# Inventions That Are Long Overdue **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 14, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032 "2020-12-14T16:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/61 "2020-12-15T02:34:29Z")
Hyraxes scream - in a very disturbing way. Not good pets. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/62 "2020-12-15T02:35:30Z")
Have you ever ridden a bicycle on a trail or other area with abundant pedestrians? My experience is “on your left!” gets a response of the person turning around – usually pivoting on their right foot, which ends up moving them to the left. It is a futile gesture. Just keep moving, as quietly as you can, and zip past them before they can react to you. Of course, if they have a dog on a leash, you are fucked. ---
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/63 "2020-12-15T02:38:43Z")
A mouthpiece style automatic toothbrush. Possibly involving lasers. I’ve seen ads for a couple, but they look like a prop from the _Saw_ franchise, likely with similar results. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/64 "2020-12-15T03:14:35Z")
Key fob unlocking of house door locks. I read about patents and marketing ambitions once in a while but I’ve never seen anyone get as far as selling them. It sure would be nice to press a button to unlock the front door when your arms are full of groceries on a windy winter night. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/65 "2020-12-15T03:48:03Z")
The “Mute Pillow”. Sends air through a hose to TV remote, to activate the Mute button. Set it next to your armrest, and just plop it with your arm to mute the TV. Would require a sending unit to match mute signal on set, programmable like a universal remote. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/66 "2020-12-15T04:01:27Z")
My TiVos (Bolt model) have this capability as well. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/67 "2020-12-15T05:05:55Z")
I can’t believe at this late date that every bath and shower doesn’t have a control to dial up the exact temperature you want. On a tub the drain would close when that temperature was reached at the faucet, if you chose to soak and not shower. Yes, I believe some gadget like this exists, but why isn’t it _standard?_ ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/68 "2020-12-15T05:41:42Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Key fob unlocking of house door locks. I read about patents and marketing ambitions once in a while but I’ve never seen anyone get as far as selling them. It sure would be nice to press a button to unlock the front door when your arms are full of groceries on a windy winter night. Key fob? Are you kidding? You just _tell_ it to open. Or phone app. Or fingerprint scan. I will concede that it didn’t occur to anyone that a keyfob was the 21st-century way to go with this. > **[The Best Smart Locks for 2024](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-smart-locks?test_uuid=001OQhoHLBxsrrrMgWU3gQF&test_variant=b)** > > Forget keys! A connected lock is a secure, easy-to-install, and convenient way to control who can access your home and when. These are the top smart locks we've tested. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/69 "2020-12-15T06:57:12Z")
Let’s get back to basics here. The world is still waiting for pop-up facial tissues that actually, y’know, consistently and reliably pop up. And we may well be talking about a paradigm shift here. Over the last 40-some years, I’ve seen several obvious attempts to design tissue boxes that work, none of them successfully. Somebody really needs to think out-of-the-box (snerk) here! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/70 "2020-12-15T06:59:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Somebody really needs to think out-of-the-box (snerk) here! Monkey butlers to hand you tissues when you need them? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/71 "2020-12-15T07:00:53Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Somebody really needs to think out-of-the-box (snerk) here! Stop masturbating? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/72 "2020-12-15T07:39:40Z")
Sounds great, but surely not cheap. And it needs electricity. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/73 "2020-12-15T07:56:39Z")
Reminds me of a recent [thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-got-deer-insurance-for-my-car/926546) where the relation between deer, scottish sheep, pedestrians and other clueless beings was being discussed from the POV of drivers and cyclists. We need an invention for that too. Perhaps it can be combined with mosquito zapping lasers? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/75 "2020-12-15T09:21:33Z")
A way to microwave something where even after having it rotate 360 inside and stopping it halfway to aggressively stir, you still don’t have very obvious cold pockets and pockets of burning hot lava. A way to shop by lowest price on Amazon that doesn’t load you up with 3rd party Asian sellers with bootleg merchandise or people gaming the system with $1 items and $12 shipping. You can choose “Amazon Prime delivery only” which cuts down some of the chaff but nowhere near enough. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/76 "2020-12-15T09:23:59Z")
Also when I was a teenager, swim shorts for men at the beach that can hide an erection even when your standing. In fact, stuff in general that can suppress an erection when you’re that young without painful or permanent consequences. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/77 "2020-12-15T14:16:57Z")
I’ve got one of those from a local thrift store that red and has the Coca Cola logo on it. Never have used it though. I think I paid $5 for it. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/78 "2020-12-15T14:24:46Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > A way to microwave something where even after having it rotate 360 inside and stopping it halfway to aggressively stir, you still don’t have very obvious cold pockets Why get so demanding about the picky details?. Before we deal with your little problems, . the first thing they need to invent is a microwave where the door doesn’t make a huge honking slamming noise when you’re making a midnight snack and don’t want to wake up the whole neighborhood. (Actually, I think this has been invented, because we’ve had threads about microwave doors before.But if it exists, why the hell haven’t I ever seen one?) ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/79 "2020-12-15T14:33:00Z")
I’ve often thought that tame, domestic lynx would be a great thing. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/80 "2020-12-15T14:56:29Z")
I mentioned this in a different post… Totally painless dentistry. Something other than that horrible injection of novocaine or whatever is used these days. I can’t believe they haven’t come up with something new in all of these years. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032/81 "2020-12-15T16:17:51Z")
We had one of those in a bathroom added in an otherwise unfinished basement. It made it barely tolerable when you got out of the shower. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inventions-that-are-long-overdue/928032.md?page=5)