Buzz
Everyone has their own pet peeves, and for the most part, there's not much we can do to change them. However, from time to time, someone comes up with a brilliant idea that helps tackle some of life’s more annoying frustrations.
10. A Glass That Prevents People from Texting in Bars
Brazilian artist Mauricio Perussi, frustrated with people using their smartphones as a way to avoid social interaction, designed a concept he calls “the offline glass.” This glass features a small groove at the bottom, sized to fit an average smartphone. It can only be placed on a flat surface if you set your phone down alongside it. The design ensures that any condensation that forms will be directed away from the bottom, preventing it from damaging the phone underneath.
Perussi created the glass as a part of a promotional stunt for Salve Jorge Bar in Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, it’s not available for purchase yet, but we may soon find ourselves in a world where you can actually enjoy a drink with your friends without everyone checking their phones every five minutes.
9. The Movie Theater With A Strict No-Cellphone Policy
Few things are more frustrating and rage-inducing than hearing someone’s phone ring during a movie. Despite the widespread annoyance this causes, only a handful of theaters actually enforce rules to stop it from happening.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema took action to address the issue. If you’re caught using your phone in an Alamo Drafthouse theater, you will be asked to leave. If you call to complain, the company might even upload your angry voicemail to their official YouTube channel for everyone to see and laugh at you for getting upset over being asked to stop being rude in the first place.
Catherine Small, a volunteer at the Prince Charles Cinema in the UK, takes it to the next level by disguising herself as a ninja and sneaking up on individuals who answer their phones during movies. Unfortunately, neither of these innovative approaches has gained widespread popularity.
8. Restaurants That Have Abolished Tipping
Whether you support tipping or not, the mere mention of the topic is almost certain to spark a debate. This might be why Bob Conway decided to eliminate tipping entirely in his restaurant, Packhouse Meats. Not only have his customers appreciated this move, but Conway’s staff is also earning more due to receiving a fixed salary and a commission on their sales.
San Diego restaurateur Jay Porter followed suit by removing tipping at his restaurant, the Linkery, opting instead for a flat service charge. This change was well-received by customers, and Porter observed that the quality of service improved, as his servers no longer “profiled” guests based on how much they anticipated the tip would be.
7. Special Lanes for Slow Walkers
Unless you're riding a Segway, you've likely experienced the frustration of having someone walk slowly in front of you. In Sheffield, England, a young girl named Chloe Nash-Lowe became so irritated by this issue at her local shopping mall that she wrote a letter requesting the installation of separate walking lanes for different speeds. Remarkably, the shopping center agreed to her proposal and introduced these lanes in early 2014.
The concept was such a success that it's surprising it hasn't been adopted more widely. The demand is certainly there: in 2010, the prank collective Improv Everywhere set up “tourist lanes” in New York as a joke, but the public responded enthusiastically, cheering and high-fiving them for such a great idea.
It was such a massive success that its creators eventually broadened the idea to cover anything that might bother you. This new service, called Rather, will replace anything you dislike in your feed with something more to your liking. Want to swap every mention of Obama with a giraffe photo or completely remove every link from Upworthy? You can do that. The service even lets you hide spoilers, so you'll never have to worry about someone ruining a movie or TV show again.
5. Apps That Block Drunk Texts and Calls
At some point, we've all had too much to drink and thought it was the perfect moment to tell our ex or boss exactly how we feel, only to regret it the next day. Fortunately, there's an app to help with that.
Stop Drunk Texting lets you lock a specific contact on your phone for up to 12 hours, giving you plenty of time to avoid messaging them during even the most intense drinking sessions. While a contact is locked, you're unable to reach them, but you can still use the other features of your phone, so unless the contact you lock happens to be the police, you should be in the clear.
Another service designed to prevent people from sending drunk messages has unfortunately been discontinued. Google Mail Goggles was a feature introduced in 2008 for Gmail users. When activated, it required users sending emails during peak drinking hours to answer a set of simple math problems before the message could be sent. Despite receiving positive reviews from tech websites and users, the feature is no longer available.
4. The Device That Silences People
We all have that one friend who simply never stops talking. For those who aren’t that friend, the speechjammer gun could be of great interest. This invention can effectively stop someone from speaking almost instantly. Created in 2012 by Japanese scientists Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada, the device works by using "delayed audio feedback." This feedback interrupts a person's thought process when their own voice is played back to them with a slight delay.
The speechjammer gun consists mainly of a directional microphone and a recording device. During its tests, it proved capable of silencing someone from over 30 meters (98 feet) away. Although the device is still experimental and not available for purchase, anyone with the right technical skills could potentially build one.
3. The Website That Solves Netflix Decision Overload
Studies show that when people are faced with an overwhelming number of options, making a decision becomes more difficult. Additionally, people often feel less satisfied with their choice when they have more options to choose from, as they’re left with the feeling that there might have been a better choice. Services like Netflix, which offer a huge selection of titles, often lead users into endless scrolling without ever picking anything to watch.
Enter Netflix Roulette, a website designed to fix this dilemma. The site simply picks a random show or movie available on Netflix for you to watch. If you're not ready to give up all control, you can filter the search by things like genre or rating. While it can't guarantee that you'll love your pick, it will certainly put an end to your endless scrolling and decision-making paralysis.
2. The Device That Prevents Airplane Seat Reclining
Anyone who has ever been on a flight knows the frustrating experience of having the person in front of you constantly push back their seat, knocking into your legs as they adjust it every 20 minutes throughout the journey. Even if you’re not particularly tall, it’s something most passengers have encountered due to the limited space in airplanes. A 2013 survey revealed that cramped legroom was the number one complaint among travelers, surpassing even issues like delays and expensive fees.
Although uncomfortable, this is a common part of flying, but one frequent flyer, standing at 193 cm (6’4″), might have taken it too far with his solution. Ira Goldman invented the 'Knee Defender,' a device that prevents the person in front of you from reclining their seat. It even comes with a courtesy card to explain the situation to the person ahead, informing them that they can’t recline because of you. Unfortunately, this approach led to a flight diversion when a dispute broke out between two passengers over the device’s use.
1. The Device That Stops Texting While Driving
A 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control revealed that texting while driving causes more deaths among teenagers each year than drunk driving. The study also found that teens who engage in texting while driving tend to be generally unsafe, with the heaviest offenders being the least likely to wear seatbelts.
This troubling situation led one man to take matters into his own hands after becoming frustrated with teenagers swerving in traffic while distracted by their phones. Brandon Butts created a device called 'Quiet Zone' that sends out a signal to disable phone use in a designated area. To ensure extra safety, if the app is uninstalled or deleted, an email notification is sent to the teen’s parent or guardian.
For safety purposes, the device only blocks phones with the required app installed while the car’s engine is running, so in case of an emergency, you’ll still be able to make a call for help. It does not prevent passengers from using their phones while in the vehicle.
