Worst Ideas Ever

A Celebration of Embarrassment

By: Daniel Kline, Jason Tomaszewski

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Mistakes so big they seem like fodder for The Onion - but they really happened!

From memorable disasters such as New Coke, the XFL, and Tiger Woods’ marriage to less-remembered failures such as Yugo, Cop Rock, and Microsoft’s BOB, Worst Ideas Ever revisits history’s biggest blunders. Whether it’s a pop culture failure the likes of Dennis Miller’s disastrous run on Monday Night Football, a political one such as John Edwards’ odd decision to run for president while cheating on his cancer-stricken wife, or a technological misstep such as Apple’s Newton OS, Worst Ideas Ever uncovers the ridiculous stories behind mistakes so huge, you’ll have to constantly remind yourself that they actually happened.

Moving from Mariah Carey’s “performance” in Glitter to the Minnesota Vikings decision to trade away their future for an aging Herschel Walker, Worst Ideas Ever offers the real stories behind some of the dumbest things ever done. Whether it was ego (Michael Jordan leaving basketball for baseball), greed (nobody questioning their impossibly high returns when investing with Bernie Madoff) or simple stupidity (Jay Leno moving to 10 p.m.), Worst Ideas Ever brings it all back in hilarious detail.

©2011 Daniel B. Kline and Jason Tomaszewski (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Completely pointless

I thought this would be informative and explain why bad ideas happen. Not so in this case. Instead we are presented with a litany of bad ideas that have taken place with short descriptions of what those ideas were. No time spent on the most interesting question, why did people think it was a good idea to do this, or how they could have avoided going down this path, or how to have better managed the bad idea.

This book was not exactly the best idea either

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

While this book does relate many failed ideas, it seems very obvious that they are only bad ideas in retrospect. More specifically, some of them are only bad ideas according to the authors and aren't universally reviled. Context was the biggest missing component here, in my opinion. For example, don't just say that New Coke was a failed idea; give us the context surrounding New Coke and why it may not have seemed like a bad idea at the time (Formulation of Diet Coke, Pepsi gaining ground, etc). Don't just say the KFC double down was unhealthy, tell us why KFC decided to sell it in the first place (catering to people on low carb diets).

What was most disappointing about Daniel Kline and Jason Tomaszewski ’s story?

So much of this book just sounds like anecdotes and opinions, when I had hoped it would be a tale of why certain ideas might seem great at the time but can still turn out to be failures in the long run.

Hysterically funny and spot-on!

Would you consider the audio edition of Worst Ideas Ever to be better than the print version?

Yes. The quality and tone of the narrator really adds to the humour of the book.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The fact that each and every one of these "ideas" is true, and have been perpetrated on the American public and the world!

Which scene was your favorite?

There are too many great ones to choose a favourite!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! It's so funny!

Any additional comments?

I certainly hope that the authors do a follow-up to this, as there have been another book full's worth of "worst ideas ever" unleashed since the 2011 release date!

This book should be on list!

The idea is this book is good but this book sounds more like a couple of drunk guys in a bar than a well thought out collection of bad ideas.
Much more opinionated and hand-picked things (think pet peeves) than a true list of bad ideas.

Wears out quickly

Dumb ideas and a dumb book about the ideas. Not funny. Not entertaining. Tedious. I'd avoid this one.

Wonder why

This is a free book, that was the good part. There was a few funny parts but several redundant parts and several facts that are actually opinions, not a terrible book but could be better

Worst Book ever!

What disappointed you about Worst Ideas Ever?

idea could be cute, but the putdowns are continuous and somewhat pompous and the narrator delivers the text in such a way that I feel like I'm sitting in a classroom with a grumpy lecturer who is monotone unless being rude

What could Daniel Kline and Jason Tomaszewski have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Bad or untimely products are not evil, just poor ideas - that doesn't make them stupid. Stop treating all unsuccessful products like they were stupid ideas

How did the narrator detract from the book?

see my previous comments

Stupid and opportunistc

What disappointed you about Worst Ideas Ever?

These authors are shameless opportunists who are trying to cash in on other people's troubles - and in 20-20 hindsight no less. They cover a wide area of enterprises in which they have no investment, no experience, they were not the risk takers and they paid no price for success or failure. They did not walk the walks that they are marginalizing and all of this claptrap is simply 2 losers trying to profit from someone else's misery.

What was most disappointing about Daniel Kline and Jason Tomaszewski ’s story?

Most of the stories are irrelevant. If someone tried to succeed and lost money in a venture, the authors seize the opportunity to portray that risk taker and entrepreneur as a stupid loser. Their book is pathetic - their intent is shameful - their presentation is specious - and I strongly recommend to any interested reader - spend your time elsewhere - do not demean yourself to be drawn into this smut.

Did Patrick Lawlor do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I do not know how good or bad he is. He appears to deliver this material in the way the authors intended it to be heard. I would hate to judge him based on the substance of this garbage publication.

What character would you cut from Worst Ideas Ever?

I would cut out the whole book.

Any additional comments?

This book tells many stories of people and companies that tried to improve their lot. As the old saying goes: your greatest success is just one step beyond your greatest failure. Failing in a venture is not the same as failing in life. Mistakes can and should be perceived as learning opportunities. This book mocks people who have tried and failed in a venture. But to me - this book reflects the failure of its authors to have attained a proper level of maturity and respect for their fellow human beings.

This book should be added to worst idea ever list

The only thing worse than hearing a guy list terrible failed ideas is to have him conclude the book without anything learned from the list. Is it good to fail sometimes because behind every genius idea was a terrible idea as a predecessor? No. Nothing, no thoughts. Just knocking a bunch of people for trying something new.

Lame humour. Poorly researched.

I bought this book because I thought it was be a fun light hearted read that would get a few laughs out of me. It didn't. It's not funny at all really... and it's poorly researched. It's like a 3 hour rant about nothing.

Honestly, unless you paid 99 cents for it like so many of us did, there's really no reason to purchase this.

This book should be on its own list of terrible ideas. Hah!

Crap! I guess they DID get a laugh out of me!