Which Form of Technology Do We Most Take for Granted?

On a recent "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," comedian Louis CK went on an epic rant about the way us modern folks completely take for granted all the amazing technological advances we enjoy.

While the 41-year-old waxed hilariously about rotary phones, ATM cards and air travel ("You're sitting in a chair in the sky!!!"), there are a few more recent additions to everyday life that we may not appreciate as much as we should.

After the jump, let's take the appropriate time to debate how cell phones, video games and the Internet changed everything, including why they are awesome and why they suck.

Cellular Communication

How you know it changed everything
Next time you are scanning your 500 channels, click on a light comedy from the 20th century. You'll find that a good percentage of the madcap plots in this genre wouldn't work today because a simple cell-phone call or text message would have cleared up most of the hilarious confusion. "Three's Company" story lines would have been completely impossible.

Why it rules
Beyond making it easier to have a personal life that doesn't resemble the chaos of an '80s flick starring Michael J. Fox or Patrick Dempsey, the cellular phone allows you to look busy at a party when you don't have anyone to talk to. And that's a good thing, since you can no longer smoke at most parties.

Why it sucks
Your office just left you a message.


Arcade-Quality Home Video-Game Systems

How you know they changed everything
Did you know, before the rise of home video games, bored teens and young adults would often get together to play card games that weren't connected to drinking or gambling? They also, briefly, kept pet rocks.

Why they rule
Not only do video games allow you be a rock star, secret agent or quarterback from the safety of your own home, they are sort of realistic, and people sort of respect you for being good at them.

Why they suck
Never has such a totally useless waste of time been so addictive.


The Freakin' Internet

How you know it changed everything
Well, you're on the Web right now. (And imagine how brutal your workday would be if you couldn't be.)

Why it rules
The Internet really is like having the whole entire world at your fingertips. But a newer, better, more manageable 17-inch world in which things like movies, music and pornography are free!

Why it sucks
It has become increasingly hard to engage in the time-honored tradition of making up facts when Google is never much more than a click away.