Random pics

[wes]

Yep, had them too.

The doubled as nunchuks!!   

[Krankenstein]

(Hopefully I don't get Donny-scorned with these posts)

Mercedes-Benz A-CLASS
With Mercedes-Benz's high-quality reputation, expectations were high for the launch of their first luxury small car with new innovative safety features. However, during a safety test for a Swedish consumer magazine, the car rolled and dangerously failed the test. Soon the car was rolling in similar safety tests around Europe. After initially denying the problem, Mercedes finally recalled the cars and fixed it. This was an embarrassing failure for the maker of the world’s best cars, and a reminder that even the best and biggest sometimes fail.

[Krankenstein]

ROVER CityRover

In 2003, struggling UK automotive manufacturer MG Rover needed a modern city car to survive. Instead of developing a new car, they put their brand on the India-made Tata Indica, a car designed for India's low-cost domestic market. The CityRover became an instant, notorious symbol of Rover's terminal decline.

The interior was relentlessly cheap, earning descriptions like "the plastics were so low-grade they made a Ford Transit look like a Bentley." Yet, MG Rover priced it against genuinely modern and successful European superminis like the Fiat Panda and Skoda Fabia. Buyers were not fooled.

The car was ridiculed by the UK motoring press, most famously when Top Gear presenter James May, who was denied a test drive by Rover, went undercover to test it. He called it "the worst car I have ever driven" on the show.

The CityRover was intended to save MG Rover but instead hastened its demise. Production ceased in April 2005 when the company officially went bankrupt with £1.4 billion in debts. This financial failure led to the company being broken up and sold off.

[Krankenstein]

DivX

The DivX was an innovative attempt to create an alternative to video rental. The discs were “disposable”, which meant that once you started watching a movie, you had only 48 hours to finish it before the disc became unusable.

To use the discs you had to buy a designated media player, a purchase consumers had grown very tired of in the late 1990s. Another problem was that the media spied on customers and uploaded data to the manufacturer. DivX flopped and was discontinued within a year.

[Krankenstein]

Thalidomide Disaster
In the unregulated market of the 1950s, Thalidomide was the perfect sleeping pill, safe enough to prescribe to pregnant women suffering from morning sickness. In Germany, the drug was even available without a prescription. This wonder drug was aggressively marketed under various brand names, such as Distaval, in the UK.

Thalidomide caused severe birth defects such as deformed or missing limbs, and deformed eyes, ears, and hearts. Worldwide, over 24,000 children were born with thalidomide-related disabilities, and half of them died shortly after birth. The Thalidomide disaster is the worst drug failure in history.

It is difficult to recognize that this terrible failed drug led to anything positive, but the horrific magnitude of the disaster led to strict regulation of the pharmaceutical industry in many countries. The heavy regulation of drug safety in the aftermath of Thalidomide has ultimately saved millions of lives.

[Krankenstein]

Kent Micronite
Cigarettes are and have never been healthy. Kent claimed they had created the “greatest health protection in cigarette history” with an innovative new filter called Micronite. The secret ingredient of this innovation? Asbestos. Yes, cancer-causing asbestos. Making matters worse, medical doctors suggested these “healthier cigarettes” to patients who needed to reduce or quit smoking. The Micronite filters were perfect for the “sensitive smoker” who was concerned about their health.

[Krankenstein]

IBM Watson
IBM promised to revolutionize healthcare with their famous AI supercomputer Dr. Watson, an AI doctor with all the knowledge from all the world's medical research. Watson would also read patients’ health records to diagnose and optimize treatment. The super doctor would even generate new insights and new approaches to cancer care. Watson Health was heavily marketed and leading healthcare organizations partnered with IBM to be part of the AI medical revolution.

Eight years and over €20 billion later, Watson was a disappointment. He provided useless and sometimes dangerous medical recommendations, and despite the massive funding and academic involvement, no research shows that Watson improved patient outcomes.

[Krankenstein]

Theranos
Theranos promised to make blood testing easier, cheaper, and less painful. Instead of the regular-sized blood tests, only a tiny drop of blood was needed to run multiple tests with the small Nanotainer collection tube. The founder, Elizabeth Holmes became the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.

In 2015, an article in The Wall Street Journal exposed everything as a scam. The micro-sample blood tests were inaccurate and unreliable. This was embarrassing for many investors and partners who invested without ever verifying the technology. Disgruntled investors and partners quickly abandoned the company and Holms is now in prison. Theranos is an example of how easily we are blinded by shiny new technology and charismatic leaders who tell a good story.

[Krankenstein]

Bofors Toothpaste
Nothing fosters confidence in dental care like a brand specializing in weapons. In the 1960s, the Swedish weapons manufacturer Bofors tried to branch out and start making “peace products.” Bofors toothpaste contained artificial sweeteners and micro-plastic beads as a mild abrasive. By 1971, unfounded rumors spread alleging the beads would remain in the body for months with catastrophic results. The weapon manufacturer’s assurances that the toothpaste was safe did not help. The peaceful paste took a bullet and was carried off the field in late ’71.