Alarm clock, $4.99

If aliens from outer space were to observe us from afar, they might think that some of our technological advances aren’t really advances at all. We text each other on phones when talking to each other on phones would seem to be the superior convenience, and we spend money on batteries to power clocks and watches when mechanical clocks and watches have existed for centuries. This wind-up alarm clock comes from an op shop with good stocks of jewellery and calculators. This is fortunate, because some of us are still dumb enough to need calculators in our everyday lives. I recently went to split a $45 lunch bill with two friends (that’s right, there were THREE of us) and we spent a good two minutes shrugging our shoulders and scratching our heads.