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Inventions the world didn’t need

(105 Posts)
watermeadow Tue 19-Sept-23 15:52:36

A boiling water tap
Pop up plugs
Blogs
Artificial grass
Nylon
What can you add which the world can live better without?

Mollygo Thu 21-Sept-23 15:14:38

Good point HillyN.
Remember when plastic bags were going to save the rain forests.

HillyN Thu 21-Sept-23 15:08:42

I can't think of anything that is totally pointless; every invention has its good and bad applications. It is more about the way we thoughtlessly exploit them. Presumably the first weapons were invented to protect families from wild animals; it was when humans decided to use them against each other that they became bad.

FarTooYoungForThis Thu 21-Sept-23 15:07:38

What's wrong with pop up plugs?!

MerylStreep Thu 21-Sept-23 14:38:06

tickingbird

Camera phones

If it hadn’t been for a camera phone this disgraceful behaviour by the Met police wouldn’t have been reported.
Another post with lack of critical thinking.

www.lbc.co.uk/news/met-police-officers-face-gross-misconduct-allegations-over-bianca-williams-polic/

Ziplok Thu 21-Sept-23 14:34:45

I’ll hazard a guess that those of you who hate plastic don’t realise it’s used on your laptop/iPad/mobile phone, your glasses, if you wear any, either the lens, the frames or both. I could go on with many more things, but I’m sure you get the idea.
I think there are plastic items we could well do without and should no longer be manufactured, but plastic per se is something we rely heavily on in so many spheres of life. It’s not quite so easy to just ban it until (if ever) there are viable, green, alternatives to its many, many applications.

growstuff Thu 21-Sept-23 14:33:36

NotSpaghetti

^selection and cross breeding^ is not the same as genetic modification. GM is more like insertion.

So what?

tickingbird Thu 21-Sept-23 14:26:16

Camera phones

NotSpaghetti Thu 21-Sept-23 14:19:35

selection and cross breeding is not the same as genetic modification. GM is more like insertion.

pce612 Thu 21-Sept-23 14:07:56

Going slightly off piste - most crops have been genetically modified by selection and cross breeding in the past.

singingnutty Thu 21-Sept-23 13:39:35

Artificial nails and the resulting nailbars
Sunbeds
Botox used for cosmetic enhancement (but I know it is used quite rightly for other reasons)

Taffy1234 Thu 21-Sept-23 13:28:57

Strimmers

Lin663 Thu 21-Sept-23 13:21:46

Why is everyone so anti-plastic? It has been an absolute godsend in many different areas, not least of which is the medical arena.
It’s been overused for sure, but that does not make it an invention that should never have happened

NannyC1 Thu 21-Sept-23 13:09:40

I love my plastic grass,I couldn't manage my garden otherwise.
Alcohol, more people dte from Alcohol related illnesses every year than tobacco related illness. Plus death through alcohol fueled attacks on innocent people are definitely more than someone not having a cigarette!

orly Thu 21-Sept-23 13:08:51

Electric vehicles and ground source heat pumps

Growing0ldDisgracefully Thu 21-Sept-23 12:50:24

E-scooters
Those great long nails which are currently fashionable
Cheek implants and lip fillers
Elon Musk's brain chip implants
The need for people to go on umpteen foreign holidays every year.

Alie2Oxon Thu 21-Sept-23 12:31:05

How about:
The idea that just because something is possible to do - we should do it?

Romola Thu 21-Sept-23 12:29:33

You are right as usual, M0nica.
Without plastic and man-made fibres, we'd be having to work much harder, mending, hand-washing and ironing clothes.
Don't forget that detergents are also made from fossil fuels. They revolutionised washing up and cleaning everywhere.

Disposable nappies? Truly a blight.

sodapop Thu 21-Sept-23 12:27:31

Botox has many medical uses Grantanow so it is a good invention, maybe just not for cosmetic use.
I agree about the plastic grass although again it was helpful for the lady who used a wheelchair.
Extendable leads are high on my list.

JennyCee Thu 21-Sept-23 12:25:09

Definitely, double definitely not bras!!!

lizzypopbottle Thu 21-Sept-23 12:20:10

Brownowl564 I agree to some extent about reality shows e.g. Love Island, Big Brother and the like. (Not wishing to be a hypocrite but I've never watched either of those so I'm judging something I know almost nothing about!) However, I absolutely love The Repair Shop and Money for Nothing.

Amandajs66 Thu 21-Sept-23 12:04:36

Vegan food includes all vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, and the list goes on.
And yes I’m vegan!!!
Thank goodness my meals aren’t banned. 😂

Granny14 Thu 21-Sept-23 11:57:40

Coca Cola

I also agree about vegan food. I'm not a vegetarian but enjoy vegetarian food when in a restaurant. Sadly, some restaurants seem to think that vegan food will be suitable for both vegans and vegetarians. It's not. I still enjoy the taste of real cheese and as for burgers that are made to mimic the taste of meat. Yuk.

Brownowl564 Thu 21-Sept-23 11:55:04

Selfies, influencers, reality shows with airhead nobodies doing nothing of any benefit to anyone, those involving new skills or some kind of endurance are ok but not love island, the only way is …. Or the Kardashians

lizzypopbottle Thu 21-Sept-23 11:53:21

Perhaps instead of specifically 'vegan' food, TwiceAsNice meant ultra processed convenience food including those aimed at vegans. Many of us have become too lazy/time poor to prepare food from scratch. When we do, the need for a plethora of additives and preservatives is removed.

GrannyGravy13 I'm with you on the boiling water tap. Mine isn't the all-singing-all-dancing mega expensive quooker. It's an InSinkerator tap that delivers near boiling water whenever I need it and in the exact quantity I need. I wouldn't want to be without it. Kettles tend to be wasteful of energy. More water than we need is usually boiled and the bit left over goes cold.

Grantanow Thu 21-Sept-23 11:47:19

Botox
Nail Bars
Expensive makeup
Communism
Fascism
The Daily Mail