There's an entire Wiki here with lists:
http://namingschemes.com/

"Anybody who has held a soldering iron and done something digital with single transistors please raise your hand ?"

The transistor is an analogue device. It is possible to create logic circuits using multiple transistors, but essentially transistors actuate levels, not states. It shows how little you understand about the fundamental principles of electronics.

The transistor is the mainstay of virtually all todays technology, and should not be dismissed as some 60's fad. The are now embedded in their millions into integrated circuits and microprocessors, and without them we would still be torch-wielding peasants.