Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Who or what was dubbed "the next big thing", but failed spectacularly?

Reddit top voted comments...

MiniDiscs. So much better than those bulky cds...

Segways had a ton of hype and were going to revolutionize the way people get around. Now I just see them being used by tour groups and mall cops.

Second Life. EVERYONE was going to be there.

Google +

The Titanic. (the movie did ok though)

Are you talking about fyre festival?

The 1970s Dale, a three wheeled car which was advertised as doing 70 MPG.

the XFL.

42 comments:

Jim in St Louis said...

Music File Sharing was going to kill the big business music industry. Streaming songs on the internet was going to deprive hard working musicians from their livelihood.

Chip Ahoy said...

Hillary Clinton.

Methadras said...

100 mpg engine.

Methadras said...

flying cars

edutcher said...

Ishtar.

Leland said...

What Chip said, except now its Chelsey Clinton... but she failed first and is now being promoted as the next big thing.

Leland said...

I can also add SLS also, while not a failure, the mp3 era is over. Kind of goes with Jim's comment.

chickelit said...

Concorde air travel

chickelit said...

Bruce Springsteen

ndspinelli said...

When I was a kid, peanut butter and jelly in the same jar.

ndspinelli said...

Chip, LOL! Well, she's a big deal in her own head and within an "elite" circle.

Amartel said...

nd, do you remember "koogle"? From the 1970s, of course. It was peanut butter and chocolate (or cinnamon or banana) swirled together in the same jar. Also, a crime against humanity

Amartel said...

I remember seeing the Concorde once, parked at Kennedy airport. Disappointingly small.

Amartel said...

1. Global cooling
2. Global warming

AllenS said...

Chip beat me to it.

ndspinelli said...

Amartel, I don't remember that product. Although the 70's were a purple hazy blur.

Amartel said...

You probably sampled it but have no specific recollection of doing so! It was great for people with the munchies and no inhibitions about eating right out the bottle. (Ie., children and other people in a purple hazy blur.)

Rabel said...

Google Glass.

Rabel said...

Ted Cruz.

Rabel said...

Trey Gowdy.

Amartel said...

3-D cinema.
A lot of this stuff has a born-on date sometime in the 1970s. I'm sure that's just a coincidence though.

edutcher said...

Actually 3-D movies go back to the 50s.

"Hondo" was shot in 3-D. A lot of monster movies, too.

Amartel said...

I saw Jaws 3-D with the stupid glasses. They brought 3-d back as the next big thing so it counts twice!

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

I'm having trouble connecting to the internet via my computer. Coming to you via my phone from the street. I'll keep trying to connect until I have to go to work later tonight.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Google glass and the concord, how soon I forget.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Can we call 3D printing a failure yet?

It's sure slow as heck

Leland said...

Can we call 3D printing a failure yet?

You can if you call it CNC machining instead.

The Dude said...

I use my CNC all the time. It is not a failure.

Paul is dead.

Leland said...

I've just seen people point to a CNC milling machine and call it 3D printing, as if the home printer carves the wording onto the paper, which would be ridiculous, because how could you charge for ink.

The Dude said...

Well they are just wrong, now aren't they.

At least Paul is still dead, so we have that going for us.

chickelit said...

Combinatorial Chemistry

In the 1990's it was touted as the only viable future for synthetic chemistry with a promise to usher in countless new blockbuster drugs. Instead, it killed innovation (not one major new drug was discovered) and it killed off the existing drug discovery industry. Industry still hasn't recovered. Instead, it shut down.

Michael Haz said...

Atari.

Donkey Kong.

Millenials.

My liver.

The Clash's album that came after London Calling.

Tammy Faye Baker.

Dexys Midnight Runners.

The Gomer Pyle Show.

Michael Haz said...

Barack Obama.

Michael Haz said...

Eli Manning.

Tony Mandarich.

Jobraith.

Tiki Barber.

Sansabelt pants.

Feminism.

Heroin (ask Sigmund Freud).

The DeLorean.


Michael Haz said...

Microsoft Vista.

Palm Pilots.

Urban Planning in Portland.

East Germany.

New Coke.

My first wife.

Microsoft Zune.

Honda Rune.

Vajazzling.

Hammer Pants.

The Dude said...

Zune.

Zima.

USFL.

Soccer.

EST.

Apple Lisa.

Apple Newton.

Jim in St Louis said...

Haz- LOL and missed your comments, glad your back.

bagoh20 said...

Being all grown up.

Trooper York said...

I am not a fotball fan anymore but I will point out that Eli Manning has won two Super Bowls.

How many did Dan Marino win again?

Methadras said...

Peak Oil.

cliff claven said...

Dan Marino may not have won a Super Bowl, but he did lose 20 lbs. on the Slimfast diet.

chickelit said...

Slimfast? I thought it was Ayds