Doing More Dumb Stuff
I have no doubt that tradition is a good thing...to a point. But why does it have to be so difficult for humans to shed old habits when new and better ways appear? A while back, I read an article about how the rocket that took Armstrong and Aldrin to the moon could be directly tied to the chariots that carried wheat to Rome. It sounds silly but those ancient axle widths were standardized to match the roads that later determined the gauge of railroad tracks. As a result, the diameter of the Saturn V had to be specifically designed to fit through the tunnels that lay between the factory and the launch pad.

Interestingly enough, you're bound to just such an anachronism...one that impedes your work and play on a daily basis. You may not be aware of it but when typewriters were first invented they were complicated mechanical devices with keys that became tangled if you typed too fast. The solution was to invent the QWERTY keyboard that you now use. The letters of the alphabet, believe it or not, were arranged purposely to slow you down. Since then, we've progressed to high-speed computers with no moving parts but that hopelessly antiquated keyboard remains. Of course there have been newer designs where the letters are arranged in such a way as to allow even the slowest typist to whiz along. The problem is that the QWERTY layout is so firmly established worldwide that manufactures are reluctant to produce a more efficient pattern. As with the metric system, people tend to resist learning a new way of doing things even when it's clearly to their benefit. So here's my idea, create a keyboard with a switch that allows different users to go back and forth between the old to the new layouts. Kids will master the new moves while fossils will stick with the old and, since we're talking digital technology, I'm sure that such a keyboard can be wired up in a matter of minutes by any geek within range of a Radio Shack. Incidentally, should any royalties be involved, remember where you read this.