Never Needs Sharpening: Difference between revisions

So you've invented a new product that does exactly what it's intended to do, but it has only one teeny tiny infinitesimal flaw: it doesn't do the one thing everyone expects it will. Or it can't be used in the one way everyone will assume it's meant to be used. So what do you do? You turn that frown upside down and spin that flaw into an asset!

 

 

Compare [[Our Product Sucks]], where product flaws are described more honestly and [[Good Bad Bugs]] which is (generally) a software and gaming trope when a bug makes its way into the game, isn't picked up or fixed by the developers, but eventually becomes useful for some reason.

* Miracle Blade uses the same phrase for the same reason. They also spin the thinness of the blade in an attempt to muddle the concepts of sharpness and thinness in viewers' minds. Chef Tony can slice food more thinly than you can because he's more experienced and practiced doing that for the routine, not because his knife is thinner than yours. Thin blades wear out more quickly and can even snap during use, sending shards of sharp metal flying around the place and possibly into your food ([[Eye Scream|if not worse places]]).

** Thinness and sharpness actually are linked... but only for ''the actual cutting edge'' -- one reason obsidian has long been a favored material for cutting implements is because it's relatively easy to make ''incredibly'' thin, sharp edges on it, and this is also the principle behind the common science-fiction concept of monomolecular blades. As mentioned above, the downside is that it's difficult for such a thin edge to actually remain sharp for long... and also as mentioned above, making the ''rest of the blade'' thin has entirely negative effects.

* My Lil Reminder, a small voice recorder, says it's "inobtrusive" and "won't bother the people sitting around you" - likely because the volume on the product is so low that you probably won't hear it either.

* The Pasta Pro, a big pasta pot with a lid that doubles as a colander, proudly advertises that the lid locks on tight so you won't scald yourself when the lid falls off. Some reviewers have reported that the lid sticks so badly that it won't come off when the pot is hot.

** This troper read a book (I can't remember exactly which one) that had a section on tricks advertisers used. A "cozy" apartment was one where you could cook a meal, open the door and watch TV - all without getting up from the toilet.

*** Freakonomics also had a section comparing real positive features about houses and negative features described positively. In particular, if a house is described as being in a nice neighborhood it means that nearby houses are not as bad as it.

* In the world of software, you might hear the phrase "It's not a bug, it's a feature!" or "unintended feature"

** Though occasionally there are actual features which some people misinterpret as bugs. For instance, a clunky interface may be organized better in an update, which is good for most people but bad for the old-school types that already memorized the clunky version. The latter group may complain of a "bug" that changed the interface.

* After the Internet and news media exploded over a bad case of [[Did Not Do the Research]] on FOX's quiz show ''Million Dollar Money Drop'', FOX promoted the show saying "the airwaves and Internet were on fire" and that it was "the most talked-about show of the season." They intentionally neglected to point out that most of that talk was either "How did your writers come up with the wrong answer to a question when it takes 60 seconds to look up the answer online?" or "Why are you stalling with 5 minutes of [[Padding]] to drag out [[The Reveal]] to a question when it takes 60 seconds to look up the answer online?"

* The characteristic vibration of a Harley-Davidson engine. Harley claims that it's due to the power of the engine, and specifically calls for you to "feel the power" in their advertising. In reality, it's due to the fact that any v-twin with a v-angle less than 90° will vibrate a lot, with the effect increasing the narrower the angle.

 

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