There's a new subreddit for this "Best" thing: http://www.reddit.com/r/buyitforlife
The Worst
111–120 of 217 posts
Re: The Worst
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Svbtle is new; I'm unaware of any sites other than his own that he's designed. What am I missing?
I have no idea who you are either, but my presumption isn't that you've done so little in your career that I'd wonder why I was reading your thoughts.
Take it easy. Dustin holds a lot of credibility around here, and I'm curious as to the source of it. I have no presumption one way or the other, and it isn't out of line to ask what a highly-regarded designer has designed.
Re: The Worst
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
Silver silverware on the other hand, has to be polished by hand. This is not only time consuming but exposes you to harsh chemicals which probably negate any health benefit you get from not being exposed to (mostly harmless) bacteria. Anything you put in the dishwasher is going to come out more or less sterile anyway.
> exposes you to harsh chemicals Why not go the old-school way and use baking soda and lemon juice/vinegar? Organic! > Anything you put in the dishwasher is going to come out more or less sterile anyway. Dishwashers don't get nearly hot enough to properly sterilize, and they definitely won't sterilize the parts that most need sterilization -- deeply nicked flatware, for example.
Furthermore, I have no dishwasher.
Re: The Worst
#114Why is everyone telling me how I should live and what I should buy or not buy in order to maximize my happiness?
Re: The Worst
#115The author of this linked article has made an error: he assumes dcurtis' flatware is inordinately expensive. It is not; traditional flatware really is absurdly expensive. Much of the author's article is based on this assumption. I'd suggest he familiarize himself with "wedding gift"-style flatware. Then do a rewrite because I think there is a good argument still to be had.
Remove the reference to a $50 set of flatware and the article loses no substance. You picked a rather arbitrary example the author used to illustrate the point of being a slave to materialism. About the danger of caring more about objects than memories or experiences.
Re: The Worst
#116If forced to decide between Dustin's reality and Moxie's, I think I'd chose Dustin's. A world made up of overly-reviewed, pretentious gadgets slightly edges out a utilitarian, post-apocalyptic, hellscape Bartertown where people scavenge through wreckage looking for makeshift utensils and clothing. I picture oil drum fires. Thankfully, I am not limited by those choices. I can continue to do what I already do, which is…
When you say "utilitarian, post-apocalyptic, hellscape Bartertown where people scavenge through wreckage looking for makeshift utensils and clothing", you mean Wal Mart, right?
Don't be ridiculous, the post-apocalyptic, hellscape Bartertown will still provide health benefits for it's employees; they're not monsters.
Re: The Worst
#117Thank you. That article about "The Best" bothered me in a way I couldn't completely verbalize. Beyond a certain threshold, the quality of objects just simply doesn't matter. The example of flatware was particularly annoying, because, really, in what way does a fork ever actually "fail"? Have you ever had food halfway to your mouth when the fork just suddenly collapses or something? As a tool, flatware is completely s…
There is some really shitty flatware on the market. My old roommate bought a cheap set that had handles constructed entirely from plastic. The connections between the plastic handles and the metal "heads" would often break.
I bought my current set at a restaurant supply store. It was really cheap and is really durable.
Re: The Worst
#118I think the authors of "The Best" and "The Worst" are both right. In fact, pretty much everything I own is either "the best" or "the worst" -- no middle ground. I identify the very few things that really make a difference to me (my laptop, my stereo, my kitchen pots & pans & knives, my jeans) and buy the absolute best I can afford. And I identify the things I don't really care about (the rug, the chairs, most kitchen…
Does the middle ground have to be so confusing? I mean, if you looked at your silverware and thought, "These forks are kind of ugly, and it's bothering me a little bit," so you went to Target and saw a $50 set of silverware that looked pretty okay and bought it, would that be confusing? I guess there's no way to spin it as being particularly awesome. You couldn't boast of being the most sophisticated and tasteful buy…
The problem is, if repeated often enough, this process leads to a house full of crap, most of which you no longer care about.
With The Best philosophy, you have much less crap and clutter around you.
With The Worst philosophy, you may have a lot of crap and clutter, but at least you didn't waste much money on it.
Most of us in the rich world end up in an in between place that's not very satisfying.
Re: The Worst
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
Indeed. I don't intentionally damage new things, but people are often surprised that I don't agonize over keeping my phone, car, or laptop looking brand new. The idea of a scratched Honda sort bothers people, but idea of a scratched Audi makes people crazy. Why waste your energy worrying about this? A Audi with some scratches is a very nice car, and an iPhone with some scratches is a very nice phone.
> [the] idea of a scratched Audi makes people crazy. Why waste your energy worrying about this? Because other people worry about it when buying a used Audi. And the obscene cost to repair auto paint. A carelessly placed shopping cart or thoughtless lean against the car in riveted jeans can cause thousands of dollars of damage.
I fon't think resale value is why most worry about it, but ptobably some. If scratches decrease resale value so much, it seems those in the market for a luxury car should seek out a scratched one.
Re: The Worst
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Does the middle ground have to be so confusing? I mean, if you looked at your silverware and thought, "These forks are kind of ugly, and it's bothering me a little bit," so you went to Target and saw a $50 set of silverware that looked pretty okay and bought it, would that be confusing? I guess there's no way to spin it as being particularly awesome. You couldn't boast of being the most sophisticated and tasteful buy…
The problem is, if repeated often enough, this process leads to a house full of crap, most of which you no longer care about. With The Best philosophy, you have much less crap and clutter around you. With The Worst philosophy, you may have a lot of crap and clutter, but at least you didn't waste much money on it. Most of us in the rich world end up in an in between place that's not very satisfying.
It isn't a matter of quantity. You need the same number of forks and knives no matter whether you find them at Target, Urban Ore in Berkeley, or the FT's How to Spend It[1].
[1] http://howtospendit.ft.com/
Edit: Oooh, even better How to Spend It link: http://howtospendit.ft.com/home-accessories/5004-tableware-t...