Stupidest "technical" advise I've heard lately

Well once as a young man around ten or so. I witnessed a couple of neighborhood porch mechanics try to hot shot a battery. Conversation went something like this. First dope. hey I don't think this charger is any good it's been hooked up for hours and nothing. Second dope well best way to test it would be first unplug it to be safe, then cut of the power cord , strip back the ends, and plug it back end and touch the ends to the battery posts to make sure it's not the cord that's bad.

My dad was in earshot and said come on inside son. Sometimes the best and safest way to learn something is not to stand to close.