History BoringButPractical / RealLIfe

*** Alternatively, a console. Possibly (before the UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution era where lots of physical games require updates to be able to run if any physical release exists at all) the biggest appeal of gaming consoles is the ability to plug one in and immediately start playing games with zero setup beyond that. Your graphics or framerates won't be as good as a high-end or even midrange PC, but evidently consumers are fine with this compromise.

* As with midrange computing hardware, midrange A/V equipment is a better bet than the latest high-end equipment, simply because there's a lot more content for hardware that's been around for a while. There are still ''way'' more movies on UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} than there are on UsefulNotes/BluRay and even on Creator/{{Netflix}}[[note]]Some of this is due to some movies being out of print, and many TV shows made in SD are still DVD only. [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Blu-ray While some SD shows are on Blu-Ray]] (with superior quality to DVD), DVD drives are still more common in computers than Blu-Ray drives.[[/note]]. DVD may not boast HD video and better audio but you can find an abundance of movies at thrift stores and big box retailers making it easy to build a collection. Unlike streaming, DVD works even in the event that internet is spotty or nonexistent.\\

* Utilitarian fonts like [[UsefulNotes/{{Fonts}} The Times typeface]].

* The UsefulNotes/CompactDisc doesn't have the visual flair of the vinyl record or the nostalgic kitsch of the cassette tape, but it's cheap to manufacture, small enough to easily store and transport, doesn't wear out from repeated playback, lacks surface noise, and can remain in good condition indefinitely with minimal effort (issues like playback-affecting scratches and disc rot are more often than not the result of easily avoidable mistakes). Additionally, although the merits of digital audio vs. analog have been debated for as long as digital audio has existed, a well mastered recording can still sound just as good (if not better) on CD as on vinyl or tape. It's for these reasons that CD sales, while very modest compared to vinyl, are still steady enough to ensure new releases on the format well after the rise of digital downloads and streaming (with the ClassicalMusic and {{jazz}} crowds being particular devotees thanks to those genres seeing the most benefits from the CD's advantages).

!!Miscellaneous
%% For science related items.
[[folder:Science]]
* One prominent scientist was asked what the most important invention of the Scientific Revolution was, and he replied "the double-blind study". The simple concept of testing a hypothesis without prior knowledge of the outcome is arguably the basis on which all rigorous science depends.
* Humans are often praised for their high intelligence compared to any other animals. However, this is only the second best superpower humans possess. Even more important and providing humans with an advantage over almost any other animals of the plain was the ability... to walk! On two legs! And keep walking for hours on end! Many animals are a lot faster than humans but also tire much faster. Humans can travel over very long distances with relatively short amounts of rest and their ability to carry water with them extended this even more. To capture a horse alive, the average human just had to follow the horse until it was too exhausted to take one more step. Of course, intelligence is no small help too: Even the small segment of animals with more efficient energy expenditure (mostly birds) are far outclassed as soon as a human gets on a bicycle. This is unbelievably energy-efficient, using more than 85% of the energy applied to the pedals. The amount of energy needed to go 10-15 MPH (15-25 Km/h), is the same sort of energy needed to walk.
** One of the few other animals with a similar ability to travel over long distances is the trusty dog. The beginning of a wonderful partnership.
** Kangaroos can travel at high speed over long distances by hopping, which recovers most of the energy used in each leap by use of natural spring-like structures in the animal's legs. This does cost them maneuverability, however.
** Really, many things on the animal kingdom are this. For example, for many birds like swans and doves, just beating their wings is enough of a defense weapon, the former being able to ''break human bones'' with well placed strokes.
** We should reemphasize also that the walking and intelligence are not unrelated; humans' permanent ("obligate" in biolo-speak) bipedalism, besides probably helping with the endurance aspect, also freed up the forelimbs, allowing us to start carrying things. Carrying things eventually led to making things to carry--tools. Tool use and intelligence became a mutually-reinforcing cycle: "[[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri We use crude tools to fashion better tools, and then our better tools to fashion more precise tools, and so on]];" with each step the things the tools allow us to do makes intelligence an ever-more-important factor in fitness; and with each step the intelligence allowed us to improve on the tools we had.
*** Also more generally, bipedalism has always been a great evolutionary move for land animals that made it; humans simply benefited the most because they had hands with broad, flat nails (from our descent from tree-dwelling primates that therefore used their hands to grasp branches) rather than claws. However, the kangaroos and the dinosaurs (all of whom were descended from bipeds; the four-legged herbivores like the sauropods and ceratopsians returned to quadrupedal stances after they got too fat) are/were (well, still are: birds are everywhere, and they are dinosaurs) giant successes. Walking on two legs gives an animal improved manipulation ability even if they don't have human-style opposable thumbs; bipedalism allows for improved field of vision, as it raises the head; it allows for better defense/combat; and it has other advantages as well.
*** In the case of the dinosaur lineage that led to birds, bipedalism allowed their forelimbs to gradually evolve into functional airfoils, and they did so by assisting in climbing steep slopes rather than for gliding, according to one fairly well supported theory.
** And finally, as the simplest and most reliable way to close a short distance, your own two feet can work in any weather, can't be stolen (easily), costs nothing, doesn't need (much) maintenance, can take short cuts many vehicles can't, never have to worry about running someone over, needs no garage to store, helps you get fit and still work reasonably well if you're drunk.
* Another uniquely human trait is our ability to throw things with a reasonable balance of distance, accuracy, and power. It often gets overlooked because it's so basic an ability to us that we amuse ourselves by skipping rocks, shooting paper balls at garbage cans, or tossing balls at milk bottles in order to win large stuffed animals. And yet that simple ability is something that absolutely no other animal on the entire planet, including our closest relatives, can do, or ever did before our own ancestors. Just one of the many unique benefits of opposable thumbs and arms designed to swing freely. However, this can become MundaneMadeAwesome when talking about a superfast baseball pitch.
** A 10 year old child can throw a baseball at about 40-50 mph. An athletic adult can throw a baseball somewhere in between 70mph to over 100mph. An adult chimpanzee can only throw something at around 20mph. Considering that kinetic energy increases with the square of velocity, a 10 year old child puts 4-7 times as much energy into a throw as a chimpanzee and and adult puts 11-30 times as much energy into one.
** Things which are easy for us -- like balancing on two legs, or throwing a ball, -- are only easy because, while a great deal of our brainpower is dedicated to these things, little or none of it conscious. To illustrate -- when a Major League pitcher throws a ball (around 90 mph), releasing the ball 0.01 second too soon or too late would result in missing the strike zone. Since it takes about that long (10 milliseconds) for a nerve signal to travel from the brain to the fingers, the command to release the ball must be sent when the hand has not yet reached that window. In other words, "swing-and-release" is a preprogrammed sequence, performed without the benefit of seeing (or feeling) where the pitcher's own arm is.
*** On the flip side, one of the most difficult physical tasks in sports is hitting an MLB pitch. A batter has less than 0.5 seconds before a 90 mph pitch crosses home plate. A batter has to figure out exactly what pitch the pitcher threw, where he's aiming, how it's moving, and how fast it's going. All of that is visual and the batter must then decide whether or not to swing at it and, when then swinging, how to swing their bat. With an 0-2 count (i.e. no balls, two strikes ... which heavily favors the pitcher) MLB batters swing less than half the time.
* The third great evolutionary asset of ''Homo sapiens'' is incredible endurance. Size vs weight, humans are the most indefatigable animals there are. There are few animals which can stay on the move with humans, the only ones being wolves and camels. Humans can easily outrun equines and bovines. Humans are classified as "persistence predators". While many animals are faster than humans and more manoeuvrable, humans can simply outrun them and catch them exhausted. That is also the reason why most Ancient and Medieval armies preferred carrying everything on their backs rather than employing pack animals, and why conscripts were more valuable as porters and work force: they would out-endure horses, mules and oxen on long campaigns. That is also the reason why cavalry-based armies, such as Mongols and other steppe nomads had to have a vast amount of spare mounts: their mounts simply became exhausted on long campaigns. The endurance of ''Homo sapiens'' is one of the reasons why there are few climates and terrains where humans cannot thrive.
* On the topic of medicine: modest exercise, a good diet, rest, avoiding alcohol in excess, tobacco altogether, buckling your seat belt, reading the directions of every medication you take, sanitation and hygiene. This sounds as sexy as saw dust and yet if followed rigorously by a population would dramatically reduce the burden of disease. Even the half-assed implementation in the modern world has lengthened life expectancy by many years.
** Regular exercise is an effective treatment for most physical illnesses and ailments (and even helps with a surprising number of mental and emotional disorders). If a medicine were invented with a fraction of that versatility, we'd be in awe of the breakthrough.
** The single action that has contributed the most to mankind's life expectancy and health? The humble act of ''washing your hands'' frequently. This simple and boring chore enormously reduces the amount of bacteria and therefore, infections that can possibly attack you on your lifetime. Mix it with amazing advancements like vaccines and proper medicine and you can easily see why our lives have improved so much since the old times.
** Vaccines and treatments for new viruses take time to develop. So aside from routinely washing your hands, the best way to ride out a new pandemic is self-quarantining, or staying at home and not engaging in in-person social activities or going to places where it is crowded. If you ''must'' go out (due to work or essential errands like groceries or medicine), then social distancing, or maintaining your distance from other human beings, is the next best option. Since you can't always tell if you're infected without very specific testing, which will usually be unavailable due to high demand, distancing yourself from other humans ensures that if you ''are'' infected, the virus will hopefully not spread to others and if everyone on Earth does it, the virus will die out sooner than later and everyone can get back to their usual lives. Can't stand being alone? Then long-distance forms of communication like text messaging, phone calls, and video chats can keep you in touch with your friends.
** Some people routinely wear face masks when they're out and about. It's a potential inconvenience for, if, they, they have to present their whole face, or to eat or drink, and those who wear glasses may find them fogging up. But wearing masks can mitigate the chances that they spread diseases (that they may or may not be aware of) to strangers if they have to be out of the house, and can also keep dust and allergens (like pollen) out of one's nose and mouth, which can make outdoor activities much more bearable for those who are allergy-prone and makes dusting one's own house or workplace less of a nuisance. It can also provide some (but not total) anonymity in a pinch, if one is concerned about showing their face in public for some reason or another. A number of people who started wearing masks when the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicked in still choose to even after COVID-19 became declared a non-emergency. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Oh, and wearing a mask can avoid grossing out other people after eating a particularly pungent or teeth-staining meal.]]
* Humans tend to think of predators as more [[PantheraAwesome cool]] [[NobleWolf and]] [[NobleBirdOfPrey awe-inspiring]] than herbivores. However, the reason herbivores outnumber predators is that eating stuff that doesn't run away or fight back is much more efficient. Worst case scenario for a predator is burning more calories chasing their food than they get from eating it.
* The deceased [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Borlaug Norm Borlaug]] was quite possibly the exemplar of this trope in RealLife. He saved about 10 times more people from death than died in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. He spent decades interbreeding plants in a process even he admits damn near drove him insane with tedium. However, the result was the Green Revolution, which increased crop yields to such an extent as to save more than a ''billion'' people from dying of starvation.
* Medieval alchemists spent a great deal of time looking for a "universal solvent", capable of, well, dissolving anything. It took a very long time before anyone realized that you'd have trouble finding a more versatile solvent than plain old [[MakingASplash water]].
** Water is one of the simplest molecules in existence: two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen. This simple molecule leads to such amazing properties (like that aforementioned solvent thing) that it is '''absolutely essential''' for life as we know it.
* The medical dressing. In use for thousands of years, incredibly straightforward to apply, easily capable of saving wounded people from various horrible deaths, cheap to make, quickly obtained from clothing or other nearby items, it's perhaps one of the most enduring elements of medical technology ever. Now it exists in thousands of different variants, from the humble Band-Aid to complex and fancy dressings intended for severe trauma victims, but it certainly seems like it's not going anywhere soon.
* Carbon, hands down, is the most essential and widely used element in existence. Not only does it give rise to carbon-based life but it is also the most needed element for maintaining modern civilization.
** Without carbon, there would be no filters for making water safe enough for drinking.
** Without carbon, there would be no filters for the gas masks needed to protect against chemical and biological weapons.
** Without carbon, there would be no filters for Air-Conditioning units to keep out dust and other microbial contaminants.
** Without carbon, '''NOTHING would be clean.''' Which means no toothpaste, no computer chips, no flour...
** Without carbon, '''nothing would BE'''. It is the only suitable element for creating organic life when using water as a solvent.
** Without carbon there would be no heavier elements than boron.[[note]]Since carbon is used by massive stars to create heavier elements [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-burning_process by fusing carbon atoms (to begin with)]]. Since carbon is used, too, as a catalyzer for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNO_cycle CNO cycle]], that is the main way those massive stars fuse hydrogen, it's even debatable if massive stars could exist as well. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boron Boron]] is not made inside stars, by the way.[[/note]]
* Iron. Second of the most abundant metals in the world behind aluminium, very easy to process for its versatility, and the most versatile. Nowadays no civilized communities and nomads which don't have at least one or two tools made from iron.
** When Assyrians finally found a way to process it, instead of more expensive but simpler to process bronze[[note]]Bronze can be used for many of the applications iron can be used for, but you have to have access to both copper and tin, which requires sophisticated trade networks, which is in turn a factor that led to the Bronze Age Collapse. A huge downside of iron compared to bronze is that it needs higher temperatures, cannot easily be cast and has vastly different properties due to impurities like carbon or nitrogen that are hard to predict or understand without major metallurgical knowledge[[/note]] to [[ZergRush make mass quantities]] [[WeHaveReserves of weapons to arm their soldiers]], they dominated the region and their enemies finally followed suit.
*** Of the seven metals of antiquity (gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, mercury, and iron) only iron couldn't be obtained from an ore when using a wood burning fire.
* While not as visually stunning as pattern-welded blades, monosteel blades actually have quite a few benefits. On top of being cheaper and less work-intensive, a good monosteel blade can have equivalent or superior strength to a hand-made "Damascus" blade, and is much easier to sharpen due to being made of a single, homogenous piece of steel. It is for this reason that a lot of cultures discarded their own pattern-welded steel blades in favor of monosteel European blades.
* Good old fashioned engineering and progressively improving on a design. Sure, inventing all new ways to solve humanity's problems or creating a revolutionary new method to do something is neat, but most of R&D will be working on efficiency, output, and cost of something that people have ''already'' figured out how to build. You just need to build it ''better''.
* When solving a mathematical equation, you can spend hours trying to find a theoretical answer with complicated integration techniques, or you can simply use the "guess, check, and revise". Numerical solutions are faster by orders of magnitude, just as accurate, and are possible even when a grand equation is unknown or impossible (such as a stress model or atmospheric).
* With sexually dimorphic bird species, the female having plainer, less flamboyant plumage than the male fits well with this trope -- sure, she's probably not gonna win any human beauty contests with those feathers, but she's also far less likely to be noticed by predators, which is especially helpful when she's the one taking care of the babies. With her muted, inconspicuous color-scheme, she can render herself practically invisible when sitting on her nest just by staying perfectly still and quiet. And additionally, male birds with large trains of plumage (like peacocks) [[ImpracticallyFancyOutfit have the problem of said trains weighing them down when they fly]], something the female doesn't have to worry about as much.
* Certain bodytypes in the animal kingdom are extremely useful despite not being viewed as that impressive. A good example would be the lizard bodytype, most lizards aren't viewed as spectacular animals but their shape is highly versatile with the capacity to run, climb and swim, the ability to survive in a wide range of ecosystems, they can feed from many different food sources and it can be easily modified to fill more specialized niches. In addition, their ectothermic metabolism means that they can't be as active as mammals but it also means they can get by on less food and go dormant when times get tough. It's telling that the humble lizard niche first appeared over 300 million years ago yet it has managed to persist despite that, in fact, modern lizards aren't even closely related to the first reptiles that appeared in the Carboniferous period, the bodyplan is so useful that different reptile groups evolved into it independently. It's a similar deal with modern rodents, shrews and opossums and the primitive mammals of the Mesozoic.
* Mushrooms. They don't look particularly attractive and can be toxic if ingested, but they are important because they break down rotting material and return nutrients to the soil.
* In astronomy, both amateur and professional, the Mark I eyeball and not only because of the obvious. Eyes can be carried anywhere, require little maintenance, and are mounted on an stable and excellent mount that can point them anywhere in the sky fast and with the advantage of the great field of view both give, '''far''' larger than the one of any telescope. Just consider how much astronomy was possible before the telescope was invented. In the same vein, 7*50 or 10*50 binoculars are cheap, highly portable, allow you to see a lot of objects, and can be used for many other purposes not related to astronomy.
[[/folder]]

%% For sports-related items and strategies in sports
[[folder:Sports]]
* Creator/BruceLee loved this trope up to the point where he developed his own fighting style based entirely around it called Jeet Kun Do (''way of the intercepting fist''). However, in practice, everything he did off-screen ended up appearing awesome, anyway.
-->'''Bruce Lee''': I fear not the man [[MasterOfNone who has practiced 10,000 kicks once]]. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
** Lee developed his ideas after observing the stop hit of fencing, which can best be described as follows: when your opponent winds up for something big, stick your sword in him. The rules are a bit more technical.
* The basis of collegiate wrestling. Most common takedowns? High Crotches or Double Legs (Because you can't go wrong with basically spear tackling a guy and trying to throw him off to the side.) First taught and commonly used Escape? The stand-up. Pin? Half nelson. All of these moves are some of the first taught to new wrestlers and seasons.
* In general, boxing might just be the all time champion for this trope in the realm of martial arts.
** In terms of the fundamental principles, the basic stances and footworks matter ''significantly'' more than throwing quick and fast punches, which are only truly possible when you get the basics right.
** All beginners for boxing start with...learning how to jump ropes, which will continue to be important no matter what your skill level is (professional boxing champions can show impressive jump rope performances), because it will help to improve footwork and even more importantly stamina.
** Although boxing is known for knocking out opponents with flashy hook or uppercuts...but in reality, just like in the collegiate wrestling the most important move is the very first move one learns: a simple jab. It's the weakest, but also the fastest and exerts least energy, and is a building block for wearing opponent down and setting up punch combos.
** Finally, one of the reasons what makes boxing such a great martial art is that ''there are a lot of places to learn at affordable price.'' Any reasonably sized town and city will have at least a couple of boxing gyms/clubs around the corner. After all, what good is how effective a martial art is if you can't actually learn it?
* This is one of the reasons why Western martial arts have been downplayed or ignored in most media compared to Eastern martial arts. The latter is known for being exotic, with often thematic naming of forms and styles and some level of mysticism fused with the styles themselves--making them excellent for flashy media depictions. European martial arts, however, had more straightforward names of both schools and techniques, and as such don't seem quite as impressive-sounding for media depictions.
** Some Eastern Martial Arts get the same treatment as well. About ten or fifteen years ago, people were more likely to have heard of Karate and Kung-Fu (which are often used as umbrella terms for a variety of Japanese and Chinese Martial Arts) than Judo or Muay Thai. However, with the popularity of UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts growing over the years, the later two are becoming more well known. Ironically, their popularity in MMA has to do with the fact that they largely ditch the flashy posturing for practicality.
** UsefulNotes/BrazilianJiuJitsu and its [[UsefulNotes/IsraelisWithInfraredMissiles IDF]]-created variant Krav Maga are probably the best examples of this trope in the martial arts world, as they are extremely effective and extremely boring to the vast majority of spectators. Those who don't train in them don't really understand the complex positional battles or the attacks, counters, etc. being used; so while one combatant may be dangerously close to getting their arm broken or being choked unconscious, most of the audience sits there wondering when the action is going to start.
** Speaking of martial arts, movie enthusiasts imagine that fights between masters (in any style of combat) involve complex, elaborate moves that can only be learned after years of practice. Actually, most fights between masters will involve short, sharp, efficient blows honed to perfection by years of practice, but learned during their first days.
** One-step sparring. The most basic form of sparring a student will encounter, with a fixed right-of-way and a limited offensive arsenal (often a single punch from the right hand). Used to teach the student countering, distance, and defense, as a self defense technique, it can be more useful than the best RoundhouseKick; the first step is always to ''get out of the way''.
* Treading water. Not a competitive sport at all, it's by far the most likely water skill to save your life, and is also extremely useful when trying to water rescue others. Completely boring to watch -- you're just slowing waving your arms underwater, combined with either a slow scissors kick or half-effort frog kick -- but it allows people to keep their head above water for literally DAYS as well as perform other actions such as lift things out of the water, easily grab objects, and assist others who might be in distress. If you do nothing else, learn to tread water well.
* On swimming, backstroke is the easiest learn, breaststroke is the most energy efficient and crawl (freestyle) is the fastest. Each of those will get you there.
* [[{{UsefulNotes/Baseball}} Major League Baseball]] manager Joe Torre once described Mariano Rivera's pitching as this [[note]]His pitching style is best described as "He has one effective pitch. The batter knows it's coming. He can't hit it anyway."[[/note]] during the New York Yankees dynasty years in the mid-to-late [[TheNineties 90s]]. However, he done so in a positive light, making it clear that as a manager, you want your top pitchers, especially closers, to be boring and effective so you can rely on their performance each time out. Mariano Rivera going down in history as likely the greatest closer of all time, shows how effective he's been during his career.
* In the [[{{UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation}} NBA]], the San Antonio Spurs are often described as this. After a disastrous 1996-97 season in which general manager Gregg Popovich decided to take over as coach, the team drafted Tim Duncan and became consistent in both personnel (along with Popovich and Duncan, players like David Robinson, Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker never left) and results (19 consecutive playoff appearances). The players are humble and soft-spoken, and play an effective and not-eye catching style (in 2007-08, the Spurs' 56 win season that lead to the 2nd result in the West had the third-lowest scoring average, 95.4 points per game) that gave the Spurs 5 titles.
** On that same note: Old-school fundamental basketball is this. Close-to-the-rim, team-oriented, pass-first based basketball is probably the most efficient way to play and score but is almost universally considered boring to watch. By contrast, "hero-ball" (when one guy tries making highlight plays/ takes all the shots), eating up the shot clock with fancy dribbles, hoisting up deep threes, and trying to posterize guys every play is often more exciting but [[AwesomeButImpractical makes for some horribly inefficient basketball most of the time]].
* The New England Patriots had this reputation during their championship years. They were generally a low-key, hard-working team with an efficient, but hardly explosive offense (unlike say the Indianapolis Colts) and a strong highly-effective defense that was nonetheless not nearly as bone-crushingly violent as the Ravens. Their coach Bill Belichick further enforced this trope with his dour, stoic personality. [[BadassCrew They won 3 championships in 4 seasons]]. They won many close games on the strength of their kicker, Adam Vinatieri, who kicked the game-clinching field goals in two of those three Super Bowls and the game tying and winning one in the game that got them to the other one. Kickers are not necessarily the players children buy fan gear of, to say the least.
** To elaborate more on that offense, while big receivers like Tight End Rob Gronkowski or fast guys like Wide Receiver Randy Moss tend to get the attention and accolades, the core of the offense is a combination of short passes over the middle to running backs and slot receivers and power runs up the gut. This leaves defenses with the option of [[MortonsFork either getting their heavy, run-stopping fronts diced up over the middle, or getting their faster, lighter fronts run over up the gut.]] Simple, somewhat boring to watch, and effective enough that the Patriots didn't finish outside the top ten in points scored even once between 2004 and 2019.
* The simple act of doing a short pass with the ball (or puck), it's not nearly as glamorous as letting your team all-star play "hero ball" and single-handedly outmaneuver the other team's defense. But it has the huge advantage of working a lot more consistently, especially during post-season games where the opposing team will be focusing on stronger defensive play than in the regular season.
** Ironically, many exciting and fun-to-watch teams base their strategies on the simple short pass. The West-Coast offense that brought the 49ers success in the '80s and '90s is essentially a series of dink-and-dunk short-passes (as opposed to bruising runs or long bombs upfield) that combine small, easy gains into long, sustainable drives (and touchdowns). The UsefulNotes/StephenCurry-led Warriors' offensive efficiency is the product of Steve Kerr [[note]] Himself a former player of Popovich's "boring" Spurs teams [[/note]] instructing the team to endlessly pass the ball until they have an easy shot (which is usually a three-pointer, but it can also be a lay-up, a midrange shot, or even a dunk); boring by description, but very exciting when you have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant rack up points with those easy looks. Barcelona's quick-fire Tiki-taka offense, while driven by the scintillating skill of Lionel Messi (and later Luis Suárez and Neymar) plus the genius of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, boils down to having the forwards and midfielders perform a lot of short-passes as they play "monkey in the middle" with the opposing team.
** Similarly Schalke 04 of the 1930s and 1940s, often regarded as their GloryDays, was based on the famous "Schalker Kreisel" which in its essence is passing the ball around Handball-style until an opening develops and attacking from there. It might sound boring on paper, but it was so effective that the Nazis were trying their damnedest to "prove" players with last names like "Szepan" and "Kuzorra" were actually "Aryan" to use them in their propaganda efforts.
** Barcelona and Schalke's styles are just a few examples of "possession football", which preaches short-passing the ball around until the opposing team either makes a tactical error or gets tired from chasing the ball, which creates an opening for an easy attack leading to a spot-kick or a tap-in goal.
* Playing defense. In most sports offense looks flashier, gets the fans excited and is mostly what the sport is ''about'' (e.g. soccer is about scoring goals). But there is a reason for the tired cliché "Offense wins hearts, Defense wins championships". There are a handful of real life subversions, but most of the times the best Offense meets the best Defense, it's not even close. Just two examples from the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl: In 2013 Creator/PeytonManning was without a shred of a doubt the best Quarterback in the game. His offense put up ridiculous numbers and broke the records of Creator/TomBrady and his Patriots from their perfect season (which found a similar end) as if they were nothing. Then they play the Super Bowl against the best defense in the league and hit it like a brick wall. 43-8 does not even begin to describe what a CurbStompBattle it was. The Denver offense got outclassed in every conceivable way. Fast forward two years and the same team has changed a lot. Peyton Manning is visibly past his prime, and the offense does not produce anything above and beyond mediocre numbers. The defense however is the stuff of legend and when they face undisputed MVP Cam Newton and his prolific Carolina Panthers offense, which won several games, including a playoff game in one half, the result is as much a ForegoneConclusion as it was two years earlier. 24-10 for Denver and the Carolina offense never got a foot on the ground. Defense wins championships indeed.
** Defense is usually an oft-overlooked component of legendary teams' successes, but it certainly turned those teams from very good to championship-level.
*** In the NBA, UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan's Bulls wouldn't have won six titles if it weren't for the presence of underrated defenders (Horace Grant and Creator/DennisRodman come to mind) and MJ's own defensive skills. Similarly, the Curry-led Warriors are not just driven by threes; their success comes in no small part to excellent defensive schemes and the suffocating defense provided by Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. Other great teams also had their own silent defensive heroes: the Showtime-era Lakers had AC Green and Kurt Rambis, the Kobe-era Lakers had AC Green (again), Trevor Ariza, and Ron Artest, the Big-4 Celtics had Tony Allen and Kendrick Perkins, the Big-3 Heat had Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen, and the [=LeBron=]-led Cavaliers have Tristan Thompson and Richard Jefferson.
*** NFL Examples: The Walsh/Siefert era 49ers were also successful due to strong Defenses; while Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young drove the team to greatness, the likes of Ronnie Lott and Charles Haley were silent yet crucial components behind the Niners' Super Bowl runs. Tom Brady may get the credit for the Pats' glory, but said glory might have not happened if Belichick hadn't strengthened the Pats' defense. And, of course, who can forget the Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain defense?
*** Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't have won boatloads of trophies for Manchester United if it weren't for Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar protecting the goal (with the help of Gary Neville, Jaap Stam, and Rio Ferdinand), while the likes of Ryan Giggs, Éric Cantona, David Beckham, and Ronaldo banged in goals.
*** As a counter-example, Galactico-Era Real Madrid wasn't as successful as some would've expected due to their over-emphasis on signing great attackers like Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy while neglecting their defense (an egregious example would be their sale of Claude Makélélé, who would become a catalyst for Chelsea's mid-2000s dominance).
* Not many offensive linemen in the NFL are HouseholdNames (with the exception of standouts like Anthony Muñoz and Walter Jones). However, experts believe that good offensive line play is more important than excellent passing and rushing ability when it comes to an NFL team's success in offense, in large part due to the fact that the latter tends to flow from the former. In fact, many (smart) teams prefer to spend their top picks on offensive linemen (with recent selections Ronnie Stanley and Jack Conklin proving this point) than on highly regarded "skill players" such as Quarterbacks and Receivers, as building good offensive lines allow teams to protect their quarterback (which allows them more time to pass and make plays) and block for their running backs (which leads to consistent gains on the ground).
* In the European soccer championship 2016 Portugal played what many commentators called "anti-soccer"; an emphasis on defense, playing for draws (they only won one game in regulation -- against the flashier Wales) and lucking their way into the round of sixteen by virtue of being ''third'' in a group of four containing such soccer superpowers as Iceland or Hungary -- two teams that both finished ahead of Portugal in the group stage. Yet either due to underestimating them, luck or genuine advantages of their type of playing soccer (for which "boring" is a nice word) nobody could stop them all the way through the final. Not even France playing at home with one of the best offenses in recent memory.
* For less-talented soccer teams, the much-maligned Long Ball strategy is this. Many soccer fans agree that the agricultural hoof over the top is less pretty and sophisticated than the Tiki-Taka possession offense of Pep Guardiola's FC Barcelona and Manchester City, the tactical counterattacks of Fergie's Manchester United, or the high-intensity gegenpress of Bundesliga teams and Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool. However, said hoofs are also simple, which means that any player can use them well regardless of skill level (In contrast, elegant multi-pass offenses fall flat in the hands of unskilled players or teams with no chemistry). Additionally, Long Balls can allow teams to beat opponents who press high up the pitch by taking advantage of the space behind the defense or the relative unpreparedness of a squad that had just lost the ball. Finally, the increasingly technical nature of football has resulted in the proliferation of smaller footballers who are better on the ground; those players can be beaten by teams which utilize multiple aerial passes and tall, physical target men. It is not for nothing that Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Poland striker, who fits this mould like a glove, has managed to score fifty goals a season for several years.
** Such brutal simplicity was exemplified by Egil Olsen's Norway teams of TheNineties. Olsen overcame his team's inability to prepare for tournaments due to cold weather by utilizing a straightforward Long Ball called the "Flo Pass": A hoof from one fullback to an aerially proficient winger (in Norway's case, said winger was Jostein Flo, who lent his name to the strategy), who would then bat it down to either the Center Forward or the Midfield. While boring to watch, the Flo Pass brought Norway moderate success during that time period; such shining moments include upsetting Brazil in the World Cup and reaching the Number Two spot in FIFA rankings.
** Another example was Leicester City during their Cinderella run to the 2016 Premier League Title. The Foxes didn't really have technically talented players (though winger Riyad Mahrez was one), nor did they have many big-name stars. What they did have were a strong Central Midfield (anchored by N'Golo Kanté), a solid defense with conservative fullbacks (as opposed to the more attack-minded fullbacks of modern football) and a speedy goal-scorer named Jamie Vardy. They didn't need to play pretty; all they needed to do was defend well, then hoof it to either Mahrez or Vardy, who would either score it or pass it to someone who would. This simple, bare-bones, old-fashioned (the Foxes even lined up in an out-of-style 4-4-2 formation!), English-style play allowed Leicester to overcome more talented, more expensive, and more famous teams in order to win the most unlikely Premier League title of all time. Ranieri abandoned that strategy the following season (also of note, Kanté had left for Chelsea), Leicester City started to struggle, and Ranieri himself was sacked.
** Before Norway and Leicester, Graham Taylor's Watford went from the Fourth Division to the Top Flight just by playing good-ol' physical English hoofball. The same strategy allowed Wimbledon's "Crazy Gang" to upset Liverpool, who were known for their stylish attacking play, during the 1988 FA Cup final.
* Liverpool FC, known as Europe's Entertainers for their AwesomeYetImpractical all-out attacking style in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, which was spectacular but unsustainable and left them defensively vulnerable, changed to this in 2018/19: 20 matches in, they are the only team in the Premier League, and one of only three in the Big 5 leagues of Europe, to remain unbeaten, having conceded only 8 goals, approximately a third of what they'd conceded the previous year. This is thanks to the expensive acquisitions of one of the best goalkeepers and one of the best defenders on the planet, as well as a hard-working midfield that stifles opposition attacking play before it can get started. And since they retain one of the best front threes in Europe, this means that they're quite likely to score anyway, and can still turn on the style when they feel like it. While a bit less exciting, this ruthless consistency has led to them winning 9 games in a row, and put them a minimum of 7 points clear at the New Year.
* Everyone adores the star players who are exceptionally good in quite a few aspects of a sport, but successful teams also rely on not-so-flashy role players who are [[JackOfAllStats pretty decent at multiple skills]], versatile at playing multiple roles, yet disciplined enough to put the team's needs over their personal glory. Some examples include footballers John O'Shea, Daley Blind, and James Milner, and basketball players Andre Iguodala, Lamar Odom, and Richard Jefferson. Milner in particular has gained a [[MemeticMutation memetic]] reputation for being Boring But Practical incarnate -- he's not very exciting on ''or'' off the pitch, but his work rate, dedication, and ability to play just about anywhere has kept him at the top of English football for 20 years. Notably, he was a key part of the aforementioned 2018/19 Liverpool team, helping them to win the Champions League and, the following season, the Premier League for the first time.
* When it comes to football midfielders, fans adore the high-scoring offensive mids (e.g. Andrés Iniesta, Frank Lampard, Juan Roman Riquelme), box-to-box dynamos (e.g. Steven Gerrard, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal), and the hard-tackling defensive mids (e.g. Claude Makélélé, Roy Keane, Javier Mascherano, N'Golo Kanté). However, deep-lying passers (registas) such as Paul Scholes (especially during his later years), Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Luka Modrić, and Michael Carrick are also crucial components to a team's success due to their ability to control the game's pace and mastermind their team's plays.
** Check some videos on Sergio Busquets' role in Barcelona and you'll see.
* Defense-oriented defensemen in (ice) hockey, who focus their attention more on stopping opposing skaters than scoring goals, are not as famous as their high-scoring counterparts, but analysts deem them to be more useful due to their effectiveness at nullifying opponents' top threats. This can be seen with the current San Jose Sharks; while the high-scoring Brent Burns is a favorite for the Norris Trophy, the statistical analysis states that [[https://www.fanragsports.com/nhl/sharks/outshined-burns-marc-edouard-vlasic-dazzles-purists-eyes/ his more defensive teammate Marc-Édouard Vlasic has a bigger impact on the team's success]].
* "Game Manager" quarterbacks are often mocked due to their relatively poor arm strength in comparison to gunslingers like Brett Favre and Dan Marino. However, their ability to minimize mistakes often means that they end up performing better than their stronger-armed counterparts. Likewise, their intelligence and reading of a game gives them something to fall back on when age robs them of whatever little athleticism they have left. A few key examples include Joe Montana, whose relatively average arm strengths were/are compensated by their excellent ability to read their game, pass accurately, and move behind the line of scrimmage with ease.
* Command pitchers and pitching to contact in baseball. Unlike pitchers who blaze fastballs by the batters and leave them looking silly with breaking pitches to strike them out, they put the ball exactly where they want it. 90 mph just on the outside corner of home plate is nearly impossible to hit, and even harder to hit well. Batters will time up a fast pitcher or start to read one with good junk pitches (curveballs, sliders, changeups, etc.), and once they do they can crush the ball, but one that far outside is hard to hit all day long. It has the added bonus of not causing as much stress on the arm as throwing 100 mph or on the wrist as throwing junk pitches all day.
* Contact hitters in baseball don't have the power of sluggers and rarely hit for home runs. Instead, they focus mainly on getting on base and keeping the offense moving so that runners can get to home and score.
* Helmets. They can be bulky (depending on the sport), aren't especially comfortable to wear, and can be expensive. All that said, they protect the most important part of your body, so wearing one can absolutely save a life.
* In football, one of the most effective resources a defender has is the simple clearance shot. Any defender that can steal the ball from a coordinated enemy attack will usually simple shoot it to anywhere. This is boring, but brings excellent results:
** If the ball gets to a member of your team, you just caught your rival in bad footing and can start a counterattack.
** If the ball gets to an enemy player, you just forced them to reorganize their attack, giving your teammates precious time to regroup.
** If the ball goes out of the field, your team can take defensive positions and therefore nullify any advantages the attack gave to your enemy.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev4PysnibJ4 This]] is an example of what usually happens when you don't clear the ball when given the chance and instead try to show off (unless you're in Barcelona FC).
* Soccer problem: The "wall" doesn't want to keep the proper distance to a free kick. Endless discussion, yellow cards, yadda yadda... invent a complicated laser ranging system? Or a camera-based one? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_spray Nope.]]
* Golf:
** Taking a penalty drop or playing a good provisional shot in golf. It might not impress your friends or get on the highlights reel of a professional tournament, but it's far safer to take the 1 or two stroke penalty for a guaranteed safe lie instead of risking countless shots to escape an exceptionally bad one.
** Putting. It's never going to be as video worthy as impressive approach shots or long and well-placed drives. A player will still have to get it into the hole to ensure the best scores to win. Hence the famous saying: "Drive for show, putt for dough".
* ProfessionalWrestling uses a lot of flashy, impressive looking moves that are [[AwesomeButImpractical useless]] in a real fight. However, on the other side of the coin, less impressive holds, which are seen as basic and not particularly dangerous in wrestling, are actually very effective in RealLife. For example, virtually no modern pro wrestler will tap out to an armbar, however, an actual armbar is not only ''very'' painful, it can legitimately break your arm.
** Similarly, sleeper holds or headlocks are known in the business as 'rest holds', mostly used as lulls in the action and to give the wrestlers a break. To wrestling audiences, watching a wrestler hug another one in the head for a few minutes looks boring. But if properly applied in real life, a sleeper or rear-naked choke could restrict blood flow to the brain and legitimately render your opponent unconscious in seconds, or turn them into a vegetable if held for too long. For added scariness, if properly sunk in, it is very difficult to escape before passing out.
** A darker example, wrestling throws like a gorilla press or powerbomb might not look too effective, since wrestlers will often just get back up and keep fighting. The reason they can do that is that professional wrestlers are trained to give and receive those moves safely[[note]]There's a very good reason why the legitimate pro wrestling schools have guys doing nothing but practicing how to take the "flat back bump" properly and running the ropes for their first few weeks.[[/note]]. In reality, picking someone up and slamming them hard into the ground can seriously injure or even kill someone.
* As far as skateboard tricks go, the Ollie is among the least flashy (essentially being the Skateboard version of a basic jump). That said, it's essential for basic transport on a Skateboard (why step up small ledges when you can jump on them), and it's the gateway to the vast majority of the more complex stuff.
* In Skiing, there is the kick-turn. It is essentially the skiing equivalent of turning around in place, and certainly not a flashy way to get down a mountain. However, it is also the only way to turn around with complete control afterwards on a steep slope, making it very useful for getting out of sticky situations and is sometimes the only way to navigate down a slope safely (relatively speaking) or avoid a cliff.
* Sabermetrics (baseball statistical analysis) measures batters by their ability to score runs and get on base, while pitching statistics measure pitchers by their ability to stop the other team from doing so. Despite the effectiveness of sabermetric techniques, as depicted in ''Film/{{Moneyball}}'', they've attracted criticism for leading to limited post-season success and making for a spectator experience that's, well... boring. Still, scoring runs is the object of the game for each individual team (...while still selling enough tickets that revenue doesn't flatten.)
* In UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball if you can find a play that consistently gives you three and a half yards[[note]] Key emphasis on ''consistently'' -- in most gridiron leagues around the world the average yards per passing play are higher than those per run play, because there is a higher chance of an incomplete pass (0 yards) or even an interception (loss of ball possession) than with run plays which usually result in more or less what you expect them to.[[/note]] you need to do nothing else all game long. Gain of three and a half yards, gain of three and a half yards, gain of three and a half yards -- first down; and so on ''ad infinitum''. The key to avoiding being bored to death and defeated by your opponent like that is shutting down those plays -- not necessarily entirely, but in such a way that they do not deliver a consistent yardage above three and a bit. This is one of the reasons why coaches like to call the same play again if it gives them the desired yardage -- why fix what ain't broken?
[[/folder]]

%% For what you eat and drink!
[[folder:Culinary]]
* Agriculture. It's nowhere near as exciting as hunting or gathering food and oft considered menial work. But it's a FAR more efficient source of calories such modern civilization exists because a fraction of the time, effort, and population is needed to provide enough food to feed the world. Also applies to many crops and livestock, which are common because they're easy to raise and grow compared to fancier foodstuffs.
* Staple foods are this by definition and design. Rice, potatoes, beans, meal from grain, etc, are easy to grow, easy to store, easy to cook, and can be made into a meal by itself or with a wide assortment of ingredients thanks to plain taste. Near the sea, fish, kelp, and others can play the same role. In many cases the staple foods can be dried or kept dry, making them store longer and weigh much less -- JustAddWater and heat to make a meal.
* Salt. Of any seasoning one could add to any meal, salt is a basic that doesn't seem overly interesting, but ask any cook and they can tell you that LACK of salt is a major pitfall, actually. In fact, salt is simply amazing for being able to enhance other flavors. While you could go with some of the more "interesting" seasonings and spices like cumin, paprika, Cajun, or whatever, sometimes a little bit of simple salt goes a long way.
* Healthy food. While eating a variety of foods and spices will probably be the best way to get all your nutrients, plain food can keep you reasonably healthy (providing you don't leave out any important food group.)
** Soups and stews as well. The ultimate in simple recipes (put available food in pot with water and cook) can use nearly any ingredients, cooks decently quickly, feeds many, requires only the most basic equipment to prepare, is very healthy and filling (depending on the ingredients), and nearly anyone can make it. But unless you use a recipe, don't expect to be blown away by the flavor. That said, some ''excellent'' recipes for soups and stews can be found; ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'''s "Soup Nazi" was based on a real person whose soups really were that good.
* The humble roux (pronounced "roo"). It's basically just flour fried with an equal weight of some kind of fat and used as a thickener, but depending on the type of fat used and how long it's cooked to darken it, you can create a huge variety of amazing soups, stews, sauces and gravies with it. Flour and butter? Slowly whisk in milk and add your preferred shredded cheese for a terrific homemade Mac & Cheese or Au Gratin dish. Use bacon fat instead and you can make an excellent white gravy for biscuits or mashed potatoes. Want to make a nice creamy curry, like Butter Chicken or Tikka Masala? Start with a roux. Don't just brown ground meat and add seasoning when making tacos; mix the spices with a roux, whisk in a little beef or chicken stock to make a sauce, then put your raw ground beef directly into that, stir while it cooks down into a thick paste, and skim off the fat. There; you now have perfect restaurant-style taco meat with a fine, uniform texture that ''doesn't'' all crumble and fall out of the shell. The roux's extremely basic composition and broad range of uses might well push it into SimpleYetAwesome territory, and this simple base ingredient makes a massive difference between creating a rich, sumptuous sauce and a thin, unsatisfying broth.
* Noodles. Just like rice, they go well with a whole host of sauces or seasonings. Anyone for some spaghetti?
* Carbohydrates, main component of staple food (for that matter, staple food itself). The nutrients are less exciting than, say animal protein or fat, but these are processed for energies.
** Potatoes, as well. They don't look like much, but they did save Europe from continuous famine for quite some time. They are much more energy dense than traditional staples foods (you get 17.8 million Calories per acre for potatoes, compared to 6.4 million Calories per acre for wheat), thus allowing the same plot of land to feed three-times more people. And well prepared potatoes are tasty.
*** Potatoes also grow in a lot of places where cereals won't. This allowed massive population expansion in countries like Ireland where a lot of land isn't suitable for cereals but potatoes like it just fine. (Until you hit the problems of monoculture agriculture in a pre-chemical environment...)
*** Fun fact: You can get almost all the nutrients you need from a diet of just potatoes and milk, in the right quantities. It would be a very bland and monotonous diet, but you wouldn't die or get any serious deficiencies except for molybdenum, which you only need tiny amounts of anyway; the deficiencies can be remedied by supplementing with occasional eggs, bread, or certain vegetables like green beans. This is basically what the Irish were doing in the 19th century (with the milk taking the form of cheese and to a lesser extent butter, generally speaking). Dairy produce, eggs and potatoes can combine to make potatoes au Gratin, a potentially awesome casserole dish.
*** Potatoes can grow in extremely poor soil and cold climate. Yes, potatoes can grow in ''Lapland'', beyond the Arctic Circle. The ''puikula'' breed is considered a delicacy in Finland. It can be safely said the introduction of potato turned Finland (which is located between 60 and 70 deg North) finally into a fully habitable country.
** Rice. Not counting flavored, spiced, salted, egg, or with a curry/sauce. Just plain rice. For its size it is incredibly rich in nutrition and energy. Even if you don't have a specialized rice cooker, cooking rice is still a simple matter of adding rice and water to a pot and boiling it for several minutes.
*** They happen to be an excellent flavor buffer for a lot of saucy foods. That or they just go good with saucy foods (or with sauce in general).
*** How practical is it, you ask? Literally half of the entire world's population gets two-thirds of their daily calories from rice. It is the #1 most consumed food on Earth and has been for centuries, possibly even millenia (depending on when humans first started shifting from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural societies).
*** Add in some beans and you have the world's most inexpensive complete protein. Complete proteins are absolutely ''vital'' in a person's diet, since ''everything'' in a person is made out of one protein or another. Most of Central America relies on rice and beans (under various names, which one you chose is SeriousBusiness) as their staple food. Add a bit of spices and side dishes (e.g. an egg) and you have a meal that is both filling and surprisingly tasty if nothing fancy.
** Also note there are also parts of the world (southern India is one, and to some extent East Asia) where rice is eaten with the hands. For example if you find picking up sushi with chopsticks is tricky, it's easier and perfectly fine to pick it up with the fingers, and many Japanese people do this.
** Cassava. They have almost as high a yield per hectare as potatoes and they can be optimally grown in tropical areas[[note]]Potatoes can be grown in tropics but with a lower yield compared to potatoes planted in subtropics[[/note]], need less water (making them one of the most drought resistance crops around), and feed half a billion people. Proper cooking must be done, however, to remove the toxin.
** Yam, anyone? They are all year round crops, rich in starch, can grow in poor farms, and can be prepared in many ways.
* Tap water. Doesn't look very fancy and tastes pretty bland. But it's far less expensive than bottled water or juice (if not outright free at many eating establishments), far healthier than alcohol or soft drinks, and is far better at keeping you hydrated. And is readily available at home whenever you want it.
** And if you live somewhere where there is no reliable source of clean water, the old fashioned beer takes that place. Since it gets boiled during production, it's usually much cleaner than any unfiltered water. Calories and carbs in tasty, drinkable, preserved form. Staff of life, potable water, and recreation all in one. Tea and coffee also serve(d) the same purpose, although they have neither calories nor carbs in quantity unless you add sugar. In fact, if you're drinking good enough coffee, you don't even need condiments to make it taste good.
** The two most expedient way to clean water for drinking? Boil it for a few minutes, use it to cook, brew hot drinks, and clean things. Can't boil it? Pour some booze in it, preferable high proof spirits, and stir. 25ml of something like vodka can make an entire quart of water safe, because the ethanol kills bacteria and protozoa, which are the primary waterborne nasties that make people sick.
** Water in general is this. Most people don't think much of it, but it can generate renewable electricity, is a powerful industrial solvent, can save lives in a pinch, clean tools and wounds, be a measuring device, etc. Combined with a bit of that human ingenuity there is very little that water can't do. If you want to get decidedly impractical, water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. If you can separate it, you have the stuff stars run on. Which is more readily available and safer than radioactive elements like Uranium.
*** And on the subject of hygeine, flossing. If you floss after a meal, which is something quite easy to do considering you probably have bits of food in your teeth anyways, it removes more gunk between your teeth than brushing, and also helps with bad breath (a la bacteria on your tongue and rotting food in your teeth.) It'll also stave off problems like gingivitis. There's a reason dentists recommend it. Speaking of dentists, they do actually tell you to floss more even if you do floss regularly if they cause your gums to bleed, probably because it's a safe explanation, and it is very unlikely to lead people to sue.
*** The single most effective method of fighting bad breath is to gently clean the tongue twice a day.
* The humble sandwich. It makes any foods taste good together in a simple, no-silverware package that can often be an entire meal that fits in your pocket. It can be made for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, hot or cold, and is almost always one of the healthiest things you can eat. And it can be filled and dressed with almost anything you can think of.
** Even before the modern sandwich was invented, in parts of the world where wheat or other grains was the staple crop, bread was both a key source of calories and also made eating without utensils easy. Think how many foods around the world are some kind of flatbread wrapped around something else. In some places like Ethiopia, meals are still widely eaten with no utensils but bread to scoop up other foods.
* Salads are inherently low-calorie (thanks to lettuce being mostly water), and are extremely customizable; dressings, fruits, veggies, meats, and the like (all in moderated quantities, of course) can help add taste to a healthy bowl of lettuce.
* Everyone in the whole world knows the absolute importance of food in everyday life. But what is just as important as food is the taste and smell of it. People are very likely to consume and enjoy foods that smell good and taste good than they are to consume foods that have no flavor at all or have offensive odors and tastes. Because of this, the manufacturing and distribution of [[SimpleYetAwesome flavors and spices]] is an international industry that brings in billions of dollars.
** Expanding on that: salt. It was worth its weight in gold for a long time due to its ability to flavor and preserve food before refrigeration and other methods of chemical preservation, purposes it is still widely used for today.
* Canned foods, frozen foods, shelf-stable foods and [=MREs=]. Sure, they don't taste too well and are not as healthy as their freshly-made equivalents, but can withstand years of storage and do not need any preparations before eating.
** Instant foods also qualify. Sure, they are not the tastiest things around and are not considered good for your health, but they are cheap and easy to prepare.
** Instead of developing special space rations, the Soviet space program simply went up there like any campers would -- with tins of canned food.
* Coffee and tea may not be very sweet on their own, but they are popular sources of caffeine that pack less than 5 calories per cup, allowing even those on a low-calorie diet to enjoy them, and can be prepared to be hot or cold. High quality coffee beans do yield sweet, fruity flavors without milk or sugar. For those who are caffeine-intolerant, decaf coffee exists and herbal tea is inherently caffeine-free.
** In Britain before the days of water treatment, many people died of waterborne diseases and parasites. When tea and coffee started to get imported, general health improved as people were boiling their water before they drank it. That's right, the cup of brew was a genuine lifesaver.
* Small game and fish. Not only can animals often considered as pests or vermin be used as food, but angling is also a popular pastime, combining obtaining food with relaxation and excitement. Certainly big fish such as salmon, tunny or marlin sound both exciting and tasty, but humble roaches, perches and pike are easier to catch, easier to prepare for a meal and just as tasty if prepared well. Fish fats protein is extremely valuable as nutrients.
* Apples. They're tasty, they provide carbohydrates and energy, and they are very rich on vitamins and micronutrients. They can be stored and they endure harsh winter extremely well, and if spoiled, they still can be fermented into cider, vodka and calvados. Apples have provided vitamins and nutrients for Northern peoples for centuries. The importance of apples for survival in harsh climates is emphasized in the fact that distributing apples for soldiers was the King's privilege, and in many languages the ''globus crucifer'' (orb regalia) is called "State Apple".
* The methods of preserving fish by salting and drying under the sun. Doing that may cause it to lose many nutrients, but they are the most low cost and easiest food preserving methods and have been done for millenia.
* People in UsefulNotes/PuertoRico typically eat Export Sodas ([[NonIndicativeName a type of wheat cracker in reality]]) when they are terribly sick. Export Sodas are easily digestible, making them a go-to food when you have digestive problems. At least you are allowed to butter them...
* Cheese slicer. Developed from a humble carpenter's plane, it enables you to enjoy cheese as thin, tasty slices which are just suitable for bread or rolled into a neat roll. Moreover, the cheese slicer can be used to slice cucumber, potatoes, vegetables, butter -- just any sliceable foodstuffs. It is a true multi-purpose tool of kitchen.
* The simple knife, fork, and spoon of Western Dining, as well as the even simpler chopsticks of Eastern Dining. Knives are used for cutting food, as previously mentioned, forks can be used to pick up solid food, and spoons can be used to pick up liquid food. Chopsticks can likewise pick up solid food. In either case, these simple items can keep one's fingers clean as they eat, even if they can't tell the salad fork from the dinner fork. Of course, in the case of finger food, one can just use their fingers -- finger-licking good!
* Batch cooking and freezing. Quite a lot of meals can be cooked in pans, cooled, portioned into individual servings, put in the freezer and reheating at mealtimes. Sounds like a chore (especially on a weekend), but since the average oven or hob can probably cook more than one thing at the same time it can be done as quickly as cooking one meal. Larger (and usually cheaper by weight) packets of meat or veg can all be cooked at once regardless of how many people they will serve, reducing waste. Meat cooked directly from the supermarket does not have to be frozen and then thawed before cooking. Home preparation can make food healthier than pre-prepared products (especially with the amounts of salt and sugar). And, most obviously, dinner then does not need cooking after work. While the taste might not be as good as cooking fresh food with each meal and eating the same thing for days can get monotonous, it's much more economical and much healthier than commercially-prepared frozen dinners and you won't run the risk of ingredients going bad before you can use them.
* When it comes to fast food burgers, if you ever have the craving for one, what many food specialists consider to be the best option to get is just the plain old, simple hamburger. Sure, it may not be as loaded or fancy as the bigger, more premium burgers are, and it is still not something to have all the time, but it is still a good (and often cheap) way to satisfy those burger cravings and get the positive aspects of a burger (such as the protein from the meat) without intaking the often huge amount of added calories, fats, sodium and cholesterol the bigger burgers tend to have.
* Quick service restaurants as opposed to restaurants that have tableside service don't have the bells and whistles you get with the later, but the wait time for your meal is almost always shorter depending on how busy it is. With the advent of mobile ordering, you can do something else in the meantime while your order is prepared, and there's a wide variety of cuisines available in the quick service format.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music & Musical Artists]]
* This is one interpretation of the drumming style of Music/RingoStarr. Some [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] fans find his drumming tedious, uninteresting, and bland. Others feel that this is his greatest strength -- when [[Music/PaulMcCartney the]] [[Music/JohnLennon other]] [[Music/GeorgeHarrison three]] band members were pulling in different styles and directions, he was always able to adapt to a reasonable level, no matter what style they were playing in. Music/JohnLennon in particular would only work with Ringo for a long time after the break-up of the band because he was able to give Lennon exactly what he asked for.
** Another thing about Ringo's drumming style is that he generally avoids making it flashy or stick out like other drummers do. Rather, he prefers to have his drumming compliment and support the music. In fact (and somewhat ironically), some music analysts argue that many Beatles tracks can have their drums completely isolated and ''still be recognizable'', something that other, flashier drummers struggle to do.
* Max Weinberg uses only four drums (snare drum, mounted tom, bass drum, and floor tom) in his setup, saying that anything more is redundant. He relies on technical ability honed by decades of experience, as well as sheer speed, to perform incredibly complex percussion parts.
* Music/ThePlatters were an interesting case. While the other group members used their earliest revenues to enjoy a night on the town, Herbert Reed (their last remaining original member) used his to buy... a house.
* The infamous "No brown [=M&Ms=]" clause in Music/VanHalen's contract rider. It may seem like a superfluous request by obnoxious rock stars; however, it served an [[CanaryInACoalMine important purpose]]. Because it was such a minor detail, if the band found brown [=M&Ms=] in the candy dish, it likely meant the promoter [[SecretTest failed to read the contract in full]]. Van Halen's show had stringent safety requirements due to the lighting and pyrotechnics used, and many older venues couldn't safely accommodate the show if the contract wasn't ''followed exactly''.
* Many bassists fall into this. While there are bassists in specific genres that take center stage with their playing such as [[Music/{{Motorhead}} Lemmy]] or [[Music/{{Primus}} Les Claypool]], the instrument generally exists to take a back seat and avoids playing fanciful solos or fills like the guitar, drums or saxophone. Despite this, it is still an indispensable instrument in most groups, and possibly the most important instrument in the group due to helping conjoin the rhythmic and melodic portions of musical composition.
** Hell, the Bass Guitar itself could also count as one. Before its creation, musicians would need to rely on large Double Basses to provide low-pitched notes. The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_bass Double Bass]] was about 6 feet (roughly 2 meters) tall, cumbersome, difficult to transport, and required a lot of precision & experience to play. Not to mention they were expensive and did not have any form of amplification, so frequently it would be buried below the sound of the singer, guitar, piano, drums, brass, & the crowd during gigs. [[note]]so much so that many people wondered why they were even needed at all during live performances [[/note]] When the Bass Guitar arrived on the scene, it quickly became a standard instrument since was only slightly bigger than the average guitar with a longer neck (making it easy to transport), costs roughly the same, could be plugged into an amplifier to be heard properly, and any guitarist could pick one up and play. Music could sound fuller than ever before.
* The iconic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Stratocaster Fender Stratocaster]] electric guitar (It may not necessarily be "boring", but it certainly is practical). Because of how ubiquitous the model is as an electric guitar, many tend to write it off as "basic" and "standard", especially when compared to a Gibson Flying V or Explorer, or a BC Rich. But the reason the Strat is so popular and commonly used is that it is lighter and more comfortable to play whether sitting or standing, lacking any sharp edges and is contoured on its back. It also has a double-cutaway design (rather than a single cutaway seen on the Gibson Les Paul or even the Fender Telecaster), making it lighter and easier to play higher notes on the fret. Not to mention that it uses a bolt-on neck, which can be easily replaced by anyone when worn out, rather than having it glued-on like other models. The Stratocaster is ''incredibly'' versatile; it can be played in practically any music genre and still sound right-at-home, whereas other electric guitars often struggle to sound good when not played in their intended genres (Eg. Superstrats in any non-metal genre). And finally, the Stratocaster is also less pricey than other guitars; Fender has models that can sell for less than $1000 that are still ''very high quality''.
** The Strat is also ''very easy'' to customize compared to other electric guitars. If a player wants to, they can replace its electronics and pickups to suit their play-style and preferred sound. They do so by simply removing the pickguard on the front to access those parts, rather than practically taking the instrument apart like other guitar models.
* Many people think many of us musicians use fancy, complex chords in our music, but in reality, most music uses the first two chords you ever learn, the humble major and minor triad. Just three notes each, but there's so much you can do with triads. And the best thing? Triads always sound good, no matter the style of music.
* The major C and minor A scales. Easy to read, no fancy sharp or flat notes, and sounds reasonably good.
[[/folder]]

%% For items that don't fit elsewhere
[[folder:Unsorted]]
* Any advertisement that foregoes jokes, stories, novelties; etc. in favor of just telling the viewer basic details about the product/service and why they should purchase it (over their competitors). It's not as likely to be as beloved or even memorable to viewers, but it's also much less likely to backfire: a commercial too reliant on clever writing or production values runs the risk of [[WhatWereTheySellingAgain overshadowing its product/service]], [[DadaAd not carrying out the intended message]], [[TheScrappy/{{Advertising}} annoying viewers]], or [[SoBadItsGood/{{Advertising}} attracting the wrong kind of attention]]. A straightforward commercial consistently gets the point across to its TargetAudience, and just as consistently turns out desired expectations.
* Professional subtitles, especially for {{Anime}}. Fans decry them as lazy, especially compared to the fancy "karaoke subs" used by many {{Fan Sub}}bers. But as industry professionals point out, they're not supposed to be fancy -- they're supposed to be ''legible'', and the "boring" yellow/white-on-black, sans serif subtitles are by and large the easiest to read.
** The same logic extends to the translations themselves. Professional anime subtitles also get a lot of flak from fansubbers for actually ''translating'' Japanese into English and leaving out things like UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics (although sub companies generally do include them when relevant to the plot) and rendering names in the "Firstname Lastname" Western style. Professional sub companies want to make anime videos accessible to as wide an audience as possible that includes people who aren't necessarily familiar with the Japanese language or Japanese culture rather than [[PanderingToTheBase pandering to]] OccidentalOtaku.
** And finally, Dubbed Anime is frequently this (more so in recent years). Some anime fans ''hate'' watching their shows in English rather than Japanese, even though they typically don't speak the latter. However, watching anime dubbed is generally far more accessible to viewers, whether casual or longtime fans. Dub viewers do not have to have their eyes glued to the bottom of the screen to read what the characters are saying, allowing them to listen to the dialogue and focus on their actions. This is beneficial to viewers who struggle with reading and/or cannot read fast (particularly in dialogue-heavy series), or simply do not want 100% of their attention laser-focused on the show. Not to mention that most anime already rely on characters doing very simple mouth movements, so with the right script it's not difficult to make it appear that the characters are speaking the audience's language. There's a reason why nearly ''every'' anime on Netflix is dubbed as well as subbed.
* Most people with long hair swear by the two basics: Braids and/or buns, which keep hair contained, tangle-free, and out of the way. Since they usually wear their hair like that every day, it's boring for the people who ''don't'' have long hair and expected to see long, flowing locks.
* Freddie Francis, Academy Award-winning cinematographer (winning his first in 1960 for ''SonsAndLovers'' and his next in 1989 for ''Film/{{Glory}}'') and having a long career, from starting as a cinematographer in the '50s and '60s, to directing for Hammer and returning in the '80s (he shot two movies for Creator/DavidLynch, both ''Film/TheElephantMan'' and his last movie ''Film/TheStraightStory'' when he was [[CoolOldGuy 81]]) famously said:
-->"There are three types of photography: good photography, bad photography, and the right photography. The right photography is what tells the story best."
* Even here on this very website! [[OrderVersusChaos There are two factions]]: [=SPOONs=] [[note]]Society to Prevent Overly Original Names[[/note]] and [=FoRKS=] [[note]]Friends Of Really Kool Sobriquet[[/note]]. The former want trope names to be as simple and understandable as possible, making them this trope. The latter, by contrast, want trope names to be as funny or witty as possible, even if they don't make obvious sense, making it more AwesomeButImpractical. There's also [=PLATTER=]s and [=KNIVES=] who think the whole argument is stupid.
* The doll. One of the oldest and most universal toys ever conceived, it doesn't seem nearly as spectacular an innovation as discovering fire or crafting the stone ax, yet it revolutionized child care by giving young children something to safely try out social interactions with. Compare that to other social primates, in which subadult females can only practice infant care by stealing actual infants away from their mothers -- a risky situation for baby and young female, alike -- and youngsters of both sexes are smacked around by their elders if they commit a ''faux pas''. But dolls don't die if mishandled and don't hit back if your play gets too rough. Plus, learning to regard dolls as substitute-playmates gave the human imagination a jump-start.
* In the some spots of very remote Sahara Desert, camels are these. While those pre-2000 Toyota pickups are easier to maintain, faster, cheap, and robust, those still need constant fuel to operate and particular skill to fix. The prospect of having a pickup break down and nobody able to repair it worries some travelers. There's also the prospect of having one or more of the wheels slip on the sand and nobody nearby who can tow the pickup. The first problem can be tackled by bringing loads of fuel and spare tires, but it also decreases the free load weight. Meanwhile, while slow and not being able to carry as much (individually), camels don't need to eat and drink every day and the fact that they've been used for millennia is proof of their practicality.
* Barbed wire. It's cheaper and takes less effort to set up than conventional fencing, allowing you to fence off large tracts of land quickly. Unlike a hedgerow, it's also fairly low-maintenance. You can also run an electric current through it for extra insurance. Guns might get all the credit for "winning" the Wild West, but it was barbed wire that ''tamed'' it.
* Wheels. One of the most important inventions ever and also the oldest. These devices can decrease the force needed to move vehicles while looking very ordinary.
* Carts are used to move cargo in large quantities more easily, making them useful in a similar way to use.
* The concept of BeigeProse. It might not always be particularly exciting, innovative, or challenging to read, but it enables anyone with a basic level of literacy to read and understand what is being written, and enables the writer (again, assuming they have basic competency) to clearly and effectively communicate what they are trying to say. PurpleProse, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to show off all those complex and beautiful words in your vocabulary, but it potentially obscures the meaning of what's being written for anyone whose vocabulary isn't as extensive as yours, increases the risks of mistakes if your command over the language isn't as strong as you think it is, can be distracting or off-putting to read, and may make you seem like a pretentious show-off. If done well, BeigeProse can actually enhance enjoyment as the words and language won't distract from the plot and characters. Of course, if done badly, it can be incredibly bland and ruin dialogue and characterization.
* An incredibly common trope in FanFiction is writers thinking they need to [[SaidBookism find tons of synonyms for "say"]], common nouns like "eyes", [[PornWithoutPlot genitalia]] or [[BurlyDetectiveSyndrome the names of characters]]. While some published works by professional writers do this too, it is generally seen as tacky and distracting to write "orbs" where "eyes" would do and extremely weird to write ever more ridiculous circumlocutions instead of the names of the damn characters.
* Locks on doors. Most simple locks require just a key that is unique to that lock, which can easily be carried on a keychain or similar item if you travel a lot. Locks can keep anyone out and the only way to bypass them is either finding another way inside or brute forcing the lock itself, which is usually too much trouble for most amateur criminals. While some buildings or devices have more advanced locks such as retinal scanning, fingerprint scans, or key cards, the more simple and traditional lock and key is more than enough for most people.
** Bar and latch. They are simpler than locks yet work to keep unwanted outside.
* In crime there are two things that significantly reduce the chance of being caught and arrested... A mask and a pair of gloves.
* When it comes to {{Bank Robber|y}}ies, "note jobs" are the simplest, least flashy, yet most effective way to do it. Unlike in the movies, bank robberies rarely involve ski masks, flashing guns around, or opening the vault. Shootouts very rarely ever occur after a bank robbery. Your average bank robber will simply walk into a bank (with next to nothing covering their identity, other than perhaps [[PaperThinDisguise a pair of glasses and a hat]]), hand the teller a note demanding money, and [[RefugeInAudacity walk out as casually as they went in]] with the cash in hand. The reason for this is that tellers are under strict instructions to give in to the robber's demands to avoid getting anyone hurt, which is also practical for the bank since putting their customers in danger is a hundred times worse than losing at most a couple of thousand dollars. The act is so quick and subtle that others in the bank may not even realize a crime is taking place. If the amount the robber demands is small enough, and they don't push their luck by robbing more banks, the crook may even be able to get away with it scot-free (though this is far from guaranteed, and bank robbers are prosecuted especially harshly when they do get caught, so [[DontTryThisAtHome don't take this as an endorsement of robbing banks]]).
* In matters of sex:
** The Missionary Position is the most boring-looking heterosexual sex position, but that's the one that study after study shows most heterosexual couples actually engage in the most.
** Far less used but no less practical is Doggy Position. Many people are ashamed of their face while having sex so they need to use a position in which the couple don't need to see each other.
** Condoms may make sexual activity less intimate due to less bodily contact among other things, but they protect from nasty [=STDs=] and unwanted pregnancies in a way that's cheaper and less of a hassle than going to an abortion clinic or having to deal with the health hassles and costs of living with said infections. In many places, condoms are given away by various institutions ([=NGOs=], international development aid, the government, advertising, whathaveyou) ''for free''. Other forms of contraception exist, but condoms are by far one of the most common and simplest means of protecting yourself and your partner, and the only one that protects against [=STDs=].
** For those who are worried about the risks of sexual penetration even with condoms and other anti-disease and birth control devices, or simply just don't dig intercourse, simple cuddles and kisses are effective and sensual forms of physical intimacy, and there are a fair number of people for whom cuddling and kissing without really going further ''are'' sexual turn-ons. It also puts less pressure on each participant to please their partner, if they don't go into bed together with the expectation of orgasms.
*** Hell, for those who don't want even a platonic romantic relationship, the simple friendship has all the communication and support needed. While not as intimate and exciting as the former, true friendships in general are very stable and more likely to excel in open communication.
** Smaller penises may not look as appealing as the long schlongs you often see in pornography (especially of the drawn or rendered variety, which tend to inflate the definition of a [[GagPenis big one]]), but they're less likely to hurt one's partner in acts of penetration or create embarrassing bulges in clothing at the most inconvenient of moments.
* Hinges on doors. They are used to make the doors easy to open, close, and lock. The alternative is removing the door panels from entrances, or to slide them off on rails that tend to get stuck easily, or slide them up, where they may unintentionally function as makeshift guillotines.
* One of the most useful pieces of dating advice: BeYourself. Sure, it's a cliche you'll see in just about every form of media ever, but if you're actually looking for a serious romantic relationship instead of just a one-night stand or something similar, then it's best to be honest about the kind of person you are and the life you want to live.
* In an emergency evacuation, you'll often be told to leave behind any belongings that may a hindrance to you getting out safely (whether due to the difficulty of finding, retrieving, or carrying said belongings) and just get ''yourself'' out of whatever needs to be evacuated. Yeah, losing that thousand-dollar laptop with your research paper on it, that doll you've had since you were a child, or that expensive purse that you bought in another country that's [[NoExportForYou not available where you live]] may suck, but if you're ''dead'', you won't be able to have them anyway. It's even worse if you have to evacuate someplace cramped, like a plane or a bus, because not only are you endangering yourself, you're also holding up and endangering other people who need to exit and a lot of material are flammable (batteries are prone to explode, for example), plus imagine if ''everyone'' tried to get out with their luggage/bags/whatever instead of leaving it all behind and prioritizing their own well-being.
* Motels may not be as flashy as hotels, much less four-star hotels, but their lower cost means they sure beat sleeping in the car on long trips without access to toilets or showers. In addition, motels (and even cheaper hotels) have less tendency than fancy hotels to try and nickel and dime you for things like WI-FI or breakfast, knowing things like that can mean the difference for low-cost travelers. Go to a fancy 4- or 5-star hotel and they'll likely charge for the wifi, which will probably be not much higher quality than the free wifi at budget-class motels/inns/lodges, which tend to be more popular with people travelling for work.
* Despite the endless possible varieties of limbs and body shapes, the vast majority of organisms share most of their traits with closely related species. Mammals in particular are remarkably similar in their basic body plan. The standard includes two eyes, one nose with two nostrils, one mouth with two jaws, two ears, four limbs, one heart, and a nervous system connected by a spine and controlled by one brain. Humans tend to fear or dislike animals more the further from that pattern they are, such as animals that have [[SnakesAreSinister no]] [[SandWorm legs]] or [[SpidersAreScary way too]] [[CreepyCentipedes many legs]].
* Livestock.
** Cows. Bovines are surprisingly useful to humans -- they provide food, leather, and milk. They eat the by-products of our own food or eat plants that we can't eat. They produce fertilizer. They are strong enough to pull ploughs, carts, and even siege weaponry. Their stamina makes them handy for mills and treadwheels. Cattle even come in breeds adapted for different climates ranging from very hot (Zebu) to very cold (Yaks) and from sweltering jungle (Banteng) to dry mountains (Cassina).
** Pigs. As {{Extreme Omnivore}}s, they can eat anything from fruits and seeds to animal carcasses and table scraps. Their thick skin and fat provides natural protection from attacks by predators. Because of their hardiness and versatility, pigs are among the first animals to be introduced in settlements, and pork remains one of the least expensive meats at the butcher's counter because of the ease with which they can be raised and reared on almost any diet, in almost any environment.
** Chickens. They need less food and space than most livestock, while also having the benefit of being more environmentally friendly. Bodybuilders especially value chicken meat for its high protein-to-fat ratio. Furthermore, chicken meat is acceptable among all major religions, meaning practically any non-vegetarians can rely on chickens for food. They also produce eggs for food and their feathers serve as stuffing and insulation.
** Sheep. They can live on the same stuff as horses and cows but don't need nearly as much space, time, or money to raise. They provide warm wool for clothes and bedding, but also nutritious milk and meat, [[MultipurposeMonoculturedCrop plus dozens of possible byproducts]]. Like cows, there are different breeds for the most extreme climates, and like chickens, all major religions can eat their meat.
** As a rule, all domesticated animals fall under this trope, because they have to be useful and easy enough to domesticate in the first place.
** Speaking of domesticated animals, one particular creature has every other tamed beast beat when it comes to this trope: the common cat. First kept for pest control once humanity started farming and storing grain, and then for companionship too, they excelled at both so well that only the dog rivals their popularity. Cats aren't flashy or hugely exciting or unusual like other more exotic pets and combination utility and companion animals but what they do, they do perfectly. A cat doesn't have to be trained or exercised like a dog, the owner just puts it somewhere and lets it do its thing. They're cheap and easy to keep, only needing food, somewhere to sleep, and a litter box. Cats kept solely for pest control don't even need to be provided for, since they will find their own food while doing their job. They're sturdy and suffer fewer health problems than other more fragile creatures like horses and pedigree dogs. They reproduce quickly so lost members of their colony are replaced swiftly if they die. They're cute and cuddly and provide a mood boost for most people, but -- unlike dogs -- cats are small enough that fatal attacks on humans are nearly unheard of. Plus, cats actually tend to enjoy being petted and given affection by humans, while other fuzzy pets (e.g. rabbits and hamsters) dislike it and may become stressed and bite if handled. Even the two main drawbacks of indoor cats can be easily managed. Tomcats urine spraying stops once they're neutered, and cats of both sexes won't claw furniture if they are given a cheap scratching post instead. Cats really do have it all.
* The simple box.
** Usually made out of cardboard, a box's only purpose is to store and transport items, but it's so widely used around the world that it's impossible to imagine life without the box.
** House cats ''love'' cardboard boxes, and enjoy using them as a toy or for sleeping in. A common meme amongst cat owners is to invest hundreds of dollars into elaborate cat houses...only for the cat to stick to the cardboard box that their latest shipment of pet food came in.
* The Riffle shuffle is by far the most commonly practiced card shuffle. It can be done without a solid surface, requires minimal dexterity to achieve, and 4-7 riffles has be mathematically demonstrated to produce truly random results. The overhand shuffle has less visual flair, but is good enough for casual play. "Washing" the cards -- aka the Corgi shuffle -- is a common alternative for children or those unable to perform other shuffles, but its practicality is mitigated by requiring a large surface and being considerably slower than other shuffles, even multiple shuffles.[[note]]As of 2019, croupiers, AKA professional dealers, most often deal from a deck that has been electronically shuffled and tracked by a computer. A major exception is baccarat, where cards are still commonly hand-shuffled.[[/note]]
* The ladder. A simple device that can help a person reach a higher location. They're so seemingly insignificant that most people don't realize that they need one until they need to get somewhere that they're unable to reach on their own.
* Another "don't know how useful it is until you need one" device is a plain old wheelbarrow. Boring and spends most of its time in the garage or shed, but if you need to move something heavy like a lot of dirt, chopped wood, or bricks, it makes life much, much easier.
* Doors are among the most basic things any building will have and can alternate between being a simple barrier to entry (usually the front door or the like and accompanied by a lock) and being an opening to travel through. Closed doors also have many practical uses such as keeping hot air inside or outside a room, keeping dangerous people and animals out, and even slowing the spread of a fire.
* Preventive maintenance. "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" Well, sometimes stuff stays in working order ''because'' it's maintained and kept in shape before anything bad happens that leads to more expensive repairs. Fixing or replacing things as their parts near their rated end-of-life can avoid much more expensive repairs...that will likely come after disastrous malfunctions.
* When buying stocks, Index Funds and [=ETF=]s are this in a nutshell. They don't have the massive volatility of other stocks, so you won't be able to, say, invest in the next Amazon or Google before they get big, and it can take decades to make reasonable money from it. That said, it's relatively safe, and consistency means you'll eventually invest enough to pay for all your bills through just your dividend earnings, allowing you to either retire early, or use your day job's income for savings, home buying, and so on. Helping it is the natural snowball effect the longer you invest consistently until you have enough dividends to invest by just using your dividends, let alone seed money.
** The act of buying and holding is this for standard holdings. They say time in the market is better than timing the market, and, not only do you guarantee gains from the successful companies, holding a stock for at least a year allows you to pay less in taxes if you sell.
** Retirement funds like Individual Retirement Accounts and the similar 401(k) Accounts. They're not usually considered all that exciting and don't get the huge press of activities like the AwesomeButImpractical day trading, but they're very helpful vehicles for making your money work for you and all you need to do is get in the habit of sticking to your retirement goals. 401(k) plans can simplify this by automatically deducting your desired amount from your paycheck so you save for retirement with each payday.
* Sometimes AllGirlsWantBadBoys or guys want to say MyGirlIsASlut, but, to be honest, a standard relationship between two nice people who genuinely love each other, while it might not be adventurous, exciting, or, especially in the case of a ChastityCouple, fun in the bed, is the standard for the kind of relationship that will last happily.
** The main reasons for relationships and marriage in every society on earth, for most of human history until the modern era, were practical, namely having children and for a division of labour in the home. Romantic ideas like finding a soulmate who is a perfect match and then marrying them solely out of love weren't a big thing.
* "White noise" apps and audio. Sure, listening to ocean sounds, rain sounds, or even just what's effectively tuned ''static'' may not be as engrossing as music, but that's the point. For people focusing on work or studies, trying to relax, or trying to sleep, white noise helps provide a soothing background sound that one can listen to all day without suffering listener fatigue, getting distracted by the music itself, or going mad from hearing the same thing over and over. Furthermore, depending on what kind of sound, it can even drown out unwanted background sounds (say, the neighbors next door having a loud party, or coworkers babbling on and on amongst themselves in an open-plan office).
* Feeling tired and worked up? Try meditation, where you just close your eyes, breathe in and out deeply and slowly, and keep at it. It looks silly, but this can pay dividends, as you are calmer, less anxious, and are more confident. Trust us, you will need it after [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife reading something on TV Tropes]] and [[GoMadFromTheRevelation learning something you wish you didn't learn]].
* In a similar vein to white noise and nature sounds, lo-fi hip hop music is quite popular amongst students and workers. You won't see any big sell-out concerts for them anytime soon nor do they have a really vocal fandom, but that isn't the point. They're meant to be soothing, steady-rhythm tracks that give your ears a pleasant backdrop while you conduct your activities. Not for nothing are there 24/7 streams dedicated to non-stop lofi music that are frequently on the front page of [=YouTube=].
* When folk magicians in Britain were called upon to break a suspected witch's curse (one of their most common sources of employment), some went the route of allegedly magical charms and rituals. Others, on the other hand, physically attacked the suspected witch or threatened to sue them in court.
* The Jellyfish is arguably one of the most successful lifeforms on the planet. They're so simple they're approximately 95% water (the average human is 55-60% water) and ''don't even have a brain'' to think with. Despite that, fossil evidence indicates they've been around since the Cambrian explosion, which predates the dinosaurs, and they're still going strong to this day. Don't fix what ain't broke, right? Almost all jellyfish don't actively seek out prey, they just let it get caught in their tentacles as they aimlessly drift through the waters, meaning they don't need to spend energy hunting. Unlike several other species which tend to go extinct due to human actions, jellyfish seem to be ''thriving'' due to us. A correlation to global warming and increased jellyfish population has been acknowledged. At the end of the day, the jellyfish is just a pile of stinging tentacles attached to a non thinking body. Yet its design has not changed since it evolved out of the primordial ooze.
* Small streamers (e.g. on Twitch and Website/YouTube) consider lurkers to be this -- the ones who can be seen in the viewer list but almost never interact with the streamer or in chat. Even if those lurkers aren't engaging in AudienceParticipation activities or other lively chatting, the fact that they take the time to follow the streamer's published schedule and routinely watch their streams, even if it's just as background noise for other tasks, shows that they value the streamer's presence in their daily lives. Even just having three or four unobtrusive regular viewers can positively motivate streamers to continue their activities, considering that to be a much better alternative to no viewers at all. Lurkers also tend to be less prone to backseat gaming and other undesirable viewer interactions -- they're often too busy with their other activities to care that their streamer is not playing a game the "correct" way, and tend to be just thankful they have some form of company. Finally, lurkers help contribute to the streamer's metrics (so long as they don't mute the stream audio through the player controls, but [[LoopholeAbuse muting the tab the stream is playing in gets around this]]), which can be essential for sponsorship programs that require a certain number of viewers or more.
* TraditionalHeavyMetal today may not be super awe-inspiring and heavy like ThrashMetal, PowerMetal, DoomMetal, GrooveMetal, DeathMetal, BlackMetal, NuMetal and so on (especially AvantGardeMetal), but the genre has still packed a great amount of MetalScream, EpicRiff and overall musical power. After all, HeavyMetal wouldn't exist if it weren't for trad metal.
* Public libraries. They might not carry the latest hit books, but they are a longstanding valuable resource to many since they have a large catalogue of books that you can simply read on-site, and if you want to take a book home with you, you just need to sign up for a library card, which typically costs only a few dollars, and then check the book out; as long as you return it in a timely manner without damaging it, there's no additional charge to borrow that book (and if you still want or need the book, you can renew it provided that the book isn't on hold for someone else). Many libraries also carry movies, music [=CDs=], and if they're funded well enough, even ''video games'' too; again, not as lavish of a selection as rental shops back in their prime, but simply having a library card gets you access to these at no extra cost. Libraries are also great for studying and doing work since they often feature many tables you can sit down at and free wi-fi access, much like a coffee shop but without the expectation or obligation to spend money. They often also feature computers that you can use; while they may prevent you from installing new software or accessing certain sites (such as porn sites, obviously), if you just need to check your email or work on an essay, for example, they can get the job done if for whatever reason you don't have a PC at home or it's out of service. And in this day and age of evolving personal technology, many libraries partner with e-book services and streaming services for TV shows and films, again needing only a valid library card for you to use.
* Accounting. As a number-crunching discipline, it's not for everyone. But ''everyone'' needs an accountant, from businesses to track their expenditures and profit, science labs to allocate their grant money and other resources, to individuals for their own personal finances. Even criminals need accountants (actually, ''[[ForensicAccounting especially]]'' criminals), even those who are totally off the grid, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0fAznO1wA8 like irates.]] If vampires existed, even they would need accountants, because they have to either [[VampiresAreRich pay their due]] or [[UndeadTaxExemption hide their wealth]] from the IntimidatingRevenueService.
[[/folder]]

** For RhythmGame players, the app market for tablets offers rhythm games that are similar in feel to arcade rhythm games (some notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Arcaea}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Phigros}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Cytus}}''), but without having to spend a fortune on arcade credits on a regular basis or hundreds of dollars at once on a specialized controller, let alone buying the cabinet itself, while being much more portable at the same time.

* Skis and the slightly more awesome dog sled for moving across snow. One of the reasons [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Amundsen Amundsen]] won the race to the South Pole (and, you know, survived) was the use of these two simple methods of transport. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Falcon_Scott Scott]] on the other hand wanted to use high tech mechanical crawlers that soon broke down due to the extreme conditions. There have been claims that Scott and his men didn't even know how to ski, usually with the implication that they would have survived had they known.
** Another contributing factor to Amundsen and co.'s survival is the understandably less advertised fact that unlike engines, [[EatTheDog sled dogs are edible]].

** Another thing about Ringo's drumming style is that he generally avoids making it flashy or stick out like other drummers do. Rather, he prefers to have his drumming compliment and support the music. In fact (and somewhat ironically), some music analysts argue that on many Beatles tracks they can have their drums completely isolated and ''still be recognizable'', something that other, flashier drummers struggle to do.

* Sneakernet. Sure, an internet connection of a few GB per second sounds nice, but when large anounts of data are involved, nothing beats a plain old courier with a data drive. [https://aws.amazon.com/snowball/ Or a truck].

** Another thing about Ringo's drumming style is that he avoids making it flashy or stick out like other drummers do. Rather, he prefers to have his drumming compliment and support the music. In fact (and somewhat ironically), some music analysts argue that on many Beatles tracks can have their drums completely isolated and ''still be recognizable'', something that other, flashier drummers struggle to do.

** And finally, Dubbed Anime is frequently this (more so in recent years). Some anime fans ''hate'' watching their shows in English rather than Japanese, even though they typically don’t speak the latter. However, watching anime dubbed is generally far more accessible to viewers, whether casual or longtime fans. Dub viewers do not have to have their eyes glued to the bottom of the screen to read what the characters are saying, allowing them to listen to the dialogue and focus on their actions. This is beneficial to viewers who struggle with reading and/or cannot read fast, particularly in dialogue-heavy series. Not to mention that most anime already rely on characters doing very simple mouth movements, so with the right script it’s not difficult to make it appear that the characters are speaking the audience’s language. There’s a reason why nearly ''every'' anime on Netflix is dubbed as well as subbed.

** And finally, Dubbed Anime is frequently this (more so in recent years). Some anime fans ''hate'' watching their shows in English rather than Japanese, even when they typically don’t speak the latter. However, watching anime dubbed is generally far more accessible to viewers, whether casual or longtime fans. It also helps that viewers don’t have to keep their eyes glued to the bottom of the screen for the entire show to read what the characters are saying and focus more on their actions, don’t require the audience to focus 100% of their attention on the show at all times to read, and are especially helpful with dialogue-heavy series and/or people who can’t read fast. Not to mention that since most anime already rely on characters doing very simple mouth movements, it’s not difficult to make it appear that the characters are speaking the audience’s language with the right script. There’s a reason why practically ''every'' anime on Netflix is dubbed as well as subbed.

** Some people routinely wear face masks when they're out and about. It's a potential inconvenience for, if, they, they have to present their whole face, or to eat or drink, and those who wear glasses may find them fogging up. But wearing masks can mitigate the chances that they spread diseases (that they may or may not be aware of) to strangers if they have to be out of the house, and can also keep dust and allergens (like pollen) out of one's nose and mouth, which can make outdoor activities much more bearable for those who are allergy-prone and makes dusting one's own house or workplace less of a nuisance. It can also provide some (but not total) anonymity in a pinch, if one is concerned about showing their face in public for some reason or another. A number of people who started wearing masks when the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicked in still choose to even after COVID-19 became declared a non-emergency. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Oh, and wearing a mask can avoid grossing out other people after eating a particularly pungent or messy meal.]]

** Some people routinely wear face masks when they're out and about. It's a potential inconvenience for, if, they, they have to present their whole face, or to eat or drink, and those who wear glasses may find them fogging up. But wearing masks can mitigate the chances that they spread diseases (that they may or may not be aware of) to strangers if they have to be out of the house, and can also keep dust and allergens (like pollen) out of one's nose and mouth, which can make outdoor activities much more bearable for those who are allergy-prone and makes dusting one's own house or workplace less of a nuisance. It can also provide some (but not total) anonymity in a pinch, if one is concerned about showing their face in public for some reason or another. A number of people who started wearing masks when the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic kicked in still choose to even after COVID-19 became declared a non-emergency.