Stupid Ideas that Succeeded

Stupid Ideas that Succeeded

Stupid things often succeed in becoming commonplace, but are no less stupid for it.

The Windows Registry

The Microsoft Windows registry - an idiotic concept of grouping an incredible amount of important setup information in one place, subject to corruption and causing nightmarish software updates.

Dynamic Menus

Menus that change with usage - let's move the most used options to the top. But I've already learned where they are - not at the top. Couldn't you at least offer an option to make it not change?

Tree Menus

Menus organized in a tree instead of a single list - searching a tree is like a solving a maze. Choose the wrong branch in your search and you will not find what you are looking for. Then you have to try again and guess where you took the wrong turn. Searching a list is just scanning down the list. It may be longer, but the answer is on your path. And there are no decisions to make along the way.

How hard would it be to optionally change a tree view to a list view? Pretty simple. But I have never seen it done.

I have no problem with a single level branch in a menu such as the menu line at the top of old Windows programs, File - Edit - View - Help, for example. If you choose the wrong branch it's pretty simple to start over on a new branch. But a second branch would be hidden and often the choice is not obvious.

Icons and Emojis

Icons - congratulations to whoever invented the icon (was it the ancient Egyptians?) - you have invented a picture that is worth just ONE word. If a normal picture is worth a thousand words, the efficiency of an icon is one tenth of one percent.

Emojis - what a waste. Do emojis add anything to a conversation? Emoticons can be an add, expressing emotion or sentiment. But emojis are mostly just pictures with no associated feelings. They seem to be used to add to a word, but how does, for example, a picture of a dog added after the word dog clarify anything?

Various Hardware

Under screen fingerprint readers - THEY DON'T WORK. At least not with dry fingers on my Samsung S22.

Flying cars - not commonplace yet. Hopefully never. Noise, nasty downdrafts, litter falling out of the sky, cars falling out of the sky. And imagine the light pollution after dark.

Automobile touch screen control - you must move your hand to the correct position without touching the screen, then touch. It requires you to look at the screen not the road. And it requires you to maintain your finger position while touching. If you hit a bump and touch the wrong hotspot you have to undo what you just did and start over. I pity the left hander who needs to use a touch screen with their right hand. And imagine when the steering wheel and brake pedal have been moved onto the touch screen. That will be a worse disaster then flying cars.

Tanning beds - why do people think they look better tanned? And why would you increase your chances for skin cancer to change your skin color?

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence

The US trying to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) - so we will have hands tied while the rest of the world develops AI without restrictions. Or we can convince the western governments to join us. What about our enemies, governments and crooks - what will stop them from using advanced AI to attack us?

Space Tourism

Space tourism - a waste that must add considerable pollution to the environment. I can think of only one use for space tourism - showing "flat earthers" that the earth is a sphere. Of course, in spherical coordinates, the earth IS flat - r=constant (within a reasonable tolerance).

More

Today (as is usual) I walked the 1/2 mile loop around the apartment complex near me. My ears were assaulted by lawn mower, string trimmer, dumpster pickup - crashing dumpster and backup beeping, commercial carpet cleaner, and police siren. Thankfully, today, no motorcycles or helicopters.