# What do you think is the most useless development/invention of the last 50 years? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888 "2018-11-02T14:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/21 "2018-11-02T15:06:07Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > If you read the reviews for that banana slicer, you’ll see that it is the foundation for volumes of priceless comedy. 😃 “Is there a metric version?” :D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/22 "2018-11-02T15:10:40Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I’d say the [banana slicer](https://www.amazon.com/Hutzler-3571-571-Banana-Slicer/dp/B0047E0EII). **You can only use it for bananas that curve right, so right there it’s useless for half of all bananas.** (bolding mine) _Please_ tell me you are joking. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/23 "2018-11-02T15:13:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > (bolding mine) _Please_ tell me you are joking. Yep, all you have to do is buy only right curvers when you banana shop. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/24 "2018-11-02T15:15:20Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > If you read the reviews for that banana slicer, you’ll see that it is the foundation for volumes of priceless comedy. 😃 I don’t know about priceless comedy, exactly … but see also The Shake Weight. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/25 "2018-11-02T15:16:03Z")
> [@yearofglad](#): > > Why didn’t you just start a thread about how much you hate cell phones, instead of this one? No kidding. The cell phone and smart phone are revolutionary devices. It’s one thing to say that you don’t want to use them, it’s another to say that it has no use. It’s like a technophobe saying that the Internet is useless, (with the exception that it has brought all human knowledge to the fingertips of billions of people). The most useless thing I’m aware of is the golf club holders that can be used around the green to keep the grips of your clubs dry when you are putting, like this: [link.](https://www.amazon.com/Golf-Butler-Holder-Caddy-Stand/dp/B00F8FLC04) It is useless because: - Not a lot of people play golf - A very modest amount of time during any round is spent putting - Even when putting, you don’t always bring other clubs with you to the green - Even if you did bring other clubs with you to the green, the ground is usually not so wet that you can’t lay your clubs down on the green - Even if you lay your clubs down on the green and they get a little wet, you can wipe them dry with a towel in about four seconds - Alternatively, you can use the towel that the vast majority of golfers have with them anyway to keep the grips of the clubs off of the grass by carelessly dropping the towel on the ground, then putting the clubs on top of the towel - The companies that produce these things want you to pay $20 or so for a device that is more hassle than every alternative to a non-existent problem, to say nothing of the sheer ballsyness of selling them in valu-packs (get two useless items for the price of one useless thing!) Therefore, useless to the maxxx. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/26 "2018-11-02T15:18:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > (bolding mine) _Please_ tell me you are joking. I’m kidding. They make left-handed ones too, so all bananas can be easily sliced. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/27 "2018-11-02T15:20:51Z")
Cups. I mean, seriously people, what’s wrong with just scooping up liquid in your hands and lapping it up, like a cat? Edited to add. Have just consulted Wikipedia, and apparently cups were invented considerably more then 50 years ago… Who knew!?! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/28 "2018-11-02T15:21:59Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Cups. > > I mean, seriously people, what’s wrong with just scooping up liquid in your hands and lapping it up, like a cat? Cat’s have hands? Your knowledge may be incorrect Rob **DOG**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/29 "2018-11-02T15:22:37Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I’m kidding. They make left-handed ones too, so all bananas can be easily sliced. I’m confused about the difficulty of slicing a banana using a knife. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/30 "2018-11-02T15:22:41Z")
Raw water. [Bottled air](https://nypost.com/2018/10/08/new-zealand-company-sells-cans-of-pure-fresh-air-for-65/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow), which was a plot point in a movie I didn’t see. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/31 "2018-11-02T15:23:19Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Cat’s have hands? Your knowledge may be incorrect Rob **DOG**. I happen to know that cats were invented 47 years ago, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/32 "2018-11-02T15:24:11Z")
^ You mean left here by aliens. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/33 "2018-11-02T15:26:06Z")
There are probably very few inventions that actually qualify as useless, and for most of those, finding out about them is trivial rather than interesting or surprising. But I think the cell phone example is the clue that this thread was never serious about its topic; it seems as if the actual topic ought to be “Inventions you can find fault with”. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/34 "2018-11-02T15:27:49Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I’m confused about the difficulty of slicing a banana using a knife. It’s this kind of in-the-box thinking that has prevented me from commuting to work by jet pack. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/35 "2018-11-02T15:28:53Z")
I think that maybe there is confusion about useful vs overall beneficial. Now some people could argue that cell phones or smart phones are not a net positive to humanity once we fully consider the cost vs benefit. That could be an interesting argument. But the idea that they are _not useful_? That holds no merit. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/36 "2018-11-02T15:34:08Z")
My invention-fault-finding is not about an invention exactly, but about the way it’s used; people are imagining that bottled water is cleaner than their local water supply, when the vast majority of the time it isn’t. Bottled water is a perfectly good idea that is often misused to everyone’s disadvantage. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/37 "2018-11-02T15:35:17Z")
I will meekly offer that I find the phone part useless; the rest of the features are FANTASTIC! ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/38 "2018-11-02T15:38:10Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I’d say the [banana slicer](https://www.amazon.com/Hutzler-3571-571-Banana-Slicer/dp/B0047E0EII). You can only use it for bananas that curve right, so right there it’s useless for half of all bananas. Haha, I remember that one. One of those reviews is mine. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/39 "2018-11-02T15:40:49Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > The most useless thing I’m aware of is the golf club holders that can be used around the green to keep the grips of your clubs dry when you are putting… But it’s a _Golf Butler._ Being able to say that when someone wonders what the hell it is is priceless. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/40 "2018-11-02T15:43:05Z")
The [DVD Rewinder](http://www.dvdrewinder.com/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888.md?page=3)