It's New, But Is It Better?

Steam power? longbow.
I have a great concept for a "Telephone"...
You dial the number, if there is no one at the other end you get a tone which tells you that... and absolutely nothing else...no options...no messages...no call waiting...no divert to a call centre in Mumbai.
It's all fixed to the wall so it doesn't get lost and it gets it's power from the line so it doesn't need recharging.
Oh it doesn't take pictures or microwave your dinner either.

A car with no electronics (other than basic ignition).

Del

A car with no electronics...

It's only a forgotten dream...

Telephone:no divert to a call centre in Mumbai.

Let's go on: immediate human response...

you also have to think about maintenance and replacement, what if a machinery brakes down and no one makes the old dependable system anymore.

You have to look at the larger picture when you make such a decision

Many youngsters these days haven't ever seen an open fire in a household hearth, let alone know how to start one safely. During a power cut of some length, how else does one keep warm <rhetorical question>?

I concur. I was going to post: "human powered (fill-in the blank).

I've been wanting for decades to see someone design a human-powered car (aka an enclosed bicycle.) I think it would require hydraulics to be practical, with a form of energy storage for hills, etc. Unfortunately, I feel, we can't see the forest for the trees. If the solution isn't high-tech or related to some advanced new discovery about the universe it's so "yesterday". Instead of thinking of using vegetable matter for machines why not use it for the direct energy it produces in the human body.

I agree that the human powered __________ is exactly what people need and "some" may actually want. With the complexity of our day to day lives and activities, machines are used to simplify tasks and achieve goals in a timely manor so we can all move along to our next task. One key element is getting omitted, that being exercise! For some going to the gym is a routine, but that's not practical for everyone.

You idea of a bike that can store energy is interesting, but you'd need to be in some serious shape to use it. If the operator could petal continuously while coasting, deceleration, and while stopped and braking energy sent into storage there should be enough energy available to keep up with traffic in city driving. In a class I took maybe 10 years ago the professor shared examples of gyros that could store and expend energy more efficiently than batteries in certain mechanical applications. So are you going to build this thing or what?

I picked up a 1970 Massey Ferguson lawn and garden tractor for $300, besides needing paint it runs circles around anything made today. The best part, it can be used to drag boulders, pull up stumps, it will just keep pulling until the front wheels come off the ground and I need to power down.

I like the idea of an electronics free car. If manufactures want to offer less expensive cars and maintain margins, what is the problem with offering a simplified car? Simple like the original VW's with modern engine management for decent MPGs and to meet today's emissions requirements. How about a wet clutch with access on the outside of the transmission like a motorcycle for easy replacement?

Book: a collection of paper sheets for long-term storing of information. Simple, reliable and you can use it without electricity.

Bookshelf: the equivalent of a CD-ROM for books that doesn't use lasers, or any other generated power, come to think of it.