4 ms·

Speaking to the headline, it's because we got "free" services from someone like Google for long enough to realize the fallacies of free-- no support, lack of pr

by delinka 15y ago

Speaking to the headline, it's because we got "free" services from someone like Google for long enough to realize the fallacies of free-- no support, lack of privacy protection, less input into the design & development process --and then purchase a service that gives us more control. Speaking to the article itself, water is only "free" (the consumer of the water didn't fork over cash on the spot) if you use a public restroom or a water fountain. You pay for the water coming out of your tap at home. Maybe you actually get a water bill, maybe it's bundled with your other utilities, or perhaps it's included in your rent, but you are directly paying for the water. (Sure, you're paying for the cleaning of the water - dubious distinction.) Speaking to the 'silliness' of bottled water, I agree that it's absurd to have water bottled in Italy and shipped around the planet to sell it in the US just so that someone can purchase "sparkling Italian water." But in general, bottled water has its purposes: we stop at the convenience store, decide hydration is required, decide sugar won't do, want water to carry along- it needs to taste good or we're not going to drink it. Is all bottled water the same? Absolutely not. Coca-cola is absolutely obsessed with consistency with its products. HFCS Coke tastes the same everywhere. Sugar Coke tastes the same everywhere. Dasani bottled water (yep, made by Coca-cola) tastes the same out of every bottle. I can't get that kind of consistency from the tap. The public water supply cares about water quality as far as it doesn't make someone sick and they couldn't care less about taste. Yes, I can taste the difference. I can also taste the difference between Dasani, Aquafina and Deer Park bottled waters (Deer Park tastes like dirt - I'm guessing 'minerals' are to blame for this. Aquafina? Can't remember exactly because I avoid it and it's been so long.) When making flavored drinks at home (coffee, tea, iced tea) the additional flavors do an acceptable job of masking the flavor of the tap water. Acceptable enough that I'm not buying filtered bottled water to make them. I'm not a complete taste snob, but I do expect consistency in the products I've purchased for a high markup from a corporation that claims to care about it.

jvdh 15y ago
"Speaking to the article itself, water is only "free" (the consumer of the water didn't fork over cash on the spot) if you use a public restroom or a water fountain. You pay for the water coming out of your tap at home. Maybe you actually get a water bill, maybe it's bundled with your other utilities, or perhaps it's included in your rent, but you are directly paying for the water. (Sure, you're paying for the cleaning of the water - dubious distinction.)" There is so much difference in price between bottled water and tap water, that you might as well call it free.
- JoeAltmaier 15y ago
  Hm. I have no water bill. I live in the county, far from civilized things like sidewalks, streetlights, police protection, neighbors and water bills. Still, I suppose money spent on repair of the storage tank valve counts as a bill. But in 25 years, I spent $5000 for the well and septic system, then really nothing since then. Ok, $1 for a gallon of chlorine bleach every year to re-sterilize the well pump assembly, but that's about it.
mark_l_watson 15y ago
Speaking as someone guilty of buying a lot of Pellegrino (I stock up whenever my local grocery store has a sale): I really like a few glasses of Pellegrino on nights when I don't drink wine - there is something fun about it. Otherwise, I fill high quality hiking water bottles from the tap for > 95% of the water I drink. BTW, I don't have a reference for this but I am not sure about the long term safety of the plastic that bottled water is packaged in. I feel much better using stainless steel or high quality hiking water bottles.
zalew 15y ago
> Coca-cola is absolutely obsessed with consistency with its products. HFCS Coke tastes the same everywhere. Sugar Coke tastes the same everywhere. That's simply not true. Coke tastes different around the world, as well as mcd burgers do (contrary to popular belief). Different tastes of Coke around the world are due to different origin and kind of sugar used (and probably also said different water). Duh, after a quick googlin' - it tastes different even in different countries in Europe http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/1469/why-does-coca-cola-taste-different-in-some-parts-of-europe http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/1469/why-does-coc...

by delinka 15y ago

jvdh 15y ago

"Speaking to the article itself, water is only "free" (the consumer of the water didn't fork over cash on the spot) if you use a public restroom or a water fountain. You pay for the water coming out of your tap at home. Maybe you actually get a water bill, maybe it's bundled with your other utilities, or perhaps it's included in your rent, but you are directly paying for the water. (Sure, you're paying for the cleaning of the water - dubious distinction.)" There is so much difference in price between bottled water and tap water, that you might as well call it free.

JoeAltmaier 15y ago
Hm. I have no water bill. I live in the county, far from civilized things like sidewalks, streetlights, police protection, neighbors and water bills. Still, I suppose money spent on repair of the storage tank valve counts as a bill. But in 25 years, I spent $5000 for the well and septic system, then really nothing since then. Ok, $1 for a gallon of chlorine bleach every year to re-sterilize the well pump assembly, but that's about it.

mark_l_watson 15y ago

Speaking as someone guilty of buying a lot of Pellegrino (I stock up whenever my local grocery store has a sale): I really like a few glasses of Pellegrino on nights when I don't drink wine - there is something fun about it. Otherwise, I fill high quality hiking water bottles from the tap for > 95% of the water I drink. BTW, I don't have a reference for this but I am not sure about the long term safety of the plastic that bottled water is packaged in. I feel much better using stainless steel or high quality hiking water bottles.

zalew 15y ago

> Coca-cola is absolutely obsessed with consistency with its products. HFCS Coke tastes the same everywhere. Sugar Coke tastes the same everywhere. That's simply not true. Coke tastes different around the world, as well as mcd burgers do (contrary to popular belief). Different tastes of Coke around the world are due to different origin and kind of sugar used (and probably also said different water). Duh, after a quick googlin' - it tastes different even in different countries in Europe http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/1469/why-does-coca-cola-taste-different-in-some-parts-of-europe http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/1469/why-does-coc...