Time ranks Virtual Boy, Farmville among top 50 worst inventions

by Griffin McElroy on May 30th 2010 3:30PM

We rarely, if ever, write rebuttals to stories posted on the esteemed, list-friendly publication known as Time, but we've got more than a few bones to pick with its recently posted "50 Worst Inventions" list. Around every turn, the list seems to get it wrong. For instance: FarmVille? There are 70 million people who'd disagree with that one. And Virtual Boy? The world's first fully-3D game console/amateur LASIK surgery machine? That's about as progressive and brilliant as inventions get.

Check out the full list of so-called failed products on Time's site, and see if you share our feelings. Like, auto-tuning, guys? Really? One of the worst inventions ever? And Olestra? The ultimate nutritional cooking supplement? Did they read this list before they published it?

[Via Kotaku]

Source

Tags: farmville, inventions, list, tamagochi, time, virtual-boy, worst-inventions

Reader Comments (137)

So many lives... irrevocably lost...

You can get one of your friends to feed your animals so that way they don't die. ;)

Nintendo has learned from it's mistakes and will never try 3D based gaming agai-

Oh… Wait.

Sure, if you consider full-color 3D that requires no special glasses or situations to see it the same as monochrome displays which only worked for one person, required you to have complete darkness (your face is enclosed) and was barely portable the same thing.

Half the people complaining about the Virtual Boy never played one. Sure, it had it's drawbacks, and it's limitations (the cartridge sizes were pitiful, making most games short. And full color would have upped the price about three times) but it was still a nice gadget from a technical point of view.

Everyone complained about "headaches", I never suffered one ever, and I played it for hours at a time. No one else I knew who had one had headaches, either.

Not saying no one did, but I think it's overstated.

Sure, it wasn't the best system ever, but don't equate it to what Nintendo is doing now. That would be like equating the Sega CD failing, so Sega should never do a CD based system ever again.

Yeah... Uh, I was making a joke.

in the internet nothing's a joke and everything's personal :P

How did you get in the internet?

help! i'm trapped in the internet!!!!

If they cut the list down to the top 1, auto tuning would still make it.

FarmVille would like to have a word with you.

Robot voice, robot voice, all the kids love the robot voice.

I'm pretty sure FarmVille and auto-tune should share the number 1 spot in a tie.

Or the article could just be "The 2 Worst Inventions of All Time" and still be completely relevant.

As much as everyone hates on farmville as the "worst" invention of all time, the inventor would have to think otherwise as it probably is generating a lot of commission for them. It's like when Homer scoffed at Lisa for building a perpetual motion machine...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy0UBpagsu8

There's potential beyond what is actually there.

Oh shit, wtf? Does anyone know why the simpsons is broadcasted as a mirror image in Germany?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrcu8S30sxo&feature=related

it's sooo weird!!

Overusing autotune actually rules, sorry.

I think this is what you call a "puff piece". It's meant to stir magazine sales and not thought provocation.

But Nintendo's own distancing from the VB does give merit that the system wasn't a good strategy.

And yes...Olestra = anal leakage. FAIL!

that only happens in some people, i did a report on Olestra for an Organic chem class and a biology course.

Either way, it isn't nearly as bad as it is made out to be.

to say it negates the bodies ability to absorb nutrients is a little absurd, if you know how much nutrients it can absorb, it is very easy for companies to enrich their products with the appropriate amount of nutrients to make up for the loss (which is what some of them started doing i think).

@Brian "It only happens to some people" doesn't make me feel better when were talking about anal leakage.

lol, good point i suppose.

The FDA rescinded that report basically saying they used poor methods and that Olestra does not cause anal leakage. However, the PR damage was irreversible, as evidenced that Time and you guys still think its true.

haha...this brought back memories.

http://www.zug.com/pranks/olestra/

Don't feel like reading the source link but maybe their reason for naming farmville was because it kills productivity at work? I mean I don't like it and have blocked it on facebook but I do notice that it was a good thing for millions of people

Then where's WoW, where's minesweeper, WHERES SOLITAIRE

Where's tetris? Do you have any idea how many TPS reports haven't gotten done by that game?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X3P0ynwT_A

You can play WoW at work?

Not WoW, but I play DFO at work sometimes if it is slow...

Sheer fluff. They list Agent Orange just down from New Coke, yet omit the worst invention of all - the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.

Virtual Boy should not be on this "list". It was a progressive attempt at advancing technology.

Worthless list.

Wait, hold the hell up, they ranked Agent Orange LOWER than New Coke? Absolute !@#$% stupid !@#$% writing that list. Absolutely worthless. I bet the person who wrote it isn't older than 30.

Somebody lacks reading comprehension:

"here is TIME's list (in no particular order)"

uhhhh, yeah...somebody sure does. "F

"It was a progressive attempt at advancing technology."

Road to hell, good intentions, etc.

What about the 16th Amendment? That's probably a bit more inclusive than just the Federal Reserve Act.

I'm a musician. And I have to agree and disagree with the auto-tuning. It's brilliant when people like Daft Punk started misusing it. 90% of what you hear on the radio has auto-tuning in it. (And I'm not talking about T-Pain, since he mixes auto-tuning with vocoders) Anyways, when using an auto-tuner for what it's meant for, In my personal opinion, you take away some of the soul and character of a singers voice. Yes, it works very very well, but music is more then just singing right to me. It's about soul, emotions and all that.

Also as a musician, I fully agree.

Nailed it.

I'm not really a musician, and I don't know about the use of auto-tune outside of voice, but as far as taking the soul out of singing I agree 100%.

'course, for some people, like T-Pain (and I know you weren't talking about him, but okay, let's say Cher or something), Autotune IS their soul.

Auto-tune, like any creative tool, can be used in cool ways and can be used in horrific ways. I don't think it has much to do with "soul". An artist either has it or doesn't, an external factor (like auto-tune) won't change that, imo.

I'm fine with auto-tuning when it's not trying to hide anything. Like, the way T-pain or someone uses it... they're not trying to pretend they have singing ability, they're just trying to make something that sounds good (and whether it does or not is, of course, up to the listener).

(Presumably, T-Pain likes his music)

I wouldn't have expected such a flippant list from Time.

I agree that the inclusion of Autotune (for example) is ridiculous - What Autotune (and its successors, such as Melodyne) represents is greater power to manipulate audio digitally, offered by technological improvement. That people in the pop industry can use it to smooth out a shitty vocal take in no way diminishes its value or ability to be used in more creative ways. The advancement continues with Melodyne, for instance, now being able to independently modify multiple parts within an audio signal. It won't be long before we have methods for complete separation of instruments into tracks from a single audio source.

@edweird - Check out Elevayta Extraboy, or Waves' new technology.

I haven't checked out waves' new tech (what is it anyway? I quick perusal of their site wasn't helpful) but my admittedly limited experience with Extraboy was that, while its a useful tool for cleaning up a signal, you still generally can't dissect audio into usable separated tracks, especially when there is any overlap between elements. With the sort of progress being made though, I doubt we're far off. Just look at what adobe are doing with visuals in CS5.

Virtual Boy.. the one and only time I rented a console from Blockbuster.

virtual boy was awesome

You're going to be downvoted to oblivion.

I upvoted him because I'm a rebel!

I guess I'm talking in 3rd person today.

@Big Daddy

Second person, to be precise

Upvoted because I'm not some damn CONFORMIST who sticks to standard.

I'm with you until it stops being taboo!

aww so cute. It's sheep that think they're not sheep.

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Time ranks Virtual Boy, Farmville among top 50 worst inventions

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