Also, waving a magnet around a crt was fun.

Pre LCD/LED tech for numeral displays. Nixie tubes kicked so much ass, shame they are hard and expensive to source now.

Interchangeable automotive/bicycle parts.

Or for that matter, interchangeable anything parts.

Both cooler and better at the same time. Interchangeable parts made it easier to both customize and repair your own stuff..

Sex toys and local multiplayer is a way better combination than cybersex and online matchmaking

I could mention toasters or pinball machines or flickering light bulbs or unusual people movers, but instead I'll save some time and just link the whole obligatory channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TechnologyConnections

Portable music players.

They were the coolest when they used minidiscs.

BlackBerry (RIM)

Carburetors are pretty fuckin cool.
The concept seems simple: utilize the vacuum from the engine to pull in fuel. But they're extremely complicated with all the tiny orifices and passageways to perfect the amount of fuel going into the engine at different points.

Unrelated sidenote: i got deja vu writing this comment. Interesting.

The Gameboy.

The switch is neat, but it's too large.

Most weapons. Bows and swords are cooler than guns and knives. Trebuchets and catapults are cooler than any form of modern artillery.

Modern warfare, when it becomes necessary, should be fought purely with weapons designed prior to the 16th century. Just replace horses with dirtbikes and ATVs.

Horsehide bomber jackets of the sort worn in WW2.

We can make cheaper and lighter synthetic materials. But I like the look that leather jackets acquire with wear over time (and particularly horsehide, which is less-available today than cowhide, as we don't have many horses around any more).

They aren't gone -- it's still possible to obtain them. But in 2024, they're really limited to people going out of their way to get them.

Railway signalling and interlocking systems. Sure ETCS and other digital systems are far safer, but some dude at a junction used to manually reset the points and crossovers using a giant lever. Now everything’s just a digital system overseen by someone with 8+ monitors in a control room removed from the actual network.

Also, not a technology, but rally cars used to be fully unhinged. I could watch old Group B videos for hours and never get bored.