Awesome things that one should break the bank on May 16, 2011 11:36 AM Subscribe
I have a question for AskMe but I feel like I've read something similar at some point on Ask in the past and am at a complete loss in terms of locating it.
Basically, the question is "what items do you own that were worth spending top dollar on" i.e. high thread-count sheets, top-end set of kitchen knives, etc.. Basically household / daily life / personal / etc. items people wouldn't recommend skimping on. Has this question been asked before? Please hope.
Basically, the question is "what items do you own that were worth spending top dollar on" i.e. high thread-count sheets, top-end set of kitchen knives, etc.. Basically household / daily life / personal / etc. items people wouldn't recommend skimping on. Has this question been asked before? Please hope.
Definitely asked before. Here is one I found quickly and there are a few more linked there. We should maybe add this question to the Frequently Asked of AskMe page on the wiki.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:39 AM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:39 AM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Conversely, my next question is, what items do you own that were cheap as hell and totally worth it.
posted by cashman at 11:40 AM on May 16, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by cashman at 11:40 AM on May 16, 2011 [4 favorites]
There are a bunch of items I don't own that I wish I could afford but if I list them, I just sound so shallow. Check this out.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:47 AM on May 16, 2011
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:47 AM on May 16, 2011
I just bought Metafilter for $35 million and so far I haven't gotten any use out of the thing.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:57 AM on May 16, 2011
posted by shakespeherian at 11:57 AM on May 16, 2011
Q: What program do I use to [do something related to audio editing]?
A: Audacity. Yes, it also works on OS X and Linux.
"Also" works on Linux?
Q: What are some must-see sites/must-do attractions in (city/country)?
A: MeFi Travel, Lonely Planet, CitySearch, WikiTravel
Yikes, I almost asked a travel question this morning instead of the signature one. That said, "MeFi Travel"? Since when and if it exists now the link is broken.
Q: I'm looking for a good book to read.
A: What Should I Read Next. Also, if you create an Amazon wishlist, but instead put in books you have already read, Amazon will make recommendations to you.
Or you could use LibraryThing which not only recommends (both by people and algorithms) but also rates and has social features like fora.
posted by DU at 11:58 AM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
A: Audacity. Yes, it also works on OS X and Linux.
"Also" works on Linux?
Q: What are some must-see sites/must-do attractions in (city/country)?
A: MeFi Travel, Lonely Planet, CitySearch, WikiTravel
Yikes, I almost asked a travel question this morning instead of the signature one. That said, "MeFi Travel"? Since when and if it exists now the link is broken.
Q: I'm looking for a good book to read.
A: What Should I Read Next. Also, if you create an Amazon wishlist, but instead put in books you have already read, Amazon will make recommendations to you.
Or you could use LibraryThing which not only recommends (both by people and algorithms) but also rates and has social features like fora.
posted by DU at 11:58 AM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
The great thing about the wiki is that anyone can edit it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:01 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:01 PM on May 16, 2011
The wiki about the wiki is that anywiki can wiki it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:06 PM on May 16, 2011 [17 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:06 PM on May 16, 2011 [17 favorites]
The Wookiee's wok is wiggedy-wiggedy-wack.
posted by box at 12:07 PM on May 16, 2011 [10 favorites]
posted by box at 12:07 PM on May 16, 2011 [10 favorites]
What if the universe was a wiki? And anyone could edit it? Wouldn't that be wild? What if God is like, just a middle manager in a ball bearing company somewhere in New Jersey, and he edits the master wiki in his... Hey - pass that around, man. Some of aren't high, yet.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:07 PM on May 16, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:07 PM on May 16, 2011 [4 favorites]
Man, what if there was no "us," man?
posted by Eideteker at 12:10 PM on May 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Eideteker at 12:10 PM on May 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
The great WEINERS thing about the wiki is that anyone can edit it.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:12 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by shakespeherian at 12:12 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Conversely, my next question is, what items do you own that were cheap as hell and totally worth it.
This has also been asked.
posted by vorfeed at 12:12 PM on May 16, 2011
This has also been asked.
posted by vorfeed at 12:12 PM on May 16, 2011
This has also been asked.
Hmm. I'm not sure it really has - "bombproof" isn't the only positive quality something can have. For example, auto-opening/closing umbrellas are cheap, but if you've never used one, it can feel like absolute magic to not have to fight to get the thing up/down as you enter or leave a building. Or a good showerhead, which may or may not be durable, but let me tell you - I had some friends over, one commented on my space-agey showerhead, and when they heard that one with a handheld detachable bit could be had for thirty bucks, more than one person borrowed my laptop to buy it off amazon on the spot. And don't get me started on being a glasses-wearer and keeping microfiber cloth on hand.
posted by Tomorrowful at 12:24 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hmm. I'm not sure it really has - "bombproof" isn't the only positive quality something can have. For example, auto-opening/closing umbrellas are cheap, but if you've never used one, it can feel like absolute magic to not have to fight to get the thing up/down as you enter or leave a building. Or a good showerhead, which may or may not be durable, but let me tell you - I had some friends over, one commented on my space-agey showerhead, and when they heard that one with a handheld detachable bit could be had for thirty bucks, more than one person borrowed my laptop to buy it off amazon on the spot. And don't get me started on being a glasses-wearer and keeping microfiber cloth on hand.
posted by Tomorrowful at 12:24 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Cheap things that work really well? The Kuhn Rikon peeler.
posted by sciencegeek at 12:47 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by sciencegeek at 12:47 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
I have one of those! It is indeed cheap, and indeed works really well.
But the winner in my house would have to be my electric kettle: bought for €5 about 10 years ago and used daily, multiple times a day. It's survived some rather smashing drops to the floor and just keeps chugging along day in and day out. I can't even link to it, because as far as I can tell, the company (Blue Line) doesn't even exist.
posted by taz at 1:05 PM on May 16, 2011
But the winner in my house would have to be my electric kettle: bought for €5 about 10 years ago and used daily, multiple times a day. It's survived some rather smashing drops to the floor and just keeps chugging along day in and day out. I can't even link to it, because as far as I can tell, the company (Blue Line) doesn't even exist.
posted by taz at 1:05 PM on May 16, 2011
Hmmmm... I now think that my indestructible kettle might be a product from a shadow corporation fronting for Blackwater's Kitchenware division. It's not a Blue Line product, after all; on closer inspection, it is apparently an item in the "Blue Line" series from a company named "Home Tech," that I can't seem to track down, except to find that they have offices in Hong Kong. Then I come across this little entry:
...........................................................................
Home Tech Industries Ltd.
We're the buying office for a European company specialized in kitchenware items.
Member Info
Business Type: Trade
Number of Employees: 5 ~ 50
Business Scope: Security & Protection
Member Since: 2005
Last Sign In Date: May 25, 2005
...........................................................................
apparently my kettle was designed to survive bunker breakers. It's all beginning to make sense.
posted by taz at 1:24 PM on May 16, 2011 [2 favorites]
...........................................................................
Home Tech Industries Ltd.
We're the buying office for a European company specialized in kitchenware items.
Member Info
Business Type: Trade
Number of Employees: 5 ~ 50
Business Scope: Security & Protection
Member Since: 2005
Last Sign In Date: May 25, 2005
...........................................................................
apparently my kettle was designed to survive bunker breakers. It's all beginning to make sense.
posted by taz at 1:24 PM on May 16, 2011 [2 favorites]
I want that fat tank of gasoline!
posted by adamdschneider at 1:55 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by adamdschneider at 1:55 PM on May 16, 2011
The great thing about the wiki is that anyone with an account can edit it.
Also, that doesn't answer the question about MeFi Travel. Does that or does that not actually exist?
posted by DU at 2:09 PM on May 16, 2011
Also, that doesn't answer the question about MeFi Travel. Does that or does that not actually exist?
posted by DU at 2:09 PM on May 16, 2011
The great thing about the wiki is that anyone with an account can edit it.
And anyone can get an account.
MeFi Travel was a thing that was planned, in process, almost created, and then just didn't see the light of day. Matt has talked about it a little bit btu I can't find his most recent topic. Basically it was sort of like a localized AskMe which was great but we couldn't figure out a way to make it integrate with AskMe without being a separate thing. As it is, I think pb and mathowie are still looking into ways of ading location data to AskMe questions so that it's easier to find, say, all the recommended places to stay and/or restaurants or whatever that are linked to a particular area.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:19 PM on May 16, 2011
And anyone can get an account.
MeFi Travel was a thing that was planned, in process, almost created, and then just didn't see the light of day. Matt has talked about it a little bit btu I can't find his most recent topic. Basically it was sort of like a localized AskMe which was great but we couldn't figure out a way to make it integrate with AskMe without being a separate thing. As it is, I think pb and mathowie are still looking into ways of ading location data to AskMe questions so that it's easier to find, say, all the recommended places to stay and/or restaurants or whatever that are linked to a particular area.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:19 PM on May 16, 2011
I am really tired of being bashed around...I was just looking for a used car.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:32 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:32 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Funny you should ask - this question (which has an awesome series of answers) was pretty much my introduction to AskMe and made me want to join in here.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:49 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 4:49 PM on May 16, 2011
PB also recently explained MeFi Travel, and then talked about some more in this thread.
posted by grapesaresour at 5:37 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by grapesaresour at 5:37 PM on May 16, 2011
I hear there's a difference between high and low priced female prostitutes...but not high and low priced male prostitutes. Is that the kind of stuff you were looking for?
There's actually interesting conversation in this from a while ago, gay male porn actors started to get really undercut by white-collar amateurs who'd work for almost nothing. I've talked about the collapse in the male sex worker market before, but without a huge society-wide closet the demand for trade has gone way way down. There's always the very high-end market, but those are career professionals, the thing people used to call "trade", casual prostitution, has basically vanished from urban areas except on the very low end.
posted by The Whelk at 7:37 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
There's actually interesting conversation in this from a while ago, gay male porn actors started to get really undercut by white-collar amateurs who'd work for almost nothing. I've talked about the collapse in the male sex worker market before, but without a huge society-wide closet the demand for trade has gone way way down. There's always the very high-end market, but those are career professionals, the thing people used to call "trade", casual prostitution, has basically vanished from urban areas except on the very low end.
posted by The Whelk at 7:37 PM on May 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
>>The wiki about the wiki is that anywiki can wiki it.
smurf?
posted by J. Wilson at 8:33 PM on May 16, 2011
smurf?
posted by J. Wilson at 8:33 PM on May 16, 2011
buffalo
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:37 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:37 PM on May 16, 2011
buffalo
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 10:36 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 10:36 PM on May 16, 2011
Ruffalo
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:59 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:59 PM on May 16, 2011
Trail
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:04 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:04 PM on May 16, 2011
CLOSE UP ON A SQUIRREL.
posted by The Whelk at 11:06 PM on May 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:06 PM on May 16, 2011 [3 favorites]
Expensive mattresses are totally worth it when you get them very cheaply second hand from a VERY CLEAN person. (well, his place looked a lot cleaner than mine)
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:20 PM on May 16, 2011
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:20 PM on May 16, 2011
Buffalo buffalo buffalo racetrack
Buffalo buffalo buffalo racetrack
Buffalo buffalo buffalo racetrack
What them buffaloes go-o.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:35 AM on May 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
Buffalo buffalo buffalo racetrack
Buffalo buffalo buffalo racetrack
What them buffaloes go-o.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:35 AM on May 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
buffalo gals won't you stay up all night
stay up all night
stay up all night
buffalo gals won't you stay up all night
and fix this fucking act two ending?
posted by The Whelk at 4:41 AM on May 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
stay up all night
stay up all night
buffalo gals won't you stay up all night
and fix this fucking act two ending?
posted by The Whelk at 4:41 AM on May 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've heard that once you've bought a Bentley, you never really want to drive a Ford Focus again...
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:58 AM on May 17, 2011
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:58 AM on May 17, 2011
Mind if I go ahead and ask the "Cheap as hell" question so we can get it out of this thread?
posted by schmod at 5:43 PM on May 17, 2011
posted by schmod at 5:43 PM on May 17, 2011
J. Wilson: ">>The wiki about the wiki is that anywiki can wiki it.
smurf?"
No, not smurf.
posted by IndigoRain at 12:59 AM on May 18, 2011
smurf?"
No, not smurf.
posted by IndigoRain at 12:59 AM on May 18, 2011
Disagree with the deletion of my question, as the "dupes" were 2-3 years old and had a different focus, but oh well.
posted by schmod at 12:48 PM on May 23, 2011
posted by schmod at 12:48 PM on May 23, 2011
Also, link, because I found two things that I already want in that thread's 10-minute existence.
posted by schmod at 12:50 PM on May 23, 2011
posted by schmod at 12:50 PM on May 23, 2011
At some point if you know the question has been asked many times before, you really have to explain, in your question, why you are asking the same question again. Sometimes maybe people want updates (anything new in the last three years since this last question?) or what have you. But there has to be some sort of "I know this has been asked a ton of times before, this is why I am asking again" aspect to it. Otherwise to us and to other people reading it, it's a double. It's not that we think you're doing anything sketchy, it's that people flag it, we evaluate it, and we make decisions. Maybe you could ask a different viarint of this next week since it's not time sensitive?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:14 PM on May 23, 2011
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:14 PM on May 23, 2011
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
So I think it comes up about every six months or so.
PS expensive mattresses are worth it
posted by mathowie (staff) at 11:38 AM on May 16, 2011 [2 favorites]