
The Inexplicably Fascinating Japanese Art of Being Useless - pentae
http://www.messynessychic.com/2018/09/21/the-inexplicably-fascinating-japanese-art-of-being-useless/
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jpatokal
True factoid: one remarkably useless chindogu was a device that lets you hold
a camera at arm's length so you can take a photo of yourself -- now known as
the selfie stick.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfie_stick#History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfie_stick#History)

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ardy42
> True factoid: one remarkably useless chindogu was a device that lets you
> hold a camera at arm's length so you can take a photo of yourself -- now
> known as the selfie stick.

A selfie stick with a film camera would have _truly_ been useless. You'd
probably only get a photo of some random thing behind you, and only learn of
your mistake a week later. It took the invention of digital cameras with
front-facing screens to make them practical.

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fipple
Lol! It's not digital cameras that created selfie sticks, it's social media. I
had a Konica disposable super wide angle camera with a mirror on the front
that showed the field of view. And an Olympus with a recessed LED that was
only visible if your face was in the field of view. Self portraits are way
older than digital cameras!

~~~
codedokode
Self portraits are even older than photography. For example, I saw a self
portrait in a gallery painted 200 years ago and realized that it can be called
a selfie too.

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sampl
Reminds me of The Uncomfortable, a more recent project. I really enjoyed
these!

[https://www.theuncomfortable.com](https://www.theuncomfortable.com)

~~~
bch
Reminds me of coffeepot for masochists (c. 1969)

[https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/impossible-
objects](https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/impossible-objects)

~~~
shoo
As featured on the cover of Don Norman's book "the design of everyday things",
which I'd recommend to anyone involved in designing or building things to be
used by people

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jaclaz
And strangely enough it gave the title to the book in some countries, in Italy
it is "La caffettiera del masochista".

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hn_throwaway_99
Hmm somewhat scary that I thought "hey, those earrings with earplugs, and the
funnel glasses for eye drops, those seem pretty useful!"

And while I don't think they sell that "lipstick mask", an eyebrow stencil is
an actual product that is basically the same thing for your eyebrows.

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eudora
I'm pretty interested in the real products that millions of people buy that
are actually useless.

Like all the cosmetics and supplements that don't actually improve anything.

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tboughen
I am of a generation of Brits that have known about chindogu since childhood
in the mid 90s thanks to the excellent children’s TV program It’ll Never Work
- a program about inventions.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27ll_Never_Work%3F](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27ll_Never_Work%3F)

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xevb3k
I’m pretty fed up of seeing the “noodle bib” image recycled constantly.

It’s actually just a shower cap/hat to stop soap getting in kids eyes that’s
quite common in Japan. Somebody just put it on their face... I guess as a joke
in this instance.

~~~
mc32
Surprisingly they didn't have the "breastfeeding"-device for dads to let
infants suckle milk from dad's "breast".

And, while one of the requirements for chindogu is to not be humorous, some
made me chuckle, so maybe it's in the eye of the beholder.

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Digit-Al
I may be interpreting it wrong, but I don't think the requirement was "don't
be humorous", I think it was don't do it just to be humorous. In other words,
if the idea is humorous to some, that is fine, but you shouldn't try to create
an idea just to fit a joke. Not sure if I've explained that clearly, but
hopefully I've got my point across :-)

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tomcam
I was useless long before it was hip! Once again, I am a man ahead of his
time.

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BadDebug
I recently found a very practical "thing strapped to shoe". While cleaning
your hardwood or tile floor, strap a flashlight to your foot and allow it to
cast oblique light across the surface. Dirt will immediately be evident on
account of the shadows the dirt makes.

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ggm
[http://www.laboiteverte.fr/les-objets-introuvables-de-
jacque...](http://www.laboiteverte.fr/les-objets-introuvables-de-jacques-
carelman/)

1969\. I cherish my copy

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innocentoldguy
Chindōgu is one of the joyful things I love about Japanese culture (along with
purposefully odd Engrish on shirts, drunk karaoke, washlets, and walls and
walls of vending machines).

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wastholm
One of the delightful things about taking the train in Japan is the mail order
catalog you will sometimes find in the seat pocket. It's guaranteed to have
several amazingly weird innovations for sale, in line with the toilet roll
helmet or the floor mop baby onesie. I've often thought, "I get that this
thing can on occasion be somewhat useful to someone somewhere, but how can it
possibly be profitable to mass-produce?"

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dixie_land
the last one (the "coke pocket protector") has a very functional AMERICAN
cousin:

[https://bevbuckle.com](https://bevbuckle.com)

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dixie_land
Huh apparently my autocorrect thinks AMERICAN should be all caps.

~~~
knocte
Lol

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knocte
I meant LOL

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fredsanford
I instantly thought of Ron Popeil (Ronco) when I saw this...

1 - Pocket Fisherman, around 1975 2 - Buttoneer, around 1977

I wonder how much effect Popeil had/has on Kawakami.

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fh_YwAnv7w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fh_YwAnv7w)
[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN2ttNu3F_M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN2ttNu3F_M)

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mistersquid
Pretty decent tribute (?) site:
[http://www.chindogu.com](http://www.chindogu.com)

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hammock
Reminds me of the Masochist's Teapot

[https://goo.gl/images/Wq1Jr1](https://goo.gl/images/Wq1Jr1)

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partycoder
In the west we have the pizza pouch.

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known
Helps to prevent
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori)

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justtopost
Idk, I can see someone drawn to introvertism seeing these creations, seeing
culture embrace what wast supposed to be ironic self-ridicule as just another
commodity. I am not confident that would draw them from the warm embrace of
the familiar and unthreatening self-controled domain they choose to occupy.

