Solar paneled street lighting; the umbrella for dogs; the one legged bar stool. There are some inventions that have failed find a spot in the ritual of day-to-day life. Other inventions, however, have not just become part of our lives; they have transformed the way we live in a way that leaves us unable to think of how we managed before. The television is one…

In a gadget-inspired world, who would have thought that a mobile phone is the one gizmo we can’t live without? In a recent poll, more than a quarter of people surveyed voted the mobile phone to be the household item that has most changed their lives. And for the young, it’s even more important. Of those aged 16-24 who responded to the survey, 42 per…