's a chisel useful for? I mean, besides creating sculpture? And splitting logs, I guess. Seriously, I don't use a chisel in my everyday life, so examples would help.

I'm a bit peeved that "watch" is on there instead of "clock."

What's a chisel useful for? I mean, besides creating sculpture? And splitting logs, I guess. Seriously, I don't use a chisel in my everyday life, so examples would help.

Well, it used to be used to shape blocks of stone in masonry, didn't it? Now they have better ways of doing it, but it was an important tool in masonry for a long time.

I read that letter once and got all excited in a bad way. On a second reading, I start to question if it's really real, but sadly I suspect it is.

Not my representative, but she is a representative in the local area. Missouri isn't supposed to be like this, this is supposed to be a Kansas sort of thing.

actually the lathe bugs me. It is cool, but I'm not really sure how it changes anything. sped things up, but change?

I think there's bunches and bunches of far more complex machinery that cannot be made without metal lathes. So, you know, leading to the industrial revolution and all that....

chisels - think of them as non powered routers. tthey take away controlled amounts of materials - so better joints can be made - slideing panels- and shapeing things like musical instruments . they are a major step up from a a saw, ax or hammer. However, on the list? not so sure.

metal lathes - didn't think of that

I think I'd have put waterwheel or Archimedes' screw above chisel.

Closest to death: Birth.(I wonder if my fascination with murder could be that "simply" explained.) Second closest: Almost got hit by a car in my electric chair in the street.(My life passed in front of me, but too small and fast to be...illuminating and shit. Which I'm still disappointed about; it was like holding a slide to the light without a projector.)

my electric chair

Considering I was watching Prison Break just the other day, I find this phrase inappropriately hilarious.

Ooh, another thing they left off the list! Controlled electric current.