TIL: Today I Learned
- Thread starter Gilgamesh
- Start date
GasBandit
Staff member
They always crosspost their stuff to imgur.
GasBandit
Staff member
I'm actually a little jealous. I wish I could get by without the electroleash.
figmentPez
Staff member
"Vandalism and counter-productive." It's certainly vandalism, but it's clearly quite productive. I'll take the one evil to eradicate the other.
TIL cockroaches and praying mantises are closely related.
TIL part deux - one of the parents at my kids' school is a former astronaut. She flew on two shuttle missions in 1997.
figmentPez
Staff member
TIL: that the Amazon Dash Button is a real product.
What the hell world?
Seriously? Do not want. The article does a good job of pointing out why this is an awful idea.
What the hell world?
Seriously? Do not want. The article does a good job of pointing out why this is an awful idea.
GasBandit
Staff member
Seems to me that's an item that was thought up by someone who thinks nobody has kids or pets. Which is ironic given that one of the sample buttons is "huggies"TIL: that the Amazon Dash Button is a real product.
What the hell world?
Seriously? Do not want. The article does a good job of pointing out why this is an awful idea.
Dvorak has been a new-technology hater since the 80's.
"The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a ‘mouse’. There is no evidence that people want to use these things"
He predicted the Apple would fumble the iPhone business, and hated the iPad.
In fact, he's been wrong about a lot of things:
The death of the TV (and tv shows) in 2000, or predicting the next big thing (again in 2000) would be a laptop that uses goggles instead of a monitor.
He's been a joke since I was in high school. And that was a long long time ago.
Therefore, I have to assume this whole amazon dash thing will be awesome and make Amazon a ton of money and eventually many companies will offer something similar.
It depends how customizable the dash buttons are. I would imagine they could be customized for amount, card used, shipping preference, pricing preference, etc., and if so, I can see them easily being used and becoming a big thing (at least in households with wifi).
If they can't be customized in most of those ways, these seems like there's no way more than a tiny fraction of households will use them.
If they can't be customized in most of those ways, these seems like there's no way more than a tiny fraction of households will use them.
GasBandit
Staff member
My guess would be they're configured on the amazon website, similar to "One-click purchasing" has been.
https://www.amazon.com/oc/dash-button
Even if everyone who visits the bathroom hits the button when they see we're low on paper, it'll only place one order. It doesn't matter if pranksters or children, or Dvorak (who is much like a retarded child) pushes the button a million times. You get one order. You don't "have to check in at amazon to confirm the purchase", as Dvorak says (implying that there's no real convenience to be had). It's a one-click purchase. You will get get notified on your phone, so you can cancel if need be.
For staple goods (which is what the button appears to be geared towards), Dvorak's strawman of "never trying anything new" word vomit is just that. Most people settle pretty quickly on the detergent, coffee, and other staple products that they like, and nothing precludes them from trying something new from the grocery store once in a while.
I signed up to be in on the Dash beta a few weeks ago. If I actually get in, I'll let you guys know how it works.
I can't count the number of times in my life I've sat on the commode and said "We're low on toilet paper" and then forgot to get it when at the store later that week, necessitating an emergency trip. I'd certainly put one in the bathroom just for that, if nothing else.
Even if everyone who visits the bathroom hits the button when they see we're low on paper, it'll only place one order. It doesn't matter if pranksters or children, or Dvorak (who is much like a retarded child) pushes the button a million times. You get one order. You don't "have to check in at amazon to confirm the purchase", as Dvorak says (implying that there's no real convenience to be had). It's a one-click purchase. You will get get notified on your phone, so you can cancel if need be.
For staple goods (which is what the button appears to be geared towards), Dvorak's strawman of "never trying anything new" word vomit is just that. Most people settle pretty quickly on the detergent, coffee, and other staple products that they like, and nothing precludes them from trying something new from the grocery store once in a while.
I signed up to be in on the Dash beta a few weeks ago. If I actually get in, I'll let you guys know how it works.
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I don't think this is a "can't live without it" invention, but I wouldn't have minded having a dash in the nursery back when we were using diapers. I thought I was already spoiled with Prime. When you're by yourself with a baby, it's nice when stuff can come to you instead of having to pack yourselves up and go out (and risk "cranky baby").
figmentPez
Staff member
I'd be curious to know how well it works. Personally I'd be worried about Amazon raising the prices however they please and not even giving you the best option available on their own website, just because most people will never bother to check once they've set it to auto-order.
Also, I'm pretty sure that in my family we'd have still ended up with too many orders, even if it wouldn't re-order until after the first one shipped. It would have to have a shut-off of at least half the length of the expected re-order period to prevent over-ordering, because someone would hit the button thinking that we needed more, without checking the storage closet to see if we were actually out. (We've done that with physically writing the item on the grocery list, so pressing a button at the site of need is even more likely to make it happen).
I'm curious how hackable the buttons will be. Easy one-press buttons to send a specific message to a specific site/phone number/mail address exist but this could be a cheap and easy alternative. I can see them being used for a thousand things. Also, I can see the benefit for some people, but you'd have to be either savvy enough to keep checking, or use it just as an automated shopping list creator instead of actually ordering, or not care about getting the best deal. I can't be the only one who, every time he shops, checks which of 3 or 4 preferred brands of, say, toilet paper, is in promotion that week, surely?
I'd love to see a built in barscanner in a device like a fridge. Once you empty that carton of milk, scan it and add it to your grocery list. Then you can either take it with you to the store, or email it to your grocer that delivers. I am too concerned about one click shopping. It just seems like something my jerk of a cat would push daily.
Great, what am I going to do with 48 cans of Starkist?
Great, what am I going to do with 48 cans of Starkist?
Fridges already exist that keep track of their contents, make you enter what you are removing, and then order replacements for you. In fact, they've existed for at least three years now.
See above.
--Patrick
That has been the logical order of operation since fridges were invented, aye.
Although when I was younger I got around that by not being around on grocery days and so avoided putting the groceries away.