Why is it that when people think of inventions and inventors, their minds automatically draw images of dudes like Thomas Edison (Ed note.—Jersey!). Yeah, his era built the foundation upon which our modern society currently rests, but damn! You know how much shit has dropped since the light bulb? Scratch that, you know how much stuff has come to be in the short time you've been on this earth? Think about all the stuff you use on the reg. Now think about when all that stuff was made. You're probably drawing a major blank, so we're going to help you out. If you didn't know, August is National Inventors Month. And while that may mean less to you than a $3 bill, it made us think about what recent inventions affect our lives the most. From DVDs to MP3s, take a look back at the greatest technological inventions of the past quarter-decade—and be happy you weren't born in the '60s.