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Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

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Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#801
post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't get why people keep harping on the all-or-nothing idea behind Soylent. Because that's what all Soylent's advertising and messaging has focused on?

No it isn't. Their slogan is something like: Not meant to replace every meal, but it can replace any meal.

"This gun isn't for killing people, but you could"

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#802
post #635
post #600

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Although I'd imagine a liquid diet where you are mainly only consuming smoothie type beverages has to be less hard on your digestive system just because of the simply fact it requires less effort to break down?

A lot of our digestive flora actually uses "non-digestible" components for sustenance, we're finding. There can be surprising and unexpected side effects to eliminating food components we thought we just excreted. Fiber, for instance, is technically not all digested -- much just passes through -- but it's really important! Other types of fiber are fermented in the gut depending on what bacteria you've got.

Note that Soylent has continually reduced the fiber (and protein!) content of their drink, while increasing non-fiber carbohydrates.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#803

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with skipping a meal? (While we're on the subject, what's right about it?) Folks have been sold a solution to a problem that does not exist. Marketing and its various permutations wins again. The use case of this aptly-named "Soylent" product is a load of hooey. When the military starts using meal replacement powders instead of MREs, then I will reconsider my position on this issue.

You really can't think of a situation in which skipping a meal (or maybe several) is the best choice to optimize someone's happiness or productivity? Example: In my case, I don't particularly feel like cooking breakfast if I get up early to play golf or hike, and doing either while hungry is unpleasant. Soylent solves that problem, and I prefer it to Clif bars, which is what I would have used before Soylent.

I never made that claim, but thank you for the reply. I am glad you found a way to be fitter, happier, and more productive.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#804
post #716

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> BTW, anyone know a good word for this attitude? Got you, brah - Dilettantism: a person having a superficial interest in an art or field of knowledge without investing the usually required effort. See also: dabbler .

polymyth?

Just plain polymath will do fine, seeing as the last time anyone could make legitimate claim to this title was probably 500 years ago.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#805
post #757

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is definitely something I'm facing. I have a pretty deep interest in farming and have a bunch of approaches for "disrupting" it. But you know what my hangups are? Penetrating the culture and getting involved with the industry. Case in point -- where's the best place to buy zoysia seeds? Amazon? eBay? Some random mom and pop place with a ecommerce page? No. The best place to go is to "Bill" who is friends of frie…

Sounds like there's asymmetrical information, a great place for a startup to break into. Or create a better marketplace for seeds!

I'd venture to say the reason there is 100% reliability is due to the personal and "non-corporate" aspect to the way he does business. When you stop having face-to-face transactions and stop seeing your customers the interest in maintaining quality plummets. People become numbers.

Also, p2p transactions work so well and are cheap because of the lack of middle-men taking unnecessary "fees".

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#806
post #793
post #784

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears. Grocery shopping is a multisensory living nightmare." This kind of writing is insufferable.

You just have to read it in the voice of a stage actor clearly overdoing it on a dramatic soliloquy. Not sure if you're into comedians, but Paul F. Tompkins does this pretty frequently and well. That said, it's still insufferable, just mildly entertaining as well.

This reminds me of the "Rails is Omakase" video ripping on DHH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E99FnoYqoII

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#807
post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The founder of Soylent clearly believes he's an expert in many, many fields: http://robrhinehart.com/?p=1331 BTW, anyone know a good word for this attitude? I wouldn't call it hybris, though it's closely related. It's a mix of arrogance, over confidence, ignorance, plus more and very prevalent in SV.

> BTW, anyone know a good word for this attitude? Got you, brah - Dilettantism: a person having a superficial interest in an art or field of knowledge without investing the usually required effort. See also: dabbler .

Ah, what I do with programming. But I'm actually trying to gain deeper knowledge.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#808
post #793
post #784

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears. Grocery shopping is a multisensory living nightmare." This kind of writing is insufferable.

You just have to read it in the voice of a stage actor clearly overdoing it on a dramatic soliloquy. Not sure if you're into comedians, but Paul F. Tompkins does this pretty frequently and well. That said, it's still insufferable, just mildly entertaining as well.

Not everyone wants to read through life like Nathan Lane.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#809

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Soylent is for meals you don't care about but need Thanks god for creating apples and bananas and thanks the grocery stores for selling them all the year round. And thanks the Germans for putting a bakery on every corner.

Those are not nutritionally complete, fruits go bad and most people don't live next to an open bakery.

If it's not a single source food, you don't need it to be complete. An occasional gap filler can be substantially unbalanced on its own without affecting overall balance much.

Re: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick

#810
post #793
post #784

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears. Grocery shopping is a multisensory living nightmare." This kind of writing is insufferable.

You just have to read it in the voice of a stage actor clearly overdoing it on a dramatic soliloquy. Not sure if you're into comedians, but Paul F. Tompkins does this pretty frequently and well. That said, it's still insufferable, just mildly entertaining as well.

It doesn't even have decent scansion tho.
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