You have to be joking

How many times have you turned on the TV, visited the shops, been given a unusual gift or heard about a unusual product and had that YHTBJ or WTF moment (YHTBJ being you have to be joking and WTF being what’s that for).

Seeing the product the first thing that comes to one’s mind it why did they ever decide to do/make this?

On this forum from time to time there are products which I was not aware that has given me that thought.

Let us know below what you have seen, it can be literally anything from any product or service. Also let us know why you had that YHTBJ or WTF moment.

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Mine is parboiled rice. When I first saw this on the shelves I was curious and thought maybe it was an easier way to make rice…well. No. The packet we looked at still required water to be boiled and the parboiled rice to be cooked in the boiling water prior to consumption. To cook non-parboiled rice, one has to still do the same and have the same washing up…so no effort saving there.

The second thing I thought was well if it was cheaper, it could be an option…well no. From memory the cost was about 2-3 times the cost of uncooked rice. Nope, no saving there.

The third thing thought of was the rice must be nutritionally better. After a bit of homework, it is no better than the equivalent uncooked variety and any claims on the label are most likely unsubstantiated/wishful thinking.

So my question is why. Is it a marketing team bring out a new product to try and create a market for a new product where the market doesn’t exist? Why would one buy such a product when it has no advantage over traditional versions (namely uncooked rice)?

I suppose I will never know but didn’t buy the parboiled rice. I have however noticed that it has disappeared from our local Woollies supermarket shelves so can only assume that others had the same views as my own on the product…that being a bit of a dud.

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‘Parboiled’ is an interesting name, but it has nothing to do with how a consumer cooks it. When first introduced to it I had the same erroneous expectation that it was partly or precooked rice and would not be surprised if it was a common misconception, leading to its demise on the shelf.

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… and here’s me thinking it was boiled on a golf course …

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This one ends up in the bin:
Duct Cleaning by Mr Duct Cleaning. What a con and I fell for it some years ago! Very foolish of me and embarrassing. If the ducts needed cleaning, they need to be replaced.

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Whilst working at a hardware store that mainly supplied the trade I had a customer , who was a carpenter , ask me if we sold Estwing Hammers and hatchets . I replied we did and asked what weight hammer he wanted , did he want a leather bound or silicone rubber handle and the weight of the claw hammer . Estwing are a top line product made in the US ( Well they used to be )

I proceeded to bring 2 claw hammers of the weight he required to show him on the counter . I layed them down in front of him and he said ." Why two hammers ?"

I replied ’ They come in left and right handed models ."

He looked at me quizzically and said " Are you trying to be a smart bastard ?"

I pointed to what was stamped on the shaft below the hammer head . One had L and the other R stamped . I then told him to look down the shaft and you could see the bias .

He purchased the right hand model . Concerning my parentage I had a copy of my birth Certificate framed and hung on the wall behind me .:relieved:

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I think this fits the criteria…

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But what happens if you are ambidextrous? Or even one hand dominant and need to swap hands in a difficult situation? Surely a top of the line product is not so inflexible.

And why don’t they have handed screwdrivers? You cannot in all conscience force handedness on people.

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Oh dear … you don’t know how much self control it takes sometimes not to make naughty comments !!! :joy::rofl::joy::rofl::joy::rofl:

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But what happens if you are ambidextrous? Or even one hand dominant and need to swap hands in a difficult situation? Surely a top of the line product is not so inflexible.

I think the answer has something to do with the head of the hammer breaking the speed of sound on the down stroke .Apparently the bias contributes to this .:smirk::smirk::smirk::smirk::smirk::smirk::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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OK you want absurd, here is absurd: a drill bit that drills square holes. It goes in a standard chuck of a hand drill or a power drill, the latter works better.

Does it really exist? Lay your money down before you consult lord Google.

I made the mistake of consulting Google on the left handed screwdriver … caution advised.

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“Does it really exist? Lay your money down before you consult lord Google.”

scar_by_xiubae9-danf8tb

I use Firefox and Edge .:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes::stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes::stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

Yes they do exist, I seem to remember learning about them in 1975 at school!

Actually, a standard round drill will drill triangular holes in some materials, it bounces around in resonance. I know, as it has happened to me.

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Mine would be Google Home. I recently bought a replacement mobile 'phone. Part of the deal was a ‘free’ Google Home Mini. I’ll set it up, purely out of curiosity, but can’t for the life of me figure out what use it might be.

Not a mistake:
http://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=51

Left Handed Metric Screwdriver
$13.90
This screwdriver was specially formulated by the Coalition of Left Handed Peoples for the Furthering of Left Handed Recognition and Also the Metric System. (AKA CLHPFLHRAMS.) Naturally, KaleCoAuto came to a partnership with them to create this finely machine crafted screwdriver. This screwdriver uses high tech materials, such as steel, and plastic. (NASA uses steel and plastic!) This screwdriver is great for loosening screws on the right side of the vehicle, or tightening screws on the left side of the vehicle.

24 Units in Stock

I thought you could override the default search engine for any browser. Do those two flatly refuse to use Google these days?

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Yeh I actually do use Google Chrome . Just a play on words on my part . :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I didn’t think this was possible but I confess to Googling it. As a wood worker I think it is a great idea.

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I am referring to the Watts’s drill bit (which fulfils my condition that it goes in a power drill chuck) not a mortising machine. It users the mathematics of curves of constant width.

The same idea can be used to drill holes that are regular pentagons, hexagons etc, should you ever need one. They all suffer from the same limitation in that the cutting edge, in theory, can get right into the corners cannot get there in practice so the corners are somewhat rounded and need to be cleaned up with a chisel.

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