We live in the 21st century right? You would think that things would be super easy and that there wouldn’t be anything complicated. Well, we all know that the world isn’t like that. Sometimes it seems as though the more advanced we get, the more complicated we make everything. Have you ever heard your grandparents talk about how simple life was back in the day? There is definitely a lot of truth in that. But none of that is to say that technological advancements haven’t made our life easier. They have. They’ve made it a lot easier and a lot more complicated. Sounds complicated, right?
Well, with all of this simplistic complexity, you would still think that we could have solved some of the most basic problems that our society faces today. We’ve managed to put people on the moon, but there are still a bunch of elevators out there on which you can’t deselect floors. We can fly around the world in less than a day, but there are toll booths out there that only accept coins. How have we not managed to solve these things yet? These are 25 simple inconveniences that society still hasn’t managed to solve.
Featured Image: Kay Kim via Flickr
Noisy vacuum cleaners
Apparently, quiet vacuum cleaners just don’t sell because people don’t think they’re working as well.
Cavities
In spite of all the advances in healthcare, fundamental dentistry hasn’t changed much. We’re going to drill out the bad stuff and fill it with something else.
Constantly recharging your phone
Because battery technology is lagging (in general).
$100 graphing calculators
Those things have been $100 for the last 30 years…
Traffic lights turning red even when there's no traffic
Especially when you’re on a bike and the sensor doesn’t pick you up.
Full signal on top of Mount Everest but zero bars in the underground
How?
Not being able to play songs in the background using the Youtube App
There are workarounds…
Note: we suggest the legal ones
Restaurants that don't put their menus on their websites
Or they have flash websites…
The woman that takes a minute to tell you how to leave a voicemail
As if you forgot or something.
Attaching a resume with all the exact same information that you just had to fill out in the job application
The truth is that it’s to filter you. Well, you’re sort of filtering yourself so that they don’t actually have to read your resume.
Sinks with short faucets
It shouldn’t be necessary for your hands to rub against the back of the sink just to wash them.
Slow internet
We’re looking at you Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Why is it that developing countries have faster speeds?
Not being able to renew your driver's license online
Yes, we know, some states allow this. But why don’t all states allow this?
Government and university websites that only work with Internet Explorer
The more important the website, the less browsers it seems to work on.
Toll booths that only accept coins
Yea, we know, just get an EZ Pass…but what if you only use that road once a month? You better stock up on quarters…
University class registration not being available at night
Supposedly this is meant to prevent drunk students from dropping classes.
Price stickers not coming off easily
Apparently olive oil can clean up the mess.
"Unexpected item in bagging area"
“Please wait for assistance.”
Packaging being impossible to open
While some higher end items do this to deter in-store theft, many cheap products do this just to seem more quality. Why on Earth would a product that you buy online require this?
Paying for wifi at nice hotels
And getting it free at cheap hotels?
Chips getting stuck in the vending machine
Some machines have sensors that will refund your money. Most don’t.
Walmart shopping carts
Do they actually design them to always have at least one non-functioning wheel?
Not being able to pick which channels you want
Does anybody even use cable anymore anyway?
Fax
For some reason, the law stipulates that faxes are legally binding documents while PDF’s and email attachments aren’t.
Unselecting floors on elevators
Apparently this is a thing in some parts of Asia.