Valuable Duds: From Useless to Irreplaceable

From the humble yo-yo to ignored inventions, sometimes the most useless things can become the most valuable.

My Yo-Yo

Yo-yo, yo-yo, never a blind moment!
Me, myself, and I,
do more than just throw it,
the yo-yo.

May have me by
the threads string tied
or simply sleeping,
I find it so entertaining.
Time may fly away, with no one listening, or complaining,
Your hospitality, has been more than entertaining.
Unfortunately for you, my yo-yo, and I alone
must be leaving.

Every Writer's Foe?

It doesn't happen much anymore, but when I first began writing on electronic devices, I would occasionally lose hours worth of work due to not saving as I went. Power outages, hard drive crashes, and other technological setbacks can convert those exceedingly dull paragraphs into incalculably valuable moments.

What I lost was Paragraph 1, Chapter 1, Volume 1 of my fictitious Paradise Lost or War and Peace. These were the initial paragraphs, the opening stanzas. Despite the value I attributed to them, there was a point where I would start over and likely produce better work. Did I? No, not because I wasn't invested in the subject matter, but because I didn't believe in it enough to choke up and start again, like confessing the page in a ball of disgust to miss the waste paper basket.

That computer glitch was a handy excuse, but the truth lay in my lack of investment and belief in what I was doing.

Electronically speaking, much like that humble Benjamin Franklin...

Benjamin Franklin and the Spark of Invention

Imagine being told your revolutionary inventions were pointless. That's precisely what some believed about Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity. Yet, today, the power we generate through electronic devices is a testament to the value of his work. Many innovations once deemed useless have proven invaluable over time. So, what about those things we often dismiss as trivial or insignificant?

Wright Brothers and Aviation

Think about it... Did anyone believe the Wright brothers would succeed with their flight experiments? Yes, they were poo-poohed by military experts as useless. That was a huge mistake!

Writing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in 1901, Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific organization, declared that "Heavier than air human flight is impossible." Luckily, the Wright brothers and numerous other visionaries continued their experiments despite such skepticism.

Aviation, like many other endeavors, has its roots in inventions and ideas once considered useless. The sacrifices and vision of those early innovators underscore the value of unearthing and nurturing seemingly trivial pursuits.

Technology and Innovation

Technology evolves at a fierce pace, constantly reshaping our world. We often dismiss the smaller, seemingly insignificant inventions, much like we cast aside the joy of a yo-yo or the serendipitous spark of a late-night writing session. However, it is precisely these moments and these inventions that can hold the key to our future. They might not change the world in one sweeping motion, but they can certainly become the stepping stones for greater achievements.

Cats: Natural Rodent Killers

Despite the occasional irritation they might bring, cats have proven to be invaluable, thanks to their natural abilities as rodent killers. During the bubonic plague, cats played a crucial role by controlling rodent populations. Since rats carried fleas, which were responsible for spreading the disease, these felines provided a critical line of defense, effectively reducing the spread of the plague.

As informative sources highlight, cats are nature’s perfect rodent-hunting machines, serving as potent allies against pest infestations. This natural ability can be traced back to a time when cats provided genuine utility, which contradicts the notion that some beings or things are inherently useless.

And so, in the footsteps of inventors like Benjamin Franklin and trailblazers like the Wright brothers, we can now appreciate the value of our seemingly trivial pursuits. A well-thrown yo-yo, a relatable story, or the knowing glance of a feline companion can provide a profound and enduring value when viewed through the lens of innovation and pragmatism.