History Main / InventionalWisdom

[[AC: Videogames]]

* In ''AdvanceWars'' Black Hole Rising [[MadScientist Lash]] proposes to the more practical [[MagnificentBastard Hawke]] that an airport she just finished for him be equipped with add-ons like a self destruct sequence.

* In a ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' Halloween special featuring an murderous Krusty doll: "Yep, there's your problem. Somebody [[MoralityDial set this thing to evil".]]

* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDoctorMcNinja'' give us this gem: "[[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/21p70/ You just cut the elevator?! What are you doing?!]] [[LampshadeHanging Why is there even a button for that?]]"

** Propulsion and Repulsion Gels, which were originally conceived as [[{{Squick}} digestive aids]] despite the former containing an element that "does not like ''the human skeleton''.

** [[SpringsSpringsEverywhere Aerial Faith Plates]] that propel the player vast distances; these were designed to send test subjects into space, apparently sans spacesuit or any other means of survival.

** Propulsion and Repulsion Gels, which were originally conceived as [[{{Squick}} digestive aids]]. (Conversion Gel is moon dust, not intended for human consumption; not that it stops the researchers from trying.)

* In the ''DoctorWho'' episode ''Blink'', the Doctor [[spoiler:(who has been sent back to 1969 by the Weeping Angels)]] constructs a device from various unrelated objects, including a casette and a flashlight to detect other "travellers".

* An Inversion of this contributed to the Apollo 13 accident. While emptying a cryogenic Oxygen tank using a heater, the dial used to watch the temperature did not go above the expected maximum, and as a result no one knew that the temperature was getting significantly higher and damaging some equipment.

* ''Series/{{Dilbert}}'': when the evil Leena is trapped in her own prototype, the De-pruner, her coworkers hit the "decapitate" button.

* ''[[AtopTheFourthWall The Adventures Of Kool-Aid Man]]'' Professor Kline builds a rocketship, but doesn't know how to turn it on.

[[TransformersGeneration1 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BOT-Overload_6711.jpg]]
[[caption-width:241:[[SarcasmMode No way that button could ever come back to bite them.]]]]

-->'''Yzma:''' ''[shaking off a crocodile]'' [[LampshadeHanging Why do we even ]]''[[LampshadeHanging have ]]''[[LampshadeHanging that lever]]?
---> ''[[{{Disney/ptitle3if599v0}} The Emperor's New Groove]]''

* <Insert Dragonlance Gnomes descriptions here>

* In ''BOT,'' the ''TransformersGeneration1'' episode considered the most divisive in the TF franchise's 25-ish year history, one of the many, many, ''many'' Wall Banger moments was the solution to the Decepticons' superweapon: a human-level button (on a machine that supposedly had to be controlled by Bruticus, who towers above your average TF, which is why ''the entire episode was about finding all of Bruticus' scattered parts'') clearly marked "Over Load." Yes, two words. You push it, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the thing overloads]] and explodes. (Oh, making a device so big you supposedly can't use it yourself? Not much better. Like we said... it was bad.)

* Played with in ''{{Portal}}'', which is centered around the inventions and facilities of Aperture Science, a company whose {{Cloudcuckoolander}} founder saw absolutely nothing wrong with doing such things as building a fuel system de-icer that is also a sentient, malevolent AI, or a shower curtain that warps space (the portal gun). In fact, the ''ancillary functions'' of their inventions are the parts that are actually useful. When anyone attempts to use them for their ostensible purposes, they invariably prove fatal. ''Portal 2'' has even more fun with this, featuring, among other things:

** Propulsion, Repulsion, and Conversion Gels, which were originally conceived as [[{{Squick}} digestive aids]].

** Wheatley, the hilariously dumb personality core, is an elaborately set up subversion of this. It turns out that his stupidity [[spoiler:is completely intentional, as he was designed to keep [=GLaDOS=] hobbled by constantly feeding her bad advice. Of course, they didn't anticipate that his idiocy would go so far as to arrange to kick her out of the job of BigBad and [[FaceHeelTurn take over]] the role himself. Oops.]]

** Wheatley, the personality core, is an elaborately set up subversion of this. It turns out that his stupidity [[spoiler:is completely intentional, as he was designed to keep [=GLaDOS=] hobbled by constantly feeding her bad advice. Of course, they didn't anticipate that he would be just clever enough to arrange to kick her out of the job of BigBad and [[FaceHeelTurn take over]] the role himself. Oops.]]

** Wheatley, the personality core, is an elaborately set up subversion of this. It turns out that his stupidity [[spoiler:is completely intentional, as he was designed to keep [=GLaDOS=] hobbled by constantly feeding her bad advice. Of course, they didn't anticipate that he would be just clever enough to arrange to kick her out of the job of MasterComputer and [[FaceHeelTurn take over]] the role of BigBad. Oops.]]

* Played with in ''{{Portal}}'', which is centered around the inventions and facilities of Aperture Science, a company whose {{Cloudcuckoolander}} founder saw absolutely nothing wrong with doing such things as building a fuel system de-icer that is also a sentient, malevolent AI, or a shower curtain that warps space (the portal gun). In fact, the ''ancillary functions'' of their inventions are the parts that are actually useful. When anyone attempts to use them for their ostensible functions, they invariably prove fatal. ''Portal 2'' has even more fun with this, featuring, among other things:

** [[FrickinLaserBeams Thermal Discouragement Beams]], giant lasers that were apparently installed to keep office workers from [[Disproportionate Retribution leaving their desks]].

* In ''BOT,'' the ''TransformersGeneration1'' episode considered the most divisive in the TF franchise's 25-ish year history, one of the many, many, ''many'' WallBanger moments was the solution to the Decepticons' superweapon: a human-level button (on a machine that supposedly had to be controlled by Bruticus, who towers above your average TF, which is why ''the entire episode was about finding all of Bruticus' scattered parts'') clearly marked "Over Load." Yes, two words. You push it, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the thing overloads]] and explodes. (Oh, making a device so big you supposedly can't use it yourself? Not much better. Like we said... it was bad.)