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Best simple inventions
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mindwaves
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Mar 3, 2020, 09:55 PM
 
I deal a lot with inventions; it is part of my job, in fact. I sit at my office desk sipping tea from a tea cup poured from a Thermos(tm) bottle. Water that is 2 hours old but still piping hot. There are no circuits, no plug, just a simple mechanical invention that has some different layers storing the heat inside for many hours. It is quite awesome.

What other simple inventions are out there that you use on a daily basis?
     
subego
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Mar 4, 2020, 11:40 AM
 
Foil sealed containers where opening the cap slices the foil.
     
Doc HM
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Mar 4, 2020, 06:34 PM
 
a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough Internet communicator.
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
reader50
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Mar 4, 2020, 07:12 PM
 
There is an ancient invention, still used in some parts of the world, that allows a person to walk through walls. I've used this one myself, it works pretty good.

Separately, flush toilets are nice.
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Mar 4, 2020, 10:15 PM
 
Ceramic dishes are also nice. They don't leak, can place in the microwave, oven (sometimes), and the dishwasher. They don't stain. Simple brush with a sponge easily removes grime. A great marvel.

Book binding is also nice. Holds all of the pages together. Before binding, people used to carry scrolls around. Need many scrolls for the volume of a binder book.
     
subego
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Mar 5, 2020, 12:36 PM
 
Not really a simple design, but a simple idea... regenerative brakes.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Mar 6, 2020, 11:29 AM
 
Bunch of hair glued to a stick.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 6, 2020, 06:32 PM
 
The fork.
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Mar 8, 2020, 11:11 PM
 
A mirror is wonderful. Made of glass but reflective so you can see yourself. Before, people would have no idea how they looked. They can only see others or maybe get a portrait of themselves done which only the aristocrats could afford. A gaze in the pond would be their only way of seeing how they faced looked for most people. And even that would be very blurry.
     
ghporter
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Mar 9, 2020, 10:30 AM
 
From my professional world: the sock aid. It does one thing...it helps you put on socks without bending over to touch your feet, a problem for plenty of people for a variety of medical reasons. It’s simple, even (dare I say) elegant.

Slide the sock on the gadget, toss it out in front of your foot, and slip your foot in. When you pull back on the cords and push your foot forward, it slips the sock over your heel.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Mac User #001
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Jun 2, 2020, 08:25 AM
 
As I chug my morning energy booster... I'll say shaker bottles. Simple solution for a minor problem, but something I am very happy exists.
I have returned... 2020 MacBook Air - 1.1 GHz Quad-Core i5 - 16 GB RAM
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Jun 3, 2020, 06:48 AM
 
Automatic Tonearm Lifter

But Glenn’s is the best. I may never bend down again.
Mankind's only chance is to harness the power of stupid.
     
Doc HM
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Jun 4, 2020, 01:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
A mirror is wonderful. Made of glass but reflective so you can see yourself. Before, people would have no idea how they looked. They can only see others or maybe get a portrait of themselves done which only the aristocrats could afford. A gaze in the pond would be their only way of seeing how they faced looked for most people. And even that would be very blurry.
Best of all is looking up how mirrors actually work and having your mind blown!
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Doc HM
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Jun 8, 2020, 03:08 PM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
Automatic Tonearm Lifter

But Glenn’s is the best. I may never bend down again.
At last! Now I can forget about having to bend down and start to properly relax the old portion control.
Pass the Lemon meringue pie.
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Jul 15, 2020, 05:28 PM
 
Although it is not a simple invention per se, but I love my cheap $8 Casio solar powered calculator. It is always on and the battery never needs to be replaced, because it has none.
     
subego
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Jul 15, 2020, 06:08 PM
 
I kinda miss my HP35s. The batteries needed changing, but they lasted a loooooong time.
     
Aneabil
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Jul 16, 2020, 07:09 PM
 
Car jack I say is a simple design that was very innovative when it was first invented.
..
     
   
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