Stupidest Invention??

[MacFan782040]

CAR ALARMS. Who investigates a car alarm?

[jsw]

The original owner of my Porsche didn't....

;)

[Sun Baked]

CAR ALARMS. Who investigates a car alarm?Not many, but then there are always stun guns to shut the damn thing off.

Dude Where's my Car? (http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2004-08-19/feature.html)

[sorryiwasdreami]

Ejection seats in helicopters. Solar flashlights. Dumber than car alarms.

[stoid]

Because, if there weren't car alarms, it wouldn't be nearly as fun to run up and down aisle in a crowded parking lot to see how many you could set off! :D

[homerjward]

this a mac site. im surprised no one has mentioned this: WINDOWS!
that, or maybe those japanese robotic toilets. wait, those are cool...oh, i got it! enzyte. does anyone actually buy that?

[cb911]

The original owner of my Porsche didn't....

;)

He he. :D

MacFan782040, i'm kind of confused about this thread. the title refers to 'stupidest invention' then somehow the thread goes to 'car alarm investigations'? :confused:

bizarre... :eek:

[friarbayliff]

Pants - honestly, who needs them? :D

Actually, most of the dumb inventions I see happen on paid advertisements or shopping channels. Selling a product through these channels almost screams "piece of crap!" - at least to me it does

[comictimes]

Jerry Seinfeld does a funny piece on the stupidity of helmets.
"Now why did we invent the helmet? Well, because we were participating in many activities that were cracking our heads, we looked at the situation, we chose not to avoid these situations, but to make little plastic hats so that we can continue our head-craccking lifestyles."
yeah, that one was humrous...

[blackfox]

Television. Defend that one...

[MongoTheGeek]

Television. Defend that one...

What else do you hook your Atari 2600 up to?

[King Cobra]

Car horns.

Worst invention ever.

It's bad enough to contradict the rule of safety of other drivers by distracting them, but [1] in some parking lots, you have a lot of teens using them in the light that they save 5.23 seconds of mainstream traffic travel, [2] in traffic jams, you have adults acting like a bunch of teens making no more progression than those in parking lots, and [3] the horns are loud, sudden, and annoying! In the case of specialty horns, reread [3].

The forgotten proper usage of the car horn is to let others know you are pulling out of a parking space, and you can't see traffic around the back of your car. Even then, the car horn is the worst invention, because you get the [negative] attention of more people than just those around the corner, if there is anyone around the corner.

[kerb]

leap years were a stupid invention

[jayscheuerle]

Solar flashlights.

I actually saw one of those when Insomniac's Dave Attel went to Japan. There was a guy who invented useless contraptions. Not all were useless, but many were impractical or absurd....

[OldManJimbo]

Those automatic cat litter boxes - with an electronic sensor that causes a lever to sift the sand when kitty is done with his duty.

My cat freaks out when the doorbell rings - I can't imagine him ever going close to the damn thing. This would serve one purpose, however - the litter would always be clean, becuase he'd find a safe corner of the dining room to use instead.

[EJBasile]

COMPUTERS- lol just joking

-I agree with horns- annoying- you use it maybe 2 times a month.

-Those little pocket bike things- motorized bikes that are really tini

- The hammer where when you press the button it has the nail come out

- Strawberry, Blueberry, etc Apple Sauce- makes no sence

-Those Dell laptops that are like 3ghz that are 2" Thick

- The cooking pot with holes in the top to drain out the water

[musicpyrite]

Ejection seats in helicopters.

That is actually a very good invention. Ejection seats in helicopters (and other aircraft) is the equivalent of an airbag in a car today. There are many many people that would be dead today if not for ejection seats.

And you've got it stuck in your head that when the ejection seat goes off, the pilot/co-pilot goes straight into the blades. Wrong. Please do a little research before talking about things you don't understand.

[krimson]

COMPUTERS- lol just joking
...
- The cooking pot with holes in the top to drain out the water


you're crazy :) , those pots w/ holes on top are the best.. built in strainer for your noodles, dumplings, veggies!

[kgarner]

I work as a patent illustrator and you wouldn't believe some of the patents that get granted. Just remember, for every dumb invention you SEE, there are lots more you don't, but you can find them at the USPTO Website (http://uspto.gov/).

I would have included some examples here, but I can't seem to think of any right now. I just know that there are a lot of times I say to myself, "they patented that?"

[neut]

Those automatic cat litter boxes - with an electronic sensor that causes a lever to sift the sand when kitty is done with his duty.

My cat freaks out when the doorbell rings - I can't imagine him ever going close to the damn thing. This would serve one purpose, however - the litter would always be clean, becuase he'd find a safe corner of the dining room to use instead.

hey, they work... cats freakin' stink. i might get my roomate's cat (and my nose) one for Christmas. :) though she is pretty shifty (spent 3 days in a tree 'cause she was scared of a chihuahua)... we'll see how it goes. my freind has one and it seems to work well.

stupidest invention: money


peace.

[Don't panic]

Car horns.

Worst invention ever.

It's bad enough to contradict the rule of safety of other drivers by distracting them, but [1] in some parking lots, you have a lot of teens using them in the light that they save 5.23 seconds of mainstream traffic travel, [2] in traffic jams, you have adults acting like a bunch of teens making no more progression than those in parking lots, and [3] the horns are loud, sudden, and annoying! In the case of specialty horns, reread [3].

The forgotten proper usage of the car horn is to let others know you are pulling out of a parking space, and you can't see traffic around the back of your car. Even then, the car horn is the worst invention, because you get the [negative] attention of more people than just those around the corner, if there is anyone around the corner.

the fact that there are hords of morons driving doesn't mean that the horn is useless or stupid.
ever tried driving a winding mountain road? it sure helps to know someone is coming around that turn...

[mouchoir]

Car horns.

Worst invention ever.

It's bad enough to contradict the rule of safety of other drivers by distracting them, but [1] in some parking lots, you have a lot of teens using them in the light that they save 5.23 seconds of mainstream traffic travel, [2] in traffic jams, you have adults acting like a bunch of teens making no more progression than those in parking lots, and [3] the horns are loud, sudden, and annoying! In the case of specialty horns, reread [3].

The forgotten proper usage of the car horn is to let others know you are pulling out of a parking space, and you can't see traffic around the back of your car. Even then, the car horn is the worst invention, because you get the [negative] attention of more people than just those around the corner, if there is anyone around the corner.

Actually, there are times i've used them because idiots have almost backed into me, and it has definitely prevented an accident. And other times where people have been backing out of their drives without looking when it has come in useful.

So I've found it to be a pretty useful invention. But of course, it does get misused.

[Mord]

leap years were a stupid invention

you know that if we dident have them the seasons would slowly go out of sync. it's not that hard to get your head around it

first off x86
second off those card alarms telling you to step away from the car
cars that talk to you
phot booths with voices that nausiate you to hell

[FriarCrazy]

Nutrition labels on water bottles. I mean, honestly...

[sorryiwasdreami]

leap years were a stupid invention

Leap years weren't really invented, they are a solution to the issue that it takes Earth 365 and 1/4 days to make it's eliptical orbit trip around the sun. So, every 4 years we Earthlings end up with an extra day to deal with. 366.

[sorryiwasdreami]

That is actually a very good invention. Ejection seats in helicopters (and other aircraft) is the equivalent of an airbag in a car today. There are many many people that would be dead today if not for ejection seats.

And you've got it stuck in your head that when the ejection seat goes off, the pilot/co-pilot goes straight into the blades. Wrong. Please do a little research before talking about things you don't understand.

Now that I did my homework for macrumors (I expect an "A" on the macrumors bar exam), there is in fact a unique helicopter, the Russian Kamov Ka-52, which does incorporate ejection seats. The chopper's main rotors are jettisoned before the pilot's seat is ejected to avoid becoming chop suey.

The bit was a joke. I don't research jokes; it takes the spontaneity out of them. Sheesh. Lighten up. Telling someone they don't understand something is truly very rude.

[homerjward]

Television. Defend that one...

NOW YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!! [starts sobbing] what did tv ever do to you, you bastard?...

[MacsRgr8]

This thread.

[mvc]

Leap years weren't really invented, they are a solution to the issue that it takes Earth 365 and 1/4 days to make it's eliptical orbit trip around the sun. So, every 4 years we Earthlings end up with an extra day to deal with. 366.

Phah!. Orbital mechanics must have inspired Microsoft - Typical buggy implementation with a kludgey fix, lets get the planet upgraded! Anyone know the manufacturers website?

[Dr. Dastardly]

Green ketchup anyone?

[King Cobra]

Heh, I tried green ketchup years ago... wasn't great to look at, but tasted all right. I wouldn't have it again (willingly) though.

[Roger1]

Green ketchup anyone?

It was green because you tried to use it before it ripened. :p

[themadchemist]

dog sweaters...What other doggie device humiliates both the owner and the pet?

[MacFan782040]

This thread.

kiss my meaty asssss

[Koodauw]

How about that voice thats says " Please continue to hold. Your Call is very important to us. We will be with you shortly. Thank You."

I mean with out that, I prob would think I was worthless and just another number to the large corporation.

[sorryiwasdreami]

You wanna talk about absurd? Crystal Pepsi.

[Kingsnapped]

dog sweaters...What other doggie device humiliates both the owner and the pet?

My dog has a blue sweater that helps him survive the Wisconsin winters. He likes it, and it is a magnet for girls who think silly things like that are cute.

[King Cobra]

Actually, this one stems from sort of a pet peeve of mine about directions in instruction manuals for mechanical devices not being explained clearly, which happens to be 100% of the time I try to understand the directions. So the bad invention here is: Poorly written instruction manuals.

[iLikeMyiMac]

I'm going to have to go with either the toilet chair or the makeup gun.

[scem0]

this a mac site. im surprised no one has mentioned this: WINDOWS!
that, or maybe those japanese robotic toilets. wait, those are cool...oh, i got it! enzyte. does anyone actually buy that?

No comment about the Enzyte ;););).

As for Windows, I don't think that can be classified as an invention - after all, an invention has to be original, and the first of its kind. Windows is neither original or the first of its kind.

But I would agree that it's stupid. ;)

scem0

[Giaguara]

the machine that peels the potatoes.
gym cycle.
.. and everything similar, for the lazy people.

[neut]

the machine that peels the potatoes.
gym cycle.
.. and everything similar, for the lazy people.

... like electric scissors and the battery operated battery installer? :p

id like to change my vote to the combustion engine.


peace.

[sorryiwasdreami]

Green ketchup anyone?

Okay, I think I found something along the lines of ketchup that is even worse. w ketchup (http://www.wketchup.com/). This is appalling.

[Flowbee]

I hate to say it, but... The Flowbee (http://www.flowbee.com)?

[Doctor Q]

How 'bout clothes for pets? You just know their friends laugh at them when their owners do this to them.

http://hautedog.com/images/3irshalf.gif

[dotnina]

My dog has a blue sweater that helps him survive the Wisconsin winters. He likes it, and it is a magnet for girls who think silly things like that are cute.

We girls do not think the sweaters are not silly.

In fact we think they are cute, and we have pondered buying them for the dog we don't yet have.

:)

[iriejedi]

this a mac site. im surprised no one has mentioned this: WINDOWS!
that, or maybe those japanese robotic toilets. wait, those are cool...oh, i got it! enzyte. does anyone actually buy that?


BOB! Sure did.....

[iriejedi]

You wanna talk about absurd? Crystal Pepsi.

Crystal Gravey!

Ok not real - an SNL commercial bit... but one of my all time favorites! :p

[paxtonandrew]

Leap years weren't really invented, they are a solution to the issue that it takes Earth 365 and 1/4 days to make it's eliptical orbit trip around the sun. So, every 4 years we Earthlings end up with an extra day to deal with. 366.


And the olympic games :eek:

Seriously though, I thing the stupidest invention has to be Michael Dull and his company. Hopefully after he was 'invented' they broke the mould.

[MongoTheGeek]

Okay, I think I found something along the lines of ketchup that is even worse. w ketchup (http://www.wketchup.com/). This is appalling.

Thats only a gimmicky thing because people wrongly assume that Heinz Ketchup money goes to Kerry's campaign. While Tereza owns 20% or so of the company she can't use it to help John, additionally most of the board is hard core Republicans.

I'm surprised Heinz hasn't release 2 commemorative bottles of ketchup with pictures of the candidates in Red and Blue. Maybe a third one with Nadir in Green.

[sorryiwasdreami]

While Tereza owns 20% or so of the company she can't use it to help John, additionally most of the board is hard core Republicans.

Actually, it's way less; Teresa Heinz Kerry only owns 4% (http://www.ethicsdaily.com/article_detail.cfm?AID=4511) of the company's shares.