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“It’s Like A Medieval Torture Device”: 30 Inconveniences That Humans Should Have Solved By Now
I am very thankful to live in a time where I know that the vast majority of my medical issues can be resolved. I also appreciate that I can easily search the internet for just about any random fun fact that I can imagine and know the answer in seconds. But to be honest, what I really want is to live in a world where my toilet cleans itself, and I never have to receive a piece of junk mail ever again.
Redditors have recently been calling out annoying inconveniences that they’re surprised humans haven’t solved yet, so we’ve gathered some of their best points below. Enjoy scrolling through and imagining what kind of utopia we would be living in if these issues were suddenly eliminated, and be sure to upvote the things that infuriate you too!
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#1
When I was a kid, there were a bunch of vacuums around from the 60s and 70s that had retractable cords. What happened? I want retractable cords on everything. You just gave it a little tug and and swallowed up the entire cord. I want one on my blender, my stand mixer, and my food processor please.
JoNo 2 months ago
This person is saying the retractable cords on vacuums should be a feature on kitchen appliances, not that vacuums no longer have them.
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Jumping Jellyfishes 2 months ago
My hand mixer has a retractable cord. One time when I pulled it out rather robustly, my kid said for minute he thought doing that was going to start it up like a chainsaw
Dorothy Reiser 2 months ago
I got an iron that has a retractable cord. They can surely do the same for other appliances.
Aussiegirl 2 months ago
Wow, really? I hate it when the iron cord gets all messed up
Load More Replies... RAM31280 2 months ago
Yes, this and car hoods that stayed up on their own without a separate stick to prop them on.
Mason Kronol 2 months ago
Omg the worst is trying to prop the hood while it’s raining or snowing, especially if it’s a vehicle you’re not familiar with. Lot lizards know what I mean.
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CrunChewy McSandybutt 2 months ago
Retractable cords are the first thing to break. Now you have a long cord and nowhere to hook it onto.
Bisha Moten 2 months ago
They also could start fires, as people pulling on them too hard would loosen the wiring connection and cause shorts that could (and would) start fires.
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David 2 months ago
They are still available on vacuums. I think the cords on most kitchen counter appliances are too short for a retractor mechanism to be practical.
Auntriarch 2 months ago
I'm guessing they would add to the weight which you wouldn't want on your stick blender
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TheBlueBitterfly 2 months ago
Retractable cords are just another part/feature that can fail. Most items I've had that had retractable cords, it eventually stopped working g long before the appliance did. I don't mind non-retractable cords, I can better see all parts and inspect for damage.
Sky Render 2 months ago
I am still amazed that this doesn't exist for USB charging cables. Being able to compress a 10-foot lead into a 2- to 3-inch reel would be very useful!
Matthew Currie 2 months ago
I actually do have a retractable USB cable. I don't know where it came from, and unfortunately it's an obsolete type now, but it always worked fine.The fine cable makes this work well, and it retracts from both ends into a little spring-loaded container in the middle. The problem with bigger power cords is of course the bulk. It seems a nice idea, but do you really want all your appliances to have the apparatus? I think it makes more sense to have cords that plug into the appliance, as computer and some other electronic cords do, an as many kitchen appliances once did. You can then choose a cord length, and replace a worn out cord if need be.
Load More Replies... Bisha Moten 2 months ago
They were removed because they had a very bad habit of starting fires. People would pull on them too hard, thinking that they needed more than just a gentle tug to get them to retract. Over time, this would weaken the electrical connections, cause short circuits, and run the risk of starting a fire. So, to offset this tendency, it was determined safer to just leave the cord always out. Less for people to yank on.
Deson 2 months ago
One problem with retractable cords is what do you do when the cord gets tangled up in the intake spool and jams?
keyboardtek 2 months ago
I would settle for a vacuum that does not require a mechanical engineering degree to change the bag.
Rick Seiden 2 months ago
Maybe I have them on the brain, but that vac looks like the head of a battle droid.
Nick Triantafyllidis 2 months ago
It was my favorite thing to do as a child after my mom vacuumed the house. There was a special button. <3
Ace 2 months ago
Err yes, these still exist, where are you looking that you can't find these any more?
Bat cat in a hat 2 months ago
Not just for cleaners, but everything with a power cord being retractable. Some very high spec ones might have it but it's not common
Load More Replies... #2
Dust accumulation. I don't need AI in everything, I need a gadget that would suck dust particles from the air before they get to settle on every surface at home.
#3
Why insurance companies are allowed to increase premiums if you use the service you pay the premium for.
#4
Tipping at restaurants (USA). Can’t employers simply pay servers a working wage?
#5
Mammograms…. There’s got to be a way to invent a mammogram machine that doesn’t squeeze your breasts in a clamp so tight that you feel you might pass out. It’s like a medieval torture device, surely with all the technology now they could find something less painful.
#6
Successfully cleaning the inside of a windshield. What's up with that science?
#8
I'd really like it if google and youtube would stop asking me if I want to sign in. Just let me look up whatever it is and leave me alone! If I wanted to be signed in, I would've done it already! All it does is annoy me when they randomly ask while I'm trying to do something.
#9
Do you want to save your password?
Yes.
Password saved.
…trying to sign in…
The information entered doesn’t match our records. Please reset password.
MADDENING!
Jill Rhodry 2 months ago
Or, **your username or log in is incorrect** - confirm email's correct so must be password, try again no luck, so reset password - **your new password cannot be the same as a previous password**
#10
Inserting a single photo into Microsoft Word without the formatting of all 300 pages getting destroyed.
#11
Side effects from medication for a condition that are the same as some symptoms of the condition.
#12
Elevators need an option to press a floor button a second time to cancel. And the open and close buttons should be color coded red and green. In the split second it takes for my brain to process the symbols it’s too late to open the door and I look like a prick.
Luke Branwen 2 months ago
I've had multiple encounters with kids who thought it's the most hilarious thing to get the elevator to the ground floor and then push buttons to ALL the floors so the elevator would stop on every floor, wasting my time and patience.
#13
Throwing away so much plastic waste. Why do they make biodegradable dog poop bags but we can’t get food grade biodegradable bags?
#14
Why do cars have carpets inside? I’d much rather have the WeatherTech type material throughout - easier to clean, doesn’t stain or hold smells.
Also no fiber transfer, if I’m feeling a little murder-y.
David 2 months ago
Honest answer (I'm pretty sure) is sound damping. The carpet blocks some of the noise that would come up through the floor pan and it absorbs sound waves in the passenger cabin in general. If you have ever driven a totally bare (painted metal only) utility van, you can really hear the difference compared to a van with a passenger cabin - carpet, cloth/foam on ceiling and so on.
#15
Why do printers so reliably not print?
𝙻𝚞𝚗𝚊 (𝚜𝚑𝚎/𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢) 2 months ago
Me: Ok I need to print this doc out. Printer: sorry, I’m out of magenta. Me: but it’s black and whi— Printer: DID I STUTTER??
#16
That pesky cancer thing. Why hasn't it been cured?
Ace 2 months ago (edited)
We've "cured" quite a few different forms of cancer, developed treatments that stop progression of many others and currently "vaccines" are in development for still more. (We, because I used to work in that area, had a tiny part to play in one of the earlier "cures" for breast cancer).
#18
**M***********g leaf blowers.**
We can land a somewhat autonomous robot on another f*****g *planet* that can f*****g *tweet* to us, and yet somehow we still deal with leaves by using a device *louder than a goddamn jet engine* that doesn't even *remove* the leaves, but simply moves them from point A to point B?????
And for some f*****g reason, these ungodly loud devices are almost exclusively used as early as humanly possible in the mornings.
Absolutely f**k leaf blowers.
#19
Strong pain meds that don't make you addicted to them or drowsy. Just like an Advil but very strong.
#20
The freaking chirping sounds that come from household smoke detectors when the batteries are low. You can NEVER figure out which one it is, you may slice open a finger trying to open the battery compartment, and it always starts chirping in the middle of the night. For the love of GOD, why isn’t there a better way!?!?!?!
#21
Having to verify ones identify 50,000 times when you are on the same call with a company trying to get customer service. I gave you my name, my address, phone number, secret password, secret code by text etc. It's damn ridiculous!
David 2 months ago
I had that happen this month. Had to give account number / other info to AI bot that answered the phone. Then to the lady the bot connected me to. Then to a second lady after the first lady ended up transferring me to a different department. I kind of get the transfer one but why do I have to give it to the bot if the bot doesn't transfer it to the rep's screen?
#22
Menopause. I know technically you can't solve it, but I can't believe the medical community hasn't figured out how to relieve symptoms at least.
Susie Elle 2 months ago
They have, there's hormone treatments available I believe, but it's a woman's issue so, y'know, they don't bother as much
#23
Eating. We figured it out for animals… I want kibble for people, designed specifically for my dietary, health, and genetic profile. No more wasting hours and hours a month shopping, planning, cooking, cleaning… it’s tiring. I love a good meal, but 80% of the time I’m just trying to fill up so I can get on with my day. I’d like a pouch on my hip that’s got my daily food and I just toss back a handful of crunchies throughout the day. .
#24
I live in Belgium and the sanitation service only hauls away paper/cardboard once a month. But literally 50% of all food packaging includes cardboard, not to mention any deliveries you get during the month 🫠 I heard someone jokingly say once that 90% of home ownership is just cardboard management, and never before have I felt something so deeply in my soul.
#25
Any random ATM knows everything about my bank account, including my balance and my PIN, but it has no idea if I prefer to speak English or Spanish.
Katie Bear 2 months ago
Or French. I did take French for ten years, but it is my second language and at 11 at night, I can barely read in ENGLISH.
#26
**WHY THE F**K ARE CHIP/SNACK BAGS SO F*****G LOUD?????**
it makes trying to have a midnight snack without waking up the entire house f*****g impossible. it's enraging.
**a special double F**K YOU to sun chips! those f*****g bags can be heard being opened from space. i don't know what they make those bags out of, but i swear to god they cause ear damage.**.
#27
The buildup that happens in lotion/soap pumps of hardened product. You go to use the product and that buildup acts as a stopper until the pressure pushes it loose and also shoots a stream of lotion/shampoo/whatever across the room.
𝙻𝚞𝚗𝚊 (𝚜𝚑𝚎/𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢) 2 months ago
Use a needle or something and clean it out regularly (I.e. once every week or two) Useful and satisfying!!
#28
When I select “open in app” and it brings me to the App Store for an app I already have downloaded.
#29
For balding guys, balding. With how many huge medical breakthroughs we've had over the decades, how we can't figure out how to grow hair on a body part that grew hair on its own for 30+ years at one point, seems wrong.
#30
TJMaxx price stickers on the glass of picture frames.
What do you think ?
Skogsrået 2 months ago
To the people that downvote others normal comments, why do you do it? Can't you stand that someone might have a different opinion than you? If the comment is not insulting, hateful or off in any way why do you downvote it? Must be fun to be around someone like you IRL, someone that can't tolerate a different opinion. 🙄
Kelly Scott 2 months ago
If I see a downvoted comment that simply looks like someone's opinion, I'll upvote it.
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Manana Man 2 months ago
This list is just 'we can do x, why can't we do y? Y being a completely unrelated thing.
Cronecast AtTheRisingMoon 2 months ago
Chip guy’s post made me laugh until I cried. I feel for the guy because it is annoying but something about Sun Chips being his nemesis slayed me
Douglas Tucker 2 months ago
Skogsraet. I am afraid that we commenters here at BP unfortunately do things that are not always considered fair, honest, decent, and/or nice. With your overall viewpoint, I will be one of the first to say, "I would welcome you as my neighbor or friend in todays weird, unkind world anytime."
Karen Bryan 2 months ago
Here's one of mine: pills on those diabolical little bubble cards. Why can't they just put them in bottles? I have to use scissors on some of them, and then the pill goes skittering across the countertop--or the floor.
Skogsrået 2 months ago
To the people that downvote others normal comments, why do you do it? Can't you stand that someone might have a different opinion than you? If the comment is not insulting, hateful or off in any way why do you downvote it? Must be fun to be around someone like you IRL, someone that can't tolerate a different opinion. 🙄
Kelly Scott 2 months ago
If I see a downvoted comment that simply looks like someone's opinion, I'll upvote it.
Load More Replies... Manana Man 2 months ago
This list is just 'we can do x, why can't we do y? Y being a completely unrelated thing.
Cronecast AtTheRisingMoon 2 months ago
Chip guy’s post made me laugh until I cried. I feel for the guy because it is annoying but something about Sun Chips being his nemesis slayed me
Douglas Tucker 2 months ago
Skogsraet. I am afraid that we commenters here at BP unfortunately do things that are not always considered fair, honest, decent, and/or nice. With your overall viewpoint, I will be one of the first to say, "I would welcome you as my neighbor or friend in todays weird, unkind world anytime."
Karen Bryan 2 months ago
Here's one of mine: pills on those diabolical little bubble cards. Why can't they just put them in bottles? I have to use scissors on some of them, and then the pill goes skittering across the countertop--or the floor.
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