4. The Isolator
Image credit: weburbanist.com
Look, we get it. The real world is terrible. Sometimes you just want to escape from it all. But the Isolator is not the way to do it.
Invented by the definitely-not-a-supervillain Hugo Gernsback, The Isolator was designed to make employees more productive by cutting down on distractions. “Outside noises being eliminated, the worker can concentrate with ease upon the subject at hand,” the promotional literature proudly proclaims. Thankfully the idea did not catch on. Now we just stare at our phones when we want a break from the world.