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TheArstaInventor @kbin.social

What was supposed to be "The Next Big Thing!" but flopped?

As a car enthusiast, I can think of a good one, the Ford Nucleon.

During the 1950s and 1960s, there was considerable interest in nuclear power and its potential applications. This led to the idea of using nuclear energy to propel cars. The concept behind a nuclear car was to utilize a small nuclear reactor to generate steam, which would then power the vehicle's engine.

Of course back in those days, this was extremely futurustic and some at the time thought this would be a game changer, but ultimately, the safety aspect was one of the biggest reasons why this idea was dropped, and I probably don't have to explain why it may not have considered to be safe, I mean, it was using nuclear power, so even if the engineers tried to make it as safe as possible, IF something went wrong, it would have been catastrophic.

Ever since then, the interests in the automotive sector has shifted to Electric and Hydrogen.

Still, a very intriguing concept car and idea.

Outside cars, you have blimps, and I personally believe if we tried to make something like a hindenburg today with existing technology, we might have been a lot more successful than back then (as it goes way back to 1930s), there are still some blimps used occasionally, I also don't believe those use hydrogen(?), but they are not the "game changer in air travel" it was once seen as, although we can't rule out a comeback.

What about you guys?

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  • Back in the Windows 8 days, Microsoft tried to push Universal Windows Platform (UWP), a new application format that could run on any devices running Windows 8: desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets and even Xbox without any modification while being much more secure by default.

    It failed for a multitude of reasons:

    • It was a big break from the previous application model. You had to rewrite everything.
    • To improve security, it enforced many limitation that legacy apps did not have.
    • While it was the only way to create and distribute apps for Windows Phone and Windows RT (a Windows 8 variant for low-powered laptops) their low market share did not incentivize developers to migrate to or create UWP apps.
    • It was strongly tied to the divisive Metro UI of Windows 8. People already hated interacting with this part of Windows 8, they had no desire to install apps that would force them into this UI.

    UWP still lives on in Windows 10 and 11 as well as in Xbox One and Series: many system apps are now UWPs, as well as all Xbox games and apps, some cross-devices games from Microsoft Studios and some apps in the Windows Store.

  • I know the metaverse has been commented, and this overlaps, but I'd say VR as a gaming format. I remember all this hype in the 90s - Virtual Boy for example. Now we basically have the tech - like say playstation VR - but it's still really such a niche thing without mainstream traction.

    And since i'm in that zone - wearable AR devices like Google Glass, snapchat spectacles, apple vision. I like the idea of having access to a giant screen in a small space but I'm not gonna wear it to my niece's birthday.

    • VR has been in this perpetual state of having awesome promises but never managing to actually deliver. It requires so many interconnected parts, which in turn need to miniaturized so extremely, that every iteration seemed like a let-down in many ways, or straight up unaffordable for the masses.

      I’m speaking as someone who only tested VR devices ones, but has been keeping an eye on reviews and releases since the first oculus was announced. Frequently, I was excited about the possibilities, then disappointed at the product. Even that is just a tiny part of VR history.

      Issues of low resolution, low or inconsistent refresh rates, or even any movement in VR at all, causing increasing amounts of nausea for many, will keep it a niche product for a while yet. Even with everything from trackers to powerful computers becoming cheaper by the month, a satisfying experience requires too big an investment in time and money for people to just try it out, imho.

      Personally, I think the VR-future will be here once it becomes a normal work and gaming device. Apple’s Vision might finally deliver, but with a starting price of $3500, it will remain niche. Immersed’s announced headset will probably deliver for working in VR, replacing monitors and even acting like a low-end work machine. Wouldn’t be surprised if it costs up to $1500, though, which also stymies large-scale adoption.

      • Most of these issues come down to insufficiently advanced tech.
        We're just now getting to the point where advancements in display and lens technology make it possible to get rid of the screen-door effect at no cost of clarity or FOV, for instance. (Varjo XR-3)

        I think 2 major things need to happen for VR to be truly mainstream;
        Size needs to decrease, which increases comfort, so it no longer feels like strapping a toaster to your face. (Bigscreen Beyond)
        More quality content needs to be developed for VR.

        PC gaming is mainstream as hell, and people easily spend over $2K on hardware, so I think price is kind of irrelevant (to a point) if people can shift the majority of their desktop gaming, and comfortably spend 10+ hours in VR.

  • Personally, I don’t think the Nucleon meets the criteria for being a “flop”. It was just a concept. They didn’t even build a full-size prototype, never mind a production model. By my own definition, the car can’t really be called a flop because there weren’t ever any attempts to sell it.

    Cars I do consider flops were the Pontiac Aztec, and if we want to stick to Ford, there’s always the infamous Edsel.

    The Nucleon was definitely an oddity, though, and it’s an interesting piece of automotive history. Thanks!

  • Minecraft earth kinda got ruined by covid

    Minecraft legends development is ending

    Minecraft story is unavailable to get (without pirating it)

    Hytale might be the only game that will take longer to release then gta6

  • I mean, depending on your definition of 'supposed to be,' one could argue that the Juicero was, amidst a sea of devices and peripherals obsessed with getting a piece of the action on the Internet of Things, poised to revolutionize the way the home consumer juiced their fruit and veg. It's not even all that difficult to imagine the pitch those responsible might have led with: "No more squeezing, no more cleanup, just fresh-pressed juice delivered to you weekly at the push of a button."

    For those readers who don't recall the Juicero, here's what was wrong with it:

    • For starters, it was way too expensive. If I told you all this thing did was take a bag of fruit chunks and squeeze it out of a spigot, how much would you think such a device would set you back. $40? $60? $100? Try $699. They did later lower the price... To $399.
    • But surely this marvel of engineering would justify the ludicrous price tag, I hear some of you say. Yes, this wondrous device was capable of a great many things, including... Pressing two plates slowly together to crush chunks of fruit and squeeze them out of a bag. And... Well, that's really the whole deal. But certainly not, say, something you could easily do by hand, and save yourself half a grand.
    • Actually, I lied about the above part - it was capable of a few other neat things, when connected to the Internet. Well, it required an internet connection to work, so, hope you have that in your kitchen! But it offered so much more than squeezing juice bags slightly better than human hands. It could tell you if the juice bag was expired! Or there was a safety recall! Or a non-juicero brand! And refuse to squeeze the bag in any of those cases.

    Obviously, the thing flopped, hard, in one of those rare cases where consumers by and large realized "Hey, this thing is really fucking dumb!" But it called out to a much larger issue, where Silicon Valley entrepreneurs were fetishizing the possibility of the Internet of Things, with similarly ridiculous products shoehorned with 'smart' capabilities. Smart shoes, smart salt shakers, smart umbrellas, the whole fucking nine. Everyone obsessed with collecting data and offering minimal benefit to users in exchange. And the worst part of is, they didn't really make money on the Juicero itself, so over-engineered it was. The long term goal was to charge for subscriptions of overpriced juice bags, at $5 a glass. It was a preview of things to come, I suppose.

  • Google+

    Was supposed to kill Facebook, lol. Now it's just one more on the long list of ideas Google entirely gave up on.

63 comments