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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 11:19:14

I’m not a fan of plastic grass, but a lady I chat with when walking the dog has a beautiful plastic lawn at the front, neatly edged with pebbles and paving. It was laid when she lost her husband and as she is wheelchair bound, she would have to pay someone to mow a proper lawn. She rinses it occasionally.
NB I laid plastic grass in our outside utility room. It looked great, until our dog thought it was OK to use it as a loo. Now we have carpet.

Nannashirlz Thu 21-Sept-23 11:36:37

Mobiles yes they good invention but bad because ppl have lost the art of communication with each other. What drives me mad is young mum or dad pushing a buggy or in a cafe etc and completely ignoring the child because face is glued into the phone. Poor little thing will think that is what you do. Lol rant over

Froglady Thu 21-Sept-23 11:37:43

Weapons

Thatsnotmeinthemirror Thu 21-Sept-23 11:42:17

Very long artificial nails ( often decorated ) just think they are unhygienic and nasty.
Very ,very long thick false eyelashes .

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

Botox
Nail Bars
Expensive makeup
Communism
Fascism
The Daily Mail

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.

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

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.

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. 😂

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.

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

Definitely, double definitely not bras!!!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Electric vehicles and ground source heat pumps

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!

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

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

Strimmers

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)

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.

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

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

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

Camera phones

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?

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.