Ten years ago, I was obsessed with reading those useless Japanese invention books. I was re-reading the timeless book today, when I suddenly realized…. the book is just like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
If you’ve ever browsed the ‘discover‘ pages of crowdfunding sites, there are hundreds of useless inventions that are somehow getting funded.
A new era of tech events has begun
We’re back in New York this November for the 4th edition of our growth-focused technology event.
The Japanese word for not-quite-useful inventions is ‘chindogu’ (珍道具) which seem ingenius on the surface, but are actually just junk.
Behold, the nine times crowdfunding was just like chindogu.
1. Dumb shit for your cat
Do you really need to know where your cat is 24×7?
Cat mop via Amazon
2. Dumb smart clothing
What’s worse, a tie with pockets or a jacket with a neck pillow and iPad pocket?
Tie image via Medium
3. Sleeping in public
A hat that glues you to the subway wall, or a weird pillow that looks like it might eat you alive?
Sleeping hat via Buzzfeed
4. Toilet rolls
You can either have toilet paper on your head or just make your holder tweet you when it runs out.
Toilet holder hat via Buzzfeed
5. Earplug ear rings
Gee, I wonder where you got that great idea.
First image via Web Urbanist
6. Making butter better
Better butter knifes are cool, but what we really need is a butter stick.
7. Weird pillows
I seriously can’t decide which thing is worse.
Leg pillow via Walyou
8. Cats, round two
What’s crazier? A way for your kitty to cool down her food or an internet-connected water fountain?
Cat cooler via Walyou
9. Bug killers
Fly swatting shoes… or a shotgun replica for shooting them down…
Fly swat slippers via Web Urbanist
: Your cat is dumb when it comes to drinking water but this smart fountain could fix that
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