1. Segway
Segway
Segway is an electrically driven and self-balancing personal transport. When it went on the market on 200 1, Dean Carmen, the inventor of Segway, had a secret in his heart: he hoped it would bring a revolution to the transportation mode all over the world. However, this vehicle, which Carmen had high hopes for, did not have a revolutionary impact as expected. Although this technology is quite trendy and avant-garde, the high gyro makes it almost impossible to have a significant impact on people's travel mode-although former US President George Bush has a soft spot for this new type of transportation-Segway's sales are far below Carmen's expectations. Today, it is just a "toy car" for supermarket security and lazy tourists. Segway's greatest contribution may be to become the first choice of transportation for Gob Bluth, an unsuccessful magician in the American TV series "Development Blocked".
2. "New Coke"
"New Coke"
Marketers should understand a truth, that is, don't provoke users' emotional attachment to a product, especially Coca-Cola with a history of 99 years. 1985 April 13 "newer and sweeter" Coca-Cola successfully passed the blind product test, but it stumbled in the real world. Hard-core fans of Coca-Cola have called or written to complain that only three months after its launch, the Coca-Cola Company has resumed the production of traditional recipes, and all coke cans and bottles have been labeled with "classic" trademarks, so that consumers can regain the feeling of "first love".
3. Klippi
Klippi
"You seem to be writing a letter. Do you need help? " There is no doubt that Clippy's fashionable "prologue" has attracted the strongest resentment from Microsoft Office users. This Office assistant tool made its debut in Microsoft Office '97 and can be used as a virtual paper clip to complete any work. The only problem is that Clippy can't keep silent. Once the word "dear" appears on the page, it will enter the letter-writing mode, ready to help organize a person's most private thoughts. The reason why Clippy can't play a leading role in word processing programs is mainly because it is obsessed with changing users' documents. In fact, it seems that users no longer use office software to write letters.
4. Agent Orange
orange agent
Orange agent is a powerful defoliant used in 196 1 to 197 1 Vietnam War. It aims to eliminate the visual obstacle-the dense forests in Vietnam, which completely exposes the Vietnamese army to the firepower of the US military. Although this strategy has been successful, it has also paid a painful price: people exposed to orange agent will have a fatal impact, causing a series of diseases such as cancer and birth defects. During the entire Vietnam War, American planes sprayed about 2,654,380+million gallons of agent orange into the jungles of Vietnam, causing hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese injuries. American veterans also suffer from it, and many diseases are related to exposure to agent orange. Therefore, they took the agent orange manufacturer to court, and finally reached a settlement with them with 1984, and obtained compensation of1800,000 US dollars.
5. Pop-up ads
Popup advertisement
There are various forms of advertisements, such as banner advertisements, flashing banners and music advertisements. Since the introduction of pop-up advertisements in web browsers in the early 20th century, people have nowhere to hide, and websites will undoubtedly benefit from this move. Angry Facebook users have formed hundreds of groups to oppose pop-up advertisements. Although they finally developed a pop-up advertisement blocker, you never know when you will click on a link with a pop-up advertisement.
6. Subprime loan
subprime
Sub-prime mortgage refers to the mortgage loans issued by banks to customers with bad credit records, which is considered to be the chief culprit of the decline of the American economy. Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for such customers to borrow money from banks. When the interest rate dropped in 2004 and the real estate market flourished, banks began to issue mortgage loans to customers with bad credit records. To make matters worse, many people have obtained subprime mortgages with floating interest rates, which makes banks more and more risky. As a result, due to the inability of indebted borrowers to repay on time, the bad debts of banks surged, which eventually triggered the financial crisis.
7. Skirt lining
Skirt lining
The lining of the skirt must be worn with the bra, which makes people pursue fashion in the most uncomfortable way. The skirt lining is a relic of Victorian England, and occasionally it is 6 feet (about 1.83 meters) wide, which makes simple daily life (such as entering the house) quite challenging. In contrast, high heels look much more practical.
8. Nintendo virtual boy
Nintendo virtual boy
The virtual boy game console may be the shortest-lived system in Nintendo's history. It was only sold in the market for six months before 1995 stopped production. This system includes a heavy bright red hood, which completely blocks the line of sight when players try to play games with 3D images. In addition, the price of the virtual boy game console is high (retail price is 180 USD), but the types of games are limited (only 14 games are listed in the United States). Nintendo is determined to focus on the more successful and traditional Nintendo 64 system and stop producing virtual boys.
9.Farmville game
Farmville game
FarmVille game developed and operated by Zynga is one of the most popular games on social networking site Facebook. However, FarmVille is not so much a game as a mindless housework in a virtual farm, which requires players to keep clicking the mouse to plant and harvest crops. According to Zynga's data, more than 65,438+00% of Americans are loyal players of FarmVille games. How much productivity can these wasted time be converted into? This question is really difficult to answer.
10. Hydrogenated oil
hydrogenated oil
Trans fats can be called the disaster of human health in 2 1 century, but their invention still has its practical use. At the end of 19, hydrogen was added to oils and fats such as vegetable oil to increase the shelf life of food. However, modern research has found that the combination of hydrogen and oil will have a series of unexpected consequences on human health, which will promote the increase of harmful cholesterol and increase the probability of heart disease. Later, manufacturers such as McDonald's removed trans fats from food. In 2006, the United States required American food processing enterprises to clearly indicate the content of trans fats on the packaging of their products.
1 1. honey health care liquid
Honey health care liquid
Honegar 1959 was invented by Dr. DeForest C. Jarvis, which really matches its English name: a mixture of apple vinegar and honey. Jarvis got the inspiration to develop Honegar from the drinking habits of local farmers in Vermont. He thinks farmers in Vermont are healthier. This product is not popular in the market because of its bad taste, but the science behind it may sound reasonable: both honey and apple vinegar contain a lot of important antioxidants, which can treat many diseases, including arthritis.
12. hydrogen fuel airship
Hydrogen-fueled airship
During the design of Hindenburg airship 193 1, the manufacturer chose hydrogen instead of helium as fuel, which laid a hidden danger for the disastrous outcome of Hindenburg. Compared with helium, hydrogen is cheaper and easier to obtain, but it is highly flammable. Finally, this fear came true: 1937, the airship "Hindenburg" caught fire and crashed 36 seconds later. The accident also declared the end of the era of hydrogen-fueled airships. Most modern airships, such as the famous Goodyear airship, use helium, which is not volatile, as fuel.
13. Painting
If there is any other choice, we will never can cheese, pork and sardines just to keep them fresh. What comes out of cans always makes people feel uncomfortable. The food is still like this, not to mention the "hair" that comes out of the jar. It's only self-deception to cover the bald area with spray paint, and the effect is not much better. In fact, other ways can also improve your image, there is no need to focus only on hair. There is a saying, grow old in elegance. How to talk about elegance with a head full of paint can only become a laughing stock.
14. DDT
DDT
DDT (English abbreviation for dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethylene) was once known as a "panacea" against insect-borne diseases such as malaria. /kloc-0 came out in 873 and was not widely used until 1939. At that time, during World War II, Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller discovered that DDT could be used as an effective pesticide. With this discovery, he also won the Nobel Prize. After the war, the use of this pesticide showed an explosive growth trend. From 1942 to 1972, Americans used about13.5 billion pounds of DDT.
While spraying millions of pounds of DDT every year, people do not consider the possible impact of this pesticide on the environment. From 65438 to 0962, Rachel Carson's environmental masterpiece Silent Spring came out, which had a far-reaching impact. In the book, Carson first appeals to people to pay attention to the "evil" side of DDT, that is, it damages human reproduction and nervous system, accumulates in the food chain of wildlife and poisons birds. Since then, the use of DDT in the United States has plummeted, and this pesticide was completely banned in 1972.
15. Automatic tuning software
Automatic tuning software
This technology can make the voice of poor singers beautiful and moving, while the voice of poor singers can only sound like robots. Auto-tuning software makes singers such as kanye omari west and Cher mistakenly think that they are also experts in interpreting deep vocals. What else can we say about this? Can only say: "Thank you very much, great computer."
16. Red Pigment 2
Red pigment 2
Red pigment 2 is one of the most popular food pigments in 1970s. This food pigment quickly disappeared from the market after 1976 scientists in the former Soviet Union claimed that the test results showed that this substance was related to cancer. Has people's panic subsided? Maybe, because no one has cancer because of red pigment 2. But due to public panic, red M & amp； M's chocolate disappeared in the market 10 years. Faced with such a huge impact, we naturally have to "please" Red Pigment No.2 on the list.
17. Ford Pinto
Ford pinto
197 1 Ford Pinto is one of the worst cars in history, and it will explode if it rear-ends. Knowing this problem, Ford claimed in his notorious memo that it was much more cost-effective to compensate the victims than to repair Pinto. This impersonal remark made the victim feel insulted and hurt. It can be said that "Pinto Gate" is a stain that Ford will never wash away.
18. Parachute jacket
Needless to say, you can also guess what kind of scene people who use this product will eventually usher in. 19 12 years, the German inventor Franz Letschert invented the parachute jacket. In order to attract people's attention, Letschert put on his jacket and gave a demonstration, which led to tragedy. At that time, he jumped off the Eiffel Tower and died because his parachute didn't open.
19.Betamax video recorder
Betamax video recorder
Betamax video recorder is not a very bad product. Sony's failed marketing strategy is the most important lesson we should learn. 1975, Sony tried to make Betamax into a proprietary format in order to attract manufacturers to "join", but at this time they were not fully prepared. In the video format war with VHS (Video Home System) video recorder, Betamax finally lost. Betamax can record video for up to one hour, and VHS can record video for two hours. An hour's advantage is enough for VHS to gain a foothold in the market that it has never given up. In contrast, competitor Betamax is insignificant.
20. crib
Baby cage
In 1930s, some Londoners "invited" their babies into the crib because their living space was too small. The so-called baby cage is a cage made of iron wire, which was patented in the United States 1922. While they cruelly locked the baby in a cage, they didn't think about what danger the world outside the window would bring to the child. Especially in a big city like London. Perhaps because it is convenient, many people ignore children's needs and feelings.
2 1. sunbed
Sunbed
As we all know, exposure to ultraviolet rays, whether sunlight or artificial ultraviolet rays, will have a negative impact on the body. In fact, about 90% of skin cancers are directly caused by ultraviolet radiation. Tanning bed is also an important factor to induce skin cancer. In the 1970s, tanning beds appeared in the American market, and were quickly sought after by consumers, especially teenagers, although the dangers of using this equipment were widely reported and publicized. A study conducted in April of 20 10 found for the first time that using tanning beds indoors is particularly easy to make people dependent, and its addiction is the same as taking drugs or drinking alcohol.
22. Kaluochi hole shoes
Kaloc cave shoes
No matter how many people are in pursuit, these casual shoes can't get rid of the "ugly" hat. Karochi hole shoes landed on the market in 2002, mainly rubber shoes, but also introduced high heels and lazy shoes. Kaloch announced on April 26th that the company will also launch ballet flats. Its CEO said: "If we can introduce more fashionable styles, we can attract more consumers to buy them." It seems that Carol is determined to carry this rotten shoe to the end.
23. Grass skirt chair
Is this amusement park equipment or fitness equipment? From the name, we can't guess that the hula-hoop chair aims to provide users with the same fitness experience as playing hula-hoop and play the role of exercising abdominal muscles. It is recognized by many people that hula hoop can really play a role in fitness, but simply sitting on a hula hoop chair obviously can't achieve this. It's really a good idea to exercise your abdominal muscles while sorting out files, but it's obviously a bad idea to let your lower body turn around on the cushion. This way is ridiculous, incomprehensible and unacceptable. What is even more unacceptable is that such a chair actually sold for more than 250 dollars.
24. Social networking site "Sifang"
Social networking site Sifang
When Facebook and Twitter can't meet your needs, you still have to "play around", which is the next generation social network. You don't have to say where you are, you can tell others where you are with the GPS in your mobile phone. This is another tool to turn you into a narcissistic generation, where you can get Starbucks coupons. Although coupons are only an incentive, "playing around the world" is only set up for a generation living in the virtual world. This social network was launched in 2009. At present, there are only 65,438+0,000 users, only nine Niu Yi hairs compared with Facebook, but it is expected to reach 500 million in the near future. But like most social networks, users are growing and there will be brain drain.
25.CueCat barcode scanner
CueCat barcode scanner
CueCat, a bar code scanner, was launched during the Internet boom in the late 1990s, and it is also a famous failure case. Manufacturers have produced millions of cat-like CueCat and distributed them all over the United States for free, hoping that people can use them to scan special bar codes to visit websites. Although the release ceremony was very grand, Wired magazine and Businessweek also reported the code of CueCat, but users didn't buy it. They can't accept the "trendy" concept of reading magazines by the cat scanner. The final use of CueCat is only a high-tech paper town.
26. Mobile phone finger sleeve
Mobile phone finger sleeve
When playing iPhone, many people are really worried about leaving fingerprints on the display. Finally, an Austrian company found a solution to this problem: covering each finger with a mobile phone finger cover made of latex. Since the price of mobile phone finger covers is 10 euros, the company believes that there must be many consumers walking in the street wearing pink, white, blue or black finger covers. However, a problem that buyers encounter is that it is not easy to put on or take off the finger covers. To solve this problem, the company made a size chart to help consumers determine their "finger size". When you put this chart on your finger, you can know what size finger sleeve you need to choose.
27. Chlorofluorocarbons
chloro-fluorocarbon
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) is the abbreviation of chlorofluorocarbons. This chemical will cause great damage to the environment. Chlorofluorocarbons can be used in refrigeration equipment and spray cans. When they combine with ozone in the atmosphere, they will neutralize molecular compounds, make the ozone layer thinner and even appear holes. The ozone layer is an important environmental protection barrier to protect the earth's surface from the sun's ultraviolet rays. People began to strengthen the management of this chemical in the 1970s. Chlorofluorocarbons entering the atmosphere can stay there for nearly a century, causing long-term damage to the environment.
28. Plastic food bags
Plastic food bag
In the late 1970s, as a substitute for paper bags, plastic bags were convenient and cheap, and were quickly recognized by people. Now, 80% of retailers use plastic bags. Although they have saved millions of trees, the harmful effects of plastic bags are no less than their benefits: more than 500 million used plastic bags are discarded every year, and millions of plastic bags are not buried, become garbage and fly around. Depending on the type of plastic used in the production process, these bags may take hundreds of years to decompose. Recycling is one way to solve this problem, but a better way is to use reusable bags instead of paper and plastic bags.
29. Loose hair comb
If you feel that your hair is not fashionable enough and fluffy enough, a fluffy comb can help you solve this problem. However, this kind of comb is not so good, even very lame.
30. Electronic mask
If you want to look like a serial killer and look young, you can try an electronic mask. However, this seemingly terrible thing only appears in the advertisement of 1999.
3 1. Sony anti-copy CD
Sony anti-copy CD
Before iTunes appeared, companies tried various methods to prevent people from illegally copying music. One of the stupidest methods is Sony. In 2002, the company adopted anti-copy CD software to prevent listeners from copying on computers. But the problem with this method is that you can crack the software by drawing a circle around the CD with a marker.
32. Venetian blinds sunglasses
Venetian blinds sunglasses
Kanye west, a famous black "king of hip hop", wears a very strange pair of glasses when singing and performing. It's his fault that these glasses can catch fire again. Sunglasses in venetian blinds were a popular trend in 1980s, but these strange-looking glasses were gradually forgotten by people. But in 2007, when West sang Stronger with these glasses, it became popular again and was very popular with young people.
33. Pet Spa
This is a washing machine and a dryer. This is for pets. In 2004, CBS made a comprehensive report on this. After using the pet Spa, you can bathe your pet cats and dogs without hands. Fortunately, however, most people still bathe their pets in the traditional way.
34. Pontiac Aztec sedan
Pontiac Aztec sedan
It is not a car, it is an aesthetic work. 200 1 When this car entered the market, the slogan was "It may be the most versatile car on earth". However, people have another evaluation of it: the Aztec may be the ugliest car on earth. Pontiac didn't stop producing this kind of car until 2005.
35. Dog "blanket with sleeves"
Dog "blanket with sleeves"
Sometimes we can understand why there are "blankets with sleeves". Maybe you want to reach far away without freezing your arm, or get back a bottle of soda. However, it is hard to understand why there is such a dog as "blanket with sleeves". Despite the hype in the advertisement, dogs don't need blankets with sleeves.
36.Mizar flying car
Mizar flying car
Flying cars are not purely the product of science fiction. As early as the 1940s, inventors wanted to fly from California to Ohio by flying car, although the flying car model never took off due to cost problems and technical limitations. However, in 1973, an inventor named Henry smolin Cox tried to tie the wings and tails of Cessna plane to Ford Pinto. During a test flight in California, Pinto fell and fell vertically to the ground, killing smolin Cox and his passengers. But it left material for later films.
37. asbestos
asbestos
At first glance, asbestos seems to be a good friend of construction workers. It is a multifunctional mineral fiber with good water absorption and heat resistance. However, when local bricks or roof slabs need to be repaired or replaced, asbestos becomes a headache. When a building is rebuilt or demolished, these equally strong fibers may make the building dangerous. Inhalation of this toxic particle will lead to asbestosis, causing chest pain, shortness of breath, nail deformation, finger deformities and other complications. In view of these reasons, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a law in July 1989 to prohibit the use of most products containing asbestos. However, two years later, the Fifth Circuit Court of Federal Appeals in New Orleans cancelled the resolution and restricted only several asbestos products: carpets, roll paper boards, corrugated paper, and commercial or professional paper. When a substance becomes the object of attention of the US Federal Administration of Toxicology and Disease Registration, it is a wrong start.
38. Sucrose polyester
Sucrose polyester
Speaking of nutrition, what can be more attractive than zero calories, zero cholesterol and zero fat? 1996 65438+ 10, the US Food and Drug Administration approved sucrose polyester as a food additive. Stop all unhealthy cooking oil. Throw away the butter bag and butter stick. Frito-Lay also became one of the earliest companies to use sucrose polyester, and launched its WOW at 1998! French fries. However, sucrose polyester proved to be a greedy chemical. It can not only remove excess fat from food, but also interfere with the body's ability to absorb basic vitamins. Side effects include cramps, flatulence and diarrhea, which makes French fat-free French fries a commercial craze. Today, the US Food and Drug Administration still regards sucrose polyester as a food additive and publicizes its health meaning to consumers.
39. Easy to wipe
It is not surprising that the late Billy Mays, a famous American TV advertising salesman, never hosted such a shopping guide program. In the changing history of household products, the position of toilet paper has been relatively "stable". Seth Wheeler is famous for the first appearance of toilet paper rolls in the late19th century. But the inventor of "convenient wipe" expressed dissatisfaction with the unbeaten toilet paper for a hundred years. Telebrands, a TV shopping giant, promoted this kind of convenient tissue that makes people who hate taking toilet paper smile, and even shocked the Ministry of Health. The toilet paper will be automatically adsorbed on the long arm of 18 inch for easy wiping, and the rest steps are controlled by the button at the end of the convenient wiping handle. Obviously, its advertising slogan "not embarrassed" is more suitable for Telebrands than consumers, because the company gave up this product before the convenience store went public in June 2009.
40.fake ponytail
False ponytail
In fact, the 40th worst invention should be all wigs, not just fake ponytails. It's just that this product was particularly bad, so I took it out. No matter how much you spend on a fake ponytail, it is still fake and will never be true. Although some fake ponytails are made by real people, this thing doesn't really belong to you. It is acceptable for women to wear fake ponytails. If the owner is a man, it is estimated that many people will not accept it.
4 1. Head to head
Head to head
HeadOn is like a colorless lipstick for the forehead, claiming that it can relieve headaches without taking medicine. In fact, it should be said that its advertising is more successful than the product itself. "excellent enterprise bureau" said: "HeadOn did not provide any reliable tests to support this statement." Although HeadOn claims that its products have the advantages of homeopathy, many doctors believe that HeadOn has no scientific basis for treating headaches. We also believe that face-to-face advertising is more likely to cause headaches than treatment, because there are the most annoying sounds in advertisements.
42. Pay toilets
Pay toilet
Time is money. But should this maxim really be used in the toilet? In the mid-1970s, more and more Americans realized the charging problem of public toilets. With the help of the American Committee to Stop Paying Toilets, several big cities, led by Chicago, realized their wishes. New york's approach is just the opposite. It was not until June 5438+ 10, 2008 that the first pay toilet in new york was opened to the public in Madison Square Park. For 25 cents, people can get 15 minutes of private time, which is equivalent to parking time. However, what is really special is that the time limit of 15 minutes has come. There is no need for security guards to collect tickets, and the pay toilet will automatically open the toilet door and expose its guests. Airlines have become buyers of this kind of toilet, and they reset the business class toilet 15 minutes at a time.
43. electronic chicken
Electronic chicken
When children ask their parents for their first pet, they are always asked, "Will you feed your pet and keep it clean?" With the emergence of toys of all generations, in the late 1990s, a toy in a pocket finally made it easy for children to solve these basic problems. The electronic chicken can be fed, changed and entertained by different combinations of buttons A, B and C. However, like a pet with a real pulse, this egg-shaped device needs constant care. If you don't take care of it carefully, it will die in less than a day. Because parents pay attention to cultivating their children's time management ability, electronic chicken often becomes the best fuse of war.
44. leaded gasoline
leaded petrol
Driving to the local gas station, there are some common things every time you refuel. "Lead-free" marks a new hot spot. For 60 years, in order to make money, gasoline companies ignored the risks associated with this metal. Tetraethyl lead increased the content of octane in gasoline, but from the beginning, people began to pay attention to the safety of this decision. It is reported that 35 men of Mobil Oil Company in New Jersey suffer from an "occupational disease". Symptoms range from insomnia to low blood pressure, which are all symptoms of lead poisoning. 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completely banned the use of leaded gasoline, which finally ended the sustainable and healthy price of pursuing continuous sales.
45. Vibrating abdominal belt
Modern people's work is full of computer login and traffic congestion, which makes people form a sedentary lifestyle. However, for those who want to have a good figure immediately, they have a better choice than a mild defibrillator. Although its cost may not be as high as the membership fee of the general gym, the vibrating abdominal belt will make the muscles contract by transferring appropriate charges to the core area. However, if the purpose of fitness is to make the heart healthy, why harm the heart health? Pain is just a weakness that leaves the body, but vibrating abdominal belt is money that leaves the pocket.
46. Spam
junk e-mail
Anything free has a corresponding price, and one of the biggest problems related to e-mail is spam. Some redundant information was sent to thousands of email addresses in a messy folder. Mailboxes that are not smart enough to read warning signs may accept these spam messages. Without proper protection procedures, spam may seriously affect the life of ordinary computers.
47. Smell movies
Odor film
Forget 3D. What the audience needs is to watch movies through the sense of smell. That's what michael todd Jr. thinks. 1960, he invested in this olfactory film device, which is a complex system that can make the film reel produce the smell of bottled perfume and transmit it to the audience with the movie plot. The only movie that uses the sense of smell is the mysterious taste of 1960. This film is specially made for this equipment. It is not difficult to imagine that this kind of membrane has been criticized constantly, and the olfactory membrane has never been used.
48. Smile scanning
Smiling face scanning
In 2009, employees of Keihin Express Rail Company in Japan scanned smiling faces every morning, analyzed their facial expressions with a "smile scanning" software, and scored them from 0 to 100. If this is not stupid enough, they must also carry their own "ideal smiling face" picture with them to remind themselves to stay in good condition all day.
Microsoft Bob
Microsoft Bob
Think about an operating system designed around Clippy, and you will know the ending of Microsoft Bob. As an easy interface for Windows 95 users, Microsoft Bob imagined the user's computer as his home, but the user became a guest. Microsoft Bob is committed to helping others and even provides cartoon partners to guide users to complete simple tasks. The problem is that this software is overpriced and lacks bright spots, which fails to gain the upper hand in the competition with Apple Macintosh, which is regarded as the interface-friendly standard. Although Microsoft Bob has long since withdrawn from the market, it has left a lingering shadow on the Internet: comic Sans, perhaps the worst font in history, was specially developed for Microsoft Bob.
50.Vio drinks
Vio beverage
Coca-Cola Company claims that Vio is the first "energy drink" in the world, which is really unreliable in view of the fact that Vio is a carbonated milk drink. In 2009, Coca-Cola Company introduced Vio beverage, which was tested in cities including new york. Surprisingly, this drink has not been widely welcomed by users. Coca-Cola Company is still producing Vio drinks, but the quantity is quite limited.