irritation
Author
Discussion

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
I'm putting together a little workshop for the BA festival of science, and I'm thinking of setting a challenge about 'the science of annoyance', whereby students will be tasked to create solutions to everyday annoyances such as opening reluctant jars, safety pill pots, pouring milk without spilling etc, from a kind of scrapheap of junk.

Id really appreciate any suggestions anyone has for daily annoyances that could happily stand to be re-invented.

obviously, accepting that I'm the most annoying thing, ever.

CommanderJameson

22,096 posts

256 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
Anything that discriminates against the (undoubtedly superior) sinistromanualists.

xm5er

5,094 posts

278 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
For the electronics experts, a remote that hits mute as soon as the adverts come on the tele.

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
does that mean left-handed?

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
xm5er said:
For the electronics experts, a remote that hits mute as soon as the adverts come on the tele.


an excellent idea, but i think a little out of the capability of the students im dealing with. sorry, i should have qualified further. the kids will probably have an hour to ninety mins to complete this challenge, so it has to be a relativley simple problem such that they can research, design and create a solution to it. for instance, for the sticky jar thing, they could make something from a bicycle tyre that grips the lid better, or maybe something shaped like a giant comma that used leverage.

tertius

6,914 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
nervous said:
does that mean left-handed?


It does.

How about wire coathangers and their unfeasible ability to get tangled up with each other. That really annoys me.

Do you think they could do anything about Jeremy Clarkson?

Carrera2

8,352 posts

262 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
How about something to stop the annoying bit of milk fly out when you open a tetra-pak of milk? Winds me up that does, no matter how gently you do it.....

Harry Flashman

21,933 posts

272 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
Brilliant idea nerv!

- getting an egg into a pan without breaking the yolk, time after time (perhaps I’m a moron, but I often break the yolks).

Er – only regular annoyance I can think of, and probably not suitable as it’s a problem of technique, rather than technology. Shall keep thinking tough.

Harry Flashman

21,933 posts

272 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
- getting an egg into a pan without breaking the yolk, time after time (perhaps I’m a moron, but I often break the yolks).

Er – only regular annoyance I can think of, and probably not suitable as it’s a problem of technique, rather than technology. Shall keep thinking though.

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
coathangers is good, its on the list, and the milk thing was top of my list as i must lose a pint a day due to dribblage

steady now

BliarOut

72,863 posts

269 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
A device to prevent double posts on the net?


Off to think of something sensible now

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
no, thats great harry. i can think of several ways in which that could be done. on the list too. very very good.

well done and thankyou gang, please keep them coming

timmy30

9,325 posts

257 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
Trying to watch TV at the same time as the Mrs is talking too me. I can just about concentrate on the TV enough not to loose the thread of the programme but then I am (eventually) required to provide my own input I'm found wanting as I haven't the foggiest what she's been battering on about.

eharding

14,648 posts

314 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
A fiendishly cunning device to get the back cover onto a duvet
without breaking sweat and resorting to old anglo-saxon phrases.

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
timmy30 said:
Trying to watch TV at the same time as the Mrs is talking too me. I can just about concentrate on the TV enough not to loose the thread of the programme but then I am (eventually) required to provide my own input I'm found wanting as I haven't the foggiest what she's been battering on about.



i can make you one of those now. its called a divorce. the costs are high, but it is a bespoke service.

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
eharding said:
A fiendishly cunning device to get the back cover onto a duvet
without breaking sweat and resorting to old anglo-saxon phrases.


now THAT is great! you lot are golden!

diddyman

3,646 posts

271 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
If cetain companies insist on using metal instead of plastic tubes for sticking their cream in (Blistex/Blistese springs to mind), it would be nice to know that if it has been in your pocket and got a bit squished that when you take the lid off half the contents don't spew out on your finger.



>> Edited by diddyman on Tuesday 17th January 13:12

paulie-mafia

3,321 posts

253 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
eharding said:
A fiendishly cunning device to get the back cover onto a duvet
without breaking sweat and resorting to old anglo-saxon phrases.


there is a trick - turn the duvet cover slightly inside out with your hands in each of the top corners. grab the top of the duvet in the corners, then shake it hard and the cover slips on!

worked that one out a few years back when my mum stopped coming round to do it for me...

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
diddyman said:
If cetain companies insist on using metal instead of plastic tubes for sticking their cream in (Blistex/Blistese springs to mind), it would be nice to know that if it has been in your pocket and got a bit squished that when you take the lid off half the contents don't spew out on your finger.



>> Edited by diddyman on Tuesday 17th January 13:12


anyone else suddenly got an image of Diddy as some sort of blistered leper? no? just me then

nervous

Original Poster:

24,050 posts

260 months

Tuesday 17th January 2006
quotequote all
paulie-mafia said:
eharding said:
A fiendishly cunning device to get the back cover onto a duvet
without breaking sweat and resorting to old anglo-saxon phrases.


there is a trick - turn the duvet cover slightly inside out with your hands in each of the top corners. grab the top of the duvet in the corners, then shake it hard and the cover slips on!

worked that one out a few years back when my mum stopped coming round to do it for me...


but a device to do it would be ace! part one of my campaign to bring back the word Ace