Posted Monday 03/03/2008 7:45 PM in
Stuff by Stan
Filed under: Skymall, Crappy, Features
I don't fly very often, but every time I do I make sure to swipe the copy of SkyMall out of my seatback pocket. In case you aren't familiar, SkyMall is a free catalog provided by the airlines in the hopes that passengers will get silly enough on recycled oxygen to spend their hard-earned dollars on lots of Brookstone-grade crap. There is a lot of nonsense in there that real gadget freaks will scoff at, but there is just no excuse to buy any of these eight gizmos no matter how many tiny bottles of liquor you've had between here and Tulsa.
8. The Hidden Litter Box $129
Attention cat people: If an animal regularly craps in your house, it's going to smell bad no matter how fancy your litter box is. This planter/crapper hides your cat's business in a decorative pot. That way when you have guests over, they'll just think you bought a plant that grows cat crap instead of fruit.

7. T-Rex Dinosaur Trophy Wall Sculpture $98.95
At first I assumed this thing is meant for little kids' rooms, but the fact that it costs a hundred bucks and weighs 10-pounds—that's more than enough to smash open the head of a 5 year old if it were to fall off the wall—make me think otherwise. If you think this is any better than those singing fish, you're dead wrong.

6. Caddie Cooler $29.99
Anyone that has ever hauled a set of clubs around for 18 holes in the middle of July knows that hydration is essential, but carrying 48-ounces of liquid in a stupid 3-wood shaped dispenser isn't better than just throwing a few Gatorades in your bag. The worst part is that it's shaped like a left-handed club, which would make it look ridiculous in my bag full of righties.

5. Orbitar Electronic Listening Device $59.99
That has to be the worst "secret surveillance device" I have ever seen. Even if you forget the fact that it's the size of a bull horn and every bit as conspicuous, the $60 price tag suggests that it's not James Bond-quality. I shudder to think who is seeing this thing mid-flight and saying, "that will make stalking and, subsequently, murdering the person with whom I'm currently obsessed much easier. Thanks SkyMall!"

4. SkyRest Pillow $29.99
When you're crammed into a tiny airplane seat, trying desperately to find a position in which you can sleep without waking up completely paralyzed, this product might seem like a great idea. But when you realize that you'd have to drag that big, stupid thing with you on your whole trip, it will make those terrible airline pillows seem a little less terrible.

3. The Remote Controlled Beverage Buggy $49.99
There is undeniable utility in those hats that hold beers on your head, but this remote-controlled dune buggy is decidedly less helpful. Even if you drive it over to the fridge, someone has to be there to load the drinks into the stupid thing. Plus, the fridge has to be within eyeshot, so it seems like you could save yourself $50 by just yelling over to the person near the fridge to bring you a brew.

2. The World's Largets Crossword Puzzle $30
I only know two kinds of people that do crossword puzzles: Young people who want, desperately, to look smarter than they are and old people who think it will keep them from eventually forgetting where they live or how to put on pants. The only way this puzzle could possibly be any fun is if you taped it in a doorway and blasted through it like a high school football team.

1. X5 Hair Lazer $300
For guys, going bald can be really embarrassing, but there's no way it's more embarrassing than sitting at home rubbing a $300 lazer all over your scalp, begging it to make you feel like a man again. I'm going to try rubbing my lazer mouse all over my head to see if it will give me hair like Heather Locklear.
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| Posted by Eric Carmichael on 12/08/2008 11:43 AM | report abuse | ||||||||||||
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The Skyrest pillow is VERY useful. Also, the geniuses at maxim should know that it is INFLATABLE and very small.
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| Posted by Luchadore on 05/07/2008 5:28 PM | report abuse | ||||||||||||
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I rather like the way the crossword puzzle looks pattern-wise, though, like as a tapestry or wall decoration. Unless you actually have to tape it together, which is really tacky.
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| Posted by napalm on 04/10/2008 10:21 PM | report abuse | ||||||||||||
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The only useful product on that list is the hidden litter box. Any decent cat owner will clean out the box regularly, so the smell shouldn't be that big of an issue. I do enjoy incognito every-day items though.
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| Posted by Snuffy Snodgrass on 04/07/2008 10:31 PM | report abuse | ||||||||||||
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I dunno, most of these here thangs look mighty fine to have to me. I'd write more but Jerry Spranger just came on and I gotta get my 3 year old to watch it. He gets mighty mad if he misses a new episode! See my blog at http://snuffysnodgrass.blogspot.com/, if you think I am smart. I got plenty more where this here come from. But I really like this site, and all them purty pictures of them mighty fine products you all is a selling. Snuffy
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| Posted by Jo on 04/06/2008 6:34 PM | report abuse | ||||||||||||
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While I agree that most of these things are dumb, I would like point out what should be obvious: No one will use the golf club thing to hold Gatorade or water. They'll use it to hold beer. I'm not sure that makes it any better -- I've never golfed -- but the entire point of that thing really is to sneak booze onto the course.
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| Posted by Mel on 04/05/2008 6:39 PM | report abuse | ||||||||||||
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i dont care if the stupid pillow is inflatable or not, there is no way that is comfortable, and theres no way anyone with a shred of dignity is going to use that in any public place, let alone a plane...
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