Truly useless inventions
 

Whats the most useless, utterly pointless invention you've seen?

I'm not talking parachutes that open on impact, solar-powered torches etc: I mean actual shit you can buy in the stores.

For me it's a battery-powered cellphone charger. I saw it this morning and was truly humbled.

If youre the kind of person who forgets to charge your phone, youre definitely not going to remember to carry this baby around with you, right?

How about the Flip-Folder - that thing that helps you fold your clothes in 1-2-3 easy steps! Come on, do you really need something to fold your clothes? How about your HANDS!

Your basic kitchen store has the highest concentration of pointless gadgetry. Every food type has its very own specific slicer/dicer gadget.

There's the tomato/strawberry corer,
http://www.cooking.com/images/produc...dde/140020.jpg

mushroom slicer,
http://store2.yimg.com/I/capability_1760_1038355

egg slicer (with 3 slicing styles!),
http://store6.yimg.com/I/everythinghome_1760_36795483

apple slicer,
http://store.german-usa.com/Housewar...it/5236802.jpg

corn cutter,
http://chefgadget.com/images/G1909.jpg

bagel slicer.
http://store6.yimg.com/I/everythinghome_1759_3704144

It's endless. And pointless.

If you don't know how to work a simple kitchen knife, it's time to get out of the kitchen.

Alright johnnymysto -- You peaked my curiousity and I just had to find one of these flip folders:

http://www.smartinventions.com/image.../top_r1_c5.gif

BTW -- I do agree with you. Unless you are handicap or just downright lazy.... this product has no use...

hey!!! I'm not lazy! I just cannot fold them so that the first is the same as the last... I honestly suck at folding... so instead of buying one of these...I send out my laundry and it comes back folded.... now if I could only get them to put the laundry away...

This has got to be the worst - the Coffee Filter Separator.

http://www.filtapic.com/hands.jpg

There's an entire website - complete with testimonials.

<b>Filt-a-Pic</b>

Testimonials?!?
<i>
Dear Filtapic:
I didn't realize that separating coffee filters was a problem until
a friend gave me a filtapic and I wont be without one again.
I ordered one to use at my camp, it has made separating the
filters so easy.
</i>
Give me a break.

platypus: most of those items are actually highly useful, just not in the everyday kitchen. In a restaurant or a diner or whatever where they use fresh ingredients and the customer ask for something with alot of mushrooms you will save alot of time with that slicer
same for that corncutter

however if it's for the occasional use, then it's a bit sad :)

speaking of which, that coffee filter separator is hilarious :)

Here are a few interesting ones I dug up:

Force Sensitive, Sound Playing Condom
http://personal5.iddeo.es/ret007rz/us5163447.JPG

Solar Powered Flashlight
http://store4.yimg.com/I/solardyne_1757_2458845

Don't even know how to classify this one...
[IMG]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TADeAmoYRs8sAg!u*KZ!PaMoxaiTtA0mFT*UhqGgBJIzBAsd7VntmWEW6QkbJehdbGELA5TwLqOQiYNRXvQ3EZllwbnB47!LDafANvT7Ze2XFR1DZJEXHg/severe_cold.gif?dc=4675332061038519924[/IMG]


Or you could always take the quiz to find out what useless invention you are yourself:

http://quizilla.com/users/theworldly...ou%3F%3F%3F%20(as%20seen%20on%20tv)now%20with%20pics!!!

Most useless one I've seen lately: The Whirlpool Polara refrigerator/oven combination. http://polara.whirlpool.com/qa.html

HUH??? I'm a complete gadget/computer freak and that's a bit on the complex side for me, let alone a 45 year old housewife. I can't imagine anyone going through the trouble to use that.

http://chefgadget.com/images/G1909.jpg

this is actually a handy device. its saved many people from cutting their hands while cutting the kernels off an ear of corn. you just run the ear over that blade there in the center and it cuts um right off. saves time and doctor bills.:D

That tomato corer is an amazing waste of fifty cents.

But, so far as I can tell, platypus wins with the coffee filter seperator. That's one invention that should have stayed on the drawing board.

actually, the tomato corer is very useful in a professional kitchen, where you blanch lots of tomatoes and need to first remove the stem area.

http://www.octodog.net/images/how_it...o_page1_v2.gif

It's a hot dog slicer that chops it up curly, giving it tentacles. SO USEFUL

Actually, I take that back. The Octodog fucking rocks.

That <b>Flip Folder</b> would make a great avatar...

Those stupid ab machines that you strap to your stomach and it contracts your stomach muscles. Dumbest. Thing. Ever.

Any Luxury SUV.

http://www.cadillac.com/images/model...toExt1_med.jpg

Let's face it. Are Buffy and Reginauld really going to take that $60K vehicle to the top of a mountain? Are they really going to fill it with a shitload of 2x4s? Will they care if the wheel locks are automatic?

I second that, jujueye. You buy an SUV so you can haul, trample, drag, pull, climb, or tote. You don't get one to cruise the strip and blow up da spot.

My proposed legislation: if you have an SUV, you must do one of the following at least once a month:
* go off-road
* transport large dogs
* transport large sporting equipment

Violators will have their SUVs replaced with Yugos.

Here in London UK the only use I've ever seen a SUV put to is young hottie mothers driving the kiddies to school.

I'm not sure if it qualifies as an invention.... but, other than make the guy who started it some money... what exactly good was a pet rock?

why would you want your hotdog to have tentacles?

Apparently, it is safer for young children, who sometimes choke on hot dogs.

http://www.funny-funny-pictures.com/inventions/04.jpg

now thats a great invention...

not all that sure about this one though...

http://www.funny-funny-pictures.com/inventions/03.jpg

first one is great, the second is just ridiculous.

The Segway!!!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...6.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Yet one more invention designed to help Americans get and stay overweight.

omg....that octodog is hilarious. i want one :D

the woman on the segway is attacking that poor man!

the Chindogu hat has plenty of uses! If you're out in the woods you don't have to use a pine cone (yeesh!)

Anyway, if you wanna know a useless invention, how about Transparent ink.

I'd post a picture of it, but it wouldn't make much difference; you wouldn't be able to see it.

Yeah, the Segway was going to take over the world but seems it's been a bit of a fizzle. Wonder what happened?

Segway: Slightly faster than walking with none of that messy dignity...

lol, that cell phone charger got me laughing :)

I have a pic of a solar powered flashlight on my computer somewhere

Ahhh...The japanese art of Chindogu.
The art of inventing almost, but not entirely, useless items.

Back Scratcher's T-Shirt
Communicate precisely to your partner where your itch is:
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo1.jpg

Sweetheart's Training Arm
Avoid the problem of sweaty hands with this training arm:
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo2.jpg

Eye Drop Funnel Glasses
Find it hard to put in eye drops? This is the product for you:
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo9.jpg

Wide Awake Eyeopener
This hat is a useful alternative to a caffine overdose:
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo5.jpg

Portable Office Tie
The ultimate in yuppiedom, transcends even the superbriefcase:
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo6.jpg

Heavy Smoker's Mask
Reduce cigarette breaks by a factor of fourteen, with this handy invention:
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo8.jpg

Daddy Nurser
Umm....I guess its a pretty good idea when you think about it...sorta...
http://home.bawue.de/~jtesch/pics/chindo11.jpg