The Road
I just finished reading Cormack McCarthy's new book, The Road. It's a story about a post-apocalyptic world and the journey of a father and son. Without giving away too much of it, I can tell you that the amount of technology in their lives is drastically reduced, but the technology of the can opener becomes very important. Also, the use of gasoline and oil for lamps and cooking is crucial.
As I read the book, I wondered about how we (people in 2008) would fare if we needed to make it without all the technologies to which we have become accustomed? What do you think would become the most important physical objects of technology within our lives?