# 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:** 6
**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 17, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/101 "2019-04-17T16:31:43Z")
Whatever became of “automatic seat-belts”? You know, you’d get into a car, close the door, and the seat-belt would be in place. Seems like they were around for a few yeas and then gone. ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/102 "2019-04-17T16:38:26Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Yes, but this functionality did not need to be integrated with the _key_. You do realize that the immobilizers came first, do not need batteries, and were a very successful anti-theft device? (And are legally required in some countries) The remote control functions are a later addition, and indeed were not always integrated with the key itself. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/103 "2019-04-17T16:47:21Z")
Exactly, Mogle. But all this shit is getting integrated solely for the purpose of increased monetization of a process which worked just fine before. And, yes, you can get the battery changed with a cheap battery from Walmart/Kmart/wherever. _However_, when the battery went low and I received a message to call my local dealer, I did… and they quoted me $89. :rolleyes: Regardless, IMHO, allowing your kids to get into the car 46 seconds before you get there, and having the thing start prior to getting to it (really, what problem does this solve? When was this ever an issue in anything other than a getaway situation?) isn’t worth an extra $400 of expense over the life of the car. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/104 "2019-04-17T16:51:35Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Someone recently donated a century-old book to my library titled “Tom Swift And His Photo Telephone.” This book was published before we had radio, never mind Skype! The flyleaf is a graphic of Tom on a telephone of the time (a wooden box with a handcrank) and a picture screen above it. Apparently, he used it to foil some train robbers. > > [Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift_and_His_Photo_Telephone)… I never knew that and I am both delighted and amazed - particularly because (not sure how well known this is) it wasn’t the only portentous moment in the Tom Swift cannon: > **[Taser | History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser#History)** > > Tasers have a long history of use to prevent the escape of dangerous suspects without needing to resort to lethal force, or used to capture suspects without risking serious injuries to both the officer and the suspect. US patent by Kunio Shimizu titled "Arrest device" filed in 1966 describes an electrical discharge gun with a projectile connected to a wire with a pair of electrode needles for skin attachment. > Jack Cover, a NASA researcher, began developing the first Taser in 1969. By 1974, Cover... j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/105 "2019-04-17T16:53:47Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’m still going to go with the fucking car fob. Goddamned pieces of shit, I just hate the fuckers so much. > > Seriously, they’re a result of capitalism run amok, the incessant need to fucking _monetize_ everything… You just made me _really_ anxious about buying my next car. j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/106 "2019-04-17T16:58:03Z")
Re the Ketchup Connector… > [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > to be fair, marrying ketchups is more of a restaurant thing than a home thing. I hope. …now you just made it a proper public heath issue.😃 j ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/107 "2019-04-17T17:10:22Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > having the thing start prior to getting to it (really, what problem does this solve? if you live in areas of extreme temperatures, remote start would be awesome. Cold sub freezing weather, letting the car warm up before you get in it OR so it melts the ice freezing the door shut which is more common in my case would be awesome. Or on those 100 degree days where even with covers on the seat and steering wheel you risk getting burned. ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/108 "2019-04-17T17:14:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > And, yes, you can get the battery changed with a cheap battery from Walmart/Kmart/wherever. _However_, when the battery went low and I received a message to call my local dealer, I did… and they quoted me $89. :rolleyes: Are you sure they didn’t misunderstand you, and gave you the price for a new car battery? I just have a hard time picturing someone asking for that kind of money for a watch battery with a straight face. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/109 "2019-04-17T17:14:43Z")
I live in San Antonio, Texas, and don’t really need to have a $189 remote which can make the car run for 15 minutes to make it cooler for me (thereby using gas, increasing emissions, etc) - I can just roll down the windows for free. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/110 "2019-04-17T17:28:59Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > It’s also great for kids talking to grandparents. This is the primary reason for facetime in our family. Grandparent/grandkids interaction. ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/111 "2019-04-17T17:30:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I live in San Antonio, Texas, and don’t really need to have a $189 remote which can make the car run for 15 minutes to make it cooler for me (thereby using gas, increasing emissions, etc) - I can just roll down the windows for free. Just because you don’t find something useful to you personally, doesn’t mean it is useless. Would you believe me if I told you that lots of people willingly pay $30-40 per year to be able to start their car heater from their phones? (They get some other functions too, but that’s the part they always ask about) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/112 "2019-04-17T17:31:38Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > Are you sure they didn’t misunderstand you, and gave you the price for a new car battery? > I just have a hard time picturing someone asking for that kind of money for a watch battery with a straight face. I don’t know about the dealer, but that’s the limited time sale price my local Ace hardware has advertised in the window for an entirely new programmed fob. I think they can only do certain models though. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/113 "2019-04-17T17:32:00Z")
Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t give a crap, that I find the extra $200+ expense to be a complete waste of money and a shitty effort to monetize something that was effectively free, and all for “conveniences” which does little but harm the environment for a short-term (Seconds! Minutes at the most!) gain in comfort? 🙂 Fobs are _my_ “They did this better in the Olden Days™” rant and I’m not backing down because they _did_ do this better in the Olden Days™. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/114 "2019-04-17T17:53:20Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Whatever became of “automatic seat-belts”? You know, you’d get into a car, close the door, and the seat-belt would be in place. Seems like they were around for a few yeas and then gone. IIRC, they only put a shoulder belt around you. You still had to fasten the lap belt. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/115 "2019-04-17T17:53:24Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > to be fair, marrying ketchups is more of a restaurant thing than a home thing. I hope. I like to think of myself as an open-minded person, willing to accept the societal changes that are always coming, but I am still against the marrying of ketchups. I must have crossed the line into grumpy old guy. But as long as they keep it in the restaurants and out of the public schools I guess it’s Ok. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/116 "2019-04-17T17:59:10Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t give a crap, that I find the extra $200+ expense to be a complete waste of money and a shitty effort to monetize something that was effectively free, and all for “conveniences” which does little but harm the environment for a short-term (Seconds! Minutes at the most!) gain in comfort? 🙂 > > Fobs are _my_ “They did this better in the Olden Days™” rant and I’m not backing down because they _did_ do this better in the Olden Days™. You gonna warm up a car in seconds/minutes when it’s 20 below zero? Takes at LEAST 10-15 minutes. I did just buy a new car, but the model I got does not have the remote start. Wish it did. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/117 "2019-04-17T18:18:51Z")
Fine. Then you pay $200 for a key which works remotely and I… here in San Antonio, TX… will be glad to not pay the $200+ for this effectively useless feature. 🙂 /end. I’ve said my piece. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/118 "2019-04-17T19:15:35Z")
If I had to pick something from a car that other people like I’d pick electronic-only window rollers. There _are_ a few times a year in which they are useful but balanced by the times they don’t work the way I intended them to work.\* And are pushed into the “worse than before” category by the several times a year I am in front of someone at a drive-thru whose window roller has broken so they have to open the door to place and receive their order and thus delay me - this did not happen before electronic window rollers. \*Like go too far or do not function when the car is not on. ---
**Author:** ![Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reindeer_flotilla/32/3024_2.png) [@Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reindeer_Flotilla)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/119 "2019-04-17T19:57:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Whatever became of “automatic seat-belts”? You know, you’d get into a car, close the door, and the seat-belt would be in place. Seems like they were around for a few yeas and then gone. A few reasons why they went away. When the motor broke, you were stuck without a shoulder belt. Baby/child seats were problematic to use with them. And finally… > [@cochrane](#): > > IIRC, they only put a shoulder belt around you. You still had to fasten the lap belt. This was the kicker - a few people didn’t bother with the lap belt which was completely separate as mentioned. Guess what happens in a head-on collision when you’re only wearing a shoulder belt and your waist is allowed to freely travel forward? The gruesome result sort of cancelled-out the envisioned liability savings for the car companies, whom quickly cancelled the feature which wasn’t popular with consumers anyway. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-inventions-that-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-turned-out-to-be-worthless/832355/120 "2019-04-17T20:04:51Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Fine. Then you pay $200 for a key which works remotely and I… here in San Antonio, TX… will be glad to not pay the $200+ for this effectively useless feature. 🙂 Toyota stuck it to me even harder. Charged me $200 for the fob, then tried to charge me another $125 to program it for my car. :rolleyes: [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=5) [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=7)