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Un-useless indie projects that celebrate Chindogu

When I was young, my dad returned from a business trip to Japan with one of my favorite pieces of "literature."

101 Un-useless Japanese Inventions was largely a joke book celebrating "Chindogu." Tofugu defines Chindogu as:

Inventions that defy concise explanation. They aren't useful. But they aren't completely useless either."

Some Chindogu inventions walk a thin line between “What a crazy idea” and “That might actually work.”

Hilariously, at least one of these products took off: the selfie stick. Poor guy was just a few decades before his time 😂

If you think about it, I'm sure there are some products or inventions that come to mind that seemed silly but ultimately become successful (in some regard).

What are some of your favorite indie Chindogus?

on April 29, 2022
  1. 2

    What I love about Chindogus is that they take some boldness.

    You have to ignore some basic instincts and roll with it. Granted, this would translate to some expensive mistakes in indie hacking but sometimes you just never know what will work and what won't.

    Love that chopstick fan, too. I want one.

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