Time lists 50 Worst Inventions
Let’s face it, some good ideas just aren’t realized the way they were meant to be and fell disastrously short of expectations. As Time Magazine’s 50 Worst Inventions list proves, some ideas didn’t end up so great. The list of annoyances, ill-fated novelty items, and bad reformulations includes Microsoft Bob, New Coke, Nintendo Virtual Boy, Honegar, Clippy, Smell-o-Vision, and heck, even Farmville.
Microsoft Bob and Clippy are probably Microsoft’s most annoying contributions to the world of PC software. Microsoft Bob was made to be helpful, packing a bunch of assistants to help PC users; Clippy was the most iconic of the bunch. Good intentions turned a little awry when letters were suddenly hijacked with an “It looks like you’re writing a letter. Would you like help?” Also, Microsoft Bob left an enduring bug bear legacy: Comic Sans, the font made for Bob.
The New Coke was marketed as a “newer, sweeter” version of the popular cola in 1985, but marketers soon learned a valuable lesson: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (the New Coke was pulled out after 3 horrible months in the market). Another food item that made Time’s list is Honegar. As the name suggests, it’s a mash up between honey and apple cider vinegar. The product was less than palatable, though recent studies have attested to honey and apple cider vinegar’s antioxidant contents.
Betamax, a casualty in the early format wars, also made the list. It went up against the VHS, but as the Betamax was rushed into production, it fell short of facing up to VHS’s 2-hr video recording.
And yeah, Farmville was included in the list. According to Time, Farmville succeeds to be both mindless and addicting, not to mention distracting to office workers.
The list also includes ill-conceived inventions (Smell-o-Vision, Vibrating Ab Belt, and Fake Ponytail), aesthetics-challenged vehicles (Pontiac Aztek), and pesticides (DDT and Agent Orange), among others.
via [ TIME ]