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>> For absent minded folks like me, constantly buying replacement bottles can be a worse impact on the environment. Society doesn't and IMO shouldn't optimize

by skeeter2020 5y ago

>> For absent minded folks like me, constantly buying replacement bottles can be a worse impact on the environment. Society doesn't and IMO shouldn't optimize for the absent-minded. Do you also loose your keys, wallet and phone on a regular basis? Maybe it's not a memory thing but more of a value thing.

animal_spirits 5y ago
I agree it's definitely value based. I've own a hydroflask which is a fairly expensive water bottle and I got it for free, so I value it pretty highly. I think I'm more likely to lose my wallet of plastic/replaceable credit cards than I am my water bottle. Plus it's just a big object, so it actually takes up (virtual?imaginary?) space in my mind.
shkkmo 5y ago
Your comment comes off as needlessly combative. It is definitely a memory / attention thing. I don't see how I made any suggestion that "society needs to optimize" for me. My point is that you need to asses the full lifecycle costs of any alternative given individual differences.
- unethical_ban 5y ago
  I think the other person heard you saying "bottled water has a good purpose" and they replied "It's bad enough of a problem that we shouldn't suggest its continued use because you can't remember to care about your bottle". This is just how I'm reading the conversation. As others have said, maybe if you spent $15 on a purpose-built, non-BPA, reliable water bottle, you would use it less because your mind wouldn't perceive it to be disposable.
  - shkkmo 5y ago
    > As others have said, maybe if you spent $15 on a purpose-built, non-BPA, reliable water bottle, you would use it less because your mind wouldn't perceive it to be disposable. You have the causality exactly backwards. It is the frequency with which I have lost expensive water bottles that caused me to stop using them in most situations. I don't understand why people only replied to try and tell me how my brain works rather that to engage with the core idea of comment.

animal_spirits 5y ago

I agree it's definitely value based. I've own a hydroflask which is a fairly expensive water bottle and I got it for free, so I value it pretty highly. I think I'm more likely to lose my wallet of plastic/replaceable credit cards than I am my water bottle. Plus it's just a big object, so it actually takes up (virtual?imaginary?) space in my mind.

shkkmo 5y ago

Your comment comes off as needlessly combative. It is definitely a memory / attention thing. I don't see how I made any suggestion that "society needs to optimize" for me. My point is that you need to asses the full lifecycle costs of any alternative given individual differences.

unethical_ban 5y ago
I think the other person heard you saying "bottled water has a good purpose" and they replied "It's bad enough of a problem that we shouldn't suggest its continued use because you can't remember to care about your bottle". This is just how I'm reading the conversation. As others have said, maybe if you spent $15 on a purpose-built, non-BPA, reliable water bottle, you would use it less because your mind wouldn't perceive it to be disposable.
- shkkmo 5y ago
  > As others have said, maybe if you spent $15 on a purpose-built, non-BPA, reliable water bottle, you would use it less because your mind wouldn't perceive it to be disposable. You have the causality exactly backwards. It is the frequency with which I have lost expensive water bottles that caused me to stop using them in most situations. I don't understand why people only replied to try and tell me how my brain works rather that to engage with the core idea of comment.