Hey,

Ran across this link in my wanderings, Canadian no less... http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~elf/abacus/

When I was in Osaka I noted with a bit of surprise that Japan and India do extensive training still with abacus. It's a free course! But in Toronto probably not ;) Certainly the needs for a cheap calculator would be an effective tool/planning proposal anywhere.

I say Abacus to make a Comeback, but as an Eastern technology it was probably never widely used to begin with in Western society without an Eastern influence. Peak Oil could change that. What else might be considered?

Perhaps this is a good point to make: that technology isn't just today, but from all human history. The re-education of the mind seems to be our greatest opportunity oddly enough. I think I'll be adding abacus to my list ;)

cheers