his was the equivalent of 18th century Google Chrome Tabs 😂

Before ChatGPT, iPads, and search engines, this wooden contraption was cutting-edge tech. It let researchers read up to eight books at once by spinning through them like a lazy Susan of knowledge.

Marketing Analysis

This machine shows how humans always crave faster access to information. Marketers should think the same way—find every possible way to reduce friction between curiosity and gratification.

Why It Works

• It eliminates “switching costs” between tasks (just like tabs in your browser).
• It gives the illusion of productivity and effortless insight.
• It’s novel—people notice “the latest thing” even if functionally similar.
• It solves a very visible pain (slow information retrieval).

Examples

• Google search replaced library trips with 0.39‑second answers.
• TikTok replaced TV scanning with instant scroll dopamine.
• ChatGPT killed the “blank page” problem in minutes.
• Amazon’s one‑click checkout removed shopping friction entirely.