Gyroscopic Investing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ07g2NtOiY

This video talks about the ways that companies make a ton of money for making simple solutions to problems like sleeping better, losing weight, etc much more complex than they really should be.

Although it's not mentioned directly, I feel the PP is a big FU to the artificial complexity that Wall Street creates to profit from the naiive masses.

I feel like Calvin's dad whenever I go to buy anything online. Just last night I swear I spent an hour comparison shopping for a $12 metal water bottle. And my last two laptops have involved multiple months of investigating options and tabulating their characteristics into spreadsheets for easier comparison--and even then, neither of my final picks actually gave me everything I was hoping for. Too much false choice and not enough genuine quality!

Pointedstick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:51 pm I feel like Calvin's dad whenever I go to buy anything online. Just last night I swear I spent an hour comparison shopping for a $12 metal water bottle. And my last two laptops have involved multiple months of investigating options and tabulating their characteristics into spreadsheets for easier comparison--and even then, neither of my final picks actually gave me everything I was hoping for. Too much false choice and not enough genuine quality!

In the last few years I had similar experiences with:

1) ear plugs to protect my ears when I'm too close to loud music

2) camera strap for my camera

In each case I came across five or six options that seem like they would work and which were each highly recommended.

Each time I'd spent an hour trying to narrow down to one but could not eliminate any of them.

My only solution was to buy ALL of them, use them, and decide what I wanted to keep using!

I think in each case the total cost to buy all of them was $70.

In the case of the earplugs, the first ones I tried (the least expensive) did the job so have never tried any of the others.

With the camera straps. I use one of them most of the time but I think that for certain situations I've used a few of the others.

Vinny

Pointedstick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:51 pm I feel like Calvin's dad whenever I go to buy anything online. Just last night I swear I spent an hour comparison shopping for a $12 metal water bottle. And my last two laptops have involved multiple months of investigating options and tabulating their characteristics into spreadsheets for easier comparison--and even then, neither of my final picks actually gave me everything I was hoping for. Too much false choice and not enough genuine quality!

This also brings up something else in behavioral finance that I've oftentimes read.

It describes that situation whereby there is a demo in a supermarket wherein various flavors of jam are being sold. In one case there are 24 choices. In the latter there are only six.

The sales from only six choices are always far greater than the sales from the 24 choices.

I think it was the potential buyers suffered from paralysis in the case of the 24 choices but could much more easily make the choice among six.

VInny

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 5:06 pm I think it was the potential buyers suffered from paralysis in the case of the 24 choices but could much more easily make the choice among six.

Yep. And on top of that, the nagging feeling that you'll make the wrong decision only makes you unhappy with the purchase even if the product is great.

There's a really good book on this called The Paradox of Choice. And for those more into audio, here's a TED talk by the author.

I'm also a proponent of KISS and eliminating choices. Like Einstein said, "make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler."

I went through some of his other videos and was amused to find one called I spent $4,505 on tech to sleep better

On the topic of sleep, I bought a couple slabs of latex from sleeponlatex.com. Was trying to figure out a way to avoid all the flame retardants they spray on mattresses nowadays. 3 inch firm base and 2 inch medium top layer. Covered them with a couple fitted sheets. Most comfortable thing I have ever slept on.

Ultimately it's up to stores to curate their products and weed out the chaff. I feel like Amazon.com used to do a good job of this, but over the last 5 or 10 years, it seems like it's become a dumping ground for shoddy direct-from-the-factory Chinese junk, all sold by merchants with names like "GoodBestLife." A lot of times you'll even find dozens of listings for the same basic products, re-branded and re-packaged and sold by different merchants despite all coming from the same factory. Another thing is that the reviews don't seem trustworthy anymore. This used to be a shining beacon of Amazon.com, but nowadays you'll find products with ten thousand reviews and an average rating of 4.9 but all the top reviews give the product one star and point out obvious design or manufacturing flaws you can probably see in the product images, once you know what to look for. But you won't know this unless you actually go to the product page and read the reviews, because the truth is buried in all the astroturfed fake reviews presumably bought for pennies and written by Bangladeshi slave children.

Okay rant over

Since peanut butter came up, Vinny, what is your pb of choice?

For me, top, uncontrollable, need to eat more is Fishers dry roasted nuts, in the blender till just a little bit gritty. It is more of a savory flavor, a little smoky, and has MSG, which I am sure pumps up the taste and addictiveness.

Then would be Whole Foods regular 365 creamy, it is a little gritty as well.

Off the regular shelf next is Jif, creamy. Then a further down the line with Skippys.

Not a fan of chunky.

Pointedstick wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:42 pm Ultimately it's up to stores to curate their products and weed out the chaff. I feel like Amazon.com used to do a good job of this, but over the last 5 or 10 years, it seems like it's become a dumping ground for shoddy direct-from-the-factory Chinese junk, all sold by merchants with names like "GoodBestLife." A lot of times you'll even find dozens of listings for the same basic products, re-branded and re-packaged and sold by different merchants despite all coming from the same factory. Another thing is that the reviews don't seem trustworthy anymore. This used to be a shining beacon of Amazon.com, but nowadays you'll find products with ten thousand reviews and an average rating of 4.9 but all the top reviews give the product one star and point out obvious design or manufacturing flaws you can probably see in the product images, once you know what to look for. But you won't know this unless you actually go to the product page and read the reviews, because the truth is buried in all the astroturfed fake reviews presumably bought for pennies and written by Bangladeshi slave children.

Okay rant over

If I know nothing about a product or how to go about choosing one Amazon is tailor made for me.

Here is my process. I first do a search on highest average review. Then I look for the ones that have a lot of reviews. Finally, I read the first two or three pages of review in reverse chronological order.

I disregard all reviews that are a line or two. I can definitely tell which reviews are written by real people.

I am actually looking for reviews that dissuade me from buying the product. Many times I end up turning down the product after I read enough specific details about problems with the product. Especially if many of same problem(s) are cited. It says to me, although this product may have received a high overall review too many people have had these specific problems with it and I don't want to take the risk of experiencing the same.

Vinny

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 8:27 pm Since peanut butter came up, Vinny, what is your pb of choice?

For me, top, uncontrollable, need to eat more is Fishers dry roasted nuts, in the blender till just a little bit gritty. It is more of a savory flavor, a little smoky, and has MSG, which I am sure pumps up the taste and addictiveness.

Then would be Whole Foods regular 365 creamy, it is a little gritty as well.

Off the regular shelf next is Jif, creamy. Then a further down the line with Skippys.

Not a fan of chunky.

Because I stopped eating anything that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

I also am not going to buy the health food brand or organic brand because they do not represent good value to me.

Therefore to meet all my criteria and get great value this is what I have been buying exclusively for at least 15 years:

https://www.amazon.com/Teddie-UNSALTED- ... ext&sr=1-7

However this is extremely BAD value buying it from Amazon.

I shop at Stop & Shop and I think it's regular price might be $4.00? Therefore when it was on sales last week for $3.40 I bought every jar that was on the shelves. I got an instant roughly 18% return on my money! My other criteria is that I only buy this "Super Chunky" option. They do sell creamy but you and I are on total opposites when it comes to this.

These days I eat half jar each day....therefore a full 1/2 pound of peanut each day. Finally, as a treat to my many rodents I give them the lids and jar to completely clean each prior to washing them.

That all leads to me accumulating a lot of these empty jars.

I keep many of them for myself to store various things in. That still leaves me with a great excess that I will never need. Rather than just recycle them...... this past summer I put an ad in Craigslist to give them (plus a lot of plastic empty yogurt containers) away for free. All were in ten boxes or so which I had under a tree on my property so people could just come and get them without me having to interact with them outside of our email communications. Eventually all the jars and containers were taken by various people who were quite happy to get such large quantities of them.

Vinny

Unsalted AND Chunky!? The Horror!

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:31 pm Unsalted AND Chunky!? The Horror!

Porkslips Now

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:31 pm Unsalted AND Chunky!? The Horror!

I don't think you have the typical American palate. But for many Americans good, healthy food is too bland for them.

Vinny

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

Thanks for a hearty chuckle (sorry Vinny, but I agree with pug on Subway!)

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

They function extremely well. I generally eat food wherein they are the only single ingredient. My foods have no sugar and little salt in them. I actually do taste my food.

Vinny

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:54 am

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

Thanks for a hearty chuckle (sorry Vinny, but I agree with pug on Subway!)

Maybe for what you guys would order there. Not for me and my basically all vegetable meal.

Vinny

yankees60 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:42 pm

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:54 am

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

Thanks for a hearty chuckle (sorry Vinny, but I agree with pug on Subway!)

Maybe for what you guys would order there. Not for me and my basically all vegetable meal.

Vinny

If I were to pick a sub place to eat at, I like Jimmy John's. But I don't go out of my way for subs, because I stay away from bread. But...their bread is really good. I haven't eaten at a Subway in >10 years.

yankees60 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:41 pm

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

They function extremely well. I generally eat food wherein they are the only single ingredient. My foods have no sugar and little salt in them. I actually do taste my food.

Vinny

Aside from the fact that humans require sodium to survive, the purpose of salt is to bring out the flavor of food. You don’t know what you are missing, especially with all the dismembered gifts from God.

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:45 pm

yankees60 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:42 pm

Cortopassi wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:54 am

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

Thanks for a hearty chuckle (sorry Vinny, but I agree with pug on Subway!)

Maybe for what you guys would order there. Not for me and my basically all vegetable meal.

Vinny

If I were to pick a sub place to eat at, I like Jimmy John's. But I don't go out of my way for subs, because I stay away from bread. But...their bread is really good. I haven't eaten at a Subway in >10 years.

May have heard of a Jimmy John's but have never seen one. Subway is the only chain all over the place in my area. I almost always order the wrap and not the bread. Don't know if the wrap is any more healthy then the bread. But the whole thing together tastes quite good.

Vinny

Mountaineer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:47 pm

yankees60 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:41 pm

MangoMan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:51 am

yankees60 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:01 pm Because I stopped eating anything {peanut butter} that has any sugar related ingredient in the peanut butter plus I don't want any salt in it either that lessens my choices considerably.

Vinny

Well, now I understand why you eat at Subway. You don't have functioning tastebuds.

They function extremely well. I generally eat food wherein they are the only single ingredient. My foods have no sugar and little salt in them. I actually do taste my food.

Vinny

Aside from the fact that humans require sodium to survive, the purpose of salt is to bring out the flavor of food. You don’t know what you are missing, especially with all the dismembered gifts from God.

Maybe one needs all that salt to bring out that flavor if one is on the typical SAD.

Do you put dressing on your salad? I always order mine with nothing on it because I want to and do taste all the vegetables in the salad. Why do people need dressings on salads?

Vinny

yankees60 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 4:08 pmDo you put dressing on your salad? I always order mine with nothing on it because I want to and do taste all the vegetables in the salad. Why do people need dressings on salads?

Vinny

I love to slather my salad in Caesar dressing, because I love the taste of Caesar dressing and am not really a fan of the taste of vegetables.

I actually agree with your position as it applies to barbecue sauce: if you need or want barbecue sauce, then something has gone very wrong with your meat.

Xan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 4:12 pm

yankees60 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 4:08 pmDo you put dressing on your salad? I always order mine with nothing on it because I want to and do taste all the vegetables in the salad. Why do people need dressings on salads?

Vinny

I love to slather my salad in Caesar dressing, because I love the taste of Caesar dressing and am not really a fan of the taste of vegetables.

I actually agree with your position as it applies to barbecue sauce: if you need or want barbecue sauce, then something has gone very wrong with your meat.

See! My star witness just made my case!!!

Actually I am going to describe him as my "expert" witness!

Vinny

I'm with Vinny on Subway. Well, one sub in particular; the Sweet Onion Chicken Teryaki is fucking delicious. COME AT ME BROS.

i have always enjoyed the flavor/experience of a subway... but I quit them when i went to eating no bread, also they had a bunch of fairly serious quality control issues a while back that i don't recall the exact details of but YUCK

edit to add -- i do make a rare exception and eat truck stop subway on road trips, high volume keeps the prep table fresh and it is easy, reasonably mess free, drive and eat food..