The Greatest Invention Since ...

Okay,the cotton gin is cool. Nuclear power is probably pretty great, too. But people throw around the whole "greatest invention" thing around too much. I mean, sliced bread? Sure, it's convenient. But not great.

So here are a couple of nominations, albeit in the wee hours of the morning after some partying, for great inventions everyone uses but doesn't appreciate:

1. Paper towels: Come on, you spill something, you want to clean it up, and you reach for a Brawny. Or Bounty. Or something else that starts in B and ends in Y. But when it's all said and done, you don't have to wash shit. You use the "towel" and you throw it out. Brilliant.

2. Running water: Earlier today I took a shower. Many times today, I had to urinate and then somehow dispose of the result. Just a minute ago, I went and filled up a glass with water. In each of those scenarios, all I had to do was turn a knob or push a lever. The result was flowing water. Amazing.

3. Motion pictures: Maybe it's the Back to the Future III talking, but movies are pretty great. Incidentally, it's the part where Doc is dancing with that nice schoolteacher Clara. Good ol' Mary Steenburgen. Really, who doesn't love Mary Steenburgen?