What does it do?

Primarily it does what any upstanding gadget is supposed to do in this cyber-age: it communicates.

Like any super-gadget, it communicates really well and really fast.

Not only that, it communicates more than you realize it’s communicating. The more you use it, the better you become at 1) using it to communicate, and 2) realizing the depth and breadth of what it is you’re communicating.

What does it communicate? Ideas, of course. Some very simple, and some of a complexity beyond comprehension. Not only ideas, but, surprisingly, feelings as well. With proper input, the gadget in question can elicit extraordinary thoughtful and emotional responses both in the user and in any others who happen to experience the resultant output.

Though these varied and deep responses happen in real time, their effect is such that the recalled output often has long-term, unsuspected, delayed effects which in turn may lead other users to approach their own copies of the gadget in new ways, leading then to new input, and new output.

As we have come to expect from all cyber-innovations, some of these effects may actually be life-changing.

Like all good gadgets, it’s not only fun to use but its potential is so great that it doesn’t become boring after repeated use. Rewarding for beginners, this ultimate gadget holds the attention of, and continues to challenge, even long-time users.

Furthermore it is, given the present tendency toward instant obsolescence of many popular gadgets, incredibly durable. Barring direct, disastrous attack on its physical integrity (fire, flood, etc.), this ultimate gadget l-a-s-t-s a good long time.

Furthermore, its interface is deceptively, even seductively, simple. A child can use it, albeit with limited results. More mature users get better results almost at once. After that, the quality of output and feedback from the gadget depends on several factors: the user’s persistence, ambition, goals, and—yes—innate abilities.

Sounds good, huh? Indeed it does, in many more senses than one. A durable, cheap, stimulating, seemingly bottomless source of ideas, pleasure, fun.

What a gadget!

The only problem is, it’s not especially portable. We like our gadgets to be at least mini, and if at all possible micro. This one, alas, you can’t carry with you. But given its qualities, its size seems a small price to pay to get access to its incomparable output.

What is it?