"What was a brilliant idea but poorly executed?"
$10 A Month For $4 Thousand Worth Of Movie Tickets... How Could It Go Wrong?
"Moviepass, i.e. a monthly subscription service to see as many movies as you want for a flat fee."
"The core concept is actually solid."
"The big risk with unlimited subscriptions is induced demand, where people consume more of your product because their unit price drops."
"Movie theaters are mostly fixed costs, however, they don't really care about induced demand outside of opening weekend for big blockbusters (which you can make special rules about)."
"As long as a movie isn't sold out, you'd basically take any amount of money for the empty seats."
"Even if someone sees ten movies in a month, you're still probably making money even if you only charged them two movie's worth, and that's before potential concession sales."
"That said, the theaters have to be on board, and Moviepass launched without first getting them to agree to such a system."
"Instead, Moviepass had to pay full price to the theaters for every single movie seen."
"Their prices were not fixed, and as a result the induced demand absolutely crushed them."- Notmiefault
Microsoft Clearly Didn't Read The Book Of Genesis...
"Microsoft Zune."- TheDadaMax
"Great product, poorly marketed."
"But it was (imo) vastly superior to the iPod."- EnigmaCA
technology rip GIF by gifnewsGiphySo, So, Sad...
"Recycling."
"I wish it was great everywhere."- Glitchykins8
Biking Without The Peddling
"The Segway."
"It was hailed as what the car was to the horse and buggy."
"Built by a famous inventor it never took off."
"One of the most hyped inventions of all time."- Swimming_Stop5723
Way Too Soon... (On So Many Levels)
"Selling tickets to dive in a sub to see the Titanic."- nullrecord
Titan Submarine GIF by GIPHY NewsGiphyNot The Right Prescription
"Google Glass."
"I remember when people were talking about how it was gonna be the next 'big thing' and it failed."- LouisTheFox
When You Can't Help But Miss Used Car Salesmen...
"Carvana."
"Loved the idea of putting more control of the car-buying experience back in the hands of the buyer but myself and my wife both had a harrowing experience buying through them and their 'hassle-free' return process was absolutely riddled with hassles."- Grand-wazoo
train help GIFIt Literally Had People Seeing Red...
"Nintendo's Virtual Boy."- TailsxCream4Eva
"Nintendo's Power Glove."- mezz7778
"RoB the Robot."- DiscussionLoose8390
One Of Many Failed Ideas In US Education
"I think No Child Left Behind was a good concept."
"But basing school funding on standardized tests just crushed anything good out of it— the rich schools with funding for equipment and higher-end teachers got more money, and the schools that needed financial help got probation and threats of funding withdrawal."
"As a former teacher, I loved the idea that a kid could move to another school mid-semester and be learning the same concept in each subject as the school they left, but instead any kid who wasn’t immediately grasping concepts was forced to fail upwards."
"Failing upwards hurts all of us."- bp_516
Ha!
"Fyre Festival."- Old_Army90
"I’ve always thought that it could have worked if it had been planned years in advance."
"I have to admit, the idea of a music festival on a Caribbean island still intrigues me."
"The problem is that the island location alone presents major logistical hurdles."
"By definition, everything on an island is harder to acquire, from food to land."
"Add to that the issues of promised catered meals and guaranteed luxury lodging and you have serious mountains to climb to pull off the festival."
"With enough lead time to construct the bungalows and hire enough food services to prepare the meals, it is feasible, but trying to pull it off in a few months time made it impossible."
"Sure, Woodstock ‘69 was planned in less than a year, but festival attendees weren’t promised lodging and food."
"They knew they’d be camping and would have to get their own provisions."
"Even then, there were logistical hurdles, such as the New York State Thruway succumbing to complete gridlock."
"Still, as far as festivals go, it was a relatively simple set-up."
"A better approach would have been for Fyre, the music booking app company behind the festival, to start small, such as on a beach somewhere with no inclusion of lodging or catering in the ticket packages."
"Concertgoers would know what to expect, and the festival would have been a lot more successful."
"If Fyre had done that for a few years, they would have built trust in their name brand, so when the time came for an actual festival on an island, Fyre Festival could have booked enough contractors to build lodging and hired enough vendors to make food for the whole weekend."
"Unfortunately, Billy McFarland’s hubris was enough that he wanted to skip ahead of the build up and go straight for the opulent."- Brunt-FCA-285
ja rule fyre festival GIFGiphyMore Like Great Leap Backwards...
"China's Great Leap Forward."
"The idea was to improve the country, but it ended with one of the worst man-made natural disasters in history."- Kartoffelkamm
While a good idea always requires imagination, we must also remember it's very easy for our imaginations to get the better of us.
Reality often has a way of bringing us back down to Earth and making us realize what looks good on paper doesn't always deliver.
(But seriously... who actually thought the Fyre Festival was going to work?)
Curious to explore this notion, Redditor Stenik0522 asked:
"What is the dumbest idea you have ever had that actually worked?"
Some experiments really pay off.
Successful Fraud
"In my freshman year of college, my grades were really not great. And my parents were really strict about getting good grades. When my dad asked to see my grades, I panicked and did the inspect command on the computer where you can change type faces on the screen to read different words and letters. I changed all of my sh**ty grades to good grades. My dad was so happy that I did 'good' my first year of school. He asked me to print my results. I did, and turns out he had to send them to our car insurance company for a 'good student discount'. Ultimately, I committed insurance fraud by accident. But I got the discount."
– DreamRader
Vision Protector
"Wearing a motorcycle helmet while snowblowing. I did it because i missed riding, it kept my face warm and when snow would fly back at me the visor would protect me"
– Fortknoxgaming
Makeshift ID
"I forgot to bring a resume to a job interview, but I had an index card in my bag. I cut the index card in half and wrote my name, my contact info, and 'creative problem solver' in my best handwriting, and gave a copy of my 'business card' to both the interviewers."
"I got the job."
– kayification
Tossing Jewelry
"Not my idea but my mom's. I dropped one of my earrings and couldn't find it so she threw my other earring on the floor and it happened to land next to the first one."
– linguinenoodles
Redditors reflect on a younger time when they could've given themselves a pat on the back.
Retro Appreciation
"When I was like 7 years old I was playing in my back garden with those incredibly bouncy little balls you got, just bouncing them high off the house and letting them bounce randomly before trying to catch them, as you did."
"One time I went for this huge throw off the wall and it bounced crazily off various surfaces so fast I completely lost track of it. So my 7 year old logic was to stand back in the same place and throw another ball the same way. I watched it bounce this way and that about 10 times before finally hitting a plant and coming to a rest in a flower bed. I went over to pull back the foliage and sure enough there were both balls literally lying touching each other in the mud."
"At the time I was like 'yep, makes sense...' but over the years since then I’ve often thought about it and how the hell it worked!"
– c0p0u7
VIP Scam
"A friend and I once snuck 15 people into a Warped Tour by giving them some bracelets from a party supply store and clipboards full of paper. Walked up to the side gate and said we were with Rock The Vote. The security guard waved us right in."
– Goodgoodgodgod
Cold Case
"When I was younger I got called into HR because I drew a very detailed picture of a penis. It was really really good."
"The HR meeting happened like a week after I drew it and my only defense was 'I dont recall doing that, do you happen to have the picture? It might jog my memory.' They didnt have it of course because I had it, and because I didnt confess they couldn't do sh*t."
"Investigation results inconclusive, have a nice day."
– anon
Multi-Tasker
"When I was young and broke I bought a sofa from a used furniture store. I had no way to take the sofa home. I went to a used car lot a couple of blocks away and took a truck for a test drive..."
– luckyhenry
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?
Crisis Avoided
"A storm broke a limb on a tree hanging over my house in my back yard, but it was still hanging on by a few splinters. I didn't want it to fall, and it wasn't in a place where I could use my ladder to get to it."
"So I found some rope, tied a brick to it, threw the brick and rope over the limb, made a crude rope swing, and swung and pulled at the branch until it finished breaking."
"It wasn't until I was using the chainsaw to cut it up that I realized how many times during my stupid idea I could have easily hurt or even killed myself."
– Mr_Vorland
Must Have Coffee
"Our power was out due to a storm. I had a campstove to use for boiling water to make a coffee pour-thru, but I couldn't use my electric grinder for the coffee beans. I tried fashioning a mortal and pestle but it was taking too long. So, I put the coffee beans in a couple of ziplock bags, placed the bag right behind a car tire, then ran over it back and forth a couple of times to crush the beans. Worked like a charm."
– EugeneStargazer
Holy Access
"Put Jesus in as WiFi password in church. It worked."
– Succulant_Kiwi
It may sound ridiculous on paper, but any solution that comes to mind when you're in a quandary is manifesting in your brain cells for a reason.
Never dismiss what seems like a dumb idea, for it could open up possibilities you never knew existed.
Did you check the forecast?
"We sure are having a lot of weather"- r_Ju_Tacular.
"As a British person, the conversation usually starts like this:"
“'You alright?'"
”Yeah you?”'
“'Yeah not too bad, weathers a bit sh*t innit?'”
“'Yeah”'.
"The end."- chelstippins
Cloud Storm GIF by Weather UndergroundGiphyWhy beat around the bush?
"Straight to politics and religion."- Turd_Ferguson009.
Just let it happen.
"Make an observation."
"Literally anything."It helps if it’s something about them like an article of clothing that catches your eye, something they’re doing, anything that you can relate to or are interested in but it doesn’t have to be."
"It can be something in the environment that is drawing both of your attention."
"People bullsh*t about the weather all the time."
"Make a comment about it, gauge their willingness to talk about it to you and build off of what you get from the response."
"If all you get is 'haha yeah', leave it."
"No shame in silence."
"Some people just don’t want to talk."
I"f you’re talking about the weather, 'Man it’s a great day out today!'"
“'Yeah absolutely! I drove here with my windows down all the way here!'”
"Boom, you’ve got something to latch onto."
"They probably enjoy getting outside for some fresh air. "
"They probably enjoy driving."
"Ask about their car."
"Ask if they go on drives a lot."
"Ask if they do outdoor stuff."
"What kind of outdoor stuff?"
"Once you’ve got something to work with, the key is to ask."
"Let them do the talking."
"People love talking about themselves."
"You learn some light hearted things about the stranger, they feel more comfortable, and you can add bits and bobs of your own experiences in response so they get to know you too."
"It works in literally any situation."
"From an elevator ride to a first date."
"It’s so easy to personalize small talk and it makes it so much less uncomfortable."- 1arrocknroll.
"But enough about me, what do you think about me?"
"Usually people love to talk about themselves, so a few questions about them and some follow up questions to their answers usually does it."- I_can_see_the_music.
For Me GIF by Liz HuettGiphy"Food, glorious food..."
"Food."
"People typically love food."
"I mention I’m new/newer to an area."
"And ask them what they like, where they eat out."
"Usually works and people have their choices validated and I always know where to find good local snacks."- TheProfWife.
Pluto Flyby GIFCan you believe it?
"Did you see that ludicrous display last night?"- housemuncher.
Nothing!
"As a Norwegian - we leave strangers alone."
"No need to bother them."- neihuffda.
No Idea Reaction GIF by BounceGiphyThe sky's the limit.
"So, do you like stuff?"- Bwon669.
All of these seem like surefire ways to get a conversation started.
But use cautiously, as who knows how long it will take these conversations to end.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
"WARNING!!! THIS IS AN OVER 17 READ!!"
I've done most of my list. (I had my twenties in NYC.. so...) You'll have to wait for the memoir.
Double Dare
I Dare You Cbs GIF by Paramount+Giphy"Telling a rude customer 'f**k me yourself, you coward!'"
mynameisnotpedro
"Feels like the start of a fanfiction of sorts."
memin_being33
Certification
"Operating a forklift (I’m not certified)."
linneaskylar
"Not certified either but I've done it, remember to keep the actual fork bit as low to the ground as possible to avoid stabbing something or someone."
YaskyJr
"I crashed a forklift into 3 delivery trucks after I forgot to put the emergency brake on and it rolled down a ramp. Didn’t get fired because I wasn’t certified and my boss told me to drive it anyways."
SamSparkSLD
Routines...
"My wife and I create a yearly bucket list of sex stuff. It's usually made at the end of December, sometimes on NYE after the kids gone to bed. It's not all stuff we've never done. In fact I would argue that most stuff is pretty vanilla in 2022. It's just stuff that aren't a part of our normal sex routine that we want to make sure gets included occasionally."
"But it does allow for the opportunity to have a conversation about stuff we've never tried before. It also gives us something to refer to when we're planning something special for the other."
tenzinashoka
Frisky
"Have sex in the woods."
Lus_
"I did it. Was hiking with an ex. She was wearing some really short shorts showing the bottom of her butt. Teasing each other became too much and we ducked behind a big tree to get frisky. Heard some other hikers walk past us but never felt like they’d see us. Was a thrill."
jacoblb6173
Peace Out
Angela Bassett Burn GIFGiphy"On my last day of work (3 years, 10 months and 7 days from today if all goes well) I will pour myself a whiskey at my desk and enjoy it until someone calls me out. Then I'll continue enjoying it as I walk out of the office."
tubewatch
Oh that is the way to leave a job. One day... but not this job. :)
Nervous
Olivia Benson Wow GIF by Law & OrderGiphy"Bondage. I want to try it, but I'm too scared. But the idea sounds fun."
SinkFormal1874
In the Air
"I call it a 'f**ket list'and I want to have sex while skydiving This is something I’d LIKE to do, not something I’m actually GOING to do, it’s illegal, it’s just a fantasy, please stop hitting me up with logistics, I don’t care!"
Cheekygirl97
I’m intrigued as to what about this is appealing to you. I can’t imagine jumping out of a freaking plane naked and going through the hell that would be figuring out how to do it while you’re falling at ridiculous speeds. But I also don’t want to skydive ever in my life, so perhaps I’m biased, haha."
recreationallyused
Be Free
"A lot, most of which isn’t too interesting. But the one big one have a mutual free-use day/weekend."
TheNatanist
"My partner and I would be able to do anything to each other that we wanted (with a few hard limits discussed ahead of time) with no need to ask first. So she could make me do whatever she wanted and do whatever to me, and vice versa (obviously we’d have a safe word if there was something we did not want to do)."
TheNatanist
Look at Me!
"Get caught doing it at a party or gathering with friends and just continue having sex while the person watches."
Short_Round777
"This is similar to mine, but I rather just be having sex in the same room as others. I don’t want to be the center of attention and I don’t want anyone trying anything with me or my partner, but just being in the same room and knowing that another couple is having fun as well."
Spartan2842
Knockout
Punch Hit GIF by The X FactorGiphy"Give my manager an uppercut before I quit the job. That's definitely not-safe-for-work."
TheScarletSho
Under the Lights
"Sex under the northern lights."
Xurielishere
"I live at the polar circle and I think this would be extremely overrated unless you got a room with a glass roof and no light pollution. Otherwise you'd have to do it outside in the cold."
skankhunt25
"I'm moving to Alaska in a few months! I don't think it will take much to convince my wife of this. She's super excited about seeing the northern lights."
rhymes_with_snoop
Natural
"Doing it in a forest in summer. The thrill sounds fun."
MisterXnumberidk
"My girlfriend and I did this last year and, well, just don’t do it. I didn’t count how many mosquito bites I had, but my lower half was raw and NOT in the way you’d want it to be."
mulhollandbyproxy
"I lost my virginity this way. my advice is being bug spray and wipes. it feels good though. primal and natural and animalistic. it’s arguably the most natural way to do it."
YellowSequel
Domination
"I really want to be submissive to a guy for once after acting tough out there."
snottycauliflowers19
"You might be surprised how common this one is. For a lot of subs, getting dommed is about just giving up power and responsibility and feeling totally free. It's really common for people who feel like they have to be responsible and dependable all the time, because it's the only time they feel like they are truly free."
"A friend of mine went through severe parentification as a child (being made to act like a parent for younger kids because real parents can't or won't). It's a bad thing, leaves kids to grow up feeling a constant sense of worry and guilt because they're not doing enough. When she discovered subbing it was like some kind of miracle for her. For literally the first time in her life, she wasn't responsible for anything - she handed over all her power to someone else, and she was free."
"I imagine for a lot of men, this would be really enticing, with all the pressure mainstream society puts on men to always be strong and responsible. I hope you find what you're looking for. Remember, it's healthy and normal and not at all weird, and it's good that you've recognised it's something you want."
MCDexX
Pizza Hut?
Music Video Hair GIF by Little MixGiphy"I kind of want to be in a porno movie as the pizza delivery guy."
writenmispeluge
Shock Value
"Run an extension cord across a pool to power a cement cutter and use it without goggles."
ChrisPChip222
"I've done this, like most nsfw bucket list items, it's not nearly as exciting as it was in your dreams."
starkiller_bass
"I run cords through pools sometimes. Never popped breaker so far. It's sketchy though I guess."
squatwaddle
After Work
"Quitting my job and retire worry free."
sh1be
"Being worry free is nearly impossible. Your worries just change."
Frankeex
"Oh gawd. That's just some good old fashioned post orgasmic torture now."
Fluttershine
Travel Sex
"Discrete sex on a long-distance train or bus ride. Skirt, no panties, on him. Make him keep me quiet."
RustyFlirt5714
"I've always wanted to get a room on a train. I check every few years to see if the prices on Amtrak are still absurdly high and the rooms are still crappy, so far it's been a yes on both for decades. Gotta leave the country for a decent bang train."
ASeriousAccounting
Party Time
"Get caught doing it at a party or gathering with friends and just continue having sex while the person watches."
Short_Round777
"This is similar to mine, but I rather just be having sex in the same room as others. I don’t want to be the center of attention and I don’t want anyone trying anything with me or my partner, but just being in the same room and knowing that another couple is having fun as well."
Spartan2842
the centerpiece...
Cool Down Season 2 GIF by FriendsGiphy"I have several, but one of the more interesting is to be the bound centerpiece of a sex party, free use. Never gonna do it, but the fantasy is scorching hot."
hueloovoo
“moved in”
"My ex completed one that I didn’t know I needed. Parents went out of town for the week so she 'moved in' with me. When i came back from work I totally forgot my ex was still at my house and I opened the door, she was completely naked with a leash around her neck and on her knees, with one hand and unbuttoning my pants with the other. I couldn’t even close the door and not one word was spoken."
Barcelona10CG
Y'all are sassy. Things are getting hot in here.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
But if we stop and take a breath, we may find that some things in life are a lot simpler than we thought.
"What seems complicated but is actually dead simple?"
The Power Of A Theorem
"The number of things in physics that are basically The Pythagorean theorem applied is always gratifying."
Authoritative Search Engine
"Using google to answer simple questions."
"For example, I am not an IT professional but I am good at fixing computers because I can 'speak google'. 90% of the time when a friend or family member asks me for tech support, I just google the question."
– Sirhc978
It's Not Always About Excelling
"When you truly get over the fear of failure of perfectionism, you might be surprised how much you are capable of."
When it comes to basic interactions with people, these Redditors seemed to have hit the nail on the head.
Staying In Your Lane
"Minding your own business."
"Kind of goes hand in hand with shutting the f'k up. Simpler than most people would make it appear."
Amateur Chef
"My roommate once said reheating his food in the oven because our microwave was broken took too much work. I wrapped his sh*t in tinfoil and took it out in 10 minutes and the guy thought I was gordon ramsey. Heat plus food equals hot food idiot."
English grammar breaks a lot of rules, but there are some basic rules people should always be cognizant of.
Common Mistake
"Could have, should have. It drives me insane when I see somebody saying could of or should of."
I don't get people who litter. Is it really that hard to walk your empty water bottle to a recycle bin or toss your candy wrapper in the trash?
Apparently so.
News flash: it's not that difficult to get rid of trash.
Don't overthink it. Just leave your empty soda cans and Starbucks coffee cups off the street, because most of us appreciate cleanliness.
What's impressive to me is how clean the city of Tokyo is in comparison to many metropolitan areas in the U.S.
The baffling part is, there generally are no trash cans in the streets of Tokyo, and yet, the city is in pristine condition because the citizens respect common public areas.
People there carry their trash with them until they find a convenience store with garbage receptacles or get home so they can get rid of trash there.