What invention would you "disinvent?"

Which everyday modern invention would you most wish had never been created?

For many people it would be the parking meter.

For some it would be the mobile phone.

A strong contender must be the idea of controlling televisions and related equipment via a remote control instead of a panel on the front - especially if you have children who keep wandering off with the remote and forgetting where they've put it.

My personal bete noir is the system which automatically cancels car indicators when the steering wheel passes the centre in the other direction. I regularly have to make driving manouvres - including putting the car into the drive of my own house - where the shape of the road causes this feature to turn off the indicators as I am about to turn. This can force the driver to choose between taking some of his or her attention off a complex turning movement to switch the indicator back on, or sending unclear signals to other motorists.

Anyone else reading have a commonplace feature of modern life which you would love to "disinvent?"

Comments

Sackerson said…
Fractional reserve banking.
12:51 pm
Tim said…
The internal combustion engine.
8:27 am
Steve said…
In the campaigning spirit we find ourselves, it has to be those brushes inside letterboxes. It makes putting leaflets through a nightmare, and often requires a hand to be pushed through, exposing the poor activist to the threat of Dog attack on the other side.
11:36 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
Some quite good points there !
11:49 pm
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