... For use in mountain quarries.  The immortal Spike Milligan, in one of his Heath Robinson moods, came up with this ingenious invention, and it makes me chuckle every time I think of it.

There must be many another device just waiting to be invented, that the world doesn't yet know it needs.  For instance:

A bagel bung.  A circular plastic device, easily washed, to be inserted in the centre of a bagel to stop the marmalade getting all over the bread-board.

Any others?

A spoon for stirring coffee or tea, not for adding milk/cream or sugar, but to heat the contents back up

Ah yes - I'll order mine now.  Battery or mains powered?

A wing-mirror which attaches to a belt-buckle, to enable fat people to see if they've put on odd shoes.

Battery powered cooler cup (no ice required)

But I do like the way soda tastes when the ice begins to melt if the water is purified or otherwise pristine.

Windows that allow beautiful sunlight to shine through but no glare is allowed.

An inflatable life-sized model of your car, which you can use to keep your parking space.

Quote from: Jo Bannister on April 22, 2025, 03:42:43 PMAn inflatable life-sized model of your car, which you can use to keep your parking space.

The Army sometimes used inflatable tanks for exercises.  One blew away on Salisbury Plain in a storm, like a tumbleweed with attitude.

It bounced over a few fields like a gigantic slow moving beach ball, and tumbled over a hedge in front of a totally bewildered early morning motorist before climbing the opposite hedge and bouncing in its merry way.

The local press had a field day with the story.

Tanks for the memory.

Self sharpening colored pencils for art projects. You really need that fine point.

Telescoping Pocket Pen


Convenient carry with no ink bleed. Expands from 2-5 inches. Generous replaceable ink reservoir located in base.

A rubber wrecking-ball, for late-at-night construction work.

Can't resist it, although it's reworking an old school joke.

Luminous Condoms, for Dim F***ers.

(And why is it that the simple functional single word, luminous, has been replaced in most adverts and general speech by Glow in the Dark.)

('Cos the average IQ is going down at about the same rate as tech ownership is going up.)

A dog leash with a clip at each end, so two of them can walk one another.

Catnip scented harness – the walks are often enjoyed, but never the harness.

An automatic braking system for pensioners' shopping trolleys, to be activated when travelling at more than three miles per hour or making more than two right-angle turns in any five linear metres.