# What common thing did you invent or conceive of before it was known or commercialized? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911 "2026-05-08T18:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/61 "2026-05-11T22:42:24Z")
When I was a teenager in the seventies, I used to try to write science fiction which included weird but (hopefully) plausible technology. I imagined a spaceship pilot, who was suspended inside a spherical control system made of glass, which you could operate by reaching out and touching the surface. If you wanted to go up, you touched the ceiling, and if you wanted to go left you touched the glass towards the left side. Sure, a massive touch screen in the 1970s was pretty far out; but I also imagined that you could change the entire display by touching the surface in certain locations - so you could change the display from (say) a simulation of the starscape outside the ship, to a schematic of the spacecraft you were in, or expand the scale of the display enormously, or read a table of data in some graphic form. You could even open up a moving videophone image if desired, and talk to people. Serious communications only, of course. All on a smooth, glass touch surface. I was imagining some kind of ‘windowing system’ in these spacecraft; these ‘windowing systems’ were almost unknown at the time, but we are all familiar with them nowadays. For some reason I imagined that 360° three-dimensional spherical displays would be desirable and necessary for spacecraft control in zero gee; this was probably overkill, but it looked spectacular in my imagination. And of course I imagined that these spectacular touch-screen window systems would only be used for serious purposes, like piloting spacecraft, or analysing planets and asteroids at a distance, or receiving messages from Star Control. I never even considered the possibility of social media or frivolous chat. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/62 "2026-05-11T23:23:14Z")
I didn’t invent it but came up with the name. In my first year of college we got these hand out packages of stuff a young kid might need, teeth breeshes, shaving supplies, etc. One of them was newly developed day formula Ny-Quil. I think it had sudafed in it to keep you awake. I called it "Day-quil, and a couple of years later, they changed the name to that. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/63 "2026-05-11T23:29:18Z")
Bacon Taco ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/64 "2026-05-12T07:31:54Z")
Thread winner. Who doesn’t want that for a snack, right this minute? Genius! ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/65 "2026-05-12T10:31:14Z")
Another one. I had an idea for a network of devices in the house. Most rooms would have one. They were screen/camera/speaker/microphone. You pick what combination of the four you want for your device for each room. I expected most rooms would have the speaker/microphone device. The living room device would have all four features. Later when I got Alexa I realized it was the speaker/microphone version of what I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/66 "2026-05-12T13:00:17Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > The impediment to this is not technological but financial. What incentive does Disney, for example, have to give their catalog of content to an aggregator, which would reduce subscribers to their own service? Why has this essentially happened for music but not for video? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/67 "2026-05-12T13:02:07Z")
I conceived the idea of a rideshare service like Zipcar long before it was actually invented. You know - where urban areas have these cars parked in designated spots that can be rented for a few hours at a time through an app. A friend and I were coming out of a shopping mall back when we were in college and I commented how having all these thousands of cars just sitting idle for hours, indeed most of the time and it would be nice if you could just grab whatever car, take it to where you were going, and just leave it for someone else to grab. This was more or less before the internet, let alone phone apps were in common use so the idea never went beyond some casual musings. I never did find out what eventually became of my friend, Cornelius “Zippy” Zipanski ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/68 "2026-05-12T13:04:40Z")
From the 1950s or 1960s many homes had hard-wired in-wall intercom systems that allowed you to speak with every room or a specific room from the main control panel. They usually also had a radio tuner so people could listen to the radio in any room. Nutone was the most popular brand. > **[Vintage Mid Century NuTone Intercom & AM FM radio Speaker System for Sale in...](https://offerup.com/item/detail/c3735f87-d7bb-359c-bdf4-c5f3a4878fd8)** > > Used (normal wear), Only 150.00 for all this. 4 intercom 1 outdoor speaker and 1 main unit. ( See video) Real Vintage Mid Century Modern out of an upscale 1960’s home we just remodeled. NuTone intercom AM FM radio Speaker System. Can be used for... ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/69 "2026-05-12T14:31:54Z")
Mine would have the intercom functionality. Most rooms would have an speaker/microphone (Alexa type device), connected to internet and other rooms. Some rooms would have a similar device, but with screens and/or cameras, depending on the things you do in the room. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/70 "2026-05-13T18:50:32Z")
I guess this just about qualifies. According to google, in the late 2010s Sten parties/Sten dos “became a notable trend” (sten = stag/hen if you don’t know or it isn’t obvious - a combined Stag do and Hen do.) Well, back in 1984 we had a Combined Cock And Hind Party (which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is a better name all round and for a number of different reasons). (Though I have also just learned that the term Hag Party is also used these days, and I rather like that too). j ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/71 "2026-05-13T18:53:22Z")
“Stag and doe” parties have been a thing in Canada long before 2010. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911/72 "2026-05-13T18:55:12Z")
I didn’t know that. But it sounds like we were still a good few years ahead of the curve. j [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-common-thing-did-you-invent-or-conceive-of-before-it-was-known-or-commercialized/1029911.md?page=3)