DRM Coffee | Hacker News Reader

DRM Coffee

tonx.org

21 pointsxacaxulu15 comments

How is this different from my printer - where an inbuilt chip in the cartridges makes buying third-party versions difficult (but not impossible)?

It's not, and that's the problem. Printer ink prices and practices are universally reviled.

Coffee instead of ink, your printer cartridges include the print head.

It makes coffee? Seriously, same idea, but it's still newsworthy because it's a bad, bad, dangerous idea.

My access to coffee is a human rights issue. The ability to use a printer is not.

Freedom of the press, man.

Free coffee is coffee that respects the drinker's freedom.

You know there's something wrong when one starts to use such statements unironically.

It's an interesting story, not sure why everyone is talking about it today though - here's one from November with substantially the same stuff:

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Manufacturers/Green-Mountai...

The new Keurig is supposed to come out in late 2014 or early 2015, from what I understand, if you're curious.

    Double edge Safety razors are better than 3 blade disposables.
    Regular tooth brushes are better than electric.
    Stainless steel pans are better than non stick.
    Percolators are better than pods.
    etc.

It's somewhat interesting when higher price, lower durability, more waste, and lower quality win out economically over the opposite. Marketing is a strong thing.

My dentist has always recommended electric over regular toothbrushes.

At least on the razor front, I wouldn't say that the game is over. Bevel[0] sells double-edge safety razors and (as far as I can tell), their only competitive advantage is their marketing and customer service. I'm pretty sure that the razors they sell work with any blades.

(By the way, I totally agree with you on the rest of your point - I'm just curious to see if it's possible for a better product to win over an inferior one with lock-in in this case. I certainly hope so)

[0] https://getbevel.com/

That's a nice looking razor, looks like it takes standard blades. I use this one and it gets the job done: http://www.amazon.com/Parker-22R-Handle-Butterfly-Double/dp/...

Are all of those true?

Why is a manual toothbrush better than an electric one? I recently bought an electric one and I feel like it cleans my teeth a lot better.

I've used some really great stainless steel pans, but they were evidently extremely expensive. Teflon doesn't have great durability, but you can get a decent non-stick pan that will last maybe 5 years for under £50.

I think those pods are a stupid, overpriced, wasteful way to make coffee, but it's perfectly nice, and the pods keep the coffee fresh (although so does tupperware, without the waste). It's also not the same as percolated coffee.

Very much looking forward to getting one of these units and breaking it. Always a fun exercise.

I'll keep making real coffee thanks.

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