• ouRKaoS@lemmy.todayEnglish
    15·
    2 months ago

    I once was in the mirror with some dental floss trying to get at a stuck piece of romaine lettuce. When I finally dislodged it, instead of coming out of my mouth with the floss, it decided to sit on the front of my tooth.

    As I’m ineffectively swiping at it with the floss I get an idea: what if I had a bunch of pieces of floss, instead of just one… And if I made them stiffer, it’d be easier to just get in there and swipe things off the sides of my teeth… Like a little mouth broom… Or a toothbrush! …I’m an idiot.

    • NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      10·
      2 months ago

      I don’t think any context is needed, it’s just about when you have an idea that you think is great and novel but it turns out it has already been done 30 years prior.

      • Jarix@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        Appreciate it. Thought it was a specific reference and i don’t know who the person in the shot is

  • Akasazh@feddit.nlEnglish
    6·
    2 months ago

    I had the idea for Hyperloop when I was 12. Elon too, but he has the track record where he could convince people he could actually build it.

    Time out it’s not a very good idea though.

    • beebarfbadger@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      You and elon will just have to legally fight out the question of who invented the idea of building specific infrastructurally distinct transit ways specific to a certain type of vehicle optimised for transporting goods and people along those railroad tracks I mean hyperloops.

      • Akasazh@feddit.nlEnglish
        2·
        2 months ago

        It was the vacuum tube part, but yeah I’m definitely fighting skum musk in court

  • Gork@lemm.eeEnglish
    6·
    2 months ago

    I guess you could just take the shotgun approach and come up with so many completely crazy hypotheses that one of them is bound to be correct eventually.

    • Donjuanme@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      I think p-hacking was invented sometime around the 90s as well, congratulations you matched the meme!

  • jonkenator@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    “I know that, that doesn’t matter, I know you Mr. Rainey, that’s what matters. You stole my story.”

  • EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    I’m the one who scooped your idea and traveled back in time to publish it. Green lantern rings have time-travel abilities…and universal translation too, very handy

  • Mac@mander.xyzEnglish
    2·
    2 months ago

    Actually no.
    Realistically, I was never going to capitalize on the idea anyway. but on top of that if someone else has already had the idea and it’s at least mildly successful then boom: automatic validation that it was a good idea.