# Things that need to be invented **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585 "2008-10-05T19:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [October 6, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/21 "2008-10-06T11:56:48Z")
Memory & learning enhancement pills. Or even better direct knowledge downloading. A program/device that can monitor my tastes, in things like music and fiction and art and food and so on; then sort though the millions of options to find all the thing’s I’d like, but will never have the time or opportunity to find. There’s not enough time in the world to personally try everything. A method of fixing hair at a desired length, so it never needs to be cut. it’s possible in theory; it’s not like I need to shave my body hair to keep it from growing three feet long. ---
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/22 "2008-10-06T12:07:41Z")
> [@jali](#): > > A microcool for my warm beverages. Pop it in… 30 seconds…drinking cool stuff. They already have something like this, but it takes 3 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/23 "2008-10-06T15:34:45Z")
It worked! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/24 "2008-10-06T15:35:47Z")
Well, I’ve just finished inventing my time machine. Let’s see, set if for one minute back in the past. And… ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/25 "2008-10-06T15:41:35Z")
> [@Always Brings Pie](#): > > This [one](http://www.thisnext.com/item/BB60217B/Tinchilla-Instant-Can-Cooler), too. Technology is amazing! ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/26 "2008-10-06T15:43:52Z")
> [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](#): > > They already have something like this, but it takes 3 minutes. Or [20 seconds](http://www.ehow.com/how_4392134_cool-beers-fridge.html) if you don’t mind ripping giant holes in the atmosphere while doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/27 "2008-10-06T15:48:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > If you work in the right kind of lab, liquid nitrogen serves this purpose quite well. 😃 I’m sorry to out you like this, but, OMG, you’re [Leslie Winkle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_from_The_Big_Bang_Theory#Leslie_Winkle) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/28 "2008-10-06T15:52:08Z")
A box you could pop any food into, press a button, and get the total breakdown on calorie/fat/protein/carbs/etc. etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/29 "2008-10-06T15:56:11Z")
I want piping that is self-cleaning, on the inside, so I can stop worrying about how soon my body hair will block up the shower. Again. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/30 "2008-10-06T16:05:45Z")
I want a microwave gun, so I can just sorta point it at stuff and melt it. Or, heat up just my potatoes. 3D Television. in HD. But not that blue & red shit. Gotta be the polarized glasses, or something less intrusive. A self heating coffee mug, to keep my coffee consistently hot (No, I’m not talking about a thermos). A pill that will give me my damn hair back. I used to have hair, and I was fond of it. _HoloCube™Technology._ I’m not sure what it is yet, I just know it’s gonna kick ass. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/31 "2008-10-06T16:07:22Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > A pill that will give me my damn hair back. I used to have hair, and I was fond of it. Have you checked your shower drain? Maybe you can get your hair back from it. It might not be too late! ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/32 "2008-10-06T16:23:38Z")
The Brain Tivo. So as I go through my daily life and feel the need to replay something I just experienced, I can just backtrack a bit and re-view or re-hear it. I’d also like a huge “hard drive” where I can indefinately store certain conversations, life experiences, etc. to relive them. An easy way to determine which electrical switches/outlets/fixtures are controlled by a particular circuit breaker. I spent the better part of two hours yesterday running from my attic to my basement with circuit tester in hand, trying to narrow down the right breaker that controlled the circuit I was working on. As it turns out, one circuit in the attic, one outlet in the master bedroom, the dining room ceiling fixture, and an exterior receptacle were all on one breaker. The hell? Multiply by 24 breakers, and it’ll take me years to figure it all out. This was only really necessary because the knucklehead I bought my house from this summer didn’t have anything labeled in the panel, yet he had lived there for 20 years. How do you live like that? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/33 "2008-10-06T16:27:23Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Have you checked your shower drain? Maybe you can get your hair back from it. It might not be too late! I did, and I just sorta duct taped it to my forehead. Didn’t have the same effect as it did in my 20s though. Besides… I hate having to pick though all the pubes… …and now, I’ve crossed a line. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/34 "2008-10-06T16:32:32Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > I did, and I just sorta duct taped it to my forehead. Didn’t have the same effect as it did in my 20s though. I hate to ask, but I have to know: Just what effect did duct taping hair to your forehead have while you were in your 20s? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/35 "2008-10-06T16:37:29Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Well, I’ve just finished inventing my time machine. Let’s see, set if for one minute back in the past. And… Hey, I already invented it a year from now! ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/36 "2008-10-06T16:38:54Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > An easy way to determine which electrical switches/outlets/fixtures are controlled by a particular circuit breaker. I spent the better part of two hours yesterday running from my attic to my basement with circuit tester in hand, trying to narrow down the right breaker that controlled the circuit I was working on. You need a friend and a pair of those FRS walkie talkies. Have the friend go from outlet to outlet while you flip circuit breakers and write down the results. Then, don’t lose the paper you wrote it all down on. Another useful trick is to plug in a boombox or something noisy to the problematic outlet so you can tell when it goes on/off. But this approach still requires a lot of climbing up and down from the basement. ---
**Author:** ![audient](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@audient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audient)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/37 "2008-10-06T16:48:26Z")
magnetic card readers that don’t care which way you insert the card. (only implementation that occurs to me is to have 4 sensors in the slot) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/38 "2008-10-06T16:53:05Z")
A lot of these things have already been invented. For instance: > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > A box you could pop any food into, press a button, and get the total breakdown on calorie/fat/protein/carbs/etc. etc. etc. Such a box comes free with nearly every food purchase. While the remote to find stickers attacked to lost stuff has a basic design flaw, I wish TVs came with a button to help locate the remote. This would be really helpful in light of the fact that most new TVs won’t work without a remote. We already have that feature on cordless phones. I’d love to have an IMDB function on DVDs and even broadcast TV – Click on an actor’s image on the screen and get their entire filmography displayed. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/39 "2008-10-06T16:53:21Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > A gel that you spread on your face and you don’t have to shave for a month or even longer. > > I bloody hate shaving This, but viscous enough to stay where you put it for those of us with beards. Bonus points if there’s an applicator that automatically makes the beard on both sides of your face match. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/40 "2008-10-06T16:56:53Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > A cyber-being that can digitize the planet without undermining biology, eventually culminating in a techno-rapture, with all machines and humans becoming one with it. It will then be able to traverse the cosmos as a complete being with all our wills and intellects, a being known only as “Earth.” Post singularity trans-trans humanism at it’s finest. Or at least working transhuman augments. > > I’ll get the screwdriver… I’ll take the digitized personality and computer augments, please, but hold the cyber-oneness–I’m quite happy with me being me and not us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585.md?page=3)