After having the survey with 2,500 adult participants, Britons identified the karaoke as the most irritating invention. About 22% of survey participants picked the sing-along machine as their top choice.
The karaoke is credited to Japanese inventor Inoue Daisuke who came up with the device in 1971. Conversely, he did not have it patented. The patent is held by Filipino inventor Robert Del Rosario who had his Minus-one sing-along system registered, claiming he had invented it in 1970s. Del Rosario won the legal battle and secured headlines every once in a while.
The irritation over loud singing is not limited to Britons, but also among Filipinos. Although karaoke singing is very popular in the Philippines, reports of amateur karaoke singers being killed by fellow drunk singers hit the country’s headlines every once in a while.
On the other hand, Joan Arbiter, daughter of Ivor Arbiter, who brought the karaoke to the UK, said that it might be irritating in the pub, but it’s also given millions of people who didn’t know they could sing the opportunity to discover they can. [via]