Thomas Jefferson: 18th-Century Geek?

Sure, now we can all look back at the Apple IIe and laugh at its green screen, command prompt interface and knuckle-dragging, 1 MHz processor from our perch here in the 21st century. But it really was state of the art way back in the early 1980s. Every era has its own version of high-tech wizardry, even the 18th century, and every era has its share of tech enthusiasts and gadget geeks. Take, for instance, third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.

One of our country's most celebrated Renaissance Men, T.J. referred to his Monticello estate as a "machine for living," according to a Wired article that explores Jefferson's love of innovation and gadgetry. He even designed the home's clock himself, which still tells time accurately today. And long before Herman Miller Aeron chairs and WiFi networks, Jefferson took great pains to make his office both ergonomic and efficient:

"The chair rotated, the desktop rotated and the bookstand rotated. He had candle stands mounted on the ends of the chair arms, and put a sofa under the desk to prop up his legs. You can understand why he modified everything in his office to make himself more comfortable, when you realize he wrote nearly 20,000 letters — in longhand — in his lifetime."

He especially coveted his pantograph, an English invention — cutting edge at the time — that made "copies" of letters and other written documents by tethering the writer's quill to another pen, which would create a copy on another sheet of paper. The prolific letter-writer called it "the finest invention of the present age."

Other gadgets on display at Monticello include a fanned travel notebook (kind of like a paint swatch sample booklet with white paper) which he would use to take notes, transcribe upon returning home and then erase for future use; an early version of what looks like a Swiss Army knife; and a theodolite, an early sextant-like device used for surveying.

I can't wait until my daughter, now just a toddler, makes fun of me for once having used such a crude computing device, with its ancient-looking keyboard — a keyboard?! — and two-dimensional screen. OK, maybe I can wait.