Armageddon it

With Ebay apparently now selling nuclear weapons (google search for Nuclear Weapons then check the ads at right) I think it's only a matter of time before some of my favorite items get to the mass market as well.

'chindogu' is the japanese word coined for the art of the unuseless idea.
strangely practical and utterly eccentric inventions for a life of ease and hilarity have taken the land of the rising sun by storm. meant to solve the niggling problems of modern life, these bizarre and logic-defying gadgets and gizmos have a tendency to fail completely. addicts of the unuseless all over the world love this collection. the art of chindogu was born in the late
1980's when amateur inventor kenji kawakami discovered that a not-quite-usable idea for a new gadget or product could nonetheless be enjoyable if one were to create a prototype and take delight in the way it misses its mark.
the term 'chindogu' entered the english vocabulary in 1991 when then senior society member dan papia (president of chindogu society america) published an article on the subject in japan's leading english-language magazine, the 'tokyo journal'.

More info here:

A History of Unuseless Items


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the 10 tenents of chindogu
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1. a chindogu cannot be for real use.

iIt is fundamental to the spirit of chindogu that inventions
claiming chindogu status must be, from a practical point of
view, (almost) completely useless. if you invent something
which turns out to be so handy that you use it all the time,
then you have failed to make a chindogu.
try the patent office.

2. a chindogu must exist.

you are not allowed to use a chindogu, but it must be made.
you have to be able to hold it in your hand and think:
'I can actually imagine someone using this. almost.'
in order to be useless, it must first be.

3. inherent in every chindogu is the spirit of anarchy.

chindogu are man-made objects that have broken free from
the chains of usefulness. they represent freedom of thought
and action: the freedom to challenge the suffocating historical
dominance of conservative utility; the freedom to be (almost)
useless.

4. chindogu are tools for every day life.

chindogu are a form of nonverbal communication understandable
to everyone, everywhere. specialized or technical inventions,
like a three- handled sprocket loosener for drainpipes centered
between two under-the sink cabinet door (the uselessness of
which will only be appreciated by plumbers), do not count.

5. chindogu are not for sale.

chindogu are not tradable commodities. if you accept money
for one you surrender your purity. they must not even be sold
as a joke.

6. humor must not be the sole reason for creating a chindogu.

the creation of chindogu is fundamentally a problem-solving
activity. humor is simply the by-product of finding an elaborate
or unconventional solution to a problem that may not have
been that pressing to begin with.

7. chindogu is not propaganda.

chindogu are innocent. they are made to be used,
even though they cannot be used. they should not be created
as a perverse or ironic comment on the sorry state of mankind.

8. chindogu are never taboo.

the international chindogu society has established certain
standards of social decency. cheap sexual innuendo, humor
of a vulgar nature, and sick or cruel jokes that debase the
sanctity of living things are not allowed.

9. chindogu cannot be patented.

chindogu are offerings to the rest of the world, they are not
therefore ideas to be copyrighted, patented, collected and owned.
as they say in spain, 'mi chindogu es tu chindogu'.

10. chindogu are without prejudice.

chindogu must never favor one race or religion over another.
young and old, male and female, rich and poor, all should have
a free and equal chance to enjoy each and every chindogu.


Wacky Inventions - has an excellent showcase of items that are absolutely not in any way... idiotic.

Stupid.com - Always fun and never, ever a complete waste of money.

The List goes on and on and on... - More proof that we are definately advancing as a species.

Topless Sandals - I'm fricking serious... How can these exist?