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Strange New Social Media Trend: Licking Nintendo Switch Cartridges (macon.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the bad-taste-in-videogames dept.

Now that the Nintendo Switch has launched, "lots of people are just licking their video games," reports McClatchy. According to IGN, the tech company coated the cartridges, which are roughly the size of a SIM card, in a bittering agent called denatonium benzoate, which is also used in rat poison and antifreeze to deter human consumption. The chemical is also used to deter nail-biting, per the Telegraph. Nintendo used the chemical as a safety measure to stop small children and pets from eating the cartridges. While there is no adverse health effects from consuming denatonium benzoate, it does leave a sour, bitter taste that lasts for hours, according to taste testers from BBC News, Quartz and IGN. But even as more and more people take to social media to let others know how bad the cartridges taste, more and more people seem determined to try it in what some are calling the Nintendo cartridge challenge...
"Humanity deserves no faith," opines Slashdot reader RavenLrD20k. But meanwhile on Twitter, one gamer was already complaining that their morning coffee tasted like a Nintendo Switch cartridge.

117 comments

  1. Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    unethical company

    1. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      ...to prevent kids from choking...

    2. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Calydor · · Score: 1

      Water is used in nuclear power plants, therefore your morning coffee is radioactive. Same logic.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    3. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by magusxxx · · Score: 1

      Strike two, Miss Paltrow, strike two.

      --
      Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
    4. Re: Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It must be radioactive. Nothing else makes me shit that much that quickly.

    5. Re: Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you were looking for the Microsoft thread, no?

    6. Re: Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It must be radioactive. Nothing else makes me shit that much that quickly.

      Important distinction here, if it were something radioactive making you shit, you would be shitting your internal organs rather than shitting normal foodstuff wastes.

    7. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by arth1 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Kids will put stuff in their mouths anyhow. If it isn't a cartridge, it's something else and more dangerous. It's not like there's a dearth of items that can be inserted in the head. And a bitter taste? Just find another orifice, then!

      Consider it an evolutionary opportunity. Those who choke and die won't be in the gene pool.

      This nanny culture isn't helpful. Kids don't get knives anymore, so they never learn how to use it, and when getting one, they have the experience of a hundred cuts to know how to use it safely, but are strong enough to hurt themselves far more. Playgrounds don't have climbable trees. So they don't develop skills while still soft-boned and light enough to survive falls. They can't swim under water, because flotation devices prevent them from learning. They've never flown a kite, nor shot a arrow from a bow. They're not allowed wooden pencils. They have to wear safety glasses when playing conkers.

      We're raising a bunch of overprotected useless dolls.

    8. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Lumpy · · Score: 0

      Agreed, we really do need to thin the herd more. All this protection has lowered the average IQ and we are spiraling into a "Idiocracy" reality.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    9. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I used to think that, and hell, maybe it's true and I was more right then. But now I just think we need to educate people more at all ages. Just force more information about everything into them until they a) get used to the idea of learning new things again and b) start to make connections with the information. I think a lot of these people are smarter than they'll ever know, because they've never learned to enjoy thinking.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

      Agreed, we really do need to thin the herd more. All this protection has lowered the average IQ and we are spiraling into a "Idiocracy" reality.

      That's it!
      Coming this summer:

      Lord of the Flies Camp!!!

      Do your little tykes have what it takes figure out the basics of survival and to comprehend the stupidity and evil lurking in there peers? Be the first to test your progeny for suitable survivor instincts and cunning. ACT NOW*, while you still have time to breed replacements...

      We must have your deposit in time to ship you the 400 page waiver form for each child.

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    11. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by GrumpySteen · · Score: 2

      At least read the summary before you comment. There are no adverse health effects from consuming denatonium benzoate. It is not poison.

    12. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah and look how well that worked out.

    13. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by edx93 · · Score: 2

      unethical company

      Ironic since Denatonium Benzoate (the component that makes it taste so nasty) is used in countless products (methanol, rat poison etc) exactly to *prevent* people from getting poisoned. Also, it's used on nails to prevent nail biting: It's safe, tastes unbearably nasty, and much better than the alternative of a kid choking to death.

    14. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Huh? They *specifically state* that this is non-poisonous right there in TFS. You don't even need to bother with the article - it's. right. there. The additive is designed to "deter human consumption" (again quoting TFS). Which, assuming game consoles are as germ riddled as, say, keyboards, is entirely sensible.

    15. Re: Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While I agree, all those things probably started with "this is why we can't have nice things".

      At first, I was "no wooden pencils, wtf?" But I remembered I knew two kids growing up with a few millimeters of graphite embedded in the skin from being stabbed by other kids at like kindergarten age.

      My impression is that kids are even bigger sociopathic cunts than when I was growing up.

    16. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Y'all first.

    17. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by sysrammer · · Score: 1

      I like what you say, but what do we do with the people that think that "big shots alla time makin' us lern stuff, like they was better than us or somethin" is a governmental/cultural/sociological/aristicracal/illuminatical conspiracy?

      --
      His ignorance covered the whole earth like a blanket, and there was hardly a hole in it anywhere. - Mark Twain
    18. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

      OK, their peers

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    19. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not poison, coated in the stuff added to poison to stop people from eating the poison.

    20. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by brantondaveperson · · Score: 1

      This nanny culture isn't helpful. Kids don't get knives anymore, so they never learn how to use it, and when getting one, they have the experience of a hundred cuts to know how to use it safely, but are strong enough to hurt themselves far more. Playgrounds don't have climbable trees. So they don't develop skills while still soft-boned and light enough to survive falls. They can't swim under water, because flotation devices prevent them from learning. They've never flown a kite, nor shot a arrow from a bow. They're not allowed wooden pencils. They have to wear safety glasses when playing conkers.

      Maybe where you live. Not here.

    21. Re: Intentionally poisioning their product by arth1 · · Score: 1

      At first, I was "no wooden pencils, wtf?" But I remembered I knew two kids growing up with a few millimeters of graphite embedded in the skin from being stabbed by other kids at like kindergarten age.

      If I remember correctly, a few years ago, a little snowflake got a splinter from a wood pencil in her finger. The parents took her to an emergency room, and then sued the school. The result was no more wooden pencils in that district.
      The conkers safety glasses, on the other hand, was a teacher who took it upon herself to implement extra safety rules.

    22. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by syntotic · · Score: 1

      Mass schizophrenia, no doubt. The world will be undone by masses of schizophrenics committing senseless acts till breakdown.

    23. Re:Intentionally poisioning their product by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not possible to.

      Want proof? Look at all the people supporting trump. Some people can not be educated.

  2. firts! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    oooooh

  3. Screwdriver handles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    they do this to screwdriver handles too so ppl don't use it has a dildo

    1. Re: Screwdriver handles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [Citation needed]

    2. Re:Screwdriver handles by arth1 · · Score: 1

      There are taste buds in vaginas and rectums?

    3. Re:Screwdriver handles by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      Not in the vagina, but there are taste buds in your colon ... and in your stomach... and pancreas ... and lungs ... and on sperm. You don't perceive taste from them, fortunately, but they do trigger other responses in your body.

    4. Re:Screwdriver handles by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 2

      they do this to screwdriver handles too so ppl don't use it has a dildo

      Is this is true then Orange Is the New Black loses a significant plot point.

    5. Re:Screwdriver handles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There wasn't any the last time I used one as a dildo. Sharp remains from the molding process are a much better deterrent anyway. Who wants to bleed tonight?

    6. Re:Screwdriver handles by arth1 · · Score: 1

      There wasn't any the last time I used one as a dildo. Sharp remains from the molding process are a much better deterrent anyway. Who wants to bleed tonight?

      Another good reason to buy quality tools with wooden handles.

    7. Re:Screwdriver handles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Which is why the question to be asked when visiting a hardware store to purchase new equipment for the do-it-yourself jobs is "Got Wood?"

    8. Re:Screwdriver handles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Many screwdriver handles are made of cellulose acetate and have a distinctive smell (and presumably taste) because of that. Craftsman and Xcelite, for example.

  4. Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Guess it's slightly better then their usual licking of nintendos ass

    1. Re: Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As opposed to you licking Sony or Microsoft's bum instead?

      Face it, every company has its fanboys. And Nintendo's are much less rabid than Microsoft's, Apple's, or Google's, or the many Linux/open source fanboys who populate this site.

    2. Re:Fucking retards by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      That's the problem with these newfangled computer video games . . . kids don't go outside and play any more.

      If they went outside to play in the fresh air, they could catch some hallucinogenic toads to lick instead.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    3. Re: Fucking retards by elrous0 · · Score: 0, Troll

      Anyone over the age of 12 still playing Nintendo games should be ashamed of themselves.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    4. Re: Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone over the age of 12 still playing Nintendo games should be ashamed of themselves.

      Which is more funny since the Switch, due to its small easily swallowed and easily broken components, is not intended for anyone under the age of 13.

    5. Re: Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since when is 13 equal to 3?
      Last I checked, choking hazard age limits were automatic age3 rating.

    6. Re: Fucking retards by arth1 · · Score: 1

      Since when is 13 equal to 3?
      Last I checked, choking hazard age limits were automatic age3 rating.

      American children haven't fully left the oral stage by 13. Remember the Buckyball recall? The ones who had swallowed them were all above the age you'd think kids wouldn't swallow things not meant for swallowing.
      It's the country where they think "parental guidance" doesn't imply actual guidance.

      The next generation of games consoles will likely have big, rounded and neoprene coated cartridges to protect American 14 year olds from themselves.

    7. Re: Fucking retards by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 1

      Anyone over the age of 12 still playing Nintendo games should be ashamed of themselves.

      I watch Sailor Moon, and I'm 57.

      I'm ashamed for the human race that you exist.

    8. Re: Fucking retards by lucm · · Score: 1

      So at 57 you're watching a show about pre-teen schoolgirls prancing around in sexy outfits, and you're the one ashamed of humanity?

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    9. Re: Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone playing WOW should be ashamed of themselves, at any age.

    10. Re: Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shame on you. At 57, you should be watching Madoka; it's depressing and violent, which means it's more mature.

    11. Re: Fucking retards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Pædophile spotted.

    12. Re: Fucking retards by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

      Teenagers swallowing magnets happened because they were using them as fake piercings, not because they were sticking magnets in their mouths for the taste.

      --
      How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    13. Re: Fucking retards by Vastad · · Score: 1

      Fake piercings? You mean, one buckyball on either side of the tongue and they pinch the tongue between them?

      Hmmm, that's actually kinda clever. Except for the accidental swallowing bit.

  5. Whatever floats their boat... by mattMad · · Score: 5, Funny

    If I want to taste something really bad, I just start cooking. Much cheaper than buying a Nintendo!

    1. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I once ordered an expresso cappachino. I figured out it would be an extra strong coffee. They gave me a tiny paper cup containing about 1cm of thick black liquid which effectively caffeine concentrate. Tasted as bad as it looked.

    2. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "expresso cappachino"

      A fucking what? They probably gave you shit-liquid just for saying that.

    3. Re:Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      parent said, "If I want to taste something really bad, I just start cooking."

      LOL. I miss read it as " I just start cocksucking. "

      My bad!

    4. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What the hell is expresso? Is that the Amerifag knock-off of espresso?

    5. Re:Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahaha! OMG guys! We got ourselves a regular Carlos Mebcia here!

    6. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by lucm · · Score: 1

      No, "expresso" is a trigger for cunts.

      --
      lucm, indeed.
    7. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's a riddle where you must find the letter that 'x' stands for. Expresso, ex cetera, ... etc. Oh noes, I gave the second away.

    8. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by nedlohs · · Score: 1

      It's common misspelling that you would have to be borderline retarded to not be able to work out yourself.

    9. Re: Whatever floats their boat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give up, expresso AC. It's Carlos Mencia.

  6. Re:Any nice girls doing it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Mr. Trump, it appears you've forgotten the address for Twitter.

  7. waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Paid over $300 for this new console, and all it's done is leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

    1. Re:waste of money by RogueyWon · · Score: 2, Informative

      Meh, it's a bit of a mixed bag. I've found a few things to like about it; the screen is good quality (first time for that on a Nintendo handheld device). The UI is pleasant and functional (compare and contrast with the XB1's). Plus, Nintendo finally step into the 21st century by abandoning region locks and the whole "multi region account switching" thing is pretty easy, which is nice.

      But there is also a lot wrong with it, and I'd be lying if I said I don't have a bit of buyer's remorse. The ergonomics are bloody awful unless you have the pro controller. The joycons are so tiddly they must have been designed for toddlers or Trump. The locations of buttons on them, particularly the + and - buttons, makes accidental inputs inevitable. Worse, when holding the thing in handheld mode with the joycons attached, the shape and layout puts stress on all the wrong parts of your hands. In the long term, this thing is an express ticket to RSI-town. Nintendo have forgotten or ignored some basic design and ergonomic principles that everybody else has known about for years.

      The pro controller is mostly fine, other than the lack of analogue shoulder triggers, which will screw things up a bit for certain genres (particularly driving games). It's expensive, though, and given the low quality of the joycons, it really should have been a pack-in.

      There are a few other niggles with the hardware as well. The little stand on the back for use when the thing is undocked is nasty and flimsy, The cover for the cartridge slot feels like it is going to be very easy to snap off (also a problem with the Vita). The location of the charger port on both the unit itself and the docking station seems to have been designed for maximum inconvenience. Oh, and the undocked battery life is absolutely terrible.

      I haven't experienced the joycon sync issues that have been plaguing some people during normal use, but I can replicate them if I switch on a couple of my other consoles and create a bit of wireless interference.

      I'm also now seeing reports that the build quality of the docking station and its "fit" with the main console unit is of lower quality than in the pre-release demonstration units. Not sure whether that's true - although it is definitely true that the fit is loose and wobbly on mine - but if it is, it feels like pretty sharp practice.

    2. Re: waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you could say the same about Bluetooth game controllers for smartphones. Some games you just cannot play unless you have a controller. Then there's the hassle factor of going into Setting/Bluetooth/pair device/connect then going into VR mode. On occassions the bluetooth connection will be lost (low battery power on controller or new wifi device in area).

    3. Re:waste of money by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      In the long term, this thing is an express ticket to RSI-town. Nintendo have forgotten or ignored some basic design and ergonomic principles that everybody else has known about for years.

      Nintendo has never had ergonomically good controllers, unless you count the NES Advantage (which had lousy buttons, so you probably shouldn't. I wonder if you can hack full size arcade buttons into there.) Every single controller they've ever made has had awful ergo. The original NES controller really stands out as RSI-inducing, the SNES controller wasn't much better especially as it was a slippery little sucker, the N64 controller was a fucking train wreck (shifting your hand position in the middle of a game? wtf?) and the square wiimote was always cumbersome to hold even with a silicone condom.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:waste of money by pezezin · · Score: 1

      You haven't named the Gamecube controller, which to me was a wonderful design that I still use to play emulators on my PC (using an adapter, of course).

    5. Re:waste of money by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      You haven't named the Gamecube controller, which to me was a wonderful design that I still use to play emulators on my PC (using an adapter, of course).

      You must have small hands. Mine are huge and it makes me cry. And since they're Nintendo and it's their way or the highway they only ever make controllers sized for Japanese.

      I will add that every single nintendo handheld ever has had awful ergo. I have all the old ones (my newest one is a DS) and they are all bad. And so was the virtual boy, which incidentally has the controller most similar to the gamecube, at least in shape.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:waste of money by RogueyWon · · Score: 1

      The Gamecube controller was absolutely awful. The right analogue stick was an abortion... a hideous shrivelled nipple which was of no use whatsoever in-game.

      I kinda get what they were going for, with the face buttons. Until the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox generation, there tended to be one controller button that was used more than the others, so why not make it bigger. Unfortunately, they did that just as console games were getting more sophisticated and button usage was getting more evenly spread. So they ended up with a godawful controller where accidental button presses were the norm.

      Also, the cable was about 3 inches long. They had this weird, fucked up idea that people played console games sat in a ring on the floor around the TV. The cable just wasn't long enough to reach to the average sofa.

      I would personally rate the Gamecube controller as one of the worst ever made. The N64 and Dreamcast ones also had their woes, but the Cube one was just nasty.

    7. Re:waste of money by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      The GameBoy advance micro had an excellent display, too.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    8. Re:waste of money by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      I guess you're too young to ever had played with an Intellivision controller. Your list would be quite different.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    9. Re:waste of money by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

      I did like that right analogue stick. I also liked the consoles with only one analogue stick - those are the N64 and Dreamcast. These forced games to use only one stick.
      The N64 game pad would have been good if they had fixed that silly problem with the stick eroding.

      The Game Cube controller also had that clicking on the analog triggers, that was innovative.

    10. Re:waste of money by dissy · · Score: 1

      I guess you're too young to ever had played with an Intellivision controller. Your list would be quite different.

      While that may or may not be true for the parent poster, the Intellivision was my first game console, and despite the fact its controller was likely the worst designed ever, that still doesn't change the fact nearly every other Nintendo designed controller is also very bad.

    11. Re:waste of money by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 0

      It would make me cry to have huge hands, too. Nobody but the really stretched out hags would want me to fist them.

      Yes, I *have* had my small hands complimented for that.

    12. Re:waste of money by guises · · Score: 1

      Do you have a Wii U? If so, how would you compare the gamepad to the Switch with the Joycons attached? Ergonomically speaking, I mean.

    13. Re:waste of money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed; the N64 controller was actually quite comfortable, and games rarely required you to switch hand positions in game. But the joystick, dear god was the joystick awful.
      (For those who don't know and want an explanation: you can see how the joystick works in this thumbnail. Those two plastic saddles that hold and center the joystick would wear away easily. That makes the joystick become loose over a relatively short period of use, though the feeling of a brand new stick isn't all that great anyway.)

    14. Re:waste of money by Snufu · · Score: 1

      You're licking it wrong.

    15. Re:waste of money by mentil · · Score: 1

      WiiU + Switch owner here. The Switch (with joycons) is smaller than the WiiU gamepad in every dimension, and is noticeably lighter. The joycon buttons are smaller and more tightly grouped. The analogue sticks are smaller and stiffer, their ridges have notches in the cardinal directions to help you tell what part of the stick you're touching. I often accidentally click in the left stick when moving it around quickly, whereas I don't recall that happening on the WiiU gamepad. The center of balance of the Switch is about 1cm to the upper-right of its center, similar to the gamepad. The + and - buttons feel different enough from the nearby buttons that it's easy to make them out by touch, whereas groping for the start and select buttons on the gamepad sometimes required me looking. It's much easier to reach the Switch's volume rocker than the volume switch on the gamepad, which pretty much requires looking to see what position it's at. The Switch's home button can be hit without completely moving your hand. When using touchscreen controls with the gamepad, I'd have to awkwardly move my hand to slide out the stylus, touch something, then put it back, or hold the stylus while pressing buttons/sticks, which is incredibly unergonomic. The Switch has no stylus so its games will likely take that into account, and I have a feeling few games will use touch controls given they're unusable docked. When I hold the gamepad, I put my fingers on all of the shoulder buttons simultaneously, which isn't very comfortable. The Switch's shoulder buttons are closer together so I just move my fingers between them rather than dedicating a finger to each one, which is more comfortable. Having 4 buttons under the left joycon's stick feels weird though, I'll feel the buttons and think "where's the dpad?!" for a moment. The joycon surface is more matte and grippy than the shiny smooth gamepad, but I wouldn't call it rough.
      Subjectively, I feel the Switch is less fatiguing to hold, mostly due to the easier to grip material and the lighter weight, I don't have to grip it as hard. Much of my grip on the gamepad comes from my palm, which comes into contact with the smooth top side of the gamepad. I should point out that every time I used the WiiU I had the gamepad plugged in 100% of the time because the battery life was crap; not having to deal with the cord as often (due to longer battery life) or not at all (docked mode) is a big plus to ergonomics. I hate getting the charging cable entwined with my headphone cable, and on the Switch the two ports are on opposite sides of the device rather than right next to one another (although they probably should have the headphone jack on bottom and charging port on top). The gamepad has a constant amount of battery drain, whereas the battery life of the Switch is longer when playing less demanding games.
      The standard Switch grip is lightweight and reasonably comfortable, and can be used when undocked as well. Your hands don't go all the way around the handles, but that doesn't bother me.

      --
      Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    16. Re:waste of money by guises · · Score: 1

      Well, thank you. That was very thorough. I've been quite happy with the gamepad and was hoping that the Switch would feel similar. From your description it seems that there are quite a few differences, but it sounds that they're more like trade-offs than like a bunch of negatives. So that's encouraging.

  8. Monkey see, monkey do by sheramil · · Score: 1
    "Oh, you're a real comedian, Dave," Goldberg said, stubbing out his roach and jamming a cork into the glass vial which he had been filling from the petcock at the end of the apparatus' run. "Any day now I expect you to start slipping strychnine into the goods. That'd be pretty good for a yock, too."

    "You know, I never thought of that before. Maybe you got something there. Let a few people go out with a smile, satisfaction guaranteed. Christ, Will, we could tell them exactly what it was and still sell some of the stuff."

    "That's not funny, man," Goldberg said, handing the vial to Richardson, who carefully snugged it away with the others in the excelsior-packed box. "It's not funny because it's true."

    - Norman Spinrad, "No Direction Home"

  9. Re:What happened to all the jolly coloreds? by magusxxx · · Score: 0

    They're too busy... + Driving your drunk-ass daddy to work so he'll actually show up on time. + Teaching at the vocational college your mamma attends so she can stop flipping burgers. and + Giving your sister a medical checkup when 'accidents' happen.

    --
    Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
  10. Blow and Lick by dohzer · · Score: 0

    I do love to blow and lick.

    My cartridges.

  11. Re: Any nice girls doing it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Last I checked, your mom was doing it to my "cartridge".

  12. I blame this on idiocracy by blind+biker · · Score: 0

    i.e. the constant trend of increased number of people with lower intelligence, due to successful procreation in spite of cognitive inadequacies.

    --
    "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
  13. Proof for human idiocy by aglider · · Score: 0

    That's another one.
    And it tastes awful!

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
  14. Caution wet paint by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    As if you wouldn't touch it.

    Personally I now have this urge to find out what a switch cartridge tastes like.

    1. Re:Caution wet paint by qubezz · · Score: 1

      The bittering agent is used in several consumer products. Probably the most pervasive is vehicle antifreeze, where bittering is mandated in a majority of states and therefore almost universal. Pop your radiator lid, dip your finger, and have a taste; it's either sweet and inviting (although maybe a bit metallic) or a putrid bitter that just lingers after you spit and swish.

    2. Re:Caution wet paint by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Actually my comment was more in relation to all the posters here who said everyone is an idiot for doing this. Humans are inquisitive and generally non-trusting.

      I heard the cartridge tastes bitter if you lick it. I now have a desire to check that too, just like I have a desire to check if paint is still wet when the sign says wet paint.

  15. lame attempt to kill used market... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    this is just a ploy to stop people from being able to dump their disappointment inducing next-gen nintendo junk on ebay.

  16. To Be Fair, Licking Consoles Isn't New by rsmith-mac · · Score: 4, Informative

    In all fairness to the, uh, interesting people doing this, they're not completely off their rockers. Licking consoles was a thing before social media even existed.

    A then-unknown Jessica Chobot (who these days hosts shows for Nerdist) basically started the whole thing by licking a PSP as a gag photo in 2005. Since then, someone, somewhere (usually Chobot, it feels like) licks a launch console.

    The only novel change here is people licking the cartridge instead of the console, and that's due to the aforementioned use of a bittering agent. Maybe Nintendo got it wrong here and needs to go into licking controls instead of motion controls...

    1. Re:To Be Fair, Licking Consoles Isn't New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I, for one, am glad this story happened.

    2. Re:To Be Fair, Licking Consoles Isn't New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, it's also incredibly asinine and stupid.

      Which is probably why it's on Slashdot and all the low ID lusers are chiming in with their remarkably non-original views.

      Obsessed with a no-name like Chobot too, you'd be really fun at parties if anyone ever invited you to the things. I'm guessing you're too busy at home licking Photoshopped pictures of her.

    3. Re:To Be Fair, Licking Consoles Isn't New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I too was very happy to see the picture of the event in question.

  17. Odd thing is, I didn't bite my nails anyway by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    When I was a kid my parents tried that anti nail-biting paint. I used to lick it off and ask for some more.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:Odd thing is, I didn't bite my nails anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Almost the same here. But instead my parents put it on my dick to keep my sister from sucking me off.

    2. Re:Odd thing is, I didn't bite my nails anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So that's why she was knocked up?

  18. Ain't trolling fun? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Q : Why do police dogs lick their asses so much?

    A : To get the taste of CRACKERS out of their mouths!

    1. Re:Ain't trolling fun? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude. Thats racist.

  19. Obligatory by andydread · · Score: 4, Funny

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  20. stupid gonna stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    fuck u looking at?

  21. Immunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    UK NHS:
    We use denatonium benzoate at work to test the fit of masks designed to prevent the inhalation of biological agents. We have to don our PPE(mask) of choice and then a large hood. An examiner sprays an aerosol of denatonium benzoate into the hood to see whether the PPE fits.

    I can personally claim to be immune/insensitive to the effects/taste of denatonium benzoate. Testers have sprayed the agent directly onto my tongue and eyeballs and I have not been able to tell. Apparently it's a genetic thing/bug similar to being able to smell asparagus in your pee.

    I have previously wondered whether I would be able to happily consume rat poison. I will now wonder whether I can eat Nintendo Switch cartridges.

  22. Re: Any nice girls doing it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Out of pity for you having a micropeen?

  23. Half the population has an IQ under 100 by nbritton · · Score: 1, Informative

    People are so stupid, I have no faith in humanity anymore.

    1. Re:Half the population has an IQ under 100 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More than Half the population has an IQ under 100

      FTFY

  24. Too much news by sunking2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is what happens when you have a society that can no longer make things that are productive and all become journalists and bloggers with nothing of use to write about. Nintendo did this to try to curb an issue they saw. Someone with no real news to report decided to try to make this news. Now it's an issue for no real reason. I'm not against reporting whatever you want, just noting how pathetic society is in its need to consume 'news' that really isn't.

    1. Re:Too much news by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Now it's an issue for no real reason.

      Actually I think this is more what happens when people without a clue who don't read up on things have an opinion. In this case the only reference at all I have found to this being an issue is you claiming it is. Every other article simply points out the trend.

      I'm not against reporting whatever you want, just noting how pathetic society is in its need to consume 'news' that really isn't.

      The news has always reported on trends in their back pages. Even dead tree papers had columns dedicated to stupid things people do. The difference is that now it's all online you seem to seek out this stuff and then through confirmation bias declare that it must have been a slow-news day and declared society pathetic. The reality is this wasn't more than a footnote on any mainstream news site. Even on BBC's page on 3 days ago you had to click through to the technology subsection and then see a small 10 pt headline towards the bottom of the page to find it.

      But yeah damn that pathetic society right!

    2. Re:Too much news by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      Wait... are you talking about people licking carts or buying a Switch?

  25. Next 100 Darwin awards goes to... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Millennials.

    What's next? They will actually taste antifreeze?

  26. My cats wouldn't by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    My cats wouldn't do that, and neither should you.

  27. I hope this will desensitize kids by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    so the anti nail biting stuff has no effect on them. The taboo against nail biting is just as silly and unfounded as the taboo against masturbation in the Victorian age.

  28. RavenLrD20k? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thank God you told us what RavenLrD20k thinks of this! I would never have known otherwise! Such an esteemed and relevant commentator!

  29. Re:What happened to all the jolly coloreds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I always thought Amos and Andy were really funny. They used to show them in reruns. Maybe TV Land will bring them back. Amazon still sells plenty of episodes. I liked the original Honeymooners too. Great stuff!

  30. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  31. Blame "King Of The Hill" by bandwidthcrisis · · Score: 1

    Bobby is sent to his room, but finds a way to make his own entertainment: "The clock radio smells like my Game Boy, but it tastes like my library card. I wonder if it smells different when it's on?"