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Old furniture not being compatible with laptops and charging cables really shows how utility is always the first priority. I'm reminded of a YouTube series whi

Old furniture not being compatible with laptops and charging cables really shows how utility is always the first priority. I'm reminded of a YouTube series which walks around malls on the brink of bankruptcy. Malls put forward a psuedo-utopian view of society, a place where people can come together (for commerce), but all of that matters 0% if there's less utility than Amazon.

Dreami 8y ago
Do you have a link to that YouTube series? Could be interesting for when I've nothing else to do.
- mr337 8y ago
  Bright Sun Films has a few abandoned malls https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejUkwZ-XJX_BKt3prjesGlioWuf_IOFE https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejUkwZ-XJX_BKt3prjes...
- seem_2211 8y ago
  Possibly Retail Archaeology? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3UMWK4vutQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3UMWK4vutQ
- einr 8y ago
  Very likely it is the Dead Mall Series by Dan Bell: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNz4Un92pGNxQ9vNgmnCx7dwchPJGJ3IQ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNz4Un92pGNxQ9vNgmnCx...
  - gallerdude 8y ago
    yeah this is the one I was thinking of
- Rumudiez 8y ago
  I think OP is referring to the Dead Mall Series by Dan Bell: https://youtu.be/mOlffr73fuM https://youtu.be/mOlffr73fuM
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
kowdermeister 8y ago
I'm reminded of a YouTube series Do you remember the name / link?
paulpauper 8y ago
ok then what utility does a collectible baseball card have. or a piece of china when Tupperware does not break.
toyg 8y ago
This is just because people have lost the ability to dare. Make a couple of holes in that baby and suddenly it's useful and beautiful. It's like buying a period house and redoing the wiring: beautiful objects must evolve with the times, even paintings by Leonardo might need new frames every once in a while. Personally I love bureaus. Before I could afford the space for a home desk and extra monitor, I used an Ikea bureau with my laptop, for years, and i loved it. I looked at local (UK) prices for antique ones, about 10 years ago, but they cost 4 times as much; if prices have really crashed under £100 now, I might get one for my kids. Ergonomy is always an issue though, one has to be careful with proportions.
- ghaff 8y ago
  There are still practical issues in many cases I tend to agree. Unless it is truly a valuable piece, which it probably isn’t, drill a hole in the back. It feels a bit like phobia about making notes in books.
  - crooked-v 8y ago
    If it is a valuable piece, I don't see how a hole in the back is going to hurt its value as long as it's done well (symmetrical placement, sanded and finished, etc).
    - aaronblohowiak 8y ago
      It would be very detrimental to the value of a high end antique according to the market.
      - tracker1 8y ago
        Not more than the market has already made a detriment, I would think.
- delhanty 8y ago
  Just for future reference for me or anyone else on HN: I found the George III inlaid mahogany bureau referenced in the story on the Gorringes (Lewes, UK) website [0] and saved to archive.org/is [1][2]. The sale price was £70, and the pre-sale estimate was £100-150. The story referenced a sale price of £85 including fees, so I guess the fees must have been £15. [0] Lot 794, A George III inlaid mahogany bureau W.97cm https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/170918/794 https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/170918/79... [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20181104033127/https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/170918/794 https://web.archive.org/web/20181104033127/https://auction.g... [2] http://archive.is/mkxdn http://archive.is/mkxdn
carlob 8y ago
> Malls put forward a psuedo-utopian view of society, a place where people can come together (for commerce) Are you serious?! Cookie cutter strip malls in every American suburb are very close to dystopia to me. I'd think that people who enjoy coming together for shopping would prefer a walkable downtown area with shops that are not chains, but are owned by the people who run them. That's the only kind of thing that can compete with e-commerce.
eagsalazar2 8y ago
Malls were dying long before Amazon and the reason was big box stores, not Amazon. Also most malls pre-2000 or so were barely giving lip service to the community aspect of malls. It was all about shopping and that's it. Many malls are being successfully revived now specifically because they have meaningfully invested in making them community spaces (stages with daily performances, play areas for kids, even larger and better food courts, chess/checker boards and playing areas, etc) which is something that Amazon can never compete against (unless they get into malls of course). You see a similar thing with "old mainstreet USA" which for many years people lamented were disappearing because of big box stores and white flight (many many cities in the southeast) which now are vibrant and booming because they invested, again, in community and human experience by widening sidewalks, subsidising new theaters, restaurants and bars, adding cheap or free downtown parking - it all worked! Cities like Winston-Salem, NC (the one I'm most familiar with) that were wastelands in the early 2000's but are amazing places to hang out (and shop!) now. Anyway, I disagree that it is all about utility. Malls competing head to head with Amazon just on shopping are doomed because what else in that equation are you even offering except utility and savings? But the idea that utility necessarily trumps (twitch) community doesn't jibe with my understanding of the facts.
- hoistbypetard 8y ago
  > Cities like Winston-Salem, NC (the one I'm most familiar with) that were wastelands in the early 2000's but are amazing places to hang out (and shop!) now. That specific example is an especially good one. I worked downtown in '99 - '01, and the only reason we'd ever spend time downtown outside work hours were the occasional free concerts in the summer. Apart from offices, it felt like a ghost town. Now, when I get back there to visit friends/family, downtown is a real destination. People live there. There are galleries, concerts, good restaurants, breweries, a distillery, theaters... it feels like a really nice small city. At least in the general neighborhood of the Stevens Center.
Udik 8y ago
> Old furniture not being compatible with laptops and charging cables really shows how utility is always the first priority. Frankly that statement made me cringe. I have a few bureaus like the one in the article at home (my father has a passion for antiques) and the idea of using one of them for writing never crossed anybody's mind. They're obviously not ergonomic, but worse, they might get damaged (you'd rather not lean on the hinged writing surface of a 200 year old piece of furniture, it's not very solid). They're used to keep stuff, either open or closed. Your average papers, mantelpiece objects, assorted stuff, and of course phone and laptops in case of need, fit very well in the drawers and in the top compartment.
tracker1 8y ago
That one seems like a problem solved with a drill and a hole-saw bit. At worst some gentle application of pressure, putty and paint (removing drawers and pocket-shelving behind the writing area).

Dreami 8y ago

Do you have a link to that YouTube series? Could be interesting for when I've nothing else to do.

mr337 8y ago
Bright Sun Films has a few abandoned malls https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejUkwZ-XJX_BKt3prjesGlioWuf_IOFE https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejUkwZ-XJX_BKt3prjes...
seem_2211 8y ago
Possibly Retail Archaeology? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3UMWK4vutQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3UMWK4vutQ
einr 8y ago
Very likely it is the Dead Mall Series by Dan Bell: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNz4Un92pGNxQ9vNgmnCx7dwchPJGJ3IQ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNz4Un92pGNxQ9vNgmnCx...
- gallerdude 8y ago
  yeah this is the one I was thinking of
Rumudiez 8y ago
I think OP is referring to the Dead Mall Series by Dan Bell: https://youtu.be/mOlffr73fuM https://youtu.be/mOlffr73fuM
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

kowdermeister 8y ago

I'm reminded of a YouTube series Do you remember the name / link?

paulpauper 8y ago

ok then what utility does a collectible baseball card have. or a piece of china when Tupperware does not break.

toyg 8y ago

This is just because people have lost the ability to dare. Make a couple of holes in that baby and suddenly it's useful and beautiful. It's like buying a period house and redoing the wiring: beautiful objects must evolve with the times, even paintings by Leonardo might need new frames every once in a while. Personally I love bureaus. Before I could afford the space for a home desk and extra monitor, I used an Ikea bureau with my laptop, for years, and i loved it. I looked at local (UK) prices for antique ones, about 10 years ago, but they cost 4 times as much; if prices have really crashed under £100 now, I might get one for my kids. Ergonomy is always an issue though, one has to be careful with proportions.

ghaff 8y ago
There are still practical issues in many cases I tend to agree. Unless it is truly a valuable piece, which it probably isn’t, drill a hole in the back. It feels a bit like phobia about making notes in books.
- crooked-v 8y ago
  If it is a valuable piece, I don't see how a hole in the back is going to hurt its value as long as it's done well (symmetrical placement, sanded and finished, etc).
  - aaronblohowiak 8y ago
    It would be very detrimental to the value of a high end antique according to the market.
    - tracker1 8y ago
      Not more than the market has already made a detriment, I would think.
delhanty 8y ago
Just for future reference for me or anyone else on HN: I found the George III inlaid mahogany bureau referenced in the story on the Gorringes (Lewes, UK) website [0] and saved to archive.org/is [1][2]. The sale price was £70, and the pre-sale estimate was £100-150. The story referenced a sale price of £85 including fees, so I guess the fees must have been £15. [0] Lot 794, A George III inlaid mahogany bureau W.97cm https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/170918/794 https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/170918/79... [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20181104033127/https://auction.gorringes.co.uk/auction-lot-detail/170918/794 https://web.archive.org/web/20181104033127/https://auction.g... [2] http://archive.is/mkxdn http://archive.is/mkxdn

carlob 8y ago

> Malls put forward a psuedo-utopian view of society, a place where people can come together (for commerce) Are you serious?! Cookie cutter strip malls in every American suburb are very close to dystopia to me. I'd think that people who enjoy coming together for shopping would prefer a walkable downtown area with shops that are not chains, but are owned by the people who run them. That's the only kind of thing that can compete with e-commerce.

eagsalazar2 8y ago

Malls were dying long before Amazon and the reason was big box stores, not Amazon. Also most malls pre-2000 or so were barely giving lip service to the community aspect of malls. It was all about shopping and that's it. Many malls are being successfully revived now specifically because they have meaningfully invested in making them community spaces (stages with daily performances, play areas for kids, even larger and better food courts, chess/checker boards and playing areas, etc) which is something that Amazon can never compete against (unless they get into malls of course). You see a similar thing with "old mainstreet USA" which for many years people lamented were disappearing because of big box stores and white flight (many many cities in the southeast) which now are vibrant and booming because they invested, again, in community and human experience by widening sidewalks, subsidising new theaters, restaurants and bars, adding cheap or free downtown parking - it all worked! Cities like Winston-Salem, NC (the one I'm most familiar with) that were wastelands in the early 2000's but are amazing places to hang out (and shop!) now. Anyway, I disagree that it is all about utility. Malls competing head to head with Amazon just on shopping are doomed because what else in that equation are you even offering except utility and savings? But the idea that utility necessarily trumps (twitch) community doesn't jibe with my understanding of the facts.

hoistbypetard 8y ago
> Cities like Winston-Salem, NC (the one I'm most familiar with) that were wastelands in the early 2000's but are amazing places to hang out (and shop!) now. That specific example is an especially good one. I worked downtown in '99 - '01, and the only reason we'd ever spend time downtown outside work hours were the occasional free concerts in the summer. Apart from offices, it felt like a ghost town. Now, when I get back there to visit friends/family, downtown is a real destination. People live there. There are galleries, concerts, good restaurants, breweries, a distillery, theaters... it feels like a really nice small city. At least in the general neighborhood of the Stevens Center.

Udik 8y ago

> Old furniture not being compatible with laptops and charging cables really shows how utility is always the first priority. Frankly that statement made me cringe. I have a few bureaus like the one in the article at home (my father has a passion for antiques) and the idea of using one of them for writing never crossed anybody's mind. They're obviously not ergonomic, but worse, they might get damaged (you'd rather not lean on the hinged writing surface of a 200 year old piece of furniture, it's not very solid). They're used to keep stuff, either open or closed. Your average papers, mantelpiece objects, assorted stuff, and of course phone and laptops in case of need, fit very well in the drawers and in the top compartment.

tracker1 8y ago

That one seems like a problem solved with a drill and a hole-saw bit. At worst some gentle application of pressure, putty and paint (removing drawers and pocket-shelving behind the writing area).