Most of modern history can be defined by gadgets. From the Walkmans of the ‘80s and the Game Boys of the ‘90s to the iPhones of the 2010s, there is no decade in the 20th and 21st centuries that has not been accompanied by a shiny new personal technology product that was sure to change the world.
For a moment, some of them did. Others, less so; but all of them together can conjure up quite a picture – or a book full of them.
In ‘Nostalgia Nerd's Gadgets, Gizmos & Gimmicks: A Potted History of Personal Tech’ (Octopus Publishing Group, £16.99, ISBN 9781781578582), Peter Leigh – also known for his Youtube alter-ego, Nostalgia Nerd – takes an irreverent, self-reflective and informative approach to the history of personal tech.
Beginning in 1938, with the first automatic teapot (which also worked as an alarm clock) and through to the 2021 Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, Leigh serves as a cheeky companion to the evolution of technology, providing an informed...