What modern invention/innovation do you wish had *never* been developed?

[MarkJohn]

Another absolute 'modern' hate, which some have also mentioned, is plastic packaging... why oh why do three large mushrooms need a sturdy (and I mean tough) moulded plastic container, with a cellophane wrap?... I have never seen such OTT packaging for such a minimal item, but you see similar all the time. We try our best to avoid this crazy supermarket packaging, and recycle any we do get, but its still shocking how much can accumulate. Even simple everyday things like toothpaste and soaps end-up in ever more complex, resource wasting packs... you can even get electronic liquid soap dispensers, which no doubt will last two minutes, and end-up in landfill, along with the batteries that power them.

Its bloody insane and I truly despair.

 

[Luftwaffles]

Modern American music. No offense, but we have REALLY lost our musical touch these past few years.
Oh, that and the suits at clothing stores made out of God knows what.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Modern American music. No offense, but we have REALLY lost our musical touch these past few years.

Sometimes I'll happen to tune into a Spanish-language, Vietnamese-language or some other Asian-language station and I've found that their pop music sounds better than ours!

Another absolute 'modern' hate, which some have also mentioned, is plastic packaging... why oh why do three large mushrooms need a sturdy (and I mean tough) moulded plastic container, with a cellophane wrap?... I have never seen such OTT packaging for such a minimal item, but you see similar all the time. We try our best to avoid this crazy supermarket packaging, and recycle any we do get, but its still shocking how much can accumulate. Even simple everyday things like toothpaste and soaps end-up in ever more complex, resource wasting packs... you can even get electronic liquid soap dispensers, which no doubt will last two minutes, and end-up in landfill, along with the batteries that power them.

Its bloody insane and I truly despair.

And even the cellophane wrap is hard to open without scissors or a knife.

 

[GHT]

The mobile cell phone. Not against the phone per se, more the way they are used. Everyone seems to have half a dozen social network accounts, Facebook, Twitter, etcetera. They, endlessly spend hours staring into the screen, so mindless.
Social networking sites, the source of all modern banality.
Call centres, especially those that tell you that your call is very important, and then keep you hanging on for half an hour.
Fuel injection management systems. Give me a carbureta and a set of points, any day. Come to that, give me a starting handle too. Not so much for starting an engine, but for being able to turn it to top dead centre, in order to do your own vehicle maintenance.
Ball point pens, how I miss the demise of the fountain pen.
Modern cars without indicators. when were they removed?
Surcharges, how do you get £42 West End theatre tickets to cost £60? Add a surcharge for booking, for credit card, for theatre restoration fee, for any creative idea that you can think of.
And more, but I need time to think.

 

[MarkJohn]

1..Facebook, Twitter, etcetera.

2..Call centres

3..Fuel injection management systems. Give me a carbureta and a set of points, any day.

4..Modern cars without indicators. when were they removed?

5..Surcharges

1... Yep... hate it all had a largely unused Facebook account, but it was locked due to some malitious activity, so to hell with that.

2... Yep... hate them: I spent too many hours of my life connected to India, dealing with BT and BT Openreach so hard to get them 'off script'

3... Nope... love em spent too many hours of my life tweaking carbs and points; start and go is just too nice

4... Really?... though most drivers seemed to have forgotten how they work... please signal at junctions and roundabouts

5... Ahh yes, blatant money making

Too many modern things to raise the blood pressure

 

[nick123]

UAVs.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Same here, if I get one, it's business, or an emergency.

I am pretty sure that everyone I know, knows that I hate talking on the telephone so they rarely call.

Agreed. Pop died in the 70's and Country in the 90's.

Modern American music. No offense, but we have REALLY lost our musical touch these past few years.
Oh, that and the suits at clothing stores made out of God knows what.

 

[jlee562]

....there's a certain amount of irony in this discussion taking place on the internet.

 

[MarkJohn]

....there's a certain amount of irony in this discussion taking place on the internet.

Tis true

I have been tempted to say the WWW but it has too much good to outweigh the bad... and I'm sure the same was said of the first books and other monumental creations... plus no WWW then no Lounge.... :eeek:

 

[Atticus Finch]

There are only two things I wish had not been invented. The first is the three-point shot in NCAA basketball. The other is the Supreme Court decision that prevents State Bars from banning attorney advertising. I'm not sure that the 1st Amendment, or any of the other amendments to our Constitution, should apply to attorneys.

AF

 

[Peacoat]

There are only two things I wish had not been invented. The first is the three-point shot in NCAA basketball. The other is the Supreme Court decision that prevents State Bars from banning attorney advertising. I'm not sure that the 1st Amendment, or any of the other amendments to our Constitution, should apply to attorneys.

AF

I can live with the three point shot, but I agree with your comment on attorney advertising.

 

[Widebrim]

^^Bump.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Digital cinema. A pointless, ridiculous fraud perpetrated on a gullible public at the expense of the exhibitors just to save the Entertainment Corporations the cost of shipping film and to tighten their control on what your local theatre can show.

Anything created by, developed by, marketed by, or implanted into your brain by Google.

 

[John J]

as much as they can be useful , i'm with lots of you I HATE CELL PHONES (electronic leash) no peace!!

I'm sure I can come up with more items but that is # 1 on my list.

"John"

 

[mojoboots]

Cell phones.
Nasty, violent, anti - social, video games - i am just waiting for someone to come out with a video game called "massacre your school mates", where are the values we use to instill in or young people - perhaps technology has outstripped our humanity.

 

[Edward]

as much as they can be useful , i'm with lots of you I HATE CELL PHONES (electronic leash) no peace!!

Here in the European market they come fitted with an off switch. I find that very effective, never been bothered when I didn't want to be.

 

[Gregg Axley]

Ringtones.
What happened to just the regular ring?
Now I've hear singing out of people's purses, pockets, and desks.
One sounds like the bell you'd hear on the docks. So I usually blurt out to coworkers "you have a ship pulling into the dock, that might be an important."
Or a doorbell, that one is annoying, and yet there is never anyone at the door!
At home? We don't have those.
Today's pic btw, was taken with a FLIP PHONE.
The picture taker wondered how I even found one of those "if you pay extra they'll sell you a non I anything."

 

[Stearmen]

Ringtones.
What happened to just the regular ring?
Now I've hear singing out of people's purses, pockets, and desks.
One sounds like the bell you'd hear on the docks. So I usually blurt out to coworkers "you have a ship pulling into the dock, that might be an important."
Or a doorbell, that one is annoying, and yet there is never anyone at the door!
At home? We don't have those.
Today's pic btw, was taken with a FLIP PHONE.
The picture taker wondered how I even found one of those "if you pay extra they'll sell you a non I anything."

This would get their attention! [video=youtube;K0SiHLNpQoA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0SiHLNpQoA[/video]

 

[scottyrocks]

haha That's a good one!

The issue now is the sheer proliferation of cell phones. They are literally everywhere. Everyone has one. I had been using a recording of a standard real live mechanical bell ring tone. I found that so many people use that sound that when a cell phone went off I didn't know if it was mine or not, and had to physically check. So I went back to using songs that I know are mine when my phone rings.

 

[babygirl...]

lol ........I don't have a cell phone anymore for about 3 yrs now and I'm still not sure if I want one,,,