[pedonbio]

And he wants his company to have a fleet of surveillance delivery drones....

He doesn't get invited to many parties.

[Zorro]

I dislike Amazon as a company in particular, and have some general concerns about the social impact of instant-gratification/online shopping. While it may be good for capitalism, I don't think that it provides any net benefit to human beings.

Being somewhat handicapped, without a car or pickup truck, I get some stuff I need through Amazon and other websites like Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

 

[rtpoe]

Bumping, because there are also silly "Customer Questions & Answers" on occasion...

AudioQuest NRG WEL Signature Series 6 Feet AC Power Cable

Price:    $6,899.75 & FREE Shipping (Yeah, the cable racket strikes again.....)

Question: Is there a warranty on this product?
Answer: Yes! A 10,000,000 year warranty hand-delivered by Zeus himself.

Question: How good is it?
Answer: Sir, I think I need to question your credentials. Even a Doctor should be able to tell that it is obviously the best 6 feet of 72V Dielectric-Bias Counter-Spiral Geometry Power Cable that was or will ever be created.

Question: What about the miles of normal wire leading up to the outlet? Even if this last 6 foot were 100% resistance, inductance, and impedence-free?
Answer: These cables are just so damned amazing, that they take that into account and offset the variances.

Question: Does it come with fries?
Answer: You can order it in a combo, which comes with fries and a large coke. But for the price of the coke and fries, you could buy the whole joint yourself so it's a toss up.

[rtpoe]

Apparently, about a month ago someone posted a review of some wire mesh tea strainer thingies on Amazon. A scientist, he commented that the strainers were perfect cages for the ants he was using in his studies of ant colony behavior.

This week, it's become a trend among scientists to add their reviews for items that they use for purposes other than the intent of the manufacturer.

OPI Top Coat Nail Polish

Great for sealing coverslips onto freshly stained slices of brain (and other cells/tissues). If clear is unavailable, other colors work too but will likely get odd looks from your PI. – Monica J., PhD

TePe Interdental Brushes Original Mixed 8 Brushes

Really excellent for getting the brains out of very small bird skulls. – Amy Schwartz

YogaAccessories 1/8” Lightweight Classic Yoga Pad

Thin yoga mats make great fish surgery table covers. easy to clean/sterilize, water-proof, and pretty durable: 4/5 stars – Henry Hershey

Midwest Can 5600-4PK Gas Can – 5 gallon capacity

I found this vessel balanced with well placed handles. However, without a vent, the rotting cow blood I stored in it as part of #grizzlybear DNA study was poised for explosion. Indeed, the vessel split at the seams. – Clayton T. Lamb

Fiore Luxury Super Fine 20 Denier Sheer Stockings

Really useful for packing samples into a liquid nitrogen tank; allows storage of more samples, and larger samples that will not fit in the cylinders supplied. – Rosie Woodroffe

Yancorp 10 Speed Massager Wand Portable Full Body Massager

The primary function I was taught... is, of course, to lure spiders out of their dens. Multiple speed settings are fantastic for the diversity of web builders and to simulate different prey species. – Alastair Gibbons

JML Food Vacuum Heat Sealer Machine

Easy and convenient way to transport shark penises across international borders. Double bagging strongly advised. – Amy Rowley

(yes, she does occasionally do that for her research: http://www.ecologicalgenetics.org/amy-rowley )

-----

Of course, sometimes scientific equipment can have more mundane uses, too:

Falcon 50mL Conical Centrifuge Tubes

Perfect for DIY travel-size hair product. (Bonus: TSA compliant) – Karen James


Look for more by following #ReviewforScience on Twitter. And just to show that they're not joking, many of the Twitter posts include photos of the items in action!

[rtpoe]

Over at VOX, they have an article:

7 products nobody asked for in 2018
From a $42 bundle of sticks to a tiny phone for your phone.
By Aditi Shrikant

Can't link to it directly, because one of the "Most Read" links in the sidebar has an accompanying photo of the sort of young people who are verboten here. But I'm sure you can easily find it yourself.

One of the products is a bundle of sticks. Anthropolige is offering a bundle of white birch twigs for $42..... Now I can see a crafts store offering clean and straight sticks for use in arts & crafts projects, but for $42??

Other items include an Alexa-enabled microwave oven (why?) and pre-ripped/holed jeans taken to an extreme.

[TheZookie007]

Can you get one of those bricks from Supreme there?