# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/101 "2018-11-03T23:23:58Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > (stepping into political territory) > > Touch-screen voting machines. Useless? Perhaps not the best choice given all the considerations, but they were originally adopted here so that people with vision impairments could vote without having to rely on someone else to read the ballot options to them and mark their choices. (Caught “bison impairments” on preview. Wondering whether I should have left it.) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/102 "2018-11-03T23:25:04Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Cell phones useless? I challenge you - watch any old pre-cell cop or private detective show. You’ll realize how much easier it would be if the characters could be in constant contact. Yeah, but remember how neat it was that Mannix _had a phone right in his car_? Much less cool if everyone else was jabbering on their cellphones. Now, Call Waiting - there’s a useless invention. Or just extremely annoying. And there were already lots of viable ways to piss people off before Call Waiting was invented. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2018, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/103 "2018-11-03T23:31:19Z")
As sophisticated as cell phones are, I wish one of them would include an answering machine app in the phone. It would certainly be handy to be able to have your voicemail right on the phone, where you can easily scroll through the messages that include CID so that you can see which ones look important, rather than having to wade through the yammer to hear what you want to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/104 "2018-11-03T23:55:34Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > As sophisticated as cell phones are, I wish one of them would include an answering machine app in the phone. It would certainly be handy to be able to have your voicemail right on the phone, where you can easily scroll through the messages that include CID so that you can see which ones look important, rather than having to wade through the yammer to hear what you want to hear. Uhhhh … it’s called visual voicemail, and it’s been around for years. Every iPhone I’ve owned comes with it. If you don’t want to get a new handset, get a free Google Voice account and start using that as your phone number. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/105 "2018-11-03T23:56:05Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > As sophisticated as cell phones are, I wish one of them would include an answering machine app in the phone. It would certainly be handy to be able to have your voicemail right on the phone, where you can easily scroll through the messages that include CID so that you can see which ones look important, rather than having to wade through the yammer to hear what you want to hear. What? This is how iPhone works. They even attempt to transcribe the message for you. I can’t believe Android phones don’t do the same… what kind of phone do you have? ---
**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:** [November 4, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/106 "2018-11-04T01:03:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What? This is how iPhone works. They even attempt to transcribe the message for you. I can’t believe Android phones don’t do the same… what kind of phone do you have? I have a pretty low-end phone that is good for talking and texting, the occasional photo and not much else, but it certainly has room to load, store and index voice messages. It seems like such a basic concept. I am not a fan of cloudish stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/107 "2018-11-04T01:51:08Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I have a pretty low-end phone that is good for talking and texting, the occasional photo and not much else, but it certainly has room to load, store and index voice messages. It seems like such a basic concept. I am not a fan of cloudish stuff. Ok but… > [@](#): > > As sophisticated as cell phones are, I wish one of them would include an answering machine app in the phone. Most cell phones are sophisticated enough and do include this. Your choice of phone is so entirely un-sophisticated that you’ve managed to find the minority. The cell phone manufacturers have managed to provide this feature because it is in fact so simple. I’m baffled by your acknowledgement of having an extremely basic phone and your assumption that no other phones would have that feature, since yours doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/108 "2018-11-04T01:54:56Z")
> [@Miss\_M](#): > > IMHO it’s, hands down, the cell phone. Being the Straightdope I just knew someone would pipe in with the cell phone. But I would never expected it in the OP. Sad really. And one of the most ridiculous things I’ve read on these boards. Now, having said all of that… 🙂 One could nominate the Saturn V rocket. Especially if you use a cost-to-usefulness ratio. Oh sure, we have Tang but… Seriously though in terms of actual usefulness to mankind the space program pales next to banana slicers. Oh I’m all for it. I have a deep need to have my curiosity sated in all things space. But I’m not sure going to the moon helps me on a day to day basis. [sup]The above is a bit tongue in cheek of course… still[/sup] ---
**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:** [November 4, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/109 "2018-11-04T03:07:22Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’m baffled by your acknowledgement of having an extremely basic phone and your assumption that no other phones would have that feature, since yours doesn’t. My best friend has an iPhone 7, which I have used once or twice. We travel a lot and she misses calls, but I have never observed an answering/recording function on it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/110 "2018-11-04T03:16:50Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > As sophisticated as cell phones are, I wish one of them would include an answering machine app in the phone. It would certainly be handy to be able to have your voicemail right on the phone, where you can easily scroll through the messages that include CID so that you can see which ones look important, rather than having to wade through the yammer to hear what you want to hear. They do. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/111 "2018-11-04T11:21:21Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > My best friend has an iPhone 7, which I have used once or twice. We travel a lot and she misses calls, but I have never observed an answering/recording function on it. It’s such an integral part of the phone, it’s hard to believe you’re not pulling our collective leg here. It’s like you came here and said “you know what cars need? Some sort of locking storage compartment where you could put suitcases and spare tires and stuff. I’ve ridden in my friend’s car a lot of times and never seen anything like this on their car.” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/112 "2018-11-04T13:30:10Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > But IMHO the winner in the ‘most investment to develop and most hype that turned out to have no real use’ category is the… drum roll… Segway. > > It’s actually an amazing and marvelous work of engineering, but it’s use case is people who need to go a mile or two and can’t walk it, but can stand upright and balance for the time it takes to go a mile or two at basically brisk walking speed. It’s too slow to go more than a couple miles at a time (get a bicycle or car for that), and takes too much physical effort and skill for a wheelchair user and many/most cane and crutches users. And not much faster than just walking anyway. Plus it’s too big and clumsy to mix well with walkers on sidewalks or in hallways and offices. Well, it’s a valid answer to the OP, but I would point out that in recent years there have been a whole rash of travel devices based on or insired by segway technology: the hoverboard, the one wheel, various powered skateboards etc. And here in China, where knock-off segways go much faster than the original, they can be useful for patrolling large malls or pedestrian areas. Definitely I’d put segways in a higher bracket than, say, the Sinclair-C5. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/113 "2018-11-04T13:34:32Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Being the Straightdope I just knew someone would pipe in with the cell phone. But I would never expected it in the OP. Sad really. And one of the most ridiculous things I’ve read on these boards. > > Now, having said all of that… 🙂 > One could nominate the Saturn V rocket. Especially if you use a cost-to-usefulness ratio. Oh sure, we have Tang but… > Seriously though in terms of actual usefulness to mankind the space program pales next to banana slicers. Oh I’m all for it. I have a deep need to have my curiosity sated in all things space. But I’m not sure going to the moon helps me on a day to day basis. > [sup]The above is a bit tongue in cheek of course… still[/sup] You’re seriously are unaware of how vastly that accomplishment changed the world? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/114 "2018-11-04T13:43:52Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Being the Straightdope I just knew someone would pipe in with the cell phone. But I would never expected it in the OP. Sad really. And one of the most ridiculous things I’ve read on these boards. Amen. A few years ago that kind of comment applied to smartphones was kind of cute. It was like someone posting that they can’t find the CD drive on their new computer: relatable, even if by then smartphones were already indispensable for many. But now, in 2018, WTH? Do I really need to explain what, say, Uber is, and why it’s so much more convenient than hailing taxis the old way? And then do the same explanation for at least another 20 apps and smartphone specific use cases? You can choose not to own a smartphone, sure, but to claim that a smartphone is useless, _now_, is to me unfathomable. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/115 "2018-11-04T16:13:32Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > My best friend has an iPhone 7, which I have used once or twice. We travel a lot and she misses calls, but I have never observed an answering/recording function on it. I have about the same phone as you, so I feel ya on that. But it is not just visual voicemail that I am looking for. That’s nice, and does make it a bit easier to go through voicemails than through the phone tree, but not really a game changer or anything. It is screening calls on the answering machine that I miss. I have yet to see a cell phone that has that feature. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/116 "2018-11-04T16:45:42Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Nonsense. My hands are perfectly handy. Your hands are[mobile phones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39EPz2JsbUk)? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/117 "2018-11-04T16:52:17Z")
> [@Miss\_M](#): > > IMHO it’s, hands down, the cell phone. Yes and no. The cell phone as originally envisaged is incredibly useful and there are many situations where it’s absolutely indispensable. The “useless” part – and even blatantly counterproductive in many ways – was its evolution to the much-reviled “smart phone”, where “phone” now means “ridiculous pocket computer + camera with built-in data communications”. Unless someone considers it an essential improvement to their quality of life to be able to watch cat videos in their car or text all their friends while they obliviously plow into the car ahead of them. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/118 "2018-11-04T16:57:09Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > (stepping into political territory) > > Touch-screen voting machines. I understand these machines create a legitimate risk of hostile actors being able to forge votes. With that said, it’s not as is anonymous paper ballots are immune to such shenanigans, either. The issue with the voting machines is the centralization - some setups, there’s a central server that tallies all the vote reports. Hack that machine and you can make the vote totals anything you want them to be, while you would need to sneak in truckloads of physical paper ballots to accomplish the same thing. In any case, they are an obvious advance. If we could somehow flawlessly identify people efficiently, we could just post a few touch screen tablets in public places and eliminate the need for almost 100% of the staff involved in elections. Or make the software the machines use an app that runs on trusted autonomous cars, and send autonomous cars to people who want to vote. Give them the chance to vote every time they take a ride. We could eliminate almost all of the hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/119 "2018-11-04T17:24:20Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Yes and no. The cell phone as originally envisaged is incredibly useful and there are many situations where it’s absolutely indispensable. The “useless” part – and even blatantly counterproductive in many ways – was its evolution to the much-reviled “smart phone”, where “phone” now means “ridiculous pocket computer + camera with built-in data communications”. Unless someone considers it an essential improvement to their quality of life to be able to watch cat videos in their car or text all their friends while they obliviously plow into the car ahead of them. Jesus H. Christ. These kinds of posts can’t be sincere. Does someone here really need to post an essay explaining the usefulness of mobile phones and smart phones? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-useless-development-invention-of-the-last-50-years/823888/120 "2018-11-04T18:05:01Z")
I already posted links that show how literally life-changing mobile phones have been in developing countries, but of course that was never going to trump some “but…cat videos” hot take. [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=5) [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=7)