Amazon Has Swallowed Downtown Seattle • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon Has Swallowed Downtown Seattle

#131

Post by slededit » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 5:13 AM UTC

Kocrachon wrote: post #122

csydas wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think there's a need to be sardonic; the full paragraph that I believe you're referencing goes on to talk about other common sights and elements of various Seattle districts; the complaint that some Seattlelites are putting forward isn't "we want a decrepit city" it's they want their decrepit city. The complaint about the changes Amazon and other companies are making is not about keeping the city in a state o…

As someone who is a Seattle Native, I don't see many employed adults complaining about it nearly as much as I see early 20 somethings complaining about it. The same people who don't remember much of older Seattle. Yes, we had "grunge" but really, we are not missing much with these changes. I do dislike how expensive housing as gotten, but its not that. Plus, Amazon is not the only player here. Microsoft, Oracle, Face…

A true Seattle native is like a unicorn. Practically everyone around here is from somewhere else originally. This remains true even in the suburbs.

The exodus in the 70s really did a number on the area.

Re: Amazon Has Swallowed Downtown Seattle

#132

Post by pseudalopex » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 5:40 AM UTC

seizethecheese wrote: post #79

audleman wrote: post #67

Interesting that this article has a clear bias that Amazon is making Seattle better, starting from > Inevitably, the company's growing presence is making it a scapegoat for common urban woes such as traffic jams and rising rents > New, luxury, one-bedroom apartments packed with amenities that appeal to young urban tech workers fetch upwards of $4,000 a month, putting them out of reach of the Starbucks barista. This m…

The article is called "Amazon Has Swallowed Downtown Seattle" do you really think there's a bias towards Amazon here? Your evidence is basically that the passages detailing the downsides of Amazon's expansion include silver linings. I mean, the article could have been called "Amazon Turns Blighted Blocks Into Shining Urbanity."

What downsides does it detail? It says Amazon isn’t responsible for the city's growing pains. If there's more to the complaints about sterility than a few provincial hippies' fondness for squalor, you wouldn't know it from the article. The rest is sour grapes from the owners of an "aging tourist attraction".

Re: Amazon Has Swallowed Downtown Seattle

#133

Post by blahi » Thu, Jun 30, 2016, 6:49 AM UTC

makomk wrote: post #110

blahi wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered that maybe the prices of some products are so low because of planned obsolescence? If you want quality, buy Miele. You have a life time guarantee. And you won't have to use it. People who can't afford the quality can buy Samsung. Or do you think people who don't have $10k for a fridge shouldn't have one?

I think Miele has planned obsolescence now too, at least on most of its washing machines. It also seems unlikely the prices are low because of planned obsolescence - there's only so much you can cut from something before it starts failing within the warranty period. Most of the cost savings seem to be from newer, more automated and efficient mass production techniques. Planned obsolescence is a separate and intention…

> It also seems unlikely the prices are low because of planned obsolescence

As someone who does pricing strategy for a living, no it does not seem unlikely.

Re: Amazon Has Swallowed Downtown Seattle

#134

Post by edwhitesell » Fri, Jul 01, 2016, 4:20 AM UTC

rconti wrote: post #100

edwhitesell wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We lived in Bellevue for about 18 months and the weather was beautiful. Almost everyone we met said the whole "it always rains" thing is just something they tell people so they'll stay away.

Was it 2014/2015? Those were particularly nice winters. I lived in Bellevue for about 21 years, so I've got a bit more perspective. It's not really that rainy, but it's grey 9 months out of the year for sure.

No, March '13 to Aug '14. But yes, many people called it a mild winter. While we had previously spent 5 years in Dallas, and 4 in Boston. My wife is originally from Idaho, and I from Michigan, anything less than multiple feet of snow, is "mild" :)