S07.E05: Switch Witch, Three Jerks Jerky, The Skinny Mirror, xCraft

[Tara Ariano]

The Sharks bid over the asking price for one product; another pitch elicits a negative response; and two different entrepreneurs try to attract bids for a full-length mirror designed to build self-esteem and redefined drones. Also: Parents from Salem, Mass., try to manage excess Halloween candy; a duo from Pacific Palisades, Cal., make the panel swoon with their premium beef jerky; and Lori Grenier offers an update on her investment in the New York City-based Bantam Bagels.

[cooksdelight]

Elaine Benes' skinny mirror? :)

[mjc570]

I thought this was an interesting episode.  I was especially eager to see if the jerky guys got a deal - I buy their jerky for stocking gifts every year, because it tastes quite good, but is expensive and too unhealthy to eat on a regular basis. 

 

I never heard of a "switch witch" and can't imagine why anyone would invest in that.  Are the kiddos supposed to believe that a witch has actually taken their candy and left some stuffed thing?  I am assuming that the stuffed witch was the gift, but maybe not, maybe that is in addition to a gift that may be more to a particular child's taste. 

 

I liked the Skinny Mirror woman as a person, but what a terrible idea.  At the very least, instead of pushing it as a self-worth thing, she could have positioned it as a "correcting" mirror that takes off the phantom 10 pounds of a flat mirror.  I have to agree with the sharks - if I bought something based on how it looked in the store, and then saw something less flattering when I got home, I'd be PISSED.

 

I liked the way the dome guys ended up with a "syndicate" of sharks (as opposed to a shiver of sharks or a shoal of sharks).  I can see the commercial applications of the drone - but I really liked (and can see buying) the phone drone.  That really sealed the deal.  I couldn't believe how Mark dragged out his answer, I guess he was trying to think of a way to muscle out the other sharks. 

[KaveDweller]

I liked the Skinny Mirror woman as a person, but what a terrible idea.  At the very least, instead of pushing it as a self-worth thing, she could have positioned it as a "correcting" mirror that takes off the phantom 10 pounds of a flat mirror.  I have to agree with the sharks - if I bought something based on how it looked in the store, and then saw something less flattering when I got home, I'd be PISSED.

 

Yeah I agree about it being wrong to use in stores.  I can kind of get behind the idea of buying the mirror for yourself as self-confidence.  But to put it in stores is misleading. And she sounded like an idiot when she said stores weren't using it to mislead customers, they were doing it to make their costumers happy. The stores only want customers to be happy so they'll spend more money. She should have at least admitted that.

 

Do they really make "fat mirrors" that make you look bigger than you are? I can't fathom why someone would do that.

[leighdear]

I had a mirror like that in high school, but it wasn't supposed to make people look skinny, it was just cheap. But all my girlfriends loved it. 

 

So you spend $30 per kid for a stuffed witch and a book that will amuse them for about 10 minutes.  Then you take the witches and the books and put them away til the next year?  There's only 1 story and 1 type of witch, so if you have 3 kids, you have to spend $90, because they'll each need a witch, right?  That's what's in the boxes they got. 

What's in the boxes next year?  Do you have to buy them all completely different presents each year to substitute for the candy you threw away?  

Sorry, that's all just beyond idiotic. 

 

Another drone.  How exciting.  And how does this toy differ from all the other drones out there?  I totally missed how it's going to end world hunger, teach everybody to read, eliminate wars and make marshmallows grow on trees.  Because that's how amazing it supposedly is?   What does it actually DO besides fly?

Edited October 24, 2015 by leighdear

[cooksdelight]

Robert.... WHY IN THE HELL are you now dying your hair??? I couldn't stop looking at his dye job.

[designing1]

 

I had a mirror like that in high school, but it wasn't supposed to make people look skinny, it was just cheap. But all my girlfriends loved it.

 

I have one now and it probably cost less than $20 dollars. It's supposed to be just a regular mirror, but cheap is cheap and it distorts in a slimming way. 

 

Ugh to the drone. So this one flies faster and higher? Just what the airports need, more idiots with pricey toys endangering lives at even higher altitudes. If they can bring the phone drone to market, though, they will make a killing.

 

After the initial pitch for the Switch Witch I had no idea what the product/idea was. Once I kind of figured it out, it made zero sense to me. You don't want your kids to eat all their Halloween candy? Just say no. Be a parent. If you need to use misdirection rather than making rules you've probably got a rough road ahead.

 

 

Robert.... WHY IN THE HELL are you now dying your hair??? I couldn't stop looking at his dye job.

 

Four words: Hot, younger, dancer girlfriend. As dye jobs go I didn't think it was too drastic but the grey he used to have at the temples was far more flattering.

Edited October 24, 2015 by designing1

[cooksdelight]

Robert's hair used to be a bluish shade of brown, now he's got that weird glow of hair dye color coming off his head. My ex-husband colored his hair the same shade when he started going gray, and he played in a band on weekends and the lights made his hair look all kinds of funky. Robert.... please tell my you also didn't dye your eyebrows because they seem to be jumping out at me. I am going to have to watch an older show and make a comparison.

I want a phone drone, that thing is pretty cool. And I had to go to my kitchen and get my bag of Jack Links jerky during the jerky pitch. I am not going to pay a high price for jerky when Jack Links tastes great.

I was waiting for someone to tell the Skinny Mirror lady that Seinfeld had an episode about that, and what a disaster it was. And that the name might actually be taken by them.

Switch Witch? WTF? Means nothing to me or my little grand-nephews, who only want to go out and get candy. If someone gave them that, they'd probably toss it in the corner. I know I would have, as a kid, if someone tried to give me a stuffed doll instead of Snickers.

[leighdear]

I make my own jerky, and it's pretty damn delicious.  A decent dehydrator, a tasty rub and some sliced top round make it easy & economical.  But using filet mignon makes zero sense to me.  You're taking ALL the moisture out of a thin slice of meat, so using the priciest cuts is ridic.  Cuts with more marbling result in a more tender and flavorful jerky.    

 

Buy that Switch Witch, and you're basically telling your neighbors that their candy sucks and you're going to just throw away what they buy.  Nice. 

[LittleIggy]

At least the shark trick or treater was adorable!

[hoosiermommy]

I think the idea of the Switch Witch was the Witch brought new gifts to replace the candy not that the witch was the gift. So, let's turn Halloween into a gift-giving holiday...yes, that sounds good.

[anonymiss]

Kudos to Kevin for shooting down that woman responsible for those skinny mirrors in retail stores. I've always hated that and would comment "these mirrors lie" and the salesgirl would smirk and admit, "Yup." Besides, you can get an instant "skinny mirror" by buying the cheapest mirror you can find. Those are naturally like that.

 

 

Four words: Hot, younger, dancer girlfriend. As dye jobs go I didn't think it was too drastic but the grey he used to have at the temples was far more flattering.

He said on The Real that they broke up, but maybe not at the time of filming and/or there are definite lasting effects to that.

[Amarsir]

I get the candy-for-a-present thing. It's a beneficial swap under the parents' control. What I don't get is why you'd need to buy their little kit in order to do it. There are plenty of ways to sell the swap to your kids without telling them a witch is coming. Heck, invoke the tooth fairy if you must have a fantastic creature involved somehow. "The tooth fairy knows candy is bad for your teeth, so if you leave it here she'll bring you a toy instead!"

 

I'm not a jerky aficionado (or all that knowledgeable about steak in general) but I'm trying to figure out what exactly ends up being different in this premium version.  What makes steak expensive is the fat content and integration. But so far as I know, fat is a negative in jerky. It ruins the texture and spoils faster. On the other hand the tenderloin muscles do less work so maybe it's just not as tough?  Is that a big issue for jerky?  I dunno.

 

Bantam Bagels seems to be doing well  although I think they've gotten enough follow-up advertising at this point. It's interesting to me how much they keep using that original name. I guess "Bagel Stuffins" is just their frozen line name because the sign at Starbucks said "Bantam" pretty prominently.  Well I guess Lori's doing her equity's worth on that one.

 

Clearly the drone pitch was the highlight. I wasn't sure what Mark was doing by waiting like that, but his question was a good one. I also think he knows that 5-shark deals are less likely to go through so he was remaining skeptical.  And personally I would have bet they blew the whole thing with that $10m valuation. But apparently every millionaire wants to own a drone business. Who knew?

[hoosiermommy]

Ok, so, if the candy is bad for you and you can't have it, why do parents let their kids go trick or treating? Or if you only want them to have a certain amount, why do you let them continue to trick or treat after they have what you think is acceptable? Why not ration the candy to last weeks or months? Why are parents too afraid to put their foot down that they feel the need to abdicate responsibility to a plush toy?

Those switch witch people irritate me.

[kitten59]

The skinny mirror and the Halloween thing were so asinine. Who the hell wants a mirror that LIES to you?? Gee, I look slim, so I'll just continue gorging myself and wear this dress that, in reality, makes me look like a cow! Lame. And what is the point in allowing your kids to go trick or treating for all that candy, only to have to bribe them to give it up? What a ridiculous concept!

[ae2]

The jerky was pretty run of the mill Shark Tank food pitch. The negotiation was one of the more interesting ones I've seen though. Interest from multiple sharks, and the business guy clearly knew how to negotiate with them.

 

Switch Witch and the Skinny Mirror were two of the worst 'products' ever on the Tank. Man were those stinkers. I'm surprised (and somewhat happy) that Kevin first brought up the ethical issues with the mirror. Glad he puts something above money. The lady did have a good attitude, but I think she was lying to herself about it.

 

The drone might be a case of the Sharks investing in something because the category of product is becoming hugely popular and they want a foot in the door. Or it might be that they see something in this one in particular. What I liked about it was that the entrepreneurs were very savvy with both the business side and the technical side. They had a hardware guy and a software guy. They had garnered VC interest and understood how to negotiate. And they saw the value of having each shark on board. (Okay, not really sure what Lori brings for them, maybe selling the phone drone on QVC? But still.)

 

There are commercial, industrial, and military applications for drones. These guys weren't making the cheap versions you see at Toys R Us that are going to be bought for children for Christmas. The fact that their drone has the horizontal flying option and a higher max speed, and can have programmed flight patterns, those are huge for the applications the sharks were talking about. 

[Primetimer]

Forget about the Grinch stealing Christmas. Some deluded entrepreneur wants to take away your Halloween candy, and only five brave Sharks can stop him.

Read the story

[cooksdelight]

This was obviously filmed before the government decided to have people register their drones. Since that subject wasn't even whispered. The big one will definitely be one the FAA wants registered since it's a lot more powerful and agile than anything I've seen on the market to the public.

[starri]

I find the commercialization of Elf on the Shelf to be really crass, and Mensch on a Bench is better since it's more about teaching Jewish traditions than enforcing good behavior in exchange for presents.  But the mind boggles at Switch Witch.  If you want to turn Halloween into just another holiday where kids get presents (and still get to keep their favorite candy, so the exchange is just for the boxes of raisins and Sugar Daddies), terrific.  I just don't know why you need a (frankly ugly) tchotchke in order to do that.  Also, part of me thinks they might have been their just for exposure, especially if they knew their episode was going to air a week before Halloween.  But part of me also thinks they could have gotten a deal if Barbara had been there

 

Skinny Mirror...look, I did really like the woman, and her endless positivity, but is that really a product America needs or wants?

 

I have nothing good to say about the concept of drones, so I will say nothing.

 

$11.99 for a pack of jerky, filet mignon or otherwise, is freaking insane.  Although I did get a chuckle about Mark talking about the crowded jerky market.

[cmfran]

As if people and their phone obsessions aren't annoying enough, it appears that we'll be seeing phones flying through the air everywhere soon. Fantastic.

[Samsnee]

Switch Witch was trying to be the next Elf on a Shelf but sorry that's like saying to kids on Christmas "you got too many presents so take this crap toy instead".

[nobodyyoucare]

Fresh jerky is incredibly tasty. People do pay a premium price for it to be shipped and you have to eat it within a week of receiving it. It will go bad otherwise. There is a huge market for fresh jerky namely using certain flavors such as siracha sauce or even adding trail mix to eat with the fresh jerky. Yes 11.99 for a pack of such jerky is not unheard of.

 

Even for non fresh jerkies there are high prices compared to what you find in the supermarket. Usually its seven bucks for a 3 oz bag or 24 dollars for a pound for a number of specialty jerkys. Kangaroo jerky is ten bucks a bag usually.

 

No you would not use filet mignon nor would you use kobe beef. That is a scam or scummy way to trick people into buying it thinking it would taste better or be better quality.

 

Real good jerky is about using meat with fat since you dry the meat.  Filet or kobe would dry out too much and not taste good.

Edited October 24, 2015 by nobodyyoucare

[jaigurudeva]

There are already tons of charities that take excess Halloween candy that can be found online. Back in my trick-or-treating days (the long ago era of the 90's) my parents would let us keep 10 of our favorite candies, and then we'd drive around and dole the rest out to the local branches of the police department, fire department, and the homeless shelters. There was no pretense of "a magical witchy doll is coming to take your candy" and whatever, just instilling the idea of moderation and giving excess away to those who have less or deserve thanks.

[KaveDweller]

I think the idea of the Switch Witch was the Witch brought new gifts to replace the candy not that the witch was the gift. So, let's turn Halloween into a gift-giving holiday...yes, that sounds good.

Right, so the parents have to buy the witch, but then also have to find a gift for the kids. That's annoying. If they really like the idea they can just do the gift thing on their own and forget the doll.

[theatremouse]

Yeah, I really think these people just thought "hey those other rhymey holiday doll+book things worked; just keep doing that and the sharks will love us". To be honest, when they showed up, I wasn't sure which way the sharks would go. I certainly think it's absurd for all the reasons everyone already said and easier, less expensive ways to have your kids not eat all the candy (or just obtain less in the first place). So, I don't think these guys were idiots for going on, even though I think they'll probably fail. They were trying to bandwagon, and hey, it could've worked. Plenty of concepts I thought were idiotic have succeeded anyway.

[Latverian Diplomat]

 

Do they really make "fat mirrors" that make you look bigger than you are? I can't fathom why someone would do that.

 

I think she used "fat mirror" as a pejorative for a conventional flat mirror, once or twice. I don't think she was saying that there is such a mirror available outside of a funhouse.

 

In principle, the idea of a more accurate reflection makes some sense, but I think her mirror was doing more than just compensating for any artifact of looking at a 2D image.

 

And I suppose if people want to have one in the home, why not. It does seem inappropriate for retail though.

[DasFlavorPup]

A company I do occasional contract work for helped fund a Kickstarter a few years ago for the Three Jerks when they were starting up.  They sent samples as part of the thank-you package and I tried a bit.

 

Honestly?  I thought it wasn't very good, and certainly not worth the price tag.  The flavor wasn't any better than a pack of Jack's Links, and in fact I thought the regular flavored stuff was kind of bland.  And as far as texture I have to say the extra fat in the filet that makes it so delicious grilled or broiled, gave a really nasty feeling in the mouth when it was smoked down and reduced and part of the beef jerky. Not to mention that I hate the thought of an expensive cut being used for something like this.  It's like taking an excellent filet of Ahi tuna and making a Campbell's soup noodle casserole with it.

Edited October 24, 2015 by DasFlavorPup

[basiltherat]

Way back even further, when they first discovered that too much candy (gasp!) might not be good for you, you could trick or treat for UNICEF.  No candy, but at least you didn't get an apple with a razor blade in it or popcorn balls from the Truman Administration!

 

Oh, goody goody, now phones can not only take pictures UP women's skirts, but now a fllyin' fone can take a picture DOWN your cleavage!

[sadiegirl]

There's a place called The Dublin Store (Dublin, Michigan) that sells jerky and it is fantastic.  Their teriyaki venison is amazing.  Anyway, I thought their prices were high, until I heard what these guys were charging.  Now, The Dublin Store seems extremely reasonable. 

 

I wonder if stores that put in those skinny mirrors would see an increase in returns.  I hope so, because I don't like this idea at all.

 

Regarding the (really ugly) switch witch - yeah, just tell your kids they only get 5 pieces of candy that night and the rest is to be doled out over the next month, or whatever.  No need to spend $30 and then even more for a present.  Awful idea.

[columbot]

Another entry into the "Robert hitting on Lori" files:
When Daymond refuses to partner up with Lori on the jerky deal, Robert eagerly inserts himself in the deal and says he'll work with her. The jerky guys wanted two sharks, right? That means any ol' two will do! Lori lets out a reluctant sigh, knowing she's been put on the spot, and assuages Rob's desires by agreeing to go in with him. 

Daymond and Lori go look at themselves in the Skynny Mirror. Robert wishes to compliment how Lori looks in it, but is afraid his praise will be too obvious. He prefaces, "Not to suck up to Lori." and then proceeds to suck up to her by noting that she looked better in the mirror than Daymond did. 

[nobodyyoucare]

I wonder why no one brought up that the Skinny Mirror is a funhouse mirror. 

 

Drone Registry program has a huge number of issues. I suspect the planned registry will either be killed or not be implemented for years.

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/10/one_major_problem_with_the_faa_drone_registry_diy_drones.html

 

Oh I found that the switch witch was on the Simpsons back in 2011. Treehouse of Horror XXII was the episode. They making fun of it by having Marge give out healthy items instead of toys for the candy. 

 

Personally I would rather have kids be introduced to Krampus then the Switch Witch. 

[ClareWalks]

 

Daymond and Lori go look at themselves in the Skynny Mirror. Robert wishes to compliment how Lori looks in it, but is afraid his praise will be too obvious. He prefaces, "Not to suck up to Lori." and then proceeds to suck up to her by noting that she looked better in the mirror than Daymond did. 

 

Actually he said that the mirror didn't make as much of a difference for Lori. I don't get that he is hitting on her at all, but who knows? He's a single dude now, he might be whoring it up wherever he can!

[Gregg247]

I think the Skinny Mirror was one of the worst ideas they've had on here in a long time.  My first reaction was, "That mirror is a liar!", but I was surprised when all the sharks (including Kevin!) sided with me on that.  I saw a mirror just like this in "Snow White", but with that one, at least a dude told you how hot you were.

 

The Skinny Mirror lady seemed nice enough, but she was so relentlessly upbeat that I started to think that maybe she thought the sharks were just "joking" with her, and that offers were about to start raining down on her at any moment.  She was completely oblivious.

[Saylii]

When was Robert on The Real? Articles with direct quotes from Kym and Robert published in the last week say they are still together.

The Skinny Mirror would have gone farther if she positioned it as a more accurate look at yourself. I wish she had a plus size model with her, because I would have liked to see what it did for fat rolls, etc. In Daymond's case and Lori's case, it just squished them in a little bit. I would be okay with it in stores if it still accurately represented how the clothes fit versus how big or small you looked in the mirror. I'm not surprised she didn't get a deal though. There's not many ways to scale that product into a business.

The Switch Witch stuff was lame. There are probably some Pinterest Moms that would eat that up, but they'd also probably make their own. My mom always traded me one piece of candy for a dime growing up, so I'd always make out with $5-10 from Halloween. I was happy with that.

The phone drone was cool. I'd buy one.

[WhosThatGirl]

The drone was cool, as was the phone one. I wouldn't use it because I don't use a drone or need to and yes we live in a world where our phones take over too many aspects of our lives already but this is the world we live in now so yeah.

The Switch With is so stupid and confusing. Also the comparisons to the elf on a shelf didn't make sense either. I don't have kids so I don't know THAT much about elf on the shelf but my understanding is that the elf stays on the shelf from December 1st to Christmas, right? And parents move it around so that it looks like the elf has moved or whatever, this witch only is around for Halloween night. And kids aren't going to give up their candy. It..I just didn't understand.

[NancyT531]

I think the author of this blog is like every opinion.  Has anyone heard the phrase "opinions are like a????? . . . we all have them?"

 

Rather than a non-biased summary, we get to jump on here and read a full-scale opinionated version of the show.  Not what I was expecting.

 

The Skinny Girl Mirror concept is not a bad idea. Especially if you have the as you are side of the mirror and the Skinny Girl side. Maybe that will offer some motivation.

 

The Jerky bit just shows how DUMB the Sharks really are!

 

The drone too! That has "been there done that".

 

You beat up Switch Witch and clearly for lack of any attempt to get the backstory on that one.  Go to their Facebook page and maybe you will learn something. For starters, they got the concept when one of the two co-founders children was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. They offer Switch Witch as "an additional means by which to celebrate Halloween". All candy does not have to be confiscated. Some can stay (at parents choice). It adds a dimension and fun factor to an otherwise pagan holiday! YOU and the sharks missed the boat on this one and I wish them continued success.  I am certain by virtue of being on the show - their sales are already skyrocketing. Apparently much to your dissatisfaction.

 

But that is just my opinion. And like yours - we all have them.

[ClareWalks]

 It adds a dimension and fun factor to an otherwise pagan holiday! 

 

Yes, that's what Halloween was missing, fun! ;) Just messing around. But yeah, I think most of the criticism about Switch Witch is that you don't need to buy that product to trade candy for gifts on Halloween, or to give presents on Halloween if you want, or to get your kids to eat/keep less candy. 

[WhoisMark]

I applauded Kevin's remarking about burning Switch Witch at the stake.  My trick or treating days were over 35 years ago and I would have gone all Chuck Heston (From my cold dead hands) if anyone wanted my loot.  There is no bribe or story my parents could have offered to get me to hand over my haul.  $1 a pound from the local orthodontist was no incentive either.  Those entrepreneurs were dead to me as soon as I heard the pitch.

 

And as is my tradition (since I only have 20-70 at the door depending on day of the week & weather) I will be handing out full-sized candy next Saturday.  Any leftovers?  Mine!

[hkit]

My trick or treating days were over 35 years ago and I would have gone all Chuck Heston (From my cold dead hands) if anyone wanted my loot. There is no bribe or story my parents could have offered to get me to hand over my haul.

If my parents wanted my loot (and they did), they got it. They were adults who set the rules and I was not. They'd take the candy and limit it to so many pieces a day. Since my trick or treat days were also 35 years ago, I can't remember if it was a couple of pieces or 10. But somehow, I managed to survive into adulthood with no issues.

That's why I'll never understand things like Switch Witch. Don't want your kid to have the candy? Be a parent and take it away. But to essentially offer gifts as a bribe to give the candy? I have so many issues with this.

[Teddybear]

 

Robert's hair used to be a bluish shade of brown, now he's got that weird glow of hair dye color coming off his head. My ex-husband colored his hair the same shade when he started going gray, and he played in a band on weekends and the lights made his hair look all kinds of funky. Robert.... please tell my you also didn't dye your eyebrows because they seem to be jumping out at me. I am going to have to watch an older show and make a comparison.

His dark hair immediately jumped out at me.  I catch the old episodes when I can (before Mark even joined the cast), and his hair was really thin.  I think he's had plugs or something because now it's not noticeably thinning at all.  

 

 

He said on The Real that they broke up, but maybe not at the time of filming and/or there are definite lasting effects to that.

Really?  Was this recent?  I followed a link to an Instagram post of them just this week, together, looking totally smitten.  

 

 

Switch Witch and the Skinny Mirror were two of the worst 'products' ever on the Tank. Man were those stinkers. I'm surprised (and somewhat happy) that Kevin first brought up the ethical issues with the mirror.

Yeah, Kevin is never a fan of "enhancement" products, be it a skinny mirror, fake hair, or the slimming devices.  "What happens during sexy time and you have to take that off?"  (not his exact words, but something similar).  He said it was like false advertising! 

 

I want to know where the bags of candy go that are "switched out."  The trash?  The parents eat it all themselves?  The concept just seems mean.  Do these kids know beforehand they're doing Switch Witch?  Seems like it would kind of take the fun out of trick or treating, knowing they don't even get to eat the candy.  

[atir]

The drone has "been there done that?" I'm probably out of the loop, but I haven't read about drones that have both helicopter take off, hovering and landing capabilities along with the ability to turn and fly like a plane. I was so impressed with that. Then the designers tell us about phone drones. Great googly moogly! So cool. I want 4 of them.

[cooksdelight]

My parents never told me I couldn't eat my Halloween candy. I worked hard for that stuff. Walking up and down hills in the neighborhood, knocking on doors. Being scared by that one crazy person who would always jump out from behind the bushes at his house (we'd all bet each other that we'd get two pieces from him, just for putting up with his shenanigans)....but I did notice that any Mounds or Almond Joy bars would be missing the next day (Mom)... and Dad fed me that line about how the brown M&Ms were ugly and didn't taste as good as the others.

[nobodyyoucare]

 

but I haven't read about drones that have both helicopter take off, hovering and landing capabilities along with the ability to turn and fly like a plane.

First one I have heard about with that capability on the market. Maybe some DIY drone makers have done it before but not some mass market drone. 

[leighdear]

So the drone is basically a Harrier?  And that technology produced prototypes in the 60's and commissioned aircraft in the early 80's.  In service for 30 years. 

 

There's nothing new there, so I still don't get what's so revolutionary about this.  Is it JUST that it's now commercially available for private use?  

Edited October 25, 2015 by leighdear

[nobodyyoucare]

Its not a harrier. It doesn't use jets or turbines to lift up then move forward. The craft moves from hovering to flying and back and forth by shifting it's body. Its more like the prototype Nazi propeller aircraft that didn't have wings but only a tailsection and couldn't land without computers.  look up the Focke-Wulf Triebflügel.

 

No other drone can hover then change to flying. They either start flying like a propeller craft or are like helicopters. 

[candall]

I also had a cheap full length mirror that turned out to be a "skinny mirror."   There was no funhouse effect; it didn't magically make fat rolls disappear or disguise ill-fitting clothes--I would just glance at it on my way out the door and think, "Oh good, I look pretty good tonight."  It was, in fact, so subtle that it took me ages to recognize that the mirror made me look ever so slightly taller and thinner.  A tiny little boost in self confidence that you could sell for millions if you could bottle it up and spritz it on like perfume.

 

I don't know if that effect would be duplicated by purchasing a mirror to deliberately distort your image.

 

I do know I must have been NUTS when I was moving and decided a thin ten dollar piece of glass wasn't worth bubblewrapping and boxing.  If I still had it, it would be framed in gold leaf.

[needschocolate]

I though the drone guys and the jerks were two of the best negotiators I have seen on the show.  

 

I don't understand the excitement over a phone drone.  I get the cool/fun factor of a drone, but I would want to send my phone high in the air and worry about it falling out, or the drone crashing into a tree, or get lost or stuck in a place I couldn't retrieve it from.  Don't (some) drones already have cameras? What would be the purpose of using your phone then?  A roving drone playing your iTunes library as it flies around at parties?

 

So the 3 Jerks Jerky logo is a bear, a pig and a chicken (aka a cock) and their jerky is made from beef.  I understand how they came up with it - each picked an animal, blah, blah, blah - but I kept thinking that if Barbara was there, she would comment that they should change it because it makes no sense.  Barbara seems to get hung up on that sort of thing more than the others.

 

I get the candy-for-a-present thing. It's a beneficial swap under the parents' control. What I don't get is why you'd need to buy their little kit in order to do it. There are plenty of ways to sell the swap to your kids without telling them a witch is coming. Heck, invoke the tooth fairy if you must have a fantastic creature involved somehow. "The tooth fairy knows candy is bad for your teeth, so if you leave it here she'll bring you a toy instead!"

 

I think there may be a market for the story book, assuming the story is interesting.  Parents that are afraid that their children will stop loving them if the enforce any rules (and those parents exist) or parents that are into that sort of novelty/fantasy thing would probably love to have a story to explain why the Switch Witch will come and trade their candy for a present.  It would be Halloween's version of the Night Before Christmas.  But you don't need a stuffed witch to tell the story.  

 

Using the tooth fairy is a better idea than a witch - but there doesn't seem to be a way to give it a cutesy rhyming name so it will never catch on (/sarcasm).  

 

Those switch witch people irritate me.

 

The parents who think they have solved some huge problem that doesn't actually exist almost always irritate me.

[yeswedo]

Quick note to let everyone know that posts disagreeing with story content are allowed and of course you're allowed to disagree with those disagreements.

 

Carry on

[marny]

I though the drone guys and the jerks were two of the best negotiators I have seen on the show.  

 

I don't understand the excitement over a phone drone.  I get the cool/fun factor of a drone, but I would want to send my phone high in the air and worry about it falling out, or the drone crashing into a tree, or get lost or stuck in a place I couldn't retrieve it from.  Don't (some) drones already have cameras? What would be the purpose of using your phone then?  A roving drone playing your iTunes library as it flies around at parties?

 

I think the phone drone was meant as a way to turn your camera phone into the camera for the drone-- they were only selling the housing that flies-- you then turn on the camera on your phone and put the phone in the housing. It was a much cheaper item (definitely cheaper than drones with built-in cameras), so it's a means for a person to kinda create their own cheaper drone camera. It seems to be for more of a toy purpose-- like to get overhead footage of a party or your kids playing in the yard. It's like a flying selfie stick. Which are already super-annoying.

[A Boston Gal]

Thank you, everyone, as I was convinced the producers had lost their minds, letting the switch witch and skinny mirror pitches on TV. I was so angry at the skinny mirror in particular, as I thought it was out and out deception. How naïve was the presenter, for even talking to retail outlets about it? They aren't in the encouragement business, they're in the selling business. This woman's enthusiasm comes from hopping on the "body positive" bandwagon, but with a product that does more harm than good.

Hey, how about a mirror that makes you look fatter, for those people who want to encourage loved ones to lose weight?

Edited October 25, 2015 by A Boston Gal