An arbitrary list, mostly of things I don’t usually think of as labour-saving devices:
- The washing machine (we must always start with the washing machine)
- The knife
- The blender / food processor
- Paved roads and house numbers
- The map
- The written word: the note to self or other; the recipe; rules; good laws
- A police force and professional army
- Representative democracy
- Folklore, fairytales and other stories
- The television
- The Rules of The Game
- The scientific method
- Photographic film
- The factory system
- The letterbox
- Engines of all kinds
- The hand cart
- Pulleys, ratchets and winches
- The house
- The record/cassette/mp3 player
- The (blog) content management system
… and as with all devices, their value is multiplied because they exist in a network.