# That really dumb idea...that you are secretly afraid would sell like hotcakes **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954 "2025-10-14T06:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/41 "2025-10-14T23:07:24Z")
Not a place I would choose to work if I was qualified. Sounds uncomfortable and frickin’ dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/42 "2025-10-14T23:08:13Z")
I once saw a newspaper article, which I sent to Dave Barry who was then writing his weekly column, about some scientists who were trying to establish a standardized odor unit. Per Mr. Barry, all one would really NEED to do is count the smell rays. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/43 "2025-10-14T23:35:18Z")
Say what now? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/44 "2025-10-14T23:36:33Z")
Buy maybe less itchy with no shirt to get all those clippings trapped under. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/45 "2025-10-14T23:36:38Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Cold foods made the day before, vacuum sealed and refrigerated (but not frozen) for consumption the next morning. Olive Garden offers selected chilled entrees to go. Only 5 bucks, too! No salad or bread sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/46 "2025-10-15T00:38:15Z")
But is it leftovers from the night before, used as breakfast? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/47 "2025-10-15T01:20:31Z")
Hell, you can buy Bob Evans entrees in the fridge section of your grocery store. Same exact product they unbox and microwave in the kitchens at their restaurants. Proudly labeled “Home cooked”. I guess their ad copywriters live in a factory / warehouse. Only difference is the fancier retail packaging on your version. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/48 "2025-10-15T02:18:03Z")
Laundromats with pool tables, ping-pong tables, even attached bars. Of course, you would have to pay extra to use them. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/49 "2025-10-15T02:43:59Z")
The laundromat I used when I was in college had a small snack bar, which did sell beer. That’s not why I went there, but it was very popular for obvious reasons. It was clean, and the TV was wired for cable (early 1990s). ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/50 "2025-10-15T03:17:45Z")
You know about those _8-minute Abs_ videos? A _7-minute Abs_ video would sell like blockbusters! (As long as no one starts selling a _6-minutes Abs_ video!) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/51 "2025-10-15T12:57:49Z")
One of the laundromats around here has an equally scruffy beer bar next door. I’ve only poked my nose in a couple times, but it looks like the bar gets a bunch of biz from the 'mat. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/52 "2025-10-15T13:20:22Z")
There are books on the market– [(LINK) How To Be A Professional Psychic.](https://www.amazon.com/How-Professional-Psychic-Alexandra-Chauran-ebook/dp/B00GHP3NQK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3RYMOHP98P1TV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KUrVeMv2OLXoXHJMdNj7TTnKu14wXzKn5xjiYs6mZ410MVMxTKyHzNu0yFr4lpa287uqh5W9pu9BaRzWvmjVnA.8MYgR-fP8Nzsk_NypiBPeXrkrtBODpFOtyCy1FsG81g&dib_tag=se&keywords=how+to+be+a+phony+psychic&qid=1760533960&sprefix=how+to+be+a+phony+psychic%252Caps%252C152&sr=8-3) I gave it some thought. Remember–_mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur._ Also —Every crowd has a silver lining. Given Trump & his bozos, and the fact I live in a Very Red State, it was and is worth considering. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/53 "2025-10-15T13:31:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Dehydrated water that you keep in the freezer. Just add water. That’s a really dumb idea! Why not [can](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QoYyWbOpXNc/sddefault.jpg) it & store it anywhere instead of taking up freezer space? > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > A device that holds thousands of small samples of odor compounds that are triggered by some sort of code that activates the right combination to represent a smell that would work about as well as my color ink jet printer where one color is always either out or dried out & therefore, can’t print certain colors. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Laundromats with pool tables, ping-pong tables, even attached bars. Of course, you would have to pay extra to use them. Chuck E Cheese with a bar - think how many dads would go there on Sundays to have uninterrupted football watching time while the kids (hopefully) played (& didn’t get hurt) elsewhere in the building. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/54 "2025-10-15T14:14:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Some sort of smell adapter for the internet. A device that holds thousands of small samples of odor compounds that are triggered by some sort of code that activates the right combination to represent a smell. I thought maybe it could be used for recipes or restaurants, or even sites that sell soaps, air fresheners, candles, etc. But really it would just be used for porn. Welcome to the magnificent failure that was “iSmell” [iSmell - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISmell) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/55 "2025-10-15T14:21:14Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Ornate pocket-sized hammers that teens would buy to hit themselves in the head. The idea is that it would drive their parents nuts. You can call them “Maxwell’s” Actually, when my sister was in college she got an “exam survival kit” that included a plastic hammer for hitting yourself o the head while studying. It was an Italian “Martello Musicale”, with concertina-shaped nds, so when you hit yourself it didn’t hurt, and released a musical note (the handle was also a whistle). My sister said it helped her study. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/56 "2025-10-15T14:27:54Z")
It could replace “cutting” as an emotional outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/57 "2025-10-15T14:38:08Z")
This one is a little dark. A Fitbit-like device with a tiny explosive that would be surgically implanted in your brain. As soon as preset parameters indicating an unacceptable quality of life are met, the explosive is detonated. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/58 "2025-10-15T16:29:53Z")
Sure solves the problem that for many forms of failing health, the patient / victim loses the ability to kill themselves before they become deteriorated enough to want to. But bummer if the Bluetooth disconnects or the Wi-Fi goes down. Boom! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/59 "2025-10-15T16:37:12Z")
A molded rubber device for men with Peronei’s disease that would increase the size of the target gently guiding it in and could easily be removed once inserted. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954/60 "2025-10-15T16:43:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Welcome to the magnificent failure that was “iSmell” [iSmell - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISmell) Based on the name I assumed that was going to be an Apple product. I guess it’s easy to forget there was a time before they had a trademark on iEverything, when virtually everything that connected to the internet was branded iSomething. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-really-dumb-idea-that-you-are-secretly-afraid-would-sell-like-hotcakes/1023954.md?page=4)