BS: Useless Inventions

Subject: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 09:52 AM

Since we have lost the thread on perfect inventions, I thought I would go the opposite way and ask about your ideas on useless inventions. My number one, is the Leaf Blower, my number two are those useless and obnoxious things that roar around in the sea, Jet Skis.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 10:00 AM

Jet Ski's .... cracking machines, great fun. My son had a Bombardier 3 seater with a huge engine that would 50 knots plus!!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 10:12 AM

UKIP

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 10:38 AM

Judging from the number of second-hand ones I see listed for sale on Craigslist, expensive high-tech super-efficient coolers like YETI brand. They cost five to ten times as much as similarly-sized Igloo or Coleman products. Sure, they keep ice frozen longer, but you can buy a helluva lot of ice for the price difference. In fact, you can buy your own ice machine.

I'm not paying $500 for a cooler. That's what guitars are for.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:18 AM

BWL - I don't even know what those coolers are! But I agree about guitars.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:47 AM

Corned beef tins that open with one of those keys. Blister packs, e.g. the ones with memory cards in. Fake wine corks made of plastic.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 12:06 PM

I agree on jet skis.
They may be great fun for the rider, but everyone on the beach has to endure the noise and the stench.
And they sometimes kill swimmers.
Beaches were nicer places before that invention.

Chewing gum is another invention I wish could be uninvented.
It serves no nutritional purpose, is difficult and costly to remove from pavements, and nasty when it gets in a kid's hair or clothes.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: gnu
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:09 PM

Chewing gum! I would have never thought of that.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: olddude
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:52 PM

Any tv gadget on late night commercials

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,#
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:57 PM

Drats. Here I am awaiting instructions for turning on and adjusting the TV with something new called "finger tip control." Only $14.95, mailing included. I hope it gets here soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: frogprince
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 02:02 PM

Leaf blowers, useless? You're welcome to rake up the mountains of leaves from my yard anytime. Or we can just watch the piles rot the grass, as happened the year that the snow started before I got the leaves off.
My nomination for the most pointless, and somewhat detrimental, invention of human history: the bathing suit.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,Sol
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 02:50 PM

+ the old favourites:
Chocolate fireguards
Ashtrays for motorbikes
Mens tits
etc, etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Ed T
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 03:01 PM

Politicians- Not sure who invented them?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 03:14 PM

High efficiency washing machines. They don't get clothes clean worth a damn. Sure, they use less water. Big deal! I don't live in a desert! I have my own well with my own pump. I can fill an Olympic size swimming pool for a dime's worth of electricity. I'm a potter. I make things out of dirt. My clothes get dirty. They need copious amounts of water to get them clean, not a pint. I can't wait for the current HE piece of crap I own to die so I can replace it with a normal frigging washing machine.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Ed T
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 03:24 PM

Anything that is advertized as: "As Seen On TV".
One example is the much advertised

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Ed T
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 03:28 PM

Oops, sent last post before it was completed.

Just one example is the much-advertized, and expensive, body hair removal system for women, called NoNo. A quick check on google tells one it does not really work, and you will never get your money back, as claimed. Yet, the mass TV advertising persists.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 03:44 PM

Vitamin pills. Glucosamine. Acupuncture. Homeopathic remedies. Anti-wrinkle creams. Faith healing. Prayer.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 05:43 PM

Will I start a troll storm if I propose religion?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 05:48 PM

Not this end. You're right. You've trumped us all.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 05:50 PM

Bodhrans. Has anyone said bodhrans?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Ed T
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 05:57 PM

Curious, is acupuncture really useless? Has the medical community not accepted its potential application in some situations (but, not all wild claims), though at a distance?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 08:14 PM

Not a "troll storm". However, if you gentlemen wish to express opinions on philosophies or personal. Belief systems, I suggest you start a thread with as the topic. This thread was intended as lighthearted look at some "dubious" inventions. Thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 08:48 PM

There's no scientific basis for acupuncture and there is no scientific explanation for how it allegedly works. It's hard to carry out placebo-type trials because you can't really pretend to be sticking needles in people. If you believe it works for you, go ahead and spend your money. But acupuncture is typically carried out alongside more conventional medicine, so you may never know whether it worked on you or not. It's paracetamol for me any day!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 08:53 PM

Well, religion is definitely an invention, and a worse than useless one at that I reckon, so it should fall within the remit. But I take your point. Moving swiftly on. For anything other than omelettes, non-stick pans.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: olddude
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:42 PM

We can agree to disagree, belief is personal. Any way my electric can opener is crappie. I end up using the hand one its quicker

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 03:46 AM

The electric knife. Most peoPle seem to use them once a year, carving the Christmas bird.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 07:56 AM

A friend has one of those round robotic vacuum cleaners.
She says it's useless so can I add that to the list above.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,Hi lo
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 08:35 AM

My neighbour has one Of those round robotic hoovers. She says her dog loves it, chases it all round the house. but it does not clean "worf shite" according to her

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Ed T
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 10:12 AM

Electroacupuncture research 



""It's hard to carry out placebo-type trials because you can't really pretend to be sticking needles in people.""

I recall news stories on some research on electroacupunture that seemed to get beyond this difficulty? One is linked above (note:I am not a proponent of acupunture, and have never been subjected to it- just research-curious on the value of the procedure, versus the potential perceived benefit).

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Bert
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 08:17 PM

The electric knife is great for cutting fiberglass bat insulation.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: olddude
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 09:31 PM

I saw on the Internet that one of those robot vacs ran over doggie doo that Rover left on the rug and it dragged it all over the house

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 09:38 PM

Gotta echo what frogprince said.. I have a LARGE yard with many leaves... The 1st 2-3 years here,I raked...got blisters on my hands. I would not have survived 27 more years without a leafblower.... and I use it on the roof, to help clean the gutters, and occasionally on light snow.

Useless? Self-service checkouts at supermarkets. Cranky feminine voice yelling at me to do 3-4 different things and demanding that I look at 3 different screens to pay, get my change and/or find a code for exotic items of produce. They say teeny chips are coming that will just 'read' your entire basket at one glance.... we'll see.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 04:01 AM

But where to you blow the leaves to ?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 07:00 AM

I use a leaf blower (electric, not gasoline powered) only to blow leaves from my roof and gutters. I then rake them up and take them to the compost pile. Most of my property is too shaded for grass to grow so I couldn't use a leaf-blower to move leaves around on the ground if I wanted to. I'd be blowing more dirt than leaves.

However, I cannot abide the gasoline-powered models. The noise they produce far outweighs their benefit. And they're overused, particularly by landscaping crews who usually just blow the leaves from their client's property into the street or adjoining property.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: michaelr
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 06:42 PM

Have to disagree re: bathing suits. They cover up a lot I don't want to see. Exception for Sports Illustrated models.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: EBarnacle
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 08:07 PM

As one who has needed it, I disagree about acupuncture. Whether the relief is psychosomatic or real, the benefit is there.

Jet skis, when properly used, as by safety crews, are a good thing. The problem with them is that most of the riders seem to have had a lobectomy before mounting up. Also, most of them have no real ideas about both safety issues and not bothering others.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 08:21 PM

So how would I know that I needed acupuncture?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: EBarnacle
Date: 26 Feb 15 - 10:35 PM

How much pain are you in?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 04:58 AM

If you go to the beach for the sound of waves and to breath the salt air, jet skis are an abomination.
One selfish petrol-head can spoil the pleasure of hundreds.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 06:43 AM

How far is Hertford from a beach?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 06:53 AM

How much pain are you in?

Plenty, thanks. Lost four intervertebral discs and had to have spinal decompression last year. Severe low back pain for life. The voltarol does a grand job. I'm not wasting time or money having needles stuck in me by people who haven't a clue how those needles are supposed to be working. But, whatever stirs your loins!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 06:57 AM

Alas,the world is full of plonkers spoiling everybody else's pleasure with their selfish extremes.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 07:04 AM

If you go to the beach for the sound of waves and to breath the salt air, jet skis are an abomination.
One selfish petrol-head can spoil the pleasure of hundreds.

Jaysus. And what about those screeching kids, those stinking barbecues, those pain-in-the-arse kayakers and bodyboarders and those filthy, noisy dogs. Even horses round here. Bastards who think they're only there to enjoy themselves, the lot of 'em! Tell you what, Keith. Go down the seaside and, instead of whingeing about the latest annoyance, just stroll half a mile and find another beach. Even in the height of summer we can stroll for ten minutes away from Bude's two heaving main beaches and find peace, quiet and seclusion. And the stroll will do you good and you'll get so much more of that salt air. Live and let live, eh, Keith?

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 07:08 AM

Steve,

My GP in the previous area was trained in Acupuncture. I managed to stop smoking because of his help. Don't knock it till you've tried it. I too suffer with chronic back pain (old motorcycle accident) and I'd certainly consider it if I could get on the NHS locally.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 07:24 AM

I gave up smoking by stopping dead after 12 years of excess and utter addiction. Feb 21 1978 at 8.05 in the evening. There were still 17 Embassy left in the packet. Thinking of putting ' em on eBay...

I'd certainly be interested to hear about the mechanism involved in stopping the urge to smoke via the insertion of needles. It's the scientist in me I suppose. However, if it works for you...

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 07:32 AM

I went into the doctors smoking 50 a day, he put two needles in each wrist for about 10 minutes, apparently to calm me down(?)

He then put little ball-bearings on tiny patches in each ear. When you want a cigarette twiddle these things he said. Don't wash your ears for as long as you can bear it but when you do put some more patches in (giving me a box of said patches)

I left the surgery and didn't smoke another cigarette for 9 years ........... then I got a job in the Health Service ....!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 08:43 AM

I spent all my childhood summers on Bude beaches Steve.

When you are in sheltered cove on a still day, one jet ski makes a stink and a row that no-one else wants.

Of course everyone could get up and go looking for an unpolluted beach, but they should not have to.

Beaches were better places before that invention.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 09:00 AM

Jet skis were not invented at the time you were enjoying your childhood summers. I spend many a grown-up summer's day on the beaches here. Occasionally, a jet-ski shows up. No problem. There's enough room for everyone. If you are really so keen to keep our beaches unpolluted you'd be up in arms about dogs on beaches. Worse by a country mile. And I have no dog in this fight. Nor a jet-ski.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 09:08 AM

Might be something to do with the fact I that championed Jet Ski's Steve.

Subject: RE: BS: Useless Inventions
From: Musket
Date: 27 Feb 15 - 09:14 AM

Well bugger me.. I love jet skis and now I love them all the more! When visiting family in Weymouth, I always take one out into the bay, out towards Portland Bill and back. If you find a rip tide crossing below a surface wave, you can ride on a wave for ages.

I went island hopping on one when we were on Ko Samui last year. As I have pins holding my back in place and my knees are less than perfect, such activities allow me to carry on enjoying water sport. I used to love water skis but just can't do it now. (Normal skiing is OK if I don't go silly but I stay on piste these days.)

There's a large lake not far from us and planning permission is in at the moment to make it a watersports centre, including a jet ski area. If it takes off and the jet ski area is large enough, I fancy buying my own.

Anyway... Useless inventions-   A prime candidate is the Korg guitar tuner that sits in the sound hole, for about ten seconds then either pops out onto the stage to be trodden on or falls into the bloody guitar to be fished out later. About as much use as a one legged bloke at an arse kicking contest.