this post was submitted on 21 May 2025
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Asklemmy

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Example: There was a time when people didn't salt their food

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The water trap that's in your toilet and sinks.

The only thing stopping your home from smelling like a sewer is a bit of water strategically placed.

Reminder that if you have a sink you don't use, it's best to run the tap for a few seconds every month to keep that water trap filled.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sewage systems are the big one I think.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Low key the cornerstone of modern civilization. Imagine a city where the streets are awash in millions of people's shit/piss, the water is heavily contaminated, and everyone is constantly getting fecal-oral diseases and cannot work or be healthy much of the time. Even when they are healthy, they might have to stay home and take care of sick family members.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 days ago

Literally every piece of infrastructure. Infrastructure is everything that makes things more efficient by being so ubiquitous that it becomes practically invisible.

Sure, there are the obvious ones like clean water and electricity pumped directly to our homes. There are also other kinds of infrastructure that is less visible.

Standardized size of shipping containers, food safety regulations, a legal system that keeps companies’ worst impulses in check, HTML as a freely available spec. These are a few of the many things that enable us to have a high trust society.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Looms that make your shirts, carpets and anything fabric. Would be a hundred to a thousand times more expensive without it

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago

Transistors.

The first working transistor was created in 1947. Before then it was just vacuum tubes. Less than 80 years later the modern world relies completely on its existence.

You use billions of them in your everyday life.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

Fridge and freezer is a big one imo, in terms of being taken for granted.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

Electricity.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago

I'm with the infrastructure answer too. It really is too broad but in short, anything that kinda stumps you on your tracks once it fails. Just now for some reason I no longer have hot water, very annoying.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago

air conditioning.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago

Antibiotics

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

I'd say everything that is in our daily life

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Boy pre salting is way back. Sorta pre civilization. I guess I could add cooked meat.

[–] otp 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

boy (referencing the op, similar to saying dude or man), pre salting is the act of salting food before cooking or eating.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

close. im sorta old so it was meant to be more of an oh boy. Now that you mean it seems a bit rude on my part but @[email protected] just letting you know the boy was more an exclamation. like jesus but lighter.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Ain't no thing

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

All of them. Is there any invention you shouldn't take for granted?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Okay, you got me on that one.
But apart from capitalism, is there any invention out there we shouldn't take for granted?

[–] otp 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There are probably some you take for granted. It would be exhausting to be in constant awe at the wonders of the modern world! Haha

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Honestly that sounds amazing. Being in constant awe at the wonders of the modern world.

Sign me up.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Families.

Call your mother. She misses you.