The Skarp Razor

To put it simply, the writer was not impressed.The Skarp "Laser Razor" Is Going to Be Total Flaming Garbage

He's pretty harsh, good to see, but I judge Skarp even a little more harshly on one point:

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I reached out to Skarp for comment specifically in regards to concerns with its design and production schedule, I received the following response. Capitalization Skarp's:

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Skeptical you say? get in line! lots of people are trying to figure out our achievement. We are happy to let them keep speculating. The problem with [Professor Quimby] or anybody else expressing their opinion is that they don't have all the necessary information to make claims regarding the performance of the Skarp Razor. Final production of the fiber will start in Feb. But we will develop the pre-form over the next few months.

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Fair enough! I do not know the ins and outs of Skarp's plans. Maybe it does have a magic bullet that will make this all work, some as-yet-unrevealed update to the design that solves all the prototypes problems in an instant. I don't begrudge innovation, and no one should.

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The response from Skarp is just standard deflection and baseless declaration. It's precisely how a charlatan would respond about his perpetual motion machine.And about this response from Skarp's technical consultant, Dr. Christopher Zachary, he doesn't seem to be on the same page as the people at Skarp:

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"The science is very strong. I'm excited about it for these guys. I think it's going to be a winner, of course you never know. People ask me how well does it work, that's why we want to do the studies. ... It'll go through the University of California Irvine and IRB. It's going to be a rigorous side-by-side."

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He says they want to do studies? What studies? They're supposed to have a product ready early next year.--Percy

The March, 2016, delivery date has passed and there's still no sign of a Skarp razor. Their website still exists (http://www.skarptechnologies.com/), and they're still on IndieGoGo (The Skarp Laser Razor: 21st Century Shaving | Indiegogo). A Google search didn't turn up any new developments.The same questions from months ago remain unanswered, the most puzzling: How did these bozos put together such a slick video and get the backing of Dr. Christopher Zachary, Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, Irvine.--Percy

I just looked up their domain (with "whois")."Registrant Email: skarptechnologies.com@domainsbyproxy.com"One of my rules of thumb -- never buy anything from a domain that hides it's ownership, unless you have other personal knowledge.Hidden ownership seems reasonable for a small vanity domain, with information passed on by word of mouth. For a commercial domain, it is reason to suspect potential fraud.

Aren't the bozos the people who fell for this scam?

Well, again, there's that slick video, and there's the backing of Dr. Christopher Zachary, Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, Irvine. You're not a bozo just because you don't have a technical bent that would cause that video to set off alarm bells, forcing you to rely upon the endorsement of legitimate scientists. Besides, I used "bozo" in the sense of slime balls and scum bags, not lack of acumen.The no!no! PRO also uses heat to cut hair, just not with a laser, but apparently with similar lack of success, see Is No No a yes? The hair-removal device left legs 'prickly' and 'hairy' at Consumer Reports.--Percy

Perhaps no account, horse thieving, swindler con artists would be the correct name for those people perpetrating a fraud? Would yahoo be a better name somehow that bozo?

In the case of an investment proposition, shouldn't people always have their alarm bells on, and be looking to be persuaded to accept the proposition. It takes a particular mind set to fall for a make money fast scheme, and perhaps bozo is an appropriate term for that.But yeah, bozo does fit the scam artists. I think your usage was just fine.

I just misunderstood, Percy clarified:

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I used "bozo" in the sense of slime balls and scum bags, not lack of acumen.

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I mean, scam artists are usually pretty clever, so I question calling them bozos if you mean "dumbass".In Message 23, you wrote: These are not "investments"... crowd funding is you just giving away your money (sometimes in exchange for a gift).I'm reminded of all the people who supported the Oculus that complained when Facebook bought it for 2 billion dollars, as if they had felt cheated out of a cut or something. They didn't invest in it, they gave away their money for a developer kit.