Why Do These Exist?

**tokolosh** · 08-21-2011, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by Lady's Human

Take two clear glasses.

Take a bottle of tap water from any municipality and pour it into one glass.

Take a bottle of a common bottled water (dasani, poland springs, take your pick, as long as it's not mineral water) and pour it into the other glass.

Put both glasses on a light table.

You'll understand bottled water.

I'm pretty hardy about stuff like that

For most of the world's population the criterion for drinkable water isn't 'Does it look nice?' but 'Will I die if this gets inside me?' I can understand shipping it to places where the second answer is 'yes', but just can't get right in my mind about the idea of water as a commercial product in the West, with all the environmental and personal-expense overheads that it involves.

**Lady's Human** · 08-21-2011, 10:11 PM

We had a water cooler when we lived in MA. After working in a bottling plant, I got to the point where I couldn't stand the taste of tap water from the chlorine.

As to the environmental overhead, PET bottles are 100% recyclable, so unless the consumer is clueless, the plastic will be recycled into either more bottles, or rugs, or car parts, ad nauseum. Just because people can throw it in the trash doesn't mean they do.

**tokolosh** · 08-21-2011, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by Lady's Human

We had a water cooler when we lived in MA. After working in a bottling plant, I got to the point where I couldn't stand the taste of tap water from the chlorine.

I passed through a pulp-mill town once, where I heaved every time I turned on a tap drank pop until the bus left. So I understand what you mean about smell. But really, even if I'd stayed in that armpit of a place I would eventually have gotten used to it.

As to the environmental overhead, PET bottles are 100% recyclable, so unless the consumer is clueless, the plastic will be recycled into either more bottles, or rugs, or car parts, ad nauseum. Just because people can throw it in the trash doesn't mean they do.

True. But it's still creating something that to my mind has little real cause to exist in the developed world. You can turn the bottles into other somethings, but that's ultimately just shuffling the plastic around - at an energy cost for the recycling itself, not counting the processing and transportation of the water to begin with. And meanwhile I believe we're still manufacturing plastic from scratch anyway. Eventually I see a time when we just run out of things to turn our plastic into, so I don't think of recycling as a permanent solution. There's signs of that in the city I live in already. If they could turn the bottles into clean water that would be great

I'm just sayin'. I don't get it. Because I come from a mindset where the bar for 'drinkable' is so different, bottled water looks to me like just as much of an invented market as the salad spinner or anything else mentioned here.

**Lady's Human** · 08-21-2011, 10:33 PM

Ask the Mayor about the water in Newton, MA.

Also, I've never seen a boil order come out for Poland Springs.

**Karen** · 08-22-2011, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by Lady's Human

Ask the Mayor about the water in Newton, MA.

Also, I've never seen a boil order come out for Poland Springs.

We lived in an old house on an old street in Newton, and because lead was used in so many pipes for the water system, our water bills came with not a one-sentence warning, but a booklet titled "lead in your water." I never ever drank the tap water, want to keep all the brain cells I have, thanks! We always recycle all our water bottles, and any other plastic we can. If some day I move someplace where the water is clean, I'll drink it, no problem, drank the tap water growing up.

**lizbud** · 08-22-2011, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by tokolosh

I'm pretty hardy about stuff like that

For most of the world's population the criterion for drinkable water isn't 'Does it look nice?' but 'Will I die if this gets inside me?' I can understand shipping it to places where the second answer is 'yes', but just can't get right in my mind about the idea of water as a commercial product in the West, with all the environmental and personal-expense overheads that it involves.

Sort of proves the OP's point doesn't it? People will likely buy most
anything if it's advertised cleverly.

**lbaker** · 08-24-2011, 10:09 AM

To return a minute to that "Eggie" thing... some years ago (back when I actually had a home computer and logged in almost every day) there was a Thread here on Pet Talk called "How to Peel an Egg". I forget who started it but it turned into one of silliest, most absurd, hysterical threads ever

Of course it started out serious and some very good hints and advise were given but THEN... one thing led to another (as they are prone to do here at Pet Talk

) and MY GOODNESS!! Just goofier and goofier...

**smokey the elder** · 08-24-2011, 10:26 AM

There is a legit hair restoration product out there. Like many cool discoveries, it was found by accident.

I don't like the TV products that have screaming peddlers, and especially the exorbitant shipping they charge. I have a practice of never buying a new product that I haven't handled; too much like "a pig in a poke", IMO. They can 'shop almost anything.

**kuhio98** · 08-24-2011, 01:23 PM

Why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnOptimisti...ion_id=6761029

Crocheted body parts!?!

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

**Karen** · 08-24-2011, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by kuhio98

Why would anyone make or buy these:
Crocheted body parts!?!

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

Give them to someone lacking them? As a "joke"? Looks like someone had too much time on her hands ... and an anatomy textbook handy!

**lbaker** · 08-24-2011, 04:26 PM

EW EW EW

**cassiesmom** · 08-24-2011, 04:28 PM

On "The Big Bang Theory", Sheldon and Leonard's shower curtain has the periodic table of the elements on it...

Check these out! Brain freeze ice cube trays!
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/d29b/

**cassiesmom** · 08-24-2011, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by kuhio98

Why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnOptimisti...ion_id=6761029

Crocheted body parts!?!

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

The gall bladder has removable stones -- that's too funny! There are some "medicine nerds" out there for whom this might be a perfect humorous gift.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/pl...8/images/8450/

**RICHARD** · 08-25-2011, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by kuhio98

why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/anoptimisti...ion_id=6761029

crocheted body parts!?!

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

Make baby blankets?

**happylabs** · 08-25-2011, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by kuhio98

Why would anyone make or buy these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnOptimisti...ion_id=6761029

Crocheted body parts!?!

I mean, what would a person do with crocheted sperm and reproductive organs?

LOL! I have no idea but I found this one on Etsy today while I was looking for a Kindle Cover. It is a "pee pee protector"

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74803225...facet=handmade

What will they think of next? I think I just shielded myself from that with a cloth diaper when my son was a baby.