Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Things They Thought They 'Invented' But Actually Already Existed

People Share The Things They Thought They 'Invented' But Actually Already Existed
Make us preferred on Google

You ever have a stroke of genius where you think "Wow, how am I not a successful inventor?"

Followed shortly thereafter by the realization, "I am not a genius, I just invented pleather."


Sometimes our brains miss the very last step of logic that reminds us this thing we thought we invented already exists. In those brief, shining moments where we believe ourselves to be geniuses, we see a world of possibilities ahead of us.

Immediately after, we see a world where everybody has already thought of everything.

u/jacklandors92 asked:

What have you accidentally "invented" in your mind before you realized it already exists in the world in some form?

Here were some of those answers.


A Shield By Any Other Name

Giphy

I was thinking about ways to defend yourself from attack. Started out with a shield and thought "what if we go bigger?"

Tower shield?

Let's go bigger.

Shield that protects 180 degrees of your body.

Let's go bigger.

Shield that protects a full 360 degrees.

That's cumbersome.

What if we could fit it to your body?

Armour. That's armour. Nevermind.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Flipbook

If you put pictures along a subway wall at the right distance from each other, and the train is moving at a constant speed, it will look like a movie to passengers in the train. Held on to this "invention" until I saw one of these in the train from Heathrow to central London once, there are probably others elsewhere.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

A Fan To Nowhere

Got into a drunken conversation with my cousin and we "invented" a toilet that had a built in exhaust fan that would suck your stink air out instead of having a normal fan in the ceiling.

We went on and on about the proper implementation of it for like 20 minutes before thinking to google it.

They exist, and they're expensive. :(

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Protected Foot

I decided that leggings would be better if they had socks attached and got really excited about my invention idea for a solid minute until I realized I had just "invented" tights.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Nah, i've had this discussion before with my skiier buddies. They should make long johns with built in ski socks.

My buddy said "like tights", and i was like nah, you want it to be the different materials for both, but attached so you don't have to have the uncomfortable in-boot overlap of sock and longjohn cuffs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Wiretapped

"LiveWire" orange Mountain Dew. My friend and I decided to mix Crush with Mountain Dew once and found it was delicious. Then a few weeks later we saw it at a gas station and thought the CIA was listening to our phone lines (pre cell phones, for our area at least)

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Or A Bed With Wheels

Giphy

After a long day pushing my son around Disney World in his stroller I was day dreaming about how nice it would be for there to be adult sized strollers that we could use to get off our feet when we are tired.

And that's the day I invented the wheel chair.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

This Magic Mixture

The color green. I was coloring a picture at home (I think it was a football player), first with yellow, then I accidentally drew with blue over it and the result was turqoise-greenish. Somewhere over the next few days in school, we had to do presentations and we were trying to decide for a color for the header. I was like "How about this?", showed it on my paper and everyone was like "Noo, green is boring... let's go with something else", which was when I realized oooh, yeah, that's green oops.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Where The Foods Are

Friends liked to go to bars and hang out a lot. I don't drink, but I do get hungry and most bar food is only okay at best. I wish they served better food for me to eat. I also hate having to yell to hold a conversation, so I wish they turned the music down and it was generally quieter and we could hear each other at a normal volume. So there should be, like, a bar but that serves a wider variety of better food and that has quiet music so you can hear each other talk. Great idea! -- wait, that's just a restaurant, self. You want to hang out in restaurants.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

The Cinema

Giphy

I was watching Black Mirror, and I was thinking how the seasons only have like 3-4 episodes, then I thought "well it's ok since the episodes are long." Then I got thinking "what if they made a season with one episode and the one episode is really long." Then I realized that those are just movies

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

Times Tables

When we were memorizing the times tables in elementary school, I couldn't get the nines, for whatever reason. So I'm studying this trying to figure out how to remember it, when I stumbled on a pattern. If you're multiplying the number by 9, you could multiply it by 10 instead, and just subtract the original number. I thought I was so brilliant, like I'm going to be some math prodigy or something.

Yeah no, it turns out that's just how all multiplication works. Looking back though, it's pretty dumb that we make kids rote memorize these dumb tables, instead of helping them understand the core idea in the first place.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cwo4ut...

More from People

Meghan McCain
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Meghan McCain Speaks Out After Video Of Her Sparks Cruel Comments From Body-Shaming Trolls

When it comes to sensitive subjects, some people make derogatory comments instead of having a hard conversation, either to pivot the focus or to try to feel superior.

In a podcast episode from just over a week ago, "Mamdani's Talent Knows No Limitations," Meghan McCain openly praised New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and said plainly that Republicans "would be in trouble" and "should be scared" if the possibility were to ever arise for him to be able to run for President.

Keep Reading Show less
Redditor jpdiv's photo on the 'Mildly Infuriating' subReddit
u/jpdiv/Reddit

Restaurant Patron Stunned After Waiter Leaves Note Urging Them To See Doctor After Noticing Worrisome Mole

Giving unsolicited advice is generally frowned upon and considered inappropriate, but when it comes to medical concerns, sometimes it's better to offer the advice just in case it could help someone.

In the "Mildly Interesting" subReddit, Redditor jpdiv shared an experience where they were visiting a restaurant, and before they left the venue at the end of their meal, a waiter gave them a note from a fellow restaurant patron.

Keep Reading Show less
Man in restroom
Panuwat Dangsungnoen/Getty Images

Photo Of Guy Standing Right Outside Restroom Stall The Entire Time Someone Was Using It Sparks Debate About Bathroom Etiquette

Unfortunately, public restroom experiences can be very hit or miss, particularly when it comes to cleanliness, availability of toilet paper, and long lines.

Even more unfortunately, some people do not respect basic bathroom etiquette, like giving people space.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @scottiferr's TikTok
@scottiferr/TikTok

Steak 'N Shake Sparks Debate After Soda Machine Requires Scanning QR Code To Dispense Drinks

When it comes to drinks at fast food restaurants, where the drink machines are often self-serve, customers have done some pretty shady things.

From ordering a cup of water, only to fill it with soda instead, to bringing a water bottle or something similar and filling it at the machine, it seems some customers will stop at nothing to acquire a free drink.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from @wife_mama02's TikTok video
@wife_mama02/TikTok

Viral TikTok Of Farmers Market Worker Allegedly Trying To Pass Off Produce From Grocery Store As Her Own Has Us Questioning Everything

Groceries are already expensive enough, and depending on where a person lives, they cannot guarantee the quality of the groceries that they're purchasing and eating. With many recalls going into effect right now, these concerns are especially important for produce.

TikToker Autumn of @wife_mama02 was alarmed when she went to the farmers market, only to catch an employee refilling a basket of blueberries for customers to purchase. The problem was that the employee was emptying out containers of what appeared to be store-bought blueberries into the bin.

Keep Reading Show less