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The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

priceonomics.com

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Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#111

Post by kenrikm »

Alupis wrote: post #90
DanBC wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really hope the $150 cable has much better manufacturing and inspection. Obviously that doesn't mean they're worth that much, but still.

You'd be surprised. The $150 hdmi cable is likely manufactured alongside the $5 cables in the same factory, then just sold to different brands (Monster vs. Store-brand). It's fairly common... Samsung makes almost all the parts of the Best Buy store-brand TV's... they're essentially a slightly lower-grade samsung tv with the store-brand slapped on and sold cheaper.

Also why the Dynex TVs usually get pretty good reviews. I used to work for a Grocery Distributor.. Most of the time store brands really are just the name brand repackaged.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#112

Post by rayiner »

Alupis wrote: post #87
jrockway wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They're all digital connections, so the signal/bits are either there or are not. Absolutely not true. There is quite a lot of engineering behind making an HDMI or Ethernet cable work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_line And, there are plenty of ways to mess it up and make a cable that only sort of works. TMDS, the signaling mechanism that HDMI uses, does not have error correction codes. It does do some e…

Again, the bits are either there or they are not (corruption). I don't see your point, because it seems to back my earlier point.

"Digital" is a fiction made possible by the heroic efforts of hardware designers. In the real world, every interconnect is an analog system. In "digital" interconnects like HDMI that don't have error correction, you can get artifacts before you lose the picture entirely.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#113

Post by jra101 »

DanBC wrote: post #80
lightblade wrote: post #58

I don't think this is ridiculous. I remember watching this one scene in Star Trek Into Darkness where Kirk was sitting in a bar enjoying a drink. The drink that he was enjoying had this perfect spherical ice in it. I remember talking to myself at that moment that this is a very nice business idea. Retail price aside, I do believe premium ice is a viable business.

You can buy presses to turn ice into a sphere. Is this an affiliate link? How do I turn it back into a regular link? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A1TMFSU?pc_redir=1401253883...

Or just buy a $9 mold: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ACTN54

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#114

Post by monknomo »

nathan_long wrote: post #95
_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…

> Someone could come in and sell a perfect ice maker for $200 and crush the pre-made high end ice market completely. Doubtful. What customers are buying is a feeling, not a specification. Such people would not buy an Acme watch just because it looks as good as and keeps better time than a Rolex, because the brand and its image is the product. Surely nothing makes that more apparent than luxury ice .

A $200 ice machine isn't going after the people who would buy an $800 ice machine so much as the people that want to be people who can buy an $800 ice machine. It's the reason Seikos and Omega exist in the watch market. You get some of the reflected glory, but can say "I'm more financially prudent than the guy with the Rolex" or "I'm beating the hell out of the guy with the Timex"

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#115

Post by mikeash »

throwaway5752 wrote: post #109
mikeash wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not at all, entirely my fault for assuming too much.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#117

Post by joblessjunkie »

tmuir wrote: post #25
danohuiginn wrote: post #15

This is, of course, ridiculous. Still, there's logic to it: find some mass-market component that is used in a luxury service, and provide a high-end alternative. The kind of idio^H^H^H^Hcustomers who want luxury certainly don't want it contaminiated by something from Walmart, regardless of the actual quality. It's the same reason as for those gold-plated cables for audiophiles.

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.

There are no gold plated connectors in a typical studio (exceptions for amateur home studios purchased from Guitar Center).

Most cabling in a studio is bulk copper wire from a giant spool, permanently soldered in place for reliability.

The only plugging happens at dedicated patch panels, which in my experience are old repurposed analog telephone patch bays that look as old and corroded as they are.

Gold connectors are for home enthusiasts with money to burn. The practical effect of the platings are so far below the noise floor (vs ground loops, EMF, amp noise) that it's irrelevant for audio work.

I've never seen a gold-plated XLR cable, which is usually the first link in every studio recording chain.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#118

Post by DanBC »

joblessjunkie wrote: post #117
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.

There are no gold plated connectors in a typical studio (exceptions for amateur home studios purchased from Guitar Center). Most cabling in a studio is bulk copper wire from a giant spool, permanently soldered in place for reliability. The only plugging happens at dedicated patch panels, which in my experience are old repurposed analog telephone patch bays that look as old and corroded as they are. Gold connectors ar…

Gold plated XLR. By Neutrik which is a reasonable brand. Your point still stands though - no one actually uses these.

http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xx-14-series/nc3mxx-14-b-d

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#119

Post by mantrax5 »

_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…

You don't actually believe a product marketing photo matches reality? Any piece of ice will crack as it melts, so it won't look like this. Yes, you can avoid the bubbles, but you can hardly see the bubbles behind the cracks that will form anyway.

Look at a marketing photo of a cheap McDonalds burger, and compare it with the real thing.

Re: The Rise of the $8 Ice Cube

#120

Post by qq66 »

tomkinstinch wrote: post #88

My guess before reading the article was that the ice cubes were made with heavy water. I'd pay $8 an ice cube that sinks[1]. 1. http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2006-07/ice-capades

I'd hesitate to drink heavy water. Probably won't do much to you, but why find out.
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