...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
Crapola Tech
- 131 statements
- 24 feature instances
- 12 referencing feature instances
| Crapola Tech | type |
FeatureClass | |
| Crapola Tech | label |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech | page |
CrapolaTech | |
| Crapola Tech | comment |
You just received some brilliant technology from your local Gadgeteer Genius (or on a more "unfortunate" scenario, Bungling Inventor). It's all neatly built and ready to go. And then you activate the damn thing... and it doesn't freakin' work. Ladies and gentleman, we got ourselves a piece of Crapola Tech on our hands, a slab of technology that, let's face it, either didn't have enough kinks worked out of it to ensure it performs its signature function or is just a plain old bad idea from the get go. Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Compare Walking Techbane, when it's the user's fault that the gadget breaks. If the malfunction is a really terrible one, it may overlap with Gone Horribly Wrong. See also Infinity -1 Sword, should the technology in question be used for combat purposes. Often a Made in Country X product. Examples: |
|
| Crapola Tech | fetched |
2022-12-05T06:12:48Z | |
| Crapola Tech | parsed |
2022-12-05T06:12:48Z | |
| Crapola Tech | processingComment |
Dropped link to MadScientist: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Crapola Tech | processingComment |
Dropped link to MedaBots: Not an Item - UNKNOWN | |
| Crapola Tech | processingComment |
Dropped link to StarWars: Not an Item - CAT | |
| Crapola Tech | processingUnknown |
MedaBots | |
| Crapola Tech | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Crapola Tech / int_135ee946 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_135ee946 | comment |
In The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, Dirk buys a cheap electronic calculator that can supposedly also run the I-Ching. He acknowledges that this is a terrible product in both concept and execution, which is exactly why he has to have it. It doesn't even work as a normal calculator; if the numbers go above four it starts reading from its I-Ching memory and claims the answer is "a suffusion of yellow". The calculator's version of the I-Ching is described as having been translated from Chinese via Japanese "and enjoyed many adventures along the way", and the back falls off almost immediately and has to be stuck back on with sticky tape. On the other hand, after reading its commentary on the question of whether he should get a new fridge, he decides it's saying he should, which is exactly what he wanted to do anyway, so in that respect it's a success. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_135ee946 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_135ee946 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_135ee946 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1beda93b | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1beda93b | comment |
Riff builds several of these over the course of Sluggy Freelance. It's implied that other mad scientists in this universe do as well, as at one point water cooler security robots are fought which are not waterproof. An alternate-universe Riff also creates several of these for an evil invading horde of demons, even though this version of Riff is very competent. It turns out that when Lord Horribus demanded "Terrible inventions!", alt-Riff was interpreting him literally. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1beda93b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1beda93b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Sluggy Freelance (Webcomic) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_1beda93b | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1f0bc3d3 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1f0bc3d3 | comment |
The infamous Zinco company from Hellboy. Similar to Acme Products from Looney Tunes, its a running gag how explosively unreliable they are. Of course, since the owner of Zinco is a pawn of Rasputin, this is likely intentional on the part of the company. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1f0bc3d3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_1f0bc3d3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Hellboy (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_1f0bc3d3 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_2b82b95f | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_2b82b95f | comment |
One early episode of iCarly had the kids agree to promote a brand of high-tech shoes that later turn out to be very cheaply made; when Carly steps in a puddle while wearing a pair, she gets shocked, when Freddie uses the Wi-Fi on them, they crash his new laptop, and they're shown to occasionally burst into flames. Since the gang's contract says that they have to praise the shoes on their show, they tote the defects as features to convince their viewers not to buy them. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_2b82b95f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_2b82b95f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| iCarly | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_2b82b95f | |
| Crapola Tech / int_36ee2abe | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_36ee2abe | comment |
Just about every piece of equipment a player-character is given in Paranoia for their latest Troubleshooting mission, the exact level of suckitude/lethality dependent entirely on the whim of the GM. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_36ee2abe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_36ee2abe | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Paranoia (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_36ee2abe | |
| Crapola Tech / int_4b790c7a | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_4b790c7a | comment |
From Iron Man 2: | |
| Crapola Tech / int_4b790c7a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_4b790c7a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Iron Man 2 | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_4b790c7a | |
| Crapola Tech / int_507dfb6a | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_507dfb6a | comment |
In EarthBound, you can donate money to the Orange Kid in Twoson, who claims that he will use it for research. Eventually, he gives the player the Suporma ("Super Orange Machine"), which plays a song that is not heard, called "Ode to Orange Kid", and then breaks. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_507dfb6a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_507dfb6a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| EarthBound (1994) (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_507dfb6a | |
| Crapola Tech / int_5d354f8 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_5d354f8 | comment |
Red Dwarf has the Trope Namer, Crapola Inc (based in Taiwan), who were responsible for the creation of, among other things, Talkie Toaster, a toaster with obsessive artificial intelligence. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_5d354f8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_5d354f8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Red Dwarf | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_5d354f8 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6aa65acf | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6aa65acf | comment |
Gremlins. Randall Peltzer's inventions, such as the Bathroom Buddy. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6aa65acf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6aa65acf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gremlins | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_6aa65acf | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6c9193a1 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6c9193a1 | comment |
The Venture Bros.: The prototype lightsaber #21 purchased from Dr. Venture during the episode "Tag Sale, You're It!" It actually does produce a lightsaber blade...it just can't cut anything. Another episode features The Monarch attacking Dr. Jonas Venture at Spider-Skull Island, using his "X-Ray cannon—" which fizzles, causing him to whine "Ah, the X-Ray cannon sucks!" |
|
| Crapola Tech / int_6c9193a1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_6c9193a1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| TheVentureBrothers | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_6c9193a1 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_8510ec0c | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_8510ec0c | comment |
In Please Teacher!, the Federation really should check the warranty on Marie. A little rough handling early on causes the supposedly self-repairing robot that controls the alien ship's tech to randomly go on the fritz whenever it's time to cause an embarrassing moment or a Moment Killer between the protagonists. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_8510ec0c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_8510ec0c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Please Teacher! | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_8510ec0c | |
| Crapola Tech / int_854344f9 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_854344f9 | comment |
Schindler's List: Oscar Schindler, sabotaging his own factory equipment | |
| Crapola Tech / int_854344f9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_854344f9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Schindler's List | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_854344f9 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_90f18253 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_90f18253 | comment |
Quickscell in Battletech, is quite like the Chipwell Armaments example above. Quickscell excels at making shoddy merchandise, sometimes with critical components not even installed at the time of sale. It has gotten so bad, that the Federated Suns mandates in purchase contracts that their quartermaster shall inspect every piece purchased and that any flaws or missing equipment is to be fixed by Quickscell at their own expense or the purchase is cancelled. Their most "popular" ware is the Hetzer wheeled self-propelled gun. It is literally a AC/20 mounted on a wheeled chassis (look Ma, no turret!) with a boxy armored superstructure and no other weapons. It packs a punch, but is about as survivable as it sounds. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_90f18253 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_90f18253 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| BattleTech (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_90f18253 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a1ea0f34 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a1ea0f34 | comment |
Caractacus Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a similar problem even with his Rube Goldberg Devices, it was so bad that it went all the way around to being good for his "toot sweets", which became edible dog whistles. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a1ea0f34 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a1ea0f34 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_a1ea0f34 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a506a38b | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a506a38b | comment |
The Suck Cut from Wayne's World. Wayne himself nailed the bullseye when he said "It certainly does suck". | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a506a38b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_a506a38b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Wayne's World | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_a506a38b | |
| Crapola Tech / int_c43df4d8 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_c43df4d8 | comment |
In Doctor Who, the Third Doctor built one of these, and when he (rather bluntly) admitted it didn't work, the Brigadier's reaction was priceless. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_c43df4d8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_c43df4d8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Doctor Who | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_c43df4d8 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_cac82d00 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_cac82d00 | comment |
The Star Wars scene is parodied in Fanboys with Hutch's van: When a highway patrol car shows up, Hutch tries to shake it off by engaging the Nitro Boost he has installed on his van. It doesn't work, though. That is, it does work in the end: The nitrous kicks in unexpectedly with a delay, causing Hutch to lose control over his van and the vehicle to leave a hole shaped like Darth Vader's helmet in a billboard. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_cac82d00 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_cac82d00 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Fanboys | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_cac82d00 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ccc80720 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ccc80720 | comment |
Krackus from My Life as a Teenage Robot specializes in building with junk, and it shows. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ccc80720 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ccc80720 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| My Life as a Teenage Robot | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_ccc80720 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d4d8ce5f | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d4d8ce5f | comment |
Deadlands: Anything made by Mad Scientists suffers from this. Equipment created by a mad scientist has a "Reliability" number. Whenever you use it, you must roll a 20-sided die; if the result is higher than the "Reliability" number, something goes wrong. The problems can range from "Minor" (your gatling revolver jams) to "Major" (the boiler on your steam-powered car breaks) to "Catastrophe" (your jetpack explodes). "El Cheapo" gear is substantially less expensive than regular gear. Unfortunately, this is because El Cheapo doesn't bother with quality control, so everything they sell also has "Reliability" numbers. The bigger the discount, the lower the Reliability. |
|
| Crapola Tech / int_d4d8ce5f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d4d8ce5f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Deadlands (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_d4d8ce5f | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d53f06fc | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d53f06fc | comment |
Glitch Techs: All Hinobi consoles can still function as gaming devices, but the fact literally everything down to just staring at one funny can cause it to spit out very dangerous monsters makes you wonder how any of it got greenlit to market. One episode even reveals that there are games the company refuses to release because they're somehow more glitched than their usual offerings. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d53f06fc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_d53f06fc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Glitch Techs | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_d53f06fc | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e4b1e91e | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e4b1e91e | comment |
About 90% of the items Henry can use in the Henry Stickmin Series will screw up in some hilarious-but-often-fatal way. If it was reviewed by Gadgeteer Gabe, or it's the teleportation device, the failure chance is closer to 99%. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e4b1e91e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e4b1e91e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Henry Stickmin Series (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_e4b1e91e | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e66a25a9 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e66a25a9 | comment |
Chipwell Armaments, an armor manufacturer in Rifts. They market themselves towards adventurers on a budget, selling equipment that is priced far below their competitors. Unfortunately, they do this by cutting corners wherever they can. The result is equipment, that while functional, provides a fraction of the protection of armor made by just about anyone else. This has earned them the nickname "Cheapo Armor" among mercenaries. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e66a25a9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e66a25a9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rifts (Tabletop Game) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_e66a25a9 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e7a9c06c | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e7a9c06c | comment |
Paperinik (Donald Duck's superhero alter ego of Italian origins) has been a victim of this, either due Gyro's superweapons malfunctioning or Paperinik not reading the instruction manual. Then Paperinik New Adventures has the "device 87 bis" of the Extransformer shield, a forced teleporting beam used exactly three times: the first time was an Epic Fail moment for our protagonist, the second time was an epic fail for the villain who had stolen the shield (followed by Paperinik pointing out it never worked), and the third time was when the villain started stomping the shield in a fit of rage and the device activated, giving him a bad burn after dumping him somewhere in the Hawaii Islands. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e7a9c06c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_e7a9c06c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Paperinik New Adventures (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_e7a9c06c | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ec25a849 | type |
Crapola Tech | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ec25a849 | comment |
A Quailman episode of Disney's Doug features a company named S.T.U.A.R.T. that has made a business model out of this for trolling purposes. Unfortunately for them, they get Quailman himself as a customer, and he decides to deliver his complaints in person. | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ec25a849 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Crapola Tech / int_ec25a849 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Doug | hasFeature |
Crapola Tech / int_ec25a849 |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.