# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![audient](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@audient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audient)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/101 "2008-10-16T19:30:33Z")
There needs to be a replaceable knee patch i can put on any pair of pants that is 100% socially acceptable, in even business settings. I’m tired of throwing out pants because that same one square inch always wears out. ---
**Author:** ![thecaseyhome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@thecaseyhome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thecaseyhome)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/102 "2012-02-22T22:13:36Z")
> [@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. There is a box similiar to that. It’s called a nutrition label…found on almost every packaged product. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Klondikekat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@Klondikekat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klondikekat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/103 "2012-11-02T16:13:00Z")
Someone somewhere, should invent a device that is cheap, portable and attaches to a carriage. It could have written on it any number of witty sayings or messages. How to attach? I’ve considered screws, bolts, etc…but that’s just to complicated. Perhaps if an adhesive of sorts could be applied to the backside. If we can just prevent politicians from utilizing this, err…gadget, for their own nefarious purposes. Another thing is a game that can be played on a table where two or more people would sit adjacent to each other and partake equally. These ideas are coming at me faster than a dirty, orphaned waif chases after a morsel of near-spoiled cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/104 "2012-11-02T19:42:26Z")
How about a device to prevent zombie threads? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/105 "2012-11-02T19:57:20Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Me, I want a Personal Digital Assistant. No not those dumb PDAs they sell today, a real, honest to goodness assistant. A device that has voice recognition, can schedule and remind you of appointments. It can do research, download information on movies, restaurants, stores and give it back to you instantly. It can look up traffic, give you directions, store hours, recommend restaurants and such based on your observed preferences. It can tell you when there’s an email from your mother, but knows not to bother you if it’s from your uncle, who only sends jokes. All without you needing to handhold the device, you make a conversational type of request (PDA, are there any good restaurants around here?), and it returns a conversational type of answer (Do you want Japanese, Mexican or Steakhouse? The Japanese place is highly rated, but kind of pricey.) Since this zombie has been revived (and I apparently missed it the first time around), I have to say I was most amused/impressed by this post. I’m not an iPhone owner, but isn’t this precisely what Siri does? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/106 "2012-11-02T22:38:49Z")
I want some sort of RFID tagging to become standard on packaging. So if I at the grocery store and I’m not sure if I’m out of milk or not, I can pull up an app on my phone and ask it how much milk do I have sitting in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/107 "2012-11-03T02:05:44Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I want some sort of RFID tagging to become standard on packaging. > > So if I at the grocery store and I’m not sure if I’m out of milk or not, I can pull up an app on my phone and ask it how much milk do I have sitting in the fridge. Not exactly the same thing, but there are [fridges](http://www.bitrebels.com/technology/the-next-generation-fridge-yes-its-all-about-touch/)that will do that for you. Hell, some of them even [create a grocery list](http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/kitchen/digital-shopping-lists1.htm) for you. I’m still up for that dream recorder thingie. I could be a best-selling fantasy author if I could get those things actually recorded instead of relying on memory! Also, I want doc-oc arms. We’re getting closer, but not quite there yet. Besides, I don’t actually want stuff stuck into my head permanently - more like a pair of glasses or a special hat that lets me run my extra arms. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/108 "2012-11-03T03:09:10Z")
A better video search engine. I should be able to type in “Malcolm in the Middle Season 2 episode 8” or “shows about Miami restaraunts” and find them, whether it’s on Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Youtube, a cable networks site, or this weeks TV broadcast. A better image search engine, maybe one that can reckonize pictures rather than rely on key words. Of the gadzillion pictures out there, probably several are of blonde girls with braces holding daisys, but Google Image search doesn’t show any such thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/109 "2012-11-03T03:40:05Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > 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. Hulu has implemented this for some shows. You hover over an actor’s face and the show pauses and a block pops up and tells you the actor’s name and a brief bio. You can click on the link to go to their wiki page. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/110 "2012-11-03T05:09:13Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Since this zombie has been revived (and I apparently missed it the first time around), I have to say I was most amused/impressed by this post. I’m not an iPhone owner, but isn’t this precisely what Siri does? Pretty much. I was also amused by the comment about how touch screens could never work because of fingerprints in light of the current ubiquity of touch devices. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/111 "2012-11-16T17:59:45Z")
CFL or LED light bulb that has the same light quality, dispersion pattern, and dimmability of incandescent bulbs that fits in the same space and can be used in enclosed fixtures. Facebook image search engine. It would obviously be restricted to your friends or public pictures. Sanely priced residential coffeemaker that taps into the water supply Smartphone that folds into a shape no larger than my dumb flip-phone. Thin client that has more power than mine and has two DVI outputs, I have to put up with an analog connection to one of the monitors and judging by the speed it must run on a Pentium 1 processer. Maybe they have them, but I’ve complained to IT and I’ve been told “there’s nothing better on the market.” Effective way to keep cars from rusting. I had to get rid of my old Jeep Cherokee at 240,000 miles because there were holes in the floor, engine and tranny were perfectly fine. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/112 "2012-11-16T19:35:30Z")
A remote with a mute button for real live people you wish would shut up, and a setting for barking dogs and cars with noisy speakers. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/113 "2012-11-16T21:18:31Z")
> [@Risha](#): > > I’ve long thought that teleportation would solve many problems in my life. No commute time, easy day trips to exotic locations, visiting all of my relatives on Thanksgiving and Christmas instead of the yearly dance of minimized jealousy… It’s been 4 long years and we _still_ don’t have teleportation!! Although touch screens aren’t used in an office setting that much, at least not where I work. How many points do they get? ---
**Author:** ![Lalosantillana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea666f/32.png) [@Lalosantillana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lalosantillana)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/114 "2012-11-16T22:46:28Z")
we need working bots. ex every person can only own 1 bot. it will be sent to your work place, while you do your hobbies or simply relax at home, and by the end of the moth you get the bots paycheck. this is a lazy’s person dream. think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/115 "2012-11-17T00:29:57Z")
> [@Mdcastleman](#): > > CFL or LED light bulb that has the same light quality, dispersion pattern, and dimmability of incandescent bulbs that fits in the same space and can be used in enclosed fixtures. There is no reason why the first can’t be achieved, all you need is the right mix of phosphors (or for LEDs, actual separate RGB LEDs, maybe even ROYGBIV LEDs). Although I think they are already good enough if you get good quality bulbs (never used dimmable bulbs, incandescent or otherwise, though). > [@Mdcastleman](#): > > Effective way to keep cars from rusting. I had to get rid of my old Jeep Cherokee at 240,000 miles because there were holes in the floor, engine and tranny were perfectly fine. Two words: stainless steel (really, why don’t they use it more often; well, it is more expensive, but if it lasts longer with less maintenance that can offset the cost) One thing that I would really like to see is a **real** 3D printer; by real, I mean able to print anything (within its size limit) made out of any material (even a living thing, if it could print it instantly), even better if you could feed it waste and it separates it into its constituent atoms to use. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/116 "2012-11-24T22:43:30Z")
I’m sure you could do a perfect color incandescent bulb, but the point is no on has. Same with non-rustable cars (aside from DeLoreans and Corvettes). I’ve kind of posed the dimming question before, and no one has the answer as to what if any technical reason exists an LED can’t dim as good as an incandescent. Would it work to have the control be something else than a standard triac dimmer meant for incandescent/inductive loads? For kicks I screwed a LED bulb in to replace incandescents in one of my traffic signals to see what it would look like… Aside from the weird way they throw light, the yellow was indistinquishable from incandescent, but the red was a anemic pink and the green/blue had no green component. That tells me the spectrums they produce light is vastly different from an incandescent bulb, so even if the color looks the same coming out of the lamp it still is kind of “off” when it lights things up. I think someone else here mentioned that reds look “wrong” under LED light. How about a way to get 1080P video from my Comcast settop box to my laptop computer, in a different room and only tethered by a power cord. I tried Googling it and most of the solutions are getting laptop content on a TV, not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/117 "2012-11-25T01:24:16Z")
> [@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 That’s why I have a beard. 8) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585/118 "2012-11-25T17:13:58Z")
> [@Lalosantillana](#): > > we need working bots. ex every person can only own 1 bot. it will be sent to your work place, while you do your hobbies or simply relax at home, and by the end of the moth **you get the bots paycheck**. this is a lazy’s person dream. think about it. (bolding mine) I can think of no surer way to start the Robot Rebellion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-need-to-be-invented/466585.md?page=5)