Perhaps there are coffee snobs who actually like that muddy flavor.

Yep, I've had percolator coffee. Because it steeps so long, the process extracts a lot of unwanted flavors from the grounds into the water, giving it a "muddy" flavor. The percolator was from an era when there was just...coffee, and the stuff diners served was good enough.

Yes, I agree freeze-dried coffee is great for camping. But while camping, exceptional taste is not a priority!

If you like your French press, you might want to try AeroPress. https://www.amazon.com/AeroPre... It's a similar concept and inexpensive, but you don't get as much of the bitterness and "muddiness" that you get with the French press. It allows you to get a richer, stronger flavor, without the unwanted parts of the flavor profile.

For sure! Just like the blind test done, comparing sound quality between Monster cables and coat hangers! https://gizmodo.com/audiophile...

Yes, every form of snobbery has its pretenders, and Monster Cables are a good example. The pretenders don't do it for the love of the thing they are snobbish about, but to impress others. I'd argue such people aren't true snobs, but merely show-offs.

As the very title of my thread pointed out, my main issue is with *industrial scale.*

Who knows, maybe the process would make great coffee at a small scale! I personally doubt it, because I think heat does some things to the coffee that ultrasound will not. But I could be wrong, and if it turns out to be great, I'd consider buying a personal-sized machine.

You'll notice that the inventors don't claim that the process makes superior coffee, only "comparable" to heat-based methods. That's not the type of endorsement that will draw the attention of coffee snobs everywhere.

Yes, there are coffee snobs like that. But it's not a requirement. Many of us swear by AeroPress coffee, made with a device that costs $35. https://www.amazon.com/AeroPre...

As for this particular process, coffee snobs won't go for the *industrial scale* version, thought they *might* go for a personal-sized machine that does it.

The technology in this case seems pretty straightforward, there's no need for it to be expensive, in terms of the complexity of making the machine.

I agree welfare programs are necessary, though in practice, it's too easy in my opinion to get that money. I work with an inner city Houston nonprofit that provides many services to people in poverty. We have "clients" who continue to have children specifically because each child results in more income from the government. They then abandon the children and leave them to the foster care system. That kind of abuse is *way* too common.

Your use of the phrase "rent-seeking" gives you away as a progressive. No other group uses that phrase, as far as I'm aware. The phrase is equivalent to "woke" on the right: describing basically anything disliked by the group using the term.

Real wages--wages adjusted for inflation--have increased, not decreased, over the last 50 years. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/se... We are not working more for less, the truth is, we have much more than our peers 50 years ago. Our houses and apartments are twice the size they were back then. We have easily twice the number of cars per family. We eat out or get takeout 5x more often. We have all kinds of gadgets that didn't even exist back then. No, the 1970s were not the good old days you seem to think they were.

I'm an Aeropress guy myself, I might have to try your Bellman!

I can definitely see your curiosity, perhaps there's something about the process that produces better coffee than heat-brewing methods. But I'm skeptical of anything done at an industrial scale.

You definitely do not qualify as a coffee snob! :-)

Yes, this makes sense.

Coffee made at an industrial scale isn't expected to be *great* coffee, just "good enough". I can see the process being "good enough." For those who see coffee as just a base into which to stir their favorite (industrially produced) creamer, it will be just fine.

Coffee snobs will get to keep their heat-base process, they'll be the ones that care about fine nuances of flavor, and they don't drink the industrial stuff anyway.

So everybody's happy.

P.S.: Yes, I identify as a coffee snob.

You are correct. On a more careful reading, and cross-referencing with other studies, there is no apparent link between early retirement and mortality, controlling for health.

They won't personally have to move, just park their money in some other's state's banks.

Granted, but my reply still applies. You implied that I have no empathy for people who are truly disabled. I never implied that we shouldn't aid and care for people who cannot care for themselves.

No, that's not who we're talking about. Your exactly quote was:

People who don't want to work, are a different category than people who can't work.

Just because someone is handicapped, doesn't mean they don't want to work. Our neighborhood Kroger employs people with Down Syndrome and other mental deficiencies. They want to work, and Kroger gives them an opportunity to use the skills they do have. I think it's wonderful.

Now, people who are so handicapped that they can't work, that's a different story. But don't conflate "can't" and "don't want to" and then accuse me of being some kind of uncaring monster. That's disingenuous.

The restrictions are a mix of reasonable nuisance management and paranoia about who is flying drones, what they can do, and chain of custody.

Beijing proper is a city with a population density of over 21,000 / km^2 -- so you can imagine the chaos if any tech enthusiast resident could fly a drone without a permit. Except for a couple of free zones in the outer boroughs, New York City restricts drone launcing and landings within the city to flights with a permit and flight plan, because otherwise the sky would be black with drones. Many cities -- both red and blue -- have zone restrictions for drone flights, and those currently hosting World Cup matches have tightened them for the duration of the tournament.