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Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:23 am
by The Donmeister
A recent survey conducted by BBC asked people what they thought was the "worst invention of all time". The results were:

1. Weapons
2. Mobile Phones
3= Nuclear Power
3= Sinclair C5
3= Television
6= Cars
6= Cigarettes
8= Fast Food
9= Speed Cameras
10. Religion

Yet how many people use cellphones, TVs, and cars, smoke, eat fast food, and call themselves religious?

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 3:31 am
by Angstwolf
That list sucks. People are stupid. And no, I'm not going to back up my opinion with facts because I don't feel like it.

ARR.

Thanks for the list though, it's interesting.

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 4:08 am
by Comrade K
From a political or Economic point of view, those are some of the best.

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:37 pm
by Rooster
Theres this one dude that's responcible for more planetary destruction than any other.

I can't rembmer his name, but he invented leded petrol, and CFCs...

Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 6:46 pm
by jent
Theres this one dude that's responcible for more planetary destruction than any other.

I can't rembmer his name, but he invented leded petrol, and CFCs...
Thomas Midgley, Jr. was his name.....he was working for my favorite company "DuPont".....lol....IMO DuPont is one of the main reasons why marijuana is illegal in the US. They did it to stifle things like biodegradable plastics so they could plague the planet with there lesser form of plastics......That company is pure EVIL :evil:

Re: Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:57 am
by Luke B.
Huh.

1. Weapons

A weapon can be anything. Gun, knife, pencil, carrot, etc. I don't get it.

2. Mobile Phones

Because talking to people is eeeevil.

3= Nuclear Power

The cleanest, most environmentally friendly mass-energy source that exists. This is bad, why?

3= Sinclair C5

http://www.sinclairc5.com/

Looks pretty cool to me, a lot cooler than that Segway scooter, anyway.

3= Television

If not for television, there'd be no internet, and these same people would be saying that newspapers and entertainment it bad.

6= Cars

Yeah, because horses are so much better. :roll:

6= Cigarettes

Legal, relaxing, etc - hell, liquor causes about the same amount of damage to the body, and far, far more damage in booze related things (violence, etc) than cigarettes ever will.

8= Fast Food

Because poor people shouldn't be able to afford to eat. Again, seriously - fast food is pretty damn healthy, in moderation.

9= Speed Cameras

Because giving fines to drivers who break the law by driving too fast is bad somehow?

10. Religion

Heh, religion is inseparable from human existence. Everyone has something they believe in, even if it's their own objectivity.

Jeeze.

The people the BBC surveyed are crazy. Mental crazy, not funny crazy, there's something wrong those those people.

Re: Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:05 am
by Comrade K
Huh.

1. Weapons

A weapon can be anything. Gun, knife, pencil, carrot, etc. I don't get it.

2. Mobile Phones

Because talking to people is eeeevil.

3= Nuclear Power

The cleanest, most environmentally friendly mass-energy source that exists. This is bad, why?

3= Sinclair C5

http://www.sinclairc5.com/

Looks pretty cool to me, a lot cooler than that Segway scooter, anyway.

3= Television

If not for television, there'd be no internet, and these same people would be saying that newspapers and entertainment it bad.

6= Cars

Yeah, because horses are so much better. :roll:

6= Cigarettes

Legal, relaxing, etc - hell, liquor causes about the same amount of damage to the body, and far, far more damage in booze related things (violence, etc) than cigarettes ever will.

8= Fast Food

Because poor people shouldn't be able to afford to eat. Again, seriously - fast food is pretty damn healthy, in moderation.

9= Speed Cameras

Because giving fines to drivers who break the law by driving too fast is bad somehow?

10. Religion

Heh, religion is inseparable from human existence. Everyone has something they believe in, even if it's their own objectivity.

Jeeze.

The people the BBC surveyed are crazy. Mental crazy, not funny crazy, there's something wrong those those people.
Yep. I wonder how many of the people surveyed actually refrain from using their most hated inventions.
I wonder what all these people propose to replace cars with?

Re: Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:40 am
by Luke B.
I wonder what all these people propose to replace cars with?
Heh, probably the most hated invention number three:

3= Sinclair C5

http://www.sinclairc5.com/

Re: Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:51 pm
by nickspoon
Huh.

1. Weapons

A weapon can be anything. Gun, knife, pencil, carrot, etc. I don't get it.
Maybe they should have been more specific, but eh. Things designed for use as weapons are bad. Carrots aren't.
2. Mobile Phones

Because talking to people is eeeevil.
Maybe they meant mobile phone ringtones? :)
3= Nuclear Power

The cleanest, most environmentally friendly mass-energy source that exists. This is bad, why?
Because the government thinks they can solve the energy problems of the world by building loads of nuclear power stations, and therefore producing nasty toxic waste. This is nuclear fission, mind. Fusion would be wonderful but is currently impractical.
3= Sinclair C5

http://www.sinclairc5.com/

Looks pretty cool to me, a lot cooler than that Segway scooter, anyway.
It was meant for road use. It was probably the worst mode of transport ever invented. Apart from maybe the penny-farthing, but that was just silly.
3= Television

If not for television, there'd be no internet, and these same people would be saying that newspapers and entertainment it bad.
Eh, television is a mixed bag, but at joint 3rd? Screw that.
6= Cars

Yeah, because horses are so much better. :roll:
Screw that too.
6= Cigarettes

Legal, relaxing, etc - hell, liquor causes about the same amount of damage to the body, and far, far more damage in booze related things (violence, etc) than cigarettes ever will.
Yes, they're a great invention. What better to do than sit around paying good money to die a slow and painful death, and cause people around you harm (or at least discomfort) too? When I see people smoking, I like to stab them, then while they're dying, I tell them "I've just saved you a lot of money."
8= Fast Food

Because poor people shouldn't be able to afford to eat. Again, seriously - fast food is pretty damn healthy, in moderation.
Woo fast food.
9= Speed Cameras

Because giving fines to drivers who break the law by driving too fast is bad somehow?
Indeed.
10. Religion

Heh, religion is inseparable from human existence. Everyone has something they believe in, even if it's their own objectivity.
Doesn't make it a religion. Religion has given us a diverse culture, but also wars and all sorts of nasty stuff. I wouldn't put it here though.
Jeeze.

The people the BBC surveyed are crazy. Mental crazy, not funny crazy, there's something wrong those those people.
Not only that, but I think the BBC only managed to find three or four people crazy enough for them, considering that there are 3 3rd places and 2 6th places.

Re: Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 4:24 pm
by Richard K Niner
1. Weapons

A weapon can be anything. Gun, knife, pencil, carrot, etc. I don't get it.
Actually, it's not a weapon unless it's designed to cause harm. Using something as a weapon is another story.
2. Mobile Phones

Because talking to people is eeeevil.
That's what regular phones, your mouth, mail, and forums are for. Out and about? Use a payphone. Are they out and about? Head out and meet them in person. Can't find them? Maybe they're trying to avoid you.
3= Nuclear Power

The cleanest, most environmentally friendly mass-energy source that exists. This is bad, why?
I'll put this down as confusion. Nuclear weapons are bad; power is not.
3= Sinclair C5

http://www.sinclairc5.com/

Looks pretty cool to me, a lot cooler than that Segway scooter, anyway.
Looks like somebody's idea of a joke.
3= Television

If not for television, there'd be no internet, and these same people would be saying that newspapers and entertainment it bad.
Television and internet have little in common, except for the cathode ray tube on computers used to access them.
6= Cars

Yeah, because horses are so much better. :roll:
What about feet? Or bikes? Or the train?
6= Cigarettes

Legal, relaxing, etc - hell, liquor causes about the same amount of damage to the body, and far, far more damage in booze related things (violence, etc) than cigarettes ever will.
Actually, I'll point out that cigarettes actually cause more damage to your body. And I'll point out that cigarettes also cause harm (in the form of toxic smoke) to those around you, in all cases. In contrast, only a small fraction of drinkers get drunk, and only a small fraction of those are violent in said state. The rest of them could easily cause just as much damage without alcohol.
8= Fast Food

Because poor people shouldn't be able to afford to eat. Again, seriously - fast food is pretty damn healthy, in moderation.
Poor people could get healthier food, at a lower cost, by going to the produce section at the grocery store.
9= Speed Cameras

Because giving fines to drivers who break the law by driving too fast is bad somehow?
Because giving them to the car owners, which is not the same people as the drivers (see company-owned cars), with little or no recourse because the system is seen as infallible?
10. Religion

Heh, religion is inseparable from human existence. Everyone has something they believe in, even if it's their own objectivity.
I'd ask you to explain atheism or agnoticism, but you seem to believe that rationality is a form of belief. 'Nuff said.

Re: Worst inventions ever

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:10 pm
by Angstwolf
10. Religion

Heh, religion is inseparable from human existence. Everyone has something they believe in, even if it's their own objectivity.
I'd ask you to explain atheism or agnoticism, but you seem to believe that rationality is a form of belief. 'Nuff said.
Well, the simplest definition of religion is "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe." The definition of atheism is "disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings." A person who does not believe in a god, an atheist, can still have those beliefs that define religion without believing in a god.

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:21 pm
by Comrade K
I think this list should be changed to: "most misused inventions".
Some, like cigarettes, are bad. But a lot of them are things that are really good to have around, as along as people don't use them like idiots.

The Cell Phone for example. A lot of people I know have cell phones for no other reason than they think its the cool thing to have.
They don't need them, however, carrying a cell phone when you're a business man, or a satphone when you're out in the bush is helpful.

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 7:27 pm
by Tom Flapwell
Another difference between cigarettes and alcohol: which are users more likely to take only once in a while?

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:57 am
by Luke B.
Another difference between cigarettes and alcohol: which are users more likely to take only once in a while?
Depends on the individual - these days, I know people who come home after work and drink 6 beers, and they don't smoke, than I do people who have even 6 cigarette's in a day.

Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:22 am
by Tom Flapwell
I'm saying that for the vast majority, unless you're either a nonsmoker or trying to quit, you will have multiple cigarettes daily.