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Child Item

The Most Useless Piece Of Modern Technology

Me_Grapes

What's the most pointless piece of modern equipment that exists today.

For me, it's the ipad/tablet. Just such awkward things to use and to hold. If I want something portable to access media, I'll use my smartphone, and if it's more storage I'll use my portable laptop thank you very much. Currently in hospital with the arm in a sling, and was given one of these to keep me entertained, but the thing is just such a dreg to use, notwithstanding the fact my good arm in incapacitated. I really can't see how these things have taken off.

Anything else that beats the portable tablet in the useless stakes?

(Not sent from my tablet)

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biscuithead

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuN02YWhpw4

Those are just crap :pac:

riclad

If companys can save money by using self driving trucks and taxis it will happen ,technology changes fast .
20 years ago no one thought we would use our phones for listening to music,watching tv, or reading books.
Maybe only rich people will buy self driving cars as they will cost more
than the standard family car.
And there may be issues as who pays if a self driving car is in an accident.
I think smartphones without headphones are pointless as you,ll
have to buy expensive bluetooth headphones .
And the,ll break down at some point.

Samuel T. Cogley

riclad wrote: »

If companys can save money by using self driving trucks and taxis it will happen ,technology changes fast .
20 years ago no one thought we would use our phones for listening to music,watching tv, or reading books.
Maybe only rich people will buy self driving cars as they will cost more
than the standard family car.
And there may be issues as who pays if a self driving car is in an accident.
I think smartphones without headphones are pointless as you,ll
have to buy expensive bluetooth headphones .
And the,ll break down at some point.

This is the very heart of the point. None of the above required huge sweeping changes to the law or perceptions. Very little had changed in regard to watching TV - I remember trying to put video clips on to an Amiga 1200. We've been reading books online since the late 90's. With the exception of some licensing for radio bands all that's happened is a gradual increase in speed of data transmission and a shrinking of the already present technology.

We have a mode of transport - two in fact - that are on fixed paths with very little other traffic that could easily autonomous but isn't. That will be the count down of about 20 years when trains and trams go driverless.

For the rich we'll see unofficial self driving cars by about 2030, not common but not a one off, but legally you won't be able to use the self drive function it will simply operate as an enhanced cruise control. Ireland has a fairly new 'fleet' of cars in comparison to somewhere like the UK but you still see plenty of 15 year old cars - that alone should give people an indication of how long selfdrive will take to become mainstream.

biscuithead

A friend got one of those vacuum cleaner robots. It's crap. She spends more time freeing it from being trapped in a corner or hungup on a threshold.

Bob24

A solar bikini which will charge your phone ... is that useful? :-)

[IMG]view-source:[/img]http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/190509-solarbikini2_original.jpg

osarusan

Wireless chargers.

Instead of plugging my phone directly into the wall, I'll shell out for a device that connects directly to the wall, then sit my phone on that, so it can charge more slowly.

Harry Palmr

the 400 dollar Juicero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lutHF5HhVA

For Forks Sake

Harry Palmr wrote: »

the 400 dollar Juicero

You just beat me to that piece of sh1te. Also, it's a $400 juicer that you also need to buy the juice packs (between $5-$8 a go) to actually use.

When your company profile reads like theirs does, you know it's a load of cack

Juicero Inc is a stealth-mode juicing startup. Juicero is on a mission to help people consume more fresh produce every day. Starting with the first home, cold- press juicing system that makes raw, organic juice with the touch of a button, the Juicero system represents three years of hard work to bring cold-pressing technology (and nutrient-dense goodness) home.

:mad:

although, at least there's some good news for idiots with more money than sense who have buyers remorse Juicero offers all customers a refund amid critical coverage

C Montgomery Gurns II

I'm not saying they are useless as such, but I have wondered for ages now, how is it legal to own/ fly a drone without some sort of licence/ cert of competency? Surely one of these things could seriously injure/ kill someone if they fell out of the sky because some fool was flying them on low battery.

Uber and all- surely it is illegal in most places in Europe to take your car out on a Friday and Saturday night, hang about outside bars and clubs and pick up fares without appropriate insurance and PSV. Uber is merely an app based way of doing the exact same thing- I can't understand how it is legal nearly everywhere bar Ireland.

Skylinehead

jimgoose wrote: »

Probably not, but I do. He was quoting one Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr.

Cork office?

Samuel T. Cogley

C Montgomery Gurns II wrote: »

I can't understand how it is legal nearly everywhere bar Ireland.

Ireland's Taxi lobby is vocal and a few other things.

Oh yeah they're going to jump on being put out of business by one or two large companies with magic auto pilots.

Jayop

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

I knew this was coming along at some point. Why are the proponents of self driving cars so sure they're just around the corner and will be the second coming of our Lord and Saviour?

We won't see self driving cars for decades for the simple reason people don't like change. FFS Most people won't drive an automatic. What we will see is more and more of the technology built in as safety features but fully self driving cars, not much before 2040 if even then.

Simple. Insurance will be the no 1 reason self driving cars will be everywhere once the tech is perfected.

Samuel T. Cogley

Jayop wrote: »

Simple. Insurance will be the no 1 reason self driving cars will be everywhere once the tech is perfected.

No it won't. Insurance companies don't care if they're charging a €1000 premium or a €100 premium as long as the profit margin is there. The majority of people don't have €20K to outlay on a new vehicle even if the insurance premiums are substantially lower.

Self driving cars are already out there and the technology isn't particularly novel I expect we'll have a 'fully working' solution by about 2020. Even if every car manufacturer rolled out a model there and then AND the laws could be adopted fast enough it would still be 2035 before it was in anyway main stream. You can probably safely add another 15 years to that but taking absolute best case scenario they are certainly not imminent.

Also this notion the thing is going to pick you up, take itself to the garage or drive around being a taxi while you're at work is utter nonsense no matter how good the technology is or how large the adoption.

razorblunt

Skylinehead wrote: »

Cork office?

No, it's Jim Nerdelaum Frink you're thinking of.

C Montgomery Gurns II

Self driving cars, and in particular self driving public and goods transport, is a scam to dupe gullible investors. I'd be surprised to see it within 50 years never mind 5. The only places it could be feasibly workable are for the transport of goods on long, straight, rural roads. It has a possible use in the backarse of Canada or the US, but the thought of an unmanned bus moving around certain parts of Dublin without being vandalised, or cars delivering fast food door to door, it is so unworkable it isn't even funny.

For all the apparent talk of automation, the conditions have been there for widespread automation of service and payment at petrol stations and even pubs for 20 plus years now yet it hasn't been done.

[Deleted User]

me_irl wrote: »

"IOT Devices"... Smart appliances connected to the net (toasters, kettles, fridges, etc)

I had an app on my phone that could turn on my electric blanket from wherever I was, and another that closed and opened my blinds.

The blinds thing I used once, the electric blanket was eventually just put on a manual timer.

mfceiling

C Montgomery Gurns II wrote: »

For all the apparent talk of automation, the conditions have been there for widespread automation of service and payment at petrol stations and even pubs for 20 plus years now yet it hasn't been done.

Loads of petrol stations where there is no attendant and you pay at the pump.

Almost every car manufacturer are working on self driving technology. Lots of new cars have some sort of technology attached. Self driving cars are coming and fast!!

Speedsie

I thought the Bluetooth enabled toothbrush was the height of ridiculousness, until I stumbled across the smart hairbrush.

It can't be bought just yet, but you can keep informed on https://www.withings.com/eu/en/products/hair-coach

C Montgomery Gurns II

mfceiling wrote: »

Loads of petrol stations where there is no attendant and you pay at the pump.

In Ireland? Never heard of it.

Self driving technology will NEVER take off in the first half of this century. There isn't a single example of flawless technology.

Jayop

It sounds an awful lot like how people said cars would never take over from horse and cart back in the twenties and before.

Jayop

C Montgomery Gurns II wrote: »

In Ireland? Never heard of it.

Self driving technology will NEVER take off in the first half of this century. There isn't a single example of flawless technology.

The flawed tech is already better than a human driver.

Samuel T. Cogley

C Montgomery Gurns II wrote: »

In Ireland? Never heard of it.

Self driving technology will NEVER take off in the first half of this century. There isn't a single example of flawless technology.

Loads is a massive over statement - a few service stations with large forecourts. However it's the norm else where so the technology is there, yet another example though of just because it's there doesn't mean it'll be taken up in a certain area for whatever reason.

Great point on the investors.

mfceiling wrote: »

Loads of petrol stations where there is no attendant and you pay at the pump.

Almost every car manufacturer are working on self driving technology. Lots of new cars have some sort of technology attached. Self driving cars are coming and fast!!

Exactly how much have you and a couple of others got invested in this - can you get a refund?

Car manufactures work on all sorts of projects - how many concept cars are unveiled on a regular basis? Small elements of the technology creep in over time. Automatic parking, automatic breaking, automatic headlights, sign readers and windscreen wipers. After years of testing and adjustment more and more of these features will become standard. The notion that car makers will shoot their bolt, even if the could by introducing the whole kit and caboodle simply makes no financial sense on top of myriad of other reasons why this is not coming anytime soon.

Samuel T. Cogley

Jayop wrote: »

The flawed tech is already better than a human driver.

Of course it is - and auto pilots are better than pilots. There are still pilots.

As for the horse and cart it took what until the 1960s before car ownership passed 50%?

Armchair Andy

Those stud finder devices sold in hardware shops. None of them work, not even the Stanley ones.

Jayop

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Of course it is - and auto pilots are better than pilots. There are still pilots.

As for the horse and cart it took what until the 1960s before car ownership passed 50%?

That was because the cost of cars was astronomical and out of the reach of most people before that. The next breed of self driving cars won't cost much more than existing cars.

Look its not going to happen today or tomorrow. Legislation will need to be passed and a whole new set of road rules will need sorted. It will happen though, 100%. If nothing else then removing the cost of professional drivers will drive this forward. Say a van driver is paid 30k a year and a self driving van costs 15k more than the normal one then it's a no brainer.

C Montgomery Gurns II

Jayop wrote: »

The flawed tech is already better than a human driver.

A significant percentage of people who die in car accidents are killed by reckless human behavior. Speeding, drink driving etc. How exactly would you persuade someone with 20 years clean licence that a computer will be a safer option than his own hand will. What about the lawsuits when a technical glitch causes a fatal crash. The insurance company's won't touch this rubbish with a 50 ft pole. We are apparently only five years away from driverless cars yet in 2017 even fixed line unmanned train and tram lines are few and far between.

C Montgomery Gurns II

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Car manufactures work on all sorts of projects - how many concept cars are unveiled on a regular basis? Small elements of the technology creep in over time. Automatic parking, automatic breaking, automatic headlights, sign readers and windscreen wipers. After years of testing and adjustment more and more of these features will become standard. The notion that car makers will shoot their bolt, even if the could by introducing the whole kit and caboodle simply makes no financial sense on top of myriad of other reasons why this is not coming anytime soon.

Indeed. We will remember driverless cars in the same way we remember WAP internet, Betamax, De Lorean's and Google Glasses today.

colm_mcm

Those dyson taps

http://www.dyson.ie/hand-dryers/airblade-tap.aspx

They're so temperamental and never dry your hands properly. No built in soap dispenser either.

diomed

Wireless headphones:
you can walk around the house and listen to music.

kindle:
I used it once.

_Brian

Betamax, it will never catch on, VHS all the way here.