The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube • Hacker News Board

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#101

Post by steveklabnik » Fri, May 30, 2014, 8:55 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #56

throwaway5752 wrote: post #3

If you put ice in Macallan 18, you suck. Sorry for the light epithet, but it deserves worse. and as I read more: "Gläce states that the cubes are ideal for high-end cocktails -- those that employ splashes of $38,000-per-bottle liquors, and must not be diluted or contaminated by mere tap ice." ... ICE NUMBS YOUR TASTE BUDS. Fancy water or not. edit: Downvoted to -1? I'll double down. If you are going to drink a nice s…

How can ice in your drink numb your taste buds any more than chilling your drink to the same temperature in another way?

Whisky isn't usually chilled.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#102

Post by opendais » Fri, May 30, 2014, 8:56 PM UTC

tjr wrote: post #93

DanBC wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to tweak the phrasing to avoid regulatory scrutiny by FDA but beneficial properties of oxygen of different plants would sell. I don't know how depressed I am by this.

I have a bamboo floor in my home office, and generally like things made out of bamboo. Not even knowing the actual oxygen-producing properties of bamboo, I can imagine myself trying some bamboo oxygen. And I usually don't like seemingly overpriced stunts like this. I seriously think it could sell big. Oxygen made by your favorite plants! Amazing idea.

Why not buy a bamboo plant and put it in the corner?

It is the same effect. :)

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#103

Post by jacquesm » Fri, May 30, 2014, 8:57 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #40

tmuir wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gold plated cables actually serve a purpose, although the average consumer does not have a need for them. In a studio environment, where cables are frequently plugged and unplugged, the gold plating protects the contacting surfaces, extending their lives.

I'm mildly surprised that I can't find any audiophile cables with actual gold-plated or gold wires.

You can probably find silver clad copper though, that combination is fairly popular because it is used in HF gear due to the skin-effect.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#104

Post by [deleted] » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:00 PM UTC

ctz wrote: post #92

habosa wrote: post #18

The joke is that for very nice liquor (whiskey especially) you should definitely not be adding ice, no matter how "deserving" the ice is. If you want the drink cold, chill the liquor itself or even the glass. In hindsight, fuck it. There is no point in dissecting this, it is what it is. It's ice for people who want to spend money just to spend it.

No true Scotsman drinks his whisky without a little water.

[deleted]

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#105

Post by mikeash » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:00 PM UTC

steveklabnik wrote: post #101

mikeash wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can ice in your drink numb your taste buds any more than chilling your drink to the same temperature in another way?

Whisky isn't usually chilled.

Fair point. In calling out ice specifically, I just assumed he was only talking about that one.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#106

Post by CocaKoala » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:01 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #30

xienze wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just the ultra-wealthy that fall for this crap. Consider SF's $4 toast. Cheap enough that anyone can buy it but still way overpriced.

I believe it typically won't be the ultra-wealthy, but people who are just barely wealthy enough to afford it. (Which isn't all that high of a bar. An $80 bottle of water could be afforded as an occasional purchase by your average software engineer.) As Bill Gates fictionally said on The Simpsons, "I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks!" Someone who has accumulated that much money probably has more sense about…

Well, yeah; obviously the dude getting rich on this isn't spending that much on ice. I'd guess he gets a pretty good employee discount on it.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#107

Post by tptacek » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:02 PM UTC

_Adam wrote: post #48

As stupid as this sounds, there is actually a difference between these ice cubes and the standard variety. And that's the appearance. Just look: http://www.glaceice.net/uploads/3/9/6/9/3969825/3969289_orig... Because there's no air bubbles, the ice is perfectly clear. That's not a trivial fact. Humans innately like clear stuff! Just think how unappealing cloudy water is in comparison to clear water. The only exceptio…

Can't you get the same thing out of a Kold-Draft machine? Isn't that what high-end bars already do? What reputable high-end cocktail bar --- Pegu, Booker & Dax, PDT, Aviary, &c --- uses this stuff?

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#108

Post by DanBC » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:03 PM UTC

opendais wrote: post #102

tjr wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a bamboo floor in my home office, and generally like things made out of bamboo. Not even knowing the actual oxygen-producing properties of bamboo, I can imagine myself trying some bamboo oxygen. And I usually don't like seemingly overpriced stunts like this. I seriously think it could sell big. Oxygen made by your favorite plants! Amazing idea.

Why not buy a bamboo plant and put it in the corner? It is the same effect. :)

There are articles online about the useful effect of certain plants on the atmosphere of offices.

That's for regular punters. Now we need a bit of price discrimination to get the high value customers. No mere "place a bamboo plant in the corner". You need to specify the obscure region of China that the original plant comes from (leave out the fact that you took a million cutting from that plant in an industrial unit somewhere) and describe the quality of the oxygen and other harmonious gases produced by these plants.

http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/photos/15-houseplan...

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#109

Post by throwaway5752 » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:05 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #105

steveklabnik wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whisky isn't usually chilled.

Fair point. In calling out ice specifically, I just assumed he was only talking about that one.

Nope, chilling in general. Sorry I wasn't specific about that.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#110

Post by vijayr » Fri, May 30, 2014, 9:05 PM UTC

This is one blog that always comes up with a variety of stories on different topics, and makes them interesting. Some are serious, some are ridiculous (like this article), but all of them always interesting.