Today's printers might actually work -- well, most of the time -- but boy, do they lack the vocal prowess of their predecessors. The is one of the most immediately recognizable noises in yesterday's technology. What other sound, after all, so deafeningly conveys the message: "Hey, buddy: Get ready to fix a paper jam"?

It may very well be : the unforgettable click-clack of a slide projector shuffling through its slides as someone shows you a bunch of images you have no interest in seeing.