About

Because he's been around for a while, GamerDude has seen a lot of changes in the world, and a lot of inventions, products, and things that have come and gone. This week, he talks about some of the supposedly wonderful products and inventions in his life that turned out to be anything but. He talks about how the plastic bag industry created the supposed need and demand for their product that resulted in the virtual disappearance of the paper bag industry. He talks about how there were no plastic bags when he was a kid, and how the old-fashioned brown paper bag was everywhere, and had many uses. He talks about how plastic bags took over that industry, and why that's not such a good thing.  He also talks about how polystyrene coolers and containers also came into widespread use, and why that was not a good thing either. GamerDude also taks about asbestos, and how he remembers it being a "miracle mineral," with uses in everything from floor tiles to automotive brake pads. He talks about how asbestos was used in so many every day things until it was discovered how deadly the inhalation of asbestos fibres actually was. He also talks about food addittives, like Red Dye #2 and Olestra, and how it turns out that things that were supposed to make our lives better actually did just the opposite. GamerDude also talks about how one of the more recent inventions - flushable wipes - was supposed to be a beneficial addition to our lives but how, in reality, they are creating more problems than they may be worth. And, he talks about how self-service checkout lines are not really a boon to society.