If you could ‘uninvent’ one thing, what would it be?
A garden leaf blower.
Christine Wilker-Robinson, Berlin, Germany
• Referendums.
Sunil Bajaria, Bromley, UK
• Inequality.
Pat Phillips, Adelaide, South Australia
• Necessity.
David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia
• The limited liability company. If it were outlawed, business would have to be conducted through other structures that would lack the impenetrable corporate veil. Standards of prudence, honesty, integrity and moderation would soar.
Greg McCarry, Sydney, Australia
• Computer games. They are the “crack cocaine of the mind” and so much of the world passes by people with their noses in a device. I saw this with my own eyes driving friends around Scotland who were visiting the country for the first time, one of them in the back seat playing Candy Crush. Granted, it was a narrow windy road, but honestly!
Doreen Forney, Pownal, Vermont, US
• Smartphones. For the simple reason that they are the gateway to all that is socially wrong with the world today.
R De Braganza, Kilifi, Kenya
• The idea of economic growth as an end in itself. It will be the ruin of us all.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
• Facebook.
Alan Williams-Key, Madrid, Spain
• The mobile phone. It has made owners of these devices slaves to their bosses, their families, their friends and anyone else who chooses to call or text them at any hour of the day or night. They chatter on trains and buses, often seem to be talking to themselves in public places, and they cross the street in front of my car without looking.
Joan Dawson, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Throw in the towel, please!
Is there any country that punches below its weight?
According to the rulers, no!
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• Whichever country is diametrically opposed to Lichtenstein.
Charlie Bamforth, Davis, California, US
• After Brexit, Great Britain will surely be out for the count.
Malcolm Shuttleworth, Odenthal, Germany
At least we know the problem
We all know what’s wrong with the world. What’s right with the world?
The main thing that is right with the world is our ability to recognise what is wrong with the world and to try to correct it.
Reiner Jaakson, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
To get some satisfaction
Why did we evolve such fleshy lips?
To attract human pollinators, as well as the buyers of Rolling Stones T-shirts.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• Before collagen injections, evolution was all we had.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
• So we can whistle.
Kate Henderson, Kingwood, Texas, US
Any answers?
I love golf but I’m not competitive. What other sport should I take up?
Geraldine Dodgson, Mona Vale, NSW, Australia
Is there such a thing as a paperless office?
E Slack, L’Isle Jourdain, France
Send answers to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com or Guardian Weekly, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, UK
