Needless Inventions?
Discussion
The electronic handbrake. What problem did it solve?
A dad in my lad's footy team couldn't get his 68-plate Qashqai to turnover after the match on Sunday. Looked like something had drained the battery during the game. Manual gearbox: let's get him on his way so we can lock the grounds. Electronic handbrake said nope. Poor fecker had to wait two hours for roadside assistance.
I'd add leaf blowers to the list too on the count that most garden maintenance people just use them to blow leaves and crap from their clients' houses onto the road. Had one this morning across the road. Half an hour of noise as he chased leaves around the garden and blew them onto the road. He'll be back next week to do the same.
A dad in my lad's footy team couldn't get his 68-plate Qashqai to turnover after the match on Sunday. Looked like something had drained the battery during the game. Manual gearbox: let's get him on his way so we can lock the grounds. Electronic handbrake said nope. Poor fecker had to wait two hours for roadside assistance.
I'd add leaf blowers to the list too on the count that most garden maintenance people just use them to blow leaves and crap from their clients' houses onto the road. Had one this morning across the road. Half an hour of noise as he chased leaves around the garden and blew them onto the road. He'll be back next week to do the same.
Those coffee pod machines, more hassle, more expensive and no better end product than a jar of instant.
Cars with massive front daytime running lights and permanently light dashboards, so you have half the drivers driving about with no rear lights on as they haven't realised you need to turn on the headlights.
Those Alexa machines seem more hassle than they are worth too.
Cars with massive front daytime running lights and permanently light dashboards, so you have half the drivers driving about with no rear lights on as they haven't realised you need to turn on the headlights.
Those Alexa machines seem more hassle than they are worth too.
Truckosaurus said:
Those coffee pod machines, more hassle, more expensive and no better end product than a jar of instant.
Cars with massive front daytime running lights and permanently light dashboards, so you have half the drivers driving about with no rear lights on as they haven't realised you need to turn on the headlights.
Those Alexa machines seem more hassle than they are worth too.
And a recent invention combining two of the above.....A coffee machine you can tell it to make a coffee.....Just make a bloody coffee yourself you muppet!Cars with massive front daytime running lights and permanently light dashboards, so you have half the drivers driving about with no rear lights on as they haven't realised you need to turn on the headlights.
Those Alexa machines seem more hassle than they are worth too.
Truckosaurus said:
Those coffee pod machines, more hassle, more expensive and no better end product than a jar of instant.
Got to disagree with you on that (in specific cases, as some of the pod systems use crap coffee too)...as you seem to be complaining that's it's more complex than a jar of s
t instant coffee...rather than seeing it as a simpler way to have 'proper' coffee than having all the paraphernalia and expense of a full-blow Gaggia.In my case it's the difference between this for instant:
- Put kettle on (top up with water as needed)
- Get coffee out of cupboard
- Get cup out of cupboard/off draining board
- Put coffee & milk in cup
- Put hot water in cup
- Stir coffee until all granules have dissolved
- Turn pod machine on (put water in reservoir if needed)
- Get coffee pod out of cupboard
- Get cup out of cupboard/off draining board
- Put milk in cup and put pod in machine
- Push button on pod machine to put coffee in cup
Edited by mmm-five on Thursday 9th December 11:15
Bacon Is Proof said:
Always a good question to ask.
Space saver spare wheels.
If you need to use the extra space, you can't use the spare wheel.
Been there - fully loaded (not an inch to spare) BMW 330 Touring on the way to Wales with 2 kids and a boot full of Christmas presents from you know who. Space saver spare wheels.
If you need to use the extra space, you can't use the spare wheel.
Puncture on Rhuallt Hill at 10 PM in the sleet.
Had to empty the entire boot to get to the space saver, change it over and then somehow reload the car to carry on.
Ended up putting the Mrs in the passenger seat and then packing stuff on top of her for the remainder of the journey. We made it but only just....
Amused2death said:
Truckosaurus said:
Those coffee pod machines, more hassle, more expensive and no better end product than a jar of instant.
Cars with massive front daytime running lights and permanently light dashboards, so you have half the drivers driving about with no rear lights on as they haven't realised you need to turn on the headlights.
Those Alexa machines seem more hassle than they are worth too.
And a recent invention combining two of the above.....A coffee machine you can tell it to make a coffee.....Just make a bloody coffee yourself you muppet!Cars with massive front daytime running lights and permanently light dashboards, so you have half the drivers driving about with no rear lights on as they haven't realised you need to turn on the headlights.
Those Alexa machines seem more hassle than they are worth too.
Alexa, “You haven’t put a cup where the coffee pours into”
Alexa, “You also haven’t filled the receptacle with fresh water”
Alexa, “You haven’t put a pod in the machine either.”
Alexa, “whilst you’re doing all that, how about you just press the friggin start button and do it yourself and leave me alone?”
Electric windows, what's wrong with a tried and tested manual winder and what happens if you accidentally drive into a river, with electric windows the electrics may well be fried, at least you have half a chance with manual windy windows.
Electric operating mirrors, how often does one actually re-adjust their mirrors, stick with manual, far less to go wrong too.
Electric operating mirrors, how often does one actually re-adjust their mirrors, stick with manual, far less to go wrong too.
GliderRider said:
Truckosaurus said:
Those coffee pod machines, more hassle, more expensive and no better end product than a jar of instant.
Exactly! If I wanted half a cup of lukewarm coffee that tastes no better than instant, I would just make it with instant.Mars said:
Joey Deacon said:
Keyless entry, I never found it that much of a chore to push a button to unlock my car and another to lock it again.
Also doesn't this create another problem where it is much easier for thieves to steal your car?
This.Also doesn't this create another problem where it is much easier for thieves to steal your car?
Plenty of cars still got nicked before keyless was a thing.
Glassman said:
The electronic handbrake. What problem did it solve?
I think the 'problems' it solved were how to make the interior of a car less cluttered and the car easier to drive.An electronic handbrake means that you don't have a big, ugly, lever sticking up into the car so arguably the car's interior is nicer. It also makes hill starts virtually foolproof, even in a manual car.
I'm not saying that I think they are necessary personally, just pointing out why others might.
HTP99 said:
Electric operating mirrors, how often does one actually re-adjust their mirrors, stick with manual, far less to go wrong too.
Every day.I have a massively different driving position from my wife and so all the seat & mirror positions are totally different.
If I moved just the seat I'd be able to see sod all out of the mirrors.
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