# Favorite Crazy Inventions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211 "2010-02-24T02:16:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/1 "2010-02-24T02:16:28Z")
I was wondering the SDopers have any favorite crazy inventions? Or, maybe the SDopers had to guess what some old invention was used for? All ideas welcome… ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/2 "2010-02-24T02:33:35Z")
[Here](http://www.nuffy.net/cool/articles/totally-crazy-japanese-inventions.html) are a few to get you started. I like the Butter Stick. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/3 "2010-02-24T04:53:42Z")
Gasoline powered pogo stick. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/4 "2010-02-24T05:25:18Z")
The SLAM - sort of like a cruise missile powered by a _nuclear_ ramjet, with a range of four times the Earth’s circumference. Mad Science at its finest. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/5 "2010-02-24T06:09:38Z")
[The Orion Drive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_drive); a ship powered by nuclear explosions. Warships [made from ice and sawdust](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pykrete). The idea ( originally coming from Tesla I believe ) of using radio waves to “push” the ionosphere upwards, creating a low pressure zone and storms below. A favorite among conspiracy theorists ( and for all I know the military actually tried it; they tried burning photos to destroy Soviet missiles after all ). The “cat flap” anti-nuclear attack satellite; patented by a guy who built a photoelectrically controlled cat flap to keep a white cat in and a black one out ( or the other way around ). He extended the principle to the idea of a satellite network that would automatically bomb any country that produced the flare of a rocket engine; aka a nuclear missile being launched. Would make launching the Space Shuttle a little awkward, I’d think… ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/6 "2010-02-24T15:10:04Z")
The ronco egg cuber. I have one. It allows you to make square boiled eggs. It works and square boiled eggs actually do have some advantages of oblong ones. The real problem is it takes 10 to 15 minutes per egg. I need a couple dozen of em so I can do it assembly line style. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/7 "2010-02-24T16:29:32Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > [Here](http://www.nuffy.net/cool/articles/totally-crazy-japanese-inventions.html) are a few to get you started. I like the Butter Stick. A friend has [this](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1Y2PK?ie=UTF8&tag=suzannelieura-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000I1Y2PK) and it is AWESOME for cookouts. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/8 "2010-02-24T16:54:08Z")
My two favorite rocket proposals have already been mentioned: [Project Pluto (SLAM)](http://www.merkle.com/pluto/pluto.html) which is insanely dangerous and [Project Orion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_%28nuclear_propulsion%29#Sizes_of_Orion_vehicles) which is just insanely huge. Both powered by nuclear fission (the “safe” one is powered by detonating actual nuclear bombs _outside_ the craft). I’m also fond of [some of the electronic instruments Raymond Scott designed (in the 50s!)](http://raymondscott.com/em.html), and the [Electronium](http://raymondscott.com/Electron.html) was an amazing idea. [Some of his weird commercial stuff](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWbzAa_c1VY) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/9 "2010-02-24T16:58:16Z")
The fun thing about Project Pluto, if memory serves, is that it was meant to orbit over the target after exhausting its supply of nuclear bombs, raining radioactive fallout over the area. For weeks, or even months. Then it would crash - acting as a dirty bomb on top of the whole nuclear holocaust thing. For that matter, it was meant to fly at supersonic speeds very close to treetop level - there was a chance that the sonic boom alone would have killed people. This was basically the thermonuclear equivalent of sticking a knife in your enemy’s stomach - and _twisting_. ---
**Author:** ![Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Picard_Kills_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/10 "2010-02-24T17:13:39Z")
The [SlapChop!](https://www.officialslapchop.com/?mid=638196&a=55959&s=1) Make sure to check out the video on the homepage. “You’re going to love my nuts” ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/11 "2010-02-24T17:19:19Z")
Could the **Pocket Fisherman** be called crazy? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/12 "2010-02-24T17:36:52Z")
This (Google it) is a really nifty machine. It will work even if unplugged from the power source. It will also work if the vacuum tubes in it are burned out (I don’t know if a transitor version was ever made). What does it do? It detects “eloptic” radiation. Don’t ask me what that is! ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/13 "2010-02-24T17:43:17Z")
Oooh, I just remembered the nicely fraudulent [Mechanical Turk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_Turk) (the 18th century one, not that thing by amazon). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/14 "2010-02-24T18:36:10Z")
Orbo. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/15 "2010-02-24T19:05:14Z")
[DIY Margarita Machine](http://www.randystacye.com/diymargaritamachine/diy_margarita_machine.htm) using an igloo cooler, a garbage disposal and some pvc piping with an on/off valve. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/16 "2010-02-24T19:23:40Z")
The 1920’s-style “Death Ray”. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/17 "2010-02-24T20:23:48Z")
I have a lot of respect fo [Boilerplate.](http://www.bigredhair.com/boilerplate/intro.html) It’s a pity he disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/18 "2010-02-24T20:46:52Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > The 1920’s-style “Death Ray”. Let’s just mention everything by Tesla 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/19 "2010-02-24T20:57:39Z")
How about one of [these](http://gwbgt.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/olddieting.jpg)? Great ideas are timeless! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211/20 "2010-02-24T21:00:13Z")
I’ve always thought it a shame the Revolutionary War submarine _Turtle_ didn’t have a more distinguished career: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle\_(submarine)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_(submarine)) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-crazy-inventions/530211.md?page=2)