# Examples of inventions that seem like a good idea but turned out to be worthless **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 10, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355 "2019-04-10T21:04:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/21 "2019-04-11T06:59:26Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I bought a Kuerig when they had been on the market a short time. Biggest waste of money around here in awhile. I have well water that goes through a bit of a cheap filtration thingy to the sinks. It wasn’t enough to go through the filter packet on the coffee maker. It would make 2 pots of coffee before being not usable. Those replacement filter packets were over $10.00. So I had to buy bottled water. Which slightly helped. And the coffee was cold. Stupid. sorry I disagree with this one , I bought a couple and the money its saved on wasted coffee and I already had bottled water but the 2.0 is soo improved over the first models ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/22 "2019-04-11T07:09:43Z")
I once bought a battery-operated toenail clipper. I’d have to use it on a nail for about 3 hours to get the nail worn down to the right length. I’d do better with a rotary sander. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/23 "2019-04-11T07:24:32Z")
I don’t know about worthless but the microwave never lived up to its hyped protentional …. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/24 "2019-04-11T07:54:33Z")
Concorde ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/25 "2019-04-11T08:02:44Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I don’t know about worthless but the microwave never lived up to its hyped protentional …. You’re not using it right. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/26 "2019-04-11T08:19:32Z")
well I remember when it was supposed to cook a whole turkey in 3 hours cakes from scratch im mere minutes …and totally get rid of the oven……… didn’t happen I think just recently they have cake mixes that actually work for them… ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/27 "2019-04-11T08:36:43Z")
The best use of a microwave is to reheat cold stuff quickly. Its a perfect compliment to a world with ubiqutious refridgeration. Its better at that than anything else. Its worse than a conventional oven for cooking. Significantly. There is a reason that microwave dinners are i) awful tasting and ii) made differently from other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/28 "2019-04-11T10:27:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > QR codes. Spoken like someone who doesn’t live somewhere where [QR mobile payments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code_payment) are a thing. I[use them](https://www.snapscan.co.za/user.html) on a near-daily basis. It’s how I pay at the convenience store, or at the farmer’s market, or for the pizza i had on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/29 "2019-04-11T10:37:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Spoken like someone who doesn’t live somewhere where [QR mobile payments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code_payment) are a thing. I’ve certainly never seen them. We use PayWave. I think phones with chips can do it too. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/30 "2019-04-11T11:01:37Z")
As I say, I live in China and I scan around 10 QR codes per day. It really has displaced money; most vending machines are qr code based, there are services like rental bikes that you can _only_ use that way, and even chains of stores that don’t have tills: you just scan the qr codes of all the items you want and leave. For the last of these, the government finally insisted that these stores should provide some mechanism to pay by cash. So, in the unlikely event someone tries to do that, there is a shop assistant who will accept your cash but actually buy the goods using his smart phone and scanning the qr codes. Sent from my Redmi 5A using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/31 "2019-04-11T11:18:38Z")
Another place where I use QR codes regularly - when I rent a movie on my satellite TV service, I either have the option of manually typing in a numeric code and send it to an SMS number, or I can just scan a QR code in that does it all for me with one click. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/32 "2019-04-11T11:58:31Z")
8-track tapes. Back in the 70’s, a lot of people bought them. I dunno why, but I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time. But nobody ever bought a second one. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/33 "2019-04-11T12:07:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Another place where I use QR codes regularly - when I rent a movie on my satellite TV service, I either have the option of manually typing in a numeric code and send it to an SMS number, or I can just scan a QR code in that does it all for me with one click. I have seen street vendors use it. Not as widespread as China, but a regular thing now. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/34 "2019-04-11T12:10:30Z")
It appears we’ve moved on from kitchen gadgets, but I still must mention the Salad Shooter that my MIL gave me one Christmas. It was definitely quicker to slice veggies than to assemble that silly thing, load the veggies, run them thru, then clean it up after, not to mention the hunks that would jam the blades. I tried to like it, but ugh! ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/35 "2019-04-11T12:35:19Z")
I vote for the Opti-Grab! > [@Gatopescado](#): > > Anything named Tesla not directly invented by the guy named Tesla. > > Well, a bunch of that was shit, too. > > Can I have a ‘Mulligan’? > [@GuanoLad](#): > > QR codes. Wow, are you some kind of Neo-Luddite? :eek: QR codes are everywhere and used in almost every industry. Proof? It’s 8:30 am, I’ve already used the QR on my coffee card to get a free one, I logged in to an online app with one, and right now I’m submitting work orders for tools and equipment that are inventoried by…any guesses?.. QR codes! Also, you should really read up on Nikola Tesla, I don’t think you really know who he is. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/36 "2019-04-11T12:38:23Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > QR codes are everywhere and used in almost every industry. They didn’t really catch on in the USA to the extent that they did elsewhere. They’re still around, but it would be easy for someone here to think they had been a big flop. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/37 "2019-04-11T12:53:38Z")
**DIVX** clearly looked like a good idea to Circuit City. It always looked like a real kludge to me. > [@](#): > > DIVX (Digital Video Express) was an unsuccessful attempt by Circuit City and the entertainment law firm Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca and Fischer to create an alternative to video rental in the United States. > > DIVX was a rental format variation on the DVD player in which a customer would buy a DIVX disc (similar to a DVD) for approximately US$4.50, which was watchable for up to 48 hours from its initial viewing. After this period, the disc could be viewed by paying a continuation fee to play it for two more days. Viewers who wanted to watch a disc an unlimited number of times could convert the disc to a “DIVX silver” disc for an additional fee.[1] “DIVX gold” discs that could be played an unlimited number of times on any DIVX player were announced at the time of DIVX’s introduction, but no DIVX gold titles were ever released. > **[DIVX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIVX)** > > DIVX (Digital Video Express) is a discontinued digital video format. Created in part by Circuit City, it was an unsuccessful attempt to create an alternative to video rental in the United States. The format's poor reception from consumers resulted in major financial losses for Circuit City and is credited with being part of the company's downfall. > DIVX was a rental format variation on the DVD player in which a customer would buy a DIVX disc (similar to a DVD) for approximately US$4.50, which w... ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/38 "2019-04-11T13:32:58Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > They didn’t really catch on in the USA to the extent that they did elsewhere. They’re still around, but it would be easy for someone here to think they had been a big flop. Interesting… I know they haven’t replaced UPC but they are usually beside them for advertising and marketing purposes. Unfortunately, up until fairly recently, you needed to install a 3rd party QR reader app which probably causes many users to ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/39 "2019-04-11T13:42:16Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > A bitch to clean. You’re very right. But l loves my o-matic. A friend of mine owns a bar/restaurant. He sells a ton of fries. He has a [wall mounted vegomatic type tool that works really well (though it’s pricey).](http://www.chefdepot.net/frenchfrycutter.htm) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/40 "2019-04-11T13:52:28Z")
Kodak instant photos. Kodak intended to compete with Polaroid but the process was patented, Polaroid proved that their rights were violated, and in a bold move took advantage of their right to have the Kodak product shut down completely. Polaroid, Kodak, and others attempted any number of ways to allow people to make home movies on film and distribution of film content for home use more practical, all failing because videotape killed was much simpler and more practical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355.md?page=3)