Soylent's founder Rob Rhinehart shares his technotopian dream-reality
August 3, 2015 9:14 AM Subscribe
How I Gave Up Alternating Current - "I buy my staple food online like a civilized person. "
"I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears. Grocery shopping is a multisensory living nightmare. There are services that will make someone else do it for me but I cannot in good conscience force a fellow soul through this gauntlet."
"I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears. Grocery shopping is a multisensory living nightmare. There are services that will make someone else do it for me but I cannot in good conscience force a fellow soul through this gauntlet."
This seems half insightful and half blindingly stupid.
posted by Monochrome at 9:22 AM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Monochrome at 9:22 AM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
This person is an insufferable prick. "I have not done laundry in years. I get my clothing custom made in China for prices you would not believe and have new ones regularly shipped to me." Go fuck yourself.
posted by Ferreous at 9:23 AM on August 3, 2015 [48 favorites]
posted by Ferreous at 9:23 AM on August 3, 2015 [48 favorites]
I have read a few passages of this many times over and I can't decide if it's biting satire or stunningly aggressive auto-fellatio.
posted by Tevin at 9:25 AM on August 3, 2015 [26 favorites]
posted by Tevin at 9:25 AM on August 3, 2015 [26 favorites]
This man thought it was a good idea to take a massive dose of unnecessary antibiotics in order to kill his gut flora so that he wouldn't poop as part of a "use less water" challenge.
That fact serves as an important anchor whenever Rob Rhinehart makes the news for what amount to modern human endurance tricks. He's like David Blaine for nerds who want to be rebellious but who don't want to actually risk life, limb, or comfort.
posted by truex at 9:25 AM on August 3, 2015 [21 favorites]
That fact serves as an important anchor whenever Rob Rhinehart makes the news for what amount to modern human endurance tricks. He's like David Blaine for nerds who want to be rebellious but who don't want to actually risk life, limb, or comfort.
posted by truex at 9:25 AM on August 3, 2015 [21 favorites]
He's lacking the self-awareness necessary to take any of his ideas beyond "look at a thing I did, are you paying attention to me?"
posted by truex at 9:26 AM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by truex at 9:26 AM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
How I Made My Life Simpler on the Backs of Others: The White Man Story
posted by MsMolly at 9:27 AM on August 3, 2015 [108 favorites]
posted by MsMolly at 9:27 AM on August 3, 2015 [108 favorites]
I have not done laundry in years. I get my clothing custom made in China for prices you would not believe and have new ones regularly shipped to me.
Careful, now. You might meet someone that wants to wash their clothes in the blood of the filthy rich.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:28 AM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
Careful, now. You might meet someone that wants to wash their clothes in the blood of the filthy rich.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:28 AM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
How I Made My Life Simpler on the Backs of Others: The White Man Story
Except he refuses to use Instacart because it requires work of others. He's not even consistently bizarre.
posted by tofu_crouton at 9:29 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Except he refuses to use Instacart because it requires work of others. He's not even consistently bizarre.
posted by tofu_crouton at 9:29 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Christ, what an asshole.
posted by MissySedai at 9:29 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by MissySedai at 9:29 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
Metafilter: My old Nokia would run for a week on that.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:30 AM on August 3, 2015
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:30 AM on August 3, 2015
When you use Instacart you have to briefly interact with the person doing your chores for you, which can be very distressing
posted by theodolite at 9:31 AM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 9:31 AM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
Full-time Urban Glamping, with delivery!
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:32 AM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:32 AM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
This guy still drinks wine, that comes in a bottle…it’s far more cost efficient and less wasteful, to buy grape juice in a bag/box, and fortify it with vodka...
posted by littlejohnnyjewel at 9:33 AM on August 3, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by littlejohnnyjewel at 9:33 AM on August 3, 2015 [16 favorites]
Careful, now. You might meet someone that wants to wash their clothes in the blood of the filthy rich.
"The laundry of liberty must be washed from time to time, with the blood of technocrats and tyrants," as Tommy the Jeff once said.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:34 AM on August 3, 2015 [12 favorites]
"The laundry of liberty must be washed from time to time, with the blood of technocrats and tyrants," as Tommy the Jeff once said.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:34 AM on August 3, 2015 [12 favorites]
Surely Rob Rhinehart is the Paul Muad'Dib of white male privilege.
posted by Tevin at 9:34 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Tevin at 9:34 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
You can still get a basic Nokia Phone??? Why isn't Rob doing better with this stuff. I feel like his life is still p unoptimized.
posted by boo_radley at 9:35 AM on August 3, 2015
posted by boo_radley at 9:35 AM on August 3, 2015
"I have not done laundry in years. I get my clothing custom made in China for prices you would not believe and have new ones regularly shipped to me."
This part really is interesting since it implies that having custom clothing made is cheaper than washing it. Is it true? I want to see the number breakdown.
posted by I-baLL at 9:38 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This part really is interesting since it implies that having custom clothing made is cheaper than washing it. Is it true? I want to see the number breakdown.
posted by I-baLL at 9:38 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Can you cook Soylent in an Egg Master? Also what is the nutritional content like compared with liquidized cheeseburger?
posted by Artw at 9:39 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:39 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
With enough money, you can build monuments to personal neuroses. He didn't mention cold showers, he didn't even try to make solar coffee. Do you suppose he has to buy lunch for people, so they will talk to him? I am all for off the grid. A toast to that. We should all be bringing in our solar lights for the evening.
posted by Oyéah at 9:43 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 9:43 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Are we 100% sure this is real? It's not like Fake Steve Jobs twitter?
There's one article that's obviously a joke, posted on April 1. The rest are...hopefully performance art.
Like,
...I know this because I have a magnet implanted in my hand and whenever I reach near an outlet I can feel them...
posted by vogon_poet at 9:44 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
There's one article that's obviously a joke, posted on April 1. The rest are...hopefully performance art.
Like,
...I know this because I have a magnet implanted in my hand and whenever I reach near an outlet I can feel them...
posted by vogon_poet at 9:44 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
The idea of soylent and this blog post fit together perfect. I would be interested if anybody has a comparison of soylent nutrients and price versus the old milk-beans-rice-bananas-apples-peanut-butter-sandwiches diet I subsisted on when I was a poor college student. The only way soylent wins is you are brilliant as Isaac Newton and food preparation/cleanup time represents a cheat to legacy and all Western Civilization of all the rock star code you could have been writing during those time intervals.
Does he think he is that great? <---- that is a rhetorical question. I am sure he is that great.
posted by bukvich at 9:44 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Does he think he is that great? <---- that is a rhetorical question. I am sure he is that great.
posted by bukvich at 9:44 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought it was satire. I thought it was satire.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:48 AM on August 3, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 9:48 AM on August 3, 2015 [11 favorites]
...I know this because I have a magnet implanted in my hand and whenever I reach near an outlet I can feel them...
Oh, people do that, it's totally a thing.
posted by Artw at 9:48 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Oh, people do that, it's totally a thing.
posted by Artw at 9:48 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
This part really is interesting since it implies that having custom clothing made is cheaper than washing it.
Depends on how you value your time, and whether he's talking about T-shirts or dress shirts that need to be starched and pressed and how much that would cost, if he's choosing the pay for that service instead of ironing his own shirts like he was some average schmuck that's never heard of Y Combinator we should create our own island and laws and drive cars where the doors go like this, not like this, like this...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:49 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Depends on how you value your time, and whether he's talking about T-shirts or dress shirts that need to be starched and pressed and how much that would cost, if he's choosing the pay for that service instead of ironing his own shirts like he was some average schmuck that's never heard of Y Combinator we should create our own island and laws and drive cars where the doors go like this, not like this, like this...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:49 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears.
I keep coming back to this and laughing my ass off. "Endless confusing aisles"? Really?
I just did a month's worth of grocery shopping for a family of four, plus two dogs, in about an hour on Saturday. Hour and a half if you count the stop at the liquor store. Where the hell does he live, that grocery shopping is "confusing"? What a whiny baby.
posted by MissySedai at 9:51 AM on August 3, 2015 [12 favorites]
I keep coming back to this and laughing my ass off. "Endless confusing aisles"? Really?
I just did a month's worth of grocery shopping for a family of four, plus two dogs, in about an hour on Saturday. Hour and a half if you count the stop at the liquor store. Where the hell does he live, that grocery shopping is "confusing"? What a whiny baby.
posted by MissySedai at 9:51 AM on August 3, 2015 [12 favorites]
While I admit that, once in a while, I have been petulant about having to go through the effort of buying, preparing, eating, and eliminating yet another meal ("I did this yesterday," I whined to Eternity), it's hard to imagine a less appealing view of life than one which could generate this idea:
First, I never cook. I am all for self reliance but repeating the same labor over and over for the sake of existence is the realm of robots. I utilize soylent only at home and go out to eat when craving company or flavor.
posted by thelonius at 9:51 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
First, I never cook. I am all for self reliance but repeating the same labor over and over for the sake of existence is the realm of robots. I utilize soylent only at home and go out to eat when craving company or flavor.
posted by thelonius at 9:51 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
The idea of soylent and this blog post fit together perfect.
That's because the blog author is the software engineer who invented Soylent. Now New! Soylent 2.0!
posted by Nelson at 9:52 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's because the blog author is the software engineer who invented Soylent. Now New! Soylent 2.0!
posted by Nelson at 9:52 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This guy still drinks wine, that comes in a bottle…it’s far more cost efficient and less wasteful, to buy grape juice in a bag/box, and fortify it with vodka...
Grape juice has to be refrigerated, though, and the amount of wasted energy and evaporated water in the vodka distillation process is just grotesque.
If this guy's company takes off, we've got our 21st century Howard Hughes.
posted by vogon_poet at 9:53 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Grape juice has to be refrigerated, though, and the amount of wasted energy and evaporated water in the vodka distillation process is just grotesque.
If this guy's company takes off, we've got our 21st century Howard Hughes.
posted by vogon_poet at 9:53 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I utilize soylent only at home
I like this phrasing because "utilize" means "make use of" - that is, you're taking something that's not specifically intended for something and then using it. Not "I drink/eat/consume/use soylent." I utilize it. Because it has so many other purposes, since it obviously isn't a food.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:55 AM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
I like this phrasing because "utilize" means "make use of" - that is, you're taking something that's not specifically intended for something and then using it. Not "I drink/eat/consume/use soylent." I utilize it. Because it has so many other purposes, since it obviously isn't a food.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:55 AM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
With enough money, you can build monuments to personal neuroses.
And he's clearly got Howard Hughes level ones. Just look at how disgusted he is by the putrefying bio matter we flesh bags have previously been forced to survive on. He uses "rotting" as a descriptor twice.
posted by MsMolly at 9:56 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
And he's clearly got Howard Hughes level ones. Just look at how disgusted he is by the putrefying bio matter we flesh bags have previously been forced to survive on. He uses "rotting" as a descriptor twice.
posted by MsMolly at 9:56 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
I utilize soylent only at home
This is the most perfect example of why it always gives me the howling fantods when people say "utilize" instead of "use".
posted by dialetheia at 9:57 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
This is the most perfect example of why it always gives me the howling fantods when people say "utilize" instead of "use".
posted by dialetheia at 9:57 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
Why wait for the robots to come to you? BECOME a robot! Just disown all the sensory, physical, and emotional hindrances of being a mammal and devote your whole consciousness to code. It's easy!
posted by overeducated_alligator at 9:58 AM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by overeducated_alligator at 9:58 AM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
And he's clearly got Howard Hughes level ones.
Yes!! I give it 2 years, tops, until he's storing jars of piss all over the house. Hell, he'll have plenty of room in the kitchen, what with the fridge and stove removed.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yes!! I give it 2 years, tops, until he's storing jars of piss all over the house. Hell, he'll have plenty of room in the kitchen, what with the fridge and stove removed.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Butlerian Jihad cannot come soon enough.
posted by Ratio at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by Ratio at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015 [14 favorites]
Lifehack: retaining precious bodily fluids leads to efficiencies in both reuse and privacy, while disposing of them in conventional plumbing is wasteful and communistic
posted by RogerB at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by RogerB at 9:59 AM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
I dropped off right after "I haven't cooked in years". This guy doesn't enjoy life, he enjoys avoiding it.
posted by doctor_negative at 10:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by doctor_negative at 10:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
I think it was presumptuous and rude for my architect to have assumed that an entire room's worth of valuable floorspace (now occupied by my zen garden which I pay someone else to maintain) was necessary for "hygiene." I have laminated my entire body save for my head and genitals in order to save on cleaning. Now I can just run myself through a car wash every month at a fraction of what I spent on showers and bathing supplies. Re-lamination is quick and simple and takes roughly as much time as a shower, but only once per year. If I need to defecate or urinate, I do so in the empty Soylent bottles lining my floors like so many autumn leaves. Then I just cap the bottles up and send them to that factory in China that makes my clothes. I don't know what they do with it, but I am glad to donate to charity whenever possible.
posted by griphus at 10:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [55 favorites]
posted by griphus at 10:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [55 favorites]
Before this piece I thought that Soylent, while not up my alley, was at least a noble idea to provide humankind with a simple, eco-friendly, vegan and nutritious foodstuff.
Now I wouldn't be surprised if they announced that Soylent 3.0 would switch to using ground babies as a protein source, to help cut down on noise pollution in public parks.
posted by OMGTehAwsome at 10:02 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
Now I wouldn't be surprised if they announced that Soylent 3.0 would switch to using ground babies as a protein source, to help cut down on noise pollution in public parks.
posted by OMGTehAwsome at 10:02 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
This is the most perfect example of why it always gives me the howling fantods when people say "utilize" instead of "use".
I think you mean "when individuals say..."
posted by thelonius at 10:03 AM on August 3, 2015 [9 favorites]
I think you mean "when individuals say..."
posted by thelonius at 10:03 AM on August 3, 2015 [9 favorites]
"I have not done laundry in years. I get my clothing custom made in China for prices you would not believe and have new ones regularly shipped to me."
This part really is interesting since it implies that having custom clothing made is cheaper than washing it. Is it true? I want to see the number breakdown.
Well, if you consider the total cost of laundering a piece of clothing over its lifetime vs. the total cost of a piece of chinese sweatshop-made clothing (+shipping), it very well could be cheaper than washing. If you're ok with ignoring intangibles like supporting sweatshops, of course.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:05 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This part really is interesting since it implies that having custom clothing made is cheaper than washing it. Is it true? I want to see the number breakdown.
Well, if you consider the total cost of laundering a piece of clothing over its lifetime vs. the total cost of a piece of chinese sweatshop-made clothing (+shipping), it very well could be cheaper than washing. If you're ok with ignoring intangibles like supporting sweatshops, of course.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:05 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This reads like an essay on why he should be allowed to change his name to L Ron Rhinehart.
posted by feloniousmonk at 10:10 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by feloniousmonk at 10:10 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
There is no way this is not satire
It would be amazing if Soylent is just one big prank that works simply by doing exactly what it purports to do: keeping your body alive with a warm nutrient slurry.
Maybe this guy is the Kwisatz Haderach of a breeding experiment that started with Benjamin Franklin on one side and Andy Kaufman on the other.
posted by griphus at 10:12 AM on August 3, 2015 [11 favorites]
It would be amazing if Soylent is just one big prank that works simply by doing exactly what it purports to do: keeping your body alive with a warm nutrient slurry.
Maybe this guy is the Kwisatz Haderach of a breeding experiment that started with Benjamin Franklin on one side and Andy Kaufman on the other.
posted by griphus at 10:12 AM on August 3, 2015 [11 favorites]
Damn it, if only I had read this BEFORE doing my work laundry!
posted by Samizdata at 10:15 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Samizdata at 10:15 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have not set foot in a grocery store in years. Nevermore will I bumble through endless confusing aisles like a pack-donkey searching for feed while the smell of rotting flesh fills my nostrils and fluorescent lights sear my eyeballs and sappy love songs torture my ears.
I keep coming back to this and laughing my ass off. "Endless confusing aisles"? Really?
Obligatory Simpsons reference
posted by rocket88 at 10:21 AM on August 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
I keep coming back to this and laughing my ass off. "Endless confusing aisles"? Really?
Obligatory Simpsons reference
posted by rocket88 at 10:21 AM on August 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
I totally balked at it being cheaper / better for the environment / whatever to buy clothes from China (shipped all the way from China!) than to wash them esp if by hand and air dry...
Then I googled around re his Soylent thing and now thing he's crazy time
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:22 AM on August 3, 2015
Then I googled around re his Soylent thing and now thing he's crazy time
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:22 AM on August 3, 2015
Would he be as successful if "Soylent" weren't available as a trademark?
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:30 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:30 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
This has to be satire.
posted by persona au gratin at 10:43 AM on August 3, 2015
posted by persona au gratin at 10:43 AM on August 3, 2015
There must be a collorary to Poe's Law that the more that people insist that something must be satire, the less likely it is to actually be satire. You always see people taking Onion articles at face value, and insisting that genuine whack-jobbery is satire.
posted by Punkey at 10:47 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Punkey at 10:47 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Depends on how you value your time
His is apparently so valuable that tasks like cooking and laundry are to be avoided at all costs. And Soylent fits into that perfectly. It completely eliminates those low-value tasks like selecting, preparing and chewing food. Because, you know, ain't nobody got time for that. They're too busy doing very important things, apparently. Nevertheless I won't be holding my breath for those things to appear.
posted by tommasz at 10:54 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
His is apparently so valuable that tasks like cooking and laundry are to be avoided at all costs. And Soylent fits into that perfectly. It completely eliminates those low-value tasks like selecting, preparing and chewing food. Because, you know, ain't nobody got time for that. They're too busy doing very important things, apparently. Nevertheless I won't be holding my breath for those things to appear.
posted by tommasz at 10:54 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
How I Stopped Reading This Crap And Got On With My Life.
posted by Splunge at 11:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 11:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Introduce this fucker to the four hour workweek and you've got a perfect storm of privilege and neo-feudalism
posted by Existential Dread at 11:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Existential Dread at 11:00 AM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Stage Four Engineer's Disease, right here. I especially like the framing that his opinions are somehow incontrovertible fact, rather than his own personal idiosyncracies.
WE ALL KNOW GROCERY SHOPPING IS THE WORST AND IT IS BASICALLY LIKE WALKING THROUGH A CHARNELHOUSE.
No, some of us like it--
NOTHING IS WORSE THAN SHARING YOUR HOME WITH A REFRIGERATOR.
Um, they were kind of major turning point in preventing food spoilage--
OBVIOUSLY, WEARING CLOTHES ONCE AND THEN GIVING THEM AWAY WILL SAVE THE EARTH.
That is the opposite of--
OWNING A TELEVISION IS PATHETIC AND CREATES A SOULLESS VORTEX IN YOUR HOME. TOTALLY NEW, UNRELATED TOPIC: I HAVE A BITCHIN' PROJECTOR AND A GIANT SCREEN AND A HUGE CONTENT COLLECTION OF SHOWS AND MOVIES I LIKE TO WATCH.
...
posted by a fiendish thingy at 11:07 AM on August 3, 2015 [40 favorites]
WE ALL KNOW GROCERY SHOPPING IS THE WORST AND IT IS BASICALLY LIKE WALKING THROUGH A CHARNELHOUSE.
No, some of us like it--
NOTHING IS WORSE THAN SHARING YOUR HOME WITH A REFRIGERATOR.
Um, they were kind of major turning point in preventing food spoilage--
OBVIOUSLY, WEARING CLOTHES ONCE AND THEN GIVING THEM AWAY WILL SAVE THE EARTH.
That is the opposite of--
OWNING A TELEVISION IS PATHETIC AND CREATES A SOULLESS VORTEX IN YOUR HOME. TOTALLY NEW, UNRELATED TOPIC: I HAVE A BITCHIN' PROJECTOR AND A GIANT SCREEN AND A HUGE CONTENT COLLECTION OF SHOWS AND MOVIES I LIKE TO WATCH.
...
posted by a fiendish thingy at 11:07 AM on August 3, 2015 [40 favorites]
My apartment came with a Nest but I removed it and have not felt the need for either heating or air conditioning.
That's great if it works for you, but I live in a less forgiving climate and need both. Not to mention a working kitchen and washing machine. (Public transit is a nice alternative to a car, but not for anyone in the suburbs.)
I don’t want to live with red hot heating elements and razor sharp knives. That sounds like a torture chamber.
What kind of horrific childhood kitchen accident could have caused this reaction?
posted by Rangi at 11:22 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
That's great if it works for you, but I live in a less forgiving climate and need both. Not to mention a working kitchen and washing machine. (Public transit is a nice alternative to a car, but not for anyone in the suburbs.)
I don’t want to live with red hot heating elements and razor sharp knives. That sounds like a torture chamber.
What kind of horrific childhood kitchen accident could have caused this reaction?
posted by Rangi at 11:22 AM on August 3, 2015 [8 favorites]
I will tell you this: stay out of the grocery store if you are on LSD. Even years later, I was vulnerable to wondering about what mysterious ontology was behind the arrangement of items on the shelves.
posted by thelonius at 11:27 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 11:27 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
This guy doesn't enjoy life, he enjoys avoiding it.
Or to put it another way, he finds painful and disgusting many of the things most people associate with enjoying life.
Remote diagnosis is iffy business, but it's pretty clear that there are people with food aversions and disgust of things tied to touch and taste and smell, that these people often gravitate towards tech and engineering fields, that Soylent has found a niche with these people, and that Rhinehart has been a pathological evangelist for all of this ever since he started on his Beige Food That Won't Cause Malnutrition project.
posted by holgate at 11:29 AM on August 3, 2015
Or to put it another way, he finds painful and disgusting many of the things most people associate with enjoying life.
Remote diagnosis is iffy business, but it's pretty clear that there are people with food aversions and disgust of things tied to touch and taste and smell, that these people often gravitate towards tech and engineering fields, that Soylent has found a niche with these people, and that Rhinehart has been a pathological evangelist for all of this ever since he started on his Beige Food That Won't Cause Malnutrition project.
posted by holgate at 11:29 AM on August 3, 2015
Certainly grocery stores can be a bit confusing. Sometimes stuff is not Where I Expect It To Be but this is easily overcome by *gasp* asking a friendly grocery store employee for help
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:29 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:29 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't believe this dude has friends
Who among us has not craved flavor and companionship?
posted by thelonius at 11:33 AM on August 3, 2015 [24 favorites]
Who among us has not craved flavor and companionship?
posted by thelonius at 11:33 AM on August 3, 2015 [24 favorites]
He totally has a robot he keeps in a plexiglass prison.
posted by Artw at 11:39 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:39 AM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
Credit to Alex Harrowell what Rhinehart is opting out of is infrastructure. He's privatising his own existence to the nth degree. It's the microcosmic version of the California ideology, enacted upon the body; the macrocosmic version is his VC funders' fantasies of seasteading and private libertarian island paradises.
posted by holgate at 11:45 AM on August 3, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by holgate at 11:45 AM on August 3, 2015 [9 favorites]
I'm picturing all his friends are those taffy guards from that Bob's Burgers Goonies episode except much more nutritional so you really only need to have just one Soyfriend.
posted by griphus at 11:46 AM on August 3, 2015
posted by griphus at 11:46 AM on August 3, 2015
This guy doesn't enjoy life, he enjoys avoiding it.
Or to put it another way, he finds painful and disgusting many of the things most people associate with enjoying life.
Remote diagnosis is iffy business, but it's pretty clear that there are people with food aversions and disgust of things tied to touch and taste and smell, that these people often gravitate towards tech and engineering fields, that Soylent has found a niche with these people, and that Rhinehart has been a pathological evangelist for all of this ever since he started on his Beige Food That Won't Cause Malnutrition project.
I suspect he meant this to come off as a little bit like a joke, but didn't realize that after becoming Soylent Man this entire thing seems too believable. When he described Soylent, he made it clear he didn't like cooking, but he didn't characterize the kitchen as a death trap either. I find it more believable that he figured he'd wink at the audience with a kind of faux naivete about man-look-how-bad-our-society-is; unfortunately, his reputation precedes him and his attempted japery doesn't scan.
But maybe I shouldn't eat all of these beans and have a glass of soylent.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:16 PM on August 3, 2015
Or to put it another way, he finds painful and disgusting many of the things most people associate with enjoying life.
Remote diagnosis is iffy business, but it's pretty clear that there are people with food aversions and disgust of things tied to touch and taste and smell, that these people often gravitate towards tech and engineering fields, that Soylent has found a niche with these people, and that Rhinehart has been a pathological evangelist for all of this ever since he started on his Beige Food That Won't Cause Malnutrition project.
I suspect he meant this to come off as a little bit like a joke, but didn't realize that after becoming Soylent Man this entire thing seems too believable. When he described Soylent, he made it clear he didn't like cooking, but he didn't characterize the kitchen as a death trap either. I find it more believable that he figured he'd wink at the audience with a kind of faux naivete about man-look-how-bad-our-society-is; unfortunately, his reputation precedes him and his attempted japery doesn't scan.
But maybe I shouldn't eat all of these beans and have a glass of soylent.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:16 PM on August 3, 2015
For the people who insist that this has to be satire: "ha ha only serious" is a thing. Go back and re-read his original post on Soylent and remember that this is something that you can buy now.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:16 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:16 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This has to be satire.
Satire is dependent upon cleverness and a sense of humor, human attributes which require an unconscionable amount of biochemical energy to process both in the invention of and subsequent understanding of said satire. I have eliminated all instances of satire and related devices in lieu of straight literalism, which I have drop shipped three times a week (really love Amazon Prime!).
posted by vverse23 at 12:16 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Satire is dependent upon cleverness and a sense of humor, human attributes which require an unconscionable amount of biochemical energy to process both in the invention of and subsequent understanding of said satire. I have eliminated all instances of satire and related devices in lieu of straight literalism, which I have drop shipped three times a week (really love Amazon Prime!).
posted by vverse23 at 12:16 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Also, this might be intended as a deliberately understated ad for Soylent 2.0, to snare the folks who weren't interested when you had to make it yourself.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:37 PM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 12:37 PM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
This guy just keeps getting crazier and crazier. I mean the entire concept of Soylent is repulsive to me, but I can understand how not everyone loves cooking and sort of see how there is a market for that (that being basically Ensure for engineers, dressed up in scifi tropes and playing into the cultural values of tech about how they're reinventing the world and must maximize their productivity accordingly). I think it's weird but whatever.
Seems like a lot of Silicon Valley "innovation" basically comes down to capitalists creating echo chambers full of money for people with crippling anxieties about normal day to day things. Combine that with the CEO/youth worship and that produces people like this guy. The process seems to be:
1. Find an engineer with anxiety about some aspect of life
2. Generalize that anxiety to everyone with a smartphone
3. Throw piles of money at them
4. Watch as they delve further into their pathologies, while everyone around them tells the they are a very special, genius little snowflake changing the world
How many apps exist right now for the sole purpose of never having to leave your house and talk to an actual human being? Not sure if the rest of America has these things marketed to them like we do in the bay area, but there are a lot of ~*world changing*~ apps that boil down to: I'd rather push a button on my phone than deal with the reality of every day life and interact with other humans. Right now in train stations all over the bay there are ads that literally say "Never have deal with a human again to get your take out food". The software that mediates this new social relationship, we are told, is worth billions of dollars.
I mean I like Instacart and Amazon Prime, but I do not want my phone to eliminate all "inefficient" interaction with other human beings.
Well, if you consider the total cost of laundering a piece of clothing over its lifetime vs. the total cost of a piece of chinese sweatshop-made clothing (+shipping), it very well could be cheaper than washing. If you're ok with ignoring intangibles like supporting sweatshops, of course.
I used to run a screen printing shop and a name brand blank t-shirt was like $1.25-2.50 per piece. And that was the price I paid from an American distributor. I actually don't doubt that going straight to the slave-labor source is cheaper than doing laundry.
posted by bradbane at 12:41 PM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
Seems like a lot of Silicon Valley "innovation" basically comes down to capitalists creating echo chambers full of money for people with crippling anxieties about normal day to day things. Combine that with the CEO/youth worship and that produces people like this guy. The process seems to be:
1. Find an engineer with anxiety about some aspect of life
2. Generalize that anxiety to everyone with a smartphone
3. Throw piles of money at them
4. Watch as they delve further into their pathologies, while everyone around them tells the they are a very special, genius little snowflake changing the world
How many apps exist right now for the sole purpose of never having to leave your house and talk to an actual human being? Not sure if the rest of America has these things marketed to them like we do in the bay area, but there are a lot of ~*world changing*~ apps that boil down to: I'd rather push a button on my phone than deal with the reality of every day life and interact with other humans. Right now in train stations all over the bay there are ads that literally say "Never have deal with a human again to get your take out food". The software that mediates this new social relationship, we are told, is worth billions of dollars.
I mean I like Instacart and Amazon Prime, but I do not want my phone to eliminate all "inefficient" interaction with other human beings.
Well, if you consider the total cost of laundering a piece of clothing over its lifetime vs. the total cost of a piece of chinese sweatshop-made clothing (+shipping), it very well could be cheaper than washing. If you're ok with ignoring intangibles like supporting sweatshops, of course.
I used to run a screen printing shop and a name brand blank t-shirt was like $1.25-2.50 per piece. And that was the price I paid from an American distributor. I actually don't doubt that going straight to the slave-labor source is cheaper than doing laundry.
posted by bradbane at 12:41 PM on August 3, 2015 [10 favorites]
I really tempted to do an Askme about if this guy actually exists so I could title it 'Soylent Blue Is People?'
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:43 PM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:43 PM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
I liked this comment on his blog post:
Sounds like a waking hell to be honest, denying yourself so many of lifes pleasures just to uphold "muh smug self powered" fantasy.
Of course white SF dudebros will circlejerk till they're red raw over this nonsense.
"Thanks to synthetic fabrics it takes less water to make my clothes than it would to wash them, and I donate my used garments, helping out those in need."
You're ABSOLUTELY DELUSIONAL, you're sitting here smugly proclaiming this as a good thing when some poor kid somewhere has to stitch you a new shirt every time yours get dirty. Christ fuck SV fuck SF, the crash can't come soon enough to destroy these delusional manchildren's misguided idea of "doing good"
posted by jayder at 12:46 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Sounds like a waking hell to be honest, denying yourself so many of lifes pleasures just to uphold "muh smug self powered" fantasy.
Of course white SF dudebros will circlejerk till they're red raw over this nonsense.
"Thanks to synthetic fabrics it takes less water to make my clothes than it would to wash them, and I donate my used garments, helping out those in need."
You're ABSOLUTELY DELUSIONAL, you're sitting here smugly proclaiming this as a good thing when some poor kid somewhere has to stitch you a new shirt every time yours get dirty. Christ fuck SV fuck SF, the crash can't come soon enough to destroy these delusional manchildren's misguided idea of "doing good"
posted by jayder at 12:46 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
asking a friendly grocery store employee for help
Who does this? I, like a *normal* person, will continue to roam the heads of the aisles, fruitlessly attempting to divine the true location by figuring how this particular grocery store's calculus relates my desired item with descriptors on the signs, such "peanut butter", "pickles" and "frozen novelties".
posted by smidgen at 12:49 PM on August 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
Who does this? I, like a *normal* person, will continue to roam the heads of the aisles, fruitlessly attempting to divine the true location by figuring how this particular grocery store's calculus relates my desired item with descriptors on the signs, such "peanut butter", "pickles" and "frozen novelties".
posted by smidgen at 12:49 PM on August 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
Well, if you consider the total cost of laundering a piece of clothing over its lifetime vs. the total cost of a piece of chinese sweatshop-made clothing (+shipping), it very well could be cheaper than washing. If you're ok with ignoring intangibles like supporting sweatshops, of course.
Actually I think you may be right (I mean even taking shipping into account)... and I suppose this loon thinks his time is so valuable it's not worth hand-washing it. (Though, I machine wash, but try to air dry when possible - I double down by listening to podcasts while I'm doing it)
Now of course I'm going to cut out the middleman by getting my clothes washed in the sweet sweat and tears of slave labour.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:51 PM on August 3, 2015
Actually I think you may be right (I mean even taking shipping into account)... and I suppose this loon thinks his time is so valuable it's not worth hand-washing it. (Though, I machine wash, but try to air dry when possible - I double down by listening to podcasts while I'm doing it)
Now of course I'm going to cut out the middleman by getting my clothes washed in the sweet sweat and tears of slave labour.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:51 PM on August 3, 2015
This made me less angry and more like "you poor sad lonely asshole." He is a future perfect example of someone who dies and no one finds the body for years (except robots).
posted by Kitteh at 12:52 PM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 12:52 PM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
I suspect he meant this to come off as a little bit like a joke
Perhaps he's sufficiently mindful to pull people's strings, but it's difficult to assume he's joking about his own lifestyle when the enterprise -- $20M in Series A from a16z and others! -- is built upon a jarring sincerity towards his relationship with food and cooking and other sensory pleasures. Being known as The Soylent Guy is more likely to reinforce it.
posted by holgate at 12:54 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Perhaps he's sufficiently mindful to pull people's strings, but it's difficult to assume he's joking about his own lifestyle when the enterprise -- $20M in Series A from a16z and others! -- is built upon a jarring sincerity towards his relationship with food and cooking and other sensory pleasures. Being known as The Soylent Guy is more likely to reinforce it.
posted by holgate at 12:54 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
He is a future perfect example of someone who dies and no one finds the body for years (except robots).
His tomb a giant stack of boxes of wine and sweatshop khakis.
posted by griphus at 12:56 PM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
His tomb a giant stack of boxes of wine and sweatshop khakis.
posted by griphus at 12:56 PM on August 3, 2015 [7 favorites]
I don’t want to live with red hot heating elements and razor sharp knives. That sounds like a torture chamber.
For fucks sake, don't show him the bathroom.
posted by lumpenprole at 1:45 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
For fucks sake, don't show him the bathroom.
posted by lumpenprole at 1:45 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
The decision-making pendulum in my mind has been swinging back and forth on this all day. On the one side is "Totally a Joke!" I mean come on, right?
Then I remember the times I subjected myself to the toxicity of Tim Ferriss' baffling podcast and my Decision Maker swings back to, "Lol Nope, Totally Sincere!"
posted by Tevin at 1:48 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Then I remember the times I subjected myself to the toxicity of Tim Ferriss' baffling podcast and my Decision Maker swings back to, "Lol Nope, Totally Sincere!"
posted by Tevin at 1:48 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
2882 words of pull quotes, someone (else) needs to make a Twitter bot out of this corpus (altough I suppose that's this).
posted by togdon at 1:59 PM on August 3, 2015
"It got a little weird when I had to prove my existence to a local government and they asked for a utility bill. Good thing I still use water, for now."I'm assuming that the "More on that later." in regards to the clothing donation means that this is a first (middle, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) in a series...
posted by togdon at 1:59 PM on August 3, 2015
Well, if you consider the total cost of laundering a piece of clothing over its lifetime vs. the total cost of a piece of chinese sweatshop-made clothing (+shipping), it very well could be cheaper than washing. If you're ok with ignoring intangibles like supporting sweatshops, of course.
You would need to compare the total cost of laundering that piece of clothing against the total cost of all the replacement pieces over its lifetime. If I wash a shirt once a week for 52 weeks, you need to compare that to the cost of 52 brand-new shirts.
Of course, I remember years ago the father of a friend telling me how he was able to get his polo shirts for only $3 each, but would donate them after a few wearings and claim $12 a shirt for a deduction, actually making money on each shirt. So if you're pulling shenanigans then it might actually be cheaper for you, but it's still more expensive overall.
posted by mach at 2:24 PM on August 3, 2015
You would need to compare the total cost of laundering that piece of clothing against the total cost of all the replacement pieces over its lifetime. If I wash a shirt once a week for 52 weeks, you need to compare that to the cost of 52 brand-new shirts.
Of course, I remember years ago the father of a friend telling me how he was able to get his polo shirts for only $3 each, but would donate them after a few wearings and claim $12 a shirt for a deduction, actually making money on each shirt. So if you're pulling shenanigans then it might actually be cheaper for you, but it's still more expensive overall.
posted by mach at 2:24 PM on August 3, 2015
For fucks sake, don't show him the bathroom.
Your bathroom doesn't have red hot heating elements and terrifying blades? What have I been doing wrong?
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:25 PM on August 3, 2015
Your bathroom doesn't have red hot heating elements and terrifying blades? What have I been doing wrong?
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:25 PM on August 3, 2015
What. Is this satire? I don't want to use oil so I'll just use uber?
posted by hermanubis at 2:33 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by hermanubis at 2:33 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Your bathroom doesn't have red hot heating elements and terrifying blades? What have I been doing wrong?
Are you, perhaps, Lara Croft?
posted by lumpenprole at 2:36 PM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
Are you, perhaps, Lara Croft?
posted by lumpenprole at 2:36 PM on August 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
lumpenprole: "For fucks sake, don't show him the bathroom."
Haha. That's exactly what I thought when I came across this earlier line: "[Kitchens] are the greediest consumers of power, water, and labor and produce the most noise and garbage of any room."
posted by mhum at 2:36 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Haha. That's exactly what I thought when I came across this earlier line: "[Kitchens] are the greediest consumers of power, water, and labor and produce the most noise and garbage of any room."
posted by mhum at 2:36 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I love going to the supermarket. Usually, when I'm in a new state or city, I'll make it a point to stop by.
posted by jonmc at 2:40 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jonmc at 2:40 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
For fucks sake, don't show him the bathroom.
You just wait, pretty soon we'll have cyborg bodies that we can donate after a few weeks' use to the underprivileged. No need for shaving or showers or any of that time-consuming effort.
posted by Rangi at 3:01 PM on August 3, 2015
You just wait, pretty soon we'll have cyborg bodies that we can donate after a few weeks' use to the underprivileged. No need for shaving or showers or any of that time-consuming effort.
posted by Rangi at 3:01 PM on August 3, 2015
Credit to Alex Harrowell what Rhinehart is opting out of is infrastructure
Well, as long as you don't count getting clothes shipped from China infrastructure...
posted by ymgve at 3:14 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, as long as you don't count getting clothes shipped from China infrastructure...
posted by ymgve at 3:14 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
...and people trust this man with 100% of their dietary needs.
posted by truex at 3:17 PM on August 3, 2015
posted by truex at 3:17 PM on August 3, 2015
This guy is the only man I trust with my dietary needs
posted by Ratio at 3:28 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ratio at 3:28 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
as long as you don't count getting clothes shipped from China infrastructure
Well, we usually understand infrastructure in terms of shared use. Rhinehart places a thin private layer on top of existing infrastructure to make it feel less icky: clothes and solar panels from China via of publicly-owned port facilities; electricity from a battery, internet from a cellular mast, hot water via gas bottles. Wired things bad, intangible things good. It's mostly blind to externalities, and doesn't scale without becoming its own shitty pastiche of infrastructure, but carries the illusion of personal seasteading.
posted by holgate at 3:38 PM on August 3, 2015 [12 favorites]
Well, we usually understand infrastructure in terms of shared use. Rhinehart places a thin private layer on top of existing infrastructure to make it feel less icky: clothes and solar panels from China via of publicly-owned port facilities; electricity from a battery, internet from a cellular mast, hot water via gas bottles. Wired things bad, intangible things good. It's mostly blind to externalities, and doesn't scale without becoming its own shitty pastiche of infrastructure, but carries the illusion of personal seasteading.
posted by holgate at 3:38 PM on August 3, 2015 [12 favorites]
So he's donating dirty clothes?
posted by MsMacbeth at 4:01 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by MsMacbeth at 4:01 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I no longer have to worry about drunk or distracted driving.
When most people worry about drunk or distracted driving, they're worrying about other drivers doing it. You know that, right?
posted by ckape at 4:23 PM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
When most people worry about drunk or distracted driving, they're worrying about other drivers doing it. You know that, right?
posted by ckape at 4:23 PM on August 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
You can buy clothes that wash in the sink in about 30 seconds and dry overnight on a towel rack. Less effort than ordering clothes, opening the box, throwing the box away, etc. But hey, being a loon is great PR these days in SV.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:38 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:38 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
This is a viral piece intended to promote Soylent 2.0.
posted by reiichiroh at 6:54 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by reiichiroh at 6:54 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Guys, if you still don't believe this is not satire, read the There is no way this is not satire post (about using Tinder for dating) that Ratio linked up above.
posted by Bugbread at 6:56 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Come date night a Double Robot loaded with over 10 hours of pre-recorded content of me rolls up to a restaurant...Everything from witty, non-offensive stories to mildly embarrassing personal traits to compliments are recorded. According to the logs candidates are often taken aback at a robot showing up, but a sincere recording complimenting their shoes immediately puts them at ease...If the algorithm has not been meeting its heuristics the candidate is driven home and the robot self-destructs after uploading its data to the cloud so future iterations can learn from its mistakes...At this moment an Instacart driver should be arriving with a $10 bottle of wine and fresh strawberries and an Exec delivers a NeuroSky Mindwave 3 and a Vibease Smart Vibrator...Unfortunately, the complex mathematical operations required by FABIO typically exhaust the Double’s battery in around 01:57-02:03 minutes, depending on the female. At this point the Double gruffly requests the female retrieve his charger.You're really going to sit there with a straight face and insist "No, man, it's not satire, this guy's blog posts are totally for-real"?
posted by Bugbread at 6:56 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Guys, if you still don't believe this is not satire
The presence of one marginally satirical post on someone's blog (in a "ha ha only serious" way) does not make all posts satirical.
Chris Dixon of Soylent-funding a16z doesn't seem to think so, and he has a fridge full of the stuff. Perhaps he's in on the joke to the tune of millions.
To put it another way: if it's a classic troll to spark interest in the new pre-mixed version of Beige Food Product, then Soylent as a business is itself a massive troll -- a long, long troll -- from the name down. And maybe it is, because part of Rhinehart's original pitch for Beige Food Product was that selling boxes of powder was more efficient than plastic bottles of gloop, but now it'll be stocking plastic bottles of gloop in stores (or Bay Area offices) and shipping plastic bottles of gloop by the caseload to people's doorsteps.
posted by holgate at 7:31 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
The presence of one marginally satirical post on someone's blog (in a "ha ha only serious" way) does not make all posts satirical.
Chris Dixon of Soylent-funding a16z doesn't seem to think so, and he has a fridge full of the stuff. Perhaps he's in on the joke to the tune of millions.
To put it another way: if it's a classic troll to spark interest in the new pre-mixed version of Beige Food Product, then Soylent as a business is itself a massive troll -- a long, long troll -- from the name down. And maybe it is, because part of Rhinehart's original pitch for Beige Food Product was that selling boxes of powder was more efficient than plastic bottles of gloop, but now it'll be stocking plastic bottles of gloop in stores (or Bay Area offices) and shipping plastic bottles of gloop by the caseload to people's doorsteps.
posted by holgate at 7:31 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
There's something so quintessentially American about this guy.
posted by um at 9:24 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by um at 9:24 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
This part really is interesting since it implies that having custom clothing made is cheaper than washing it. Is it true? I want to see the number breakdown.
I didn't read it that way, I read it as "Washing clothes would mean acknowledging my reliance on THE GRID, and so since I am wealthy enough to do so, I just buy countless new outfits (damn the actual carbon cost!) and voila! LOOKIT ME OFF THE GRID."
But I could be mis-reading.
posted by xedrik at 9:40 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I didn't read it that way, I read it as "Washing clothes would mean acknowledging my reliance on THE GRID, and so since I am wealthy enough to do so, I just buy countless new outfits (damn the actual carbon cost!) and voila! LOOKIT ME OFF THE GRID."
But I could be mis-reading.
posted by xedrik at 9:40 PM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Note that the concept of Soylent type food is a popular topic on Metafilter.
posted by eye of newt at 10:37 PM on August 3, 2015
posted by eye of newt at 10:37 PM on August 3, 2015
Guys, if you still don't believe this is not satire
The presence of one marginally satirical post on someone's blog (in a "ha ha only serious" way) does not make all posts satirical.
There is, in fact, another kind ofsatirical humorous post, “Soylent announces new line of GMKs” The key takeaway, I think, is not just that “one marginally satirical post… does not make all posts satirical.” Rather, it’s that it’s really hard to tell when Rhinehart is joking. He always comes across as aggressively sincere, willing to over-engineer of things and throw in a few citations to make the case that he's for real. It's very messianic / very big business. And I find it kind of funny that he seems sincerely interested in dismantling capitalism yet gives off such a strong Silicon Valley capitalist vibe.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:41 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
The presence of one marginally satirical post on someone's blog (in a "ha ha only serious" way) does not make all posts satirical.
There is, in fact, another kind of
posted by Going To Maine at 10:41 PM on August 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
Note that the concept of Soylent type food is a popular topic on Metafilter.
Soylent has come up on the blue many times as well, and it's hard to knock Rhinehart's conviction or his identification of a common feel. I'll be interested to see what happens if/when he gets married and has kids, and how it'll change his lifestyle.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:47 PM on August 3, 2015
Soylent has come up on the blue many times as well, and it's hard to knock Rhinehart's conviction or his identification of a common feel. I'll be interested to see what happens if/when he gets married and has kids, and how it'll change his lifestyle.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:47 PM on August 3, 2015
fruitlessly attempting to divine the true location... (emphasis mine)
I see what you did there.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:33 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
I see what you did there.
posted by RolandOfEld at 11:33 PM on August 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
The little LED projector seemed pretty cool though.
posted by smackfu at 8:37 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by smackfu at 8:37 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
I find it ridiculous that he goes on and on about how much he's saving the world with his reduced usage, and in the same article mentions casually that he throws away his wine bottles.
Those are glass, dude. Recycle. Hell, even the Tetrapak containers the box wine comes in can be recycled.
It's also jarring that he picks on Tesla owners for just shifting the burden of their energy usage and then talks about how his clothes are made super cheap in China. What do you think makes them so cheap, buddy? And do you think the materials they are made out of are just pulled from thin air? It takes intensive labor, fertilizer, and water to grow cotton, and if you're buying synthetic you're shifting the burden of your fossil fuel use outside of your neighborhood but you're still contributing. I'll balance my "wash and re-use" approach to clothes with your "wear and discard" self-righteous wastefulness any day.
(This also landed on Ars Technica now. Geez.)
posted by caution live frogs at 9:22 AM on August 4, 2015 [3 favorites]
Those are glass, dude. Recycle. Hell, even the Tetrapak containers the box wine comes in can be recycled.
It's also jarring that he picks on Tesla owners for just shifting the burden of their energy usage and then talks about how his clothes are made super cheap in China. What do you think makes them so cheap, buddy? And do you think the materials they are made out of are just pulled from thin air? It takes intensive labor, fertilizer, and water to grow cotton, and if you're buying synthetic you're shifting the burden of your fossil fuel use outside of your neighborhood but you're still contributing. I'll balance my "wash and re-use" approach to clothes with your "wear and discard" self-righteous wastefulness any day.
(This also landed on Ars Technica now. Geez.)
posted by caution live frogs at 9:22 AM on August 4, 2015 [3 favorites]
This made me less angry and more like "you poor sad lonely asshole." He is a future perfect example of someone who dies and no one finds the body for years (except robots).
You thought cats were bad, wait til you see a human body that's been fed on for weeks by a pack of firmware-optimized Roombas.
posted by FatherDagon at 10:03 AM on August 4, 2015 [7 favorites]
You thought cats were bad, wait til you see a human body that's been fed on for weeks by a pack of firmware-optimized Roombas.
posted by FatherDagon at 10:03 AM on August 4, 2015 [7 favorites]
This guy, I am comfortable saying, is the worst.
FatherDagon, you might wish (or maybe not) to check out the 'mum and son' story linked in the thread about the ICU nurse.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:03 PM on August 4, 2015
FatherDagon, you might wish (or maybe not) to check out the 'mum and son' story linked in the thread about the ICU nurse.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:03 PM on August 4, 2015
The little LED projector seemed pretty cool though.
No kidding. Went straight to my wishlist.
posted by lumpenprole at 3:56 PM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
No kidding. Went straight to my wishlist.
posted by lumpenprole at 3:56 PM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]
I gave up DC because it kept rebooting everything
posted by srboisvert at 11:36 AM on August 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 11:36 AM on August 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Next up: Unnecessary Surgery, And How To Convince Others To Have It Done
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:47 PM on August 5, 2015
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:47 PM on August 5, 2015
The recent emotional labour thread had tangentially got me thinking about Soylent oddly enough.
I'm not the only one to think of this, but cooking has often been seen as women's work.
Now he's saying he buys new clothes rather than wash them. And the rationalization about how water-efficient that is doesn't hold up to five seconds thought. So it's transparently really about how washing clothes is a task that's beneath him.
So now I'm thinking of sort of a patriarchy sour grapes vicious cycle where someone doesn't value cooking as a skill, so they never learn, so trying to cook (or navigate a grocery store) makes them feel stupid, so they double down on why they shouldn't have to do this anyway.
posted by RobotHero at 3:23 PM on August 6, 2015 [5 favorites]
I'm not the only one to think of this, but cooking has often been seen as women's work.
Now he's saying he buys new clothes rather than wash them. And the rationalization about how water-efficient that is doesn't hold up to five seconds thought. So it's transparently really about how washing clothes is a task that's beneath him.
So now I'm thinking of sort of a patriarchy sour grapes vicious cycle where someone doesn't value cooking as a skill, so they never learn, so trying to cook (or navigate a grocery store) makes them feel stupid, so they double down on why they shouldn't have to do this anyway.
posted by RobotHero at 3:23 PM on August 6, 2015 [5 favorites]
RobotHero: "So now I'm thinking of sort of a patriarchy sour grapes vicious cycle where someone doesn't value cooking as a skill, so they never learn, so trying to cook (or navigate a grocery store) makes them feel stupid, so they double down on why they shouldn't have to do this anyway."
On the other hand, if he were to ever get married (presuming that the only person who would marry him would be someone who was cool with drinking Soylent and buying new clothes instead of washing): it would be getting rid of a lot of the unpaid work that would otherwise likely be foisted on his wife. If the problem is "even women who work full time are expected to do all the cooking and cleaning", then one solution (the sane solution) is "the men in the relationships also do the cooking and the cleaning", but another solution (the insane solution) is "neither the men nor the women do the cooking or the cleaning"
posted by Bugbread at 4:56 PM on August 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, if he were to ever get married (presuming that the only person who would marry him would be someone who was cool with drinking Soylent and buying new clothes instead of washing): it would be getting rid of a lot of the unpaid work that would otherwise likely be foisted on his wife. If the problem is "even women who work full time are expected to do all the cooking and cleaning", then one solution (the sane solution) is "the men in the relationships also do the cooking and the cleaning", but another solution (the insane solution) is "neither the men nor the women do the cooking or the cleaning"
posted by Bugbread at 4:56 PM on August 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
Drinking Soylent With The Last Of The California War Boys
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:44 AM on August 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:44 AM on August 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Drinking Soylent With The Last Of The California War Boys
Immortan Rob: I am your redeemer. It is by my hand you will rise from the ashes of this world.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:10 AM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Immortan Rob: I am your redeemer. It is by my hand you will rise from the ashes of this world.
posted by Going To Maine at 10:10 AM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
With this thread being nearly a week old, and over a hundred comments in, I now have a confession to make: I've been drinking Soylent for a few days now. I bought it several months ago, partly on impulse (although it was a bit expensive for an impulse buy--$85 for a week's supply) and partly because, even though I've been doing better at cooking for myself vs. relying on convenience foods, I still have days and weeks when I just want to reduce eating to a maintenance function via the aforementioned and aforelinked "bachelor chow" option. There was some delay between ordering and shipping, a few months, I think, and by the time I actually got the stuff the impulse had passed, and it sat in my living room for some months more. Finally, when this thread cropped up, I looked into the box and realized that the expiration date was next month, plus there's a pretty direct warning on the powder envelopes: "Immediately dispose of any Soylent that you suspect of being rancid." None of the ingredients are listed as a preservative, so maybe that's the issue, but I wonder about the delay in delivery of something that's prone enough to spoilage to warrant a warning.
Anyway. Here are my observations:
- I've been one of the people who have snarked about Rhinehart basically just reinventing Ensure, but when I opened a pouch, the smell immediately reminded me of just about every protein powder mix that I've ever had, minus any scent of a particular flavor: kind of a chalky smell. The main ingredients--maltodextrin, rice protein, and oat flour--are, I think, pretty common to these mixes. This NYT article on Soylent and its knockoffs got the flavor right: "bland, gritty pancake batter." Toward the other end of the ingredients list (which has a large middle consisting of the various vitamin sources), it does list "artificial flavor" and "sucralose", but it's neither particularly sweet nor tastes like anything in particular; contra to Gawker's take on it, it doesn't resemble semen in any particular way (they may have been sampling an earlier formulation--this is "Soylent 1.1"), but neither is it the "sweet, succulent, hearty meal in a glass" of Rhinehart's original post (again, the formulation has probably changed from the prototype). I also don't know if the ready-made 2.0 version is any different. The included booklet suggests stir-ins such as peanut butter, berries, or chocolate syrup, which might make it taste better, but mitigates the extreme convenience touted by Rhinehart & Co.
- The packaging is interesting, as there are seven fat envelopes of powder and seven little vials of oil (for fat), plus a measuring scoop and a tall pitcher. The default preparation method is to dump the powder in the pitcher, then add water, shake, add the oil, shake again, and then--get this--pour it over ice or refrigerate for a few hours "for best taste". Really, they mean "so that you don't have to taste it", which is also why the Thunderbird jingle suggests serving that drink cold. (As it turns out, I can't even use the supplied pitcher--it's fairly sleek-looking, for a pitcher, but it's also 12" tall, which is too tall for the shelves in my fridge. Luckily, I have another pitcher that fits.) The other thing about refrigerating it to consume later is that the oil separates out, so you have to re-shake it when you get more portions. I also don't think that shaking it completely blends the mixture without a shaker ball (not included), so I ended up using a blender, which is suggested further on in the booklet. Again, this cuts down on the convenience, as well as contributing to the "expensive and dirty" kitchen that Rhinehart loathes (he also likes his Soylent warm, contra to the instructions in his product). The booklet also suggests fixing it one serving at a time; they have a measuring scoop for the powder, but not for the oil.
- The instructions also warn of flatulence (yes), bloating (yes), and headaches (no) "as your body adjust to this,[sic] new, nutrient-and-fiber-rich food." I also had a touch of nausea. They also helpfully note: "Over-the-counter digestive enzymes (Beano®) and/or simethicone (Gas-X®) can help reduce these issues." Thanks, Soylent! They also note that the Institute of Medicine "recommends 2.7-3.7L+ of water per day depending on build and activity level. Soylent provides 1.6L, meaning you must consume a significant amount of water in addition to Soylent." You do the math, nerd! Below that, they have an illustration of eight glasses of water, helpfully numbered 1 through 8.
-Finally, for your edification and/or amusement, here's Rhinehart's foreword to the booklet:
Anyway. Here are my observations:
- I've been one of the people who have snarked about Rhinehart basically just reinventing Ensure, but when I opened a pouch, the smell immediately reminded me of just about every protein powder mix that I've ever had, minus any scent of a particular flavor: kind of a chalky smell. The main ingredients--maltodextrin, rice protein, and oat flour--are, I think, pretty common to these mixes. This NYT article on Soylent and its knockoffs got the flavor right: "bland, gritty pancake batter." Toward the other end of the ingredients list (which has a large middle consisting of the various vitamin sources), it does list "artificial flavor" and "sucralose", but it's neither particularly sweet nor tastes like anything in particular; contra to Gawker's take on it, it doesn't resemble semen in any particular way (they may have been sampling an earlier formulation--this is "Soylent 1.1"), but neither is it the "sweet, succulent, hearty meal in a glass" of Rhinehart's original post (again, the formulation has probably changed from the prototype). I also don't know if the ready-made 2.0 version is any different. The included booklet suggests stir-ins such as peanut butter, berries, or chocolate syrup, which might make it taste better, but mitigates the extreme convenience touted by Rhinehart & Co.
- The packaging is interesting, as there are seven fat envelopes of powder and seven little vials of oil (for fat), plus a measuring scoop and a tall pitcher. The default preparation method is to dump the powder in the pitcher, then add water, shake, add the oil, shake again, and then--get this--pour it over ice or refrigerate for a few hours "for best taste". Really, they mean "so that you don't have to taste it", which is also why the Thunderbird jingle suggests serving that drink cold. (As it turns out, I can't even use the supplied pitcher--it's fairly sleek-looking, for a pitcher, but it's also 12" tall, which is too tall for the shelves in my fridge. Luckily, I have another pitcher that fits.) The other thing about refrigerating it to consume later is that the oil separates out, so you have to re-shake it when you get more portions. I also don't think that shaking it completely blends the mixture without a shaker ball (not included), so I ended up using a blender, which is suggested further on in the booklet. Again, this cuts down on the convenience, as well as contributing to the "expensive and dirty" kitchen that Rhinehart loathes (he also likes his Soylent warm, contra to the instructions in his product). The booklet also suggests fixing it one serving at a time; they have a measuring scoop for the powder, but not for the oil.
- The instructions also warn of flatulence (yes), bloating (yes), and headaches (no) "as your body adjust to this,[sic] new, nutrient-and-fiber-rich food." I also had a touch of nausea. They also helpfully note: "Over-the-counter digestive enzymes (Beano®) and/or simethicone (Gas-X®) can help reduce these issues." Thanks, Soylent! They also note that the Institute of Medicine "recommends 2.7-3.7L+ of water per day depending on build and activity level. Soylent provides 1.6L, meaning you must consume a significant amount of water in addition to Soylent." You do the math, nerd! Below that, they have an illustration of eight glasses of water, helpfully numbered 1 through 8.
-Finally, for your edification and/or amusement, here's Rhinehart's foreword to the booklet:
Dear Customer,posted by Halloween Jack at 9:53 AM on August 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
The powder you now behold is more than meets the eye. This mix of mass, energy, and information is the staple food of the future. Refined, robust, and efficient, Soylent is food that works. And it would not be here if not for you.
You are a vital member of the network that transformed Soylent from information to matter, from idea to flesh. Your contribution and support make you an integral part of Soylent, the structures of which are soon to become an integral part of you.
Remember every sip of Soylent is a tiny gratuity toward producing food ephemerally, toward reducing health disparity, toward answering questions about our food and ourselves that have gone unanswered for too long.
If you are what you eat you may now consider yourself healthy and practical.
Soylent, like life itself, is in a continual state of change and improvement and we need your input to make it ever better.
Thank you for ordering, and do stay in touch.
[signed Robert Rhinehart]
This mix of mass, energy, and information is the staple food of the future... You are a vital member of the network that transformed Soylent from information to matter, from idea to flesh.
All that is solid food melts into Soylent.
posted by holgate at 10:27 AM on August 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
All that is solid food melts into Soylent.
posted by holgate at 10:27 AM on August 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
While I realize that Soylent appears to be doing fine financially, I wonder if it would do better if it acknowledged that it was Ryan Air / Spirit instead of posing as Virgin-with-Sprit’s-prices.
posted by Going To Maine at 6:56 AM on August 10, 2015
posted by Going To Maine at 6:56 AM on August 10, 2015
As You Sow Files Notice Of Legal Action Against Soylent Super Food: High Levels of Lead and Cadmium Found by As You Sow in Two Samples of the Trendy Meal Replacement Powering Silicon Valley Coders
Surprise!
posted by MissySedai at 10:48 AM on August 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
Surprise!
posted by MissySedai at 10:48 AM on August 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
High Levels of Lead and Cadmium
But you could turn yourself into your own battery! Free energy!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:53 AM on August 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
But you could turn yourself into your own battery! Free energy!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:53 AM on August 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
It would be terribly sad, grotesque, and verging on self-parody if it turned out that Rhinehart was literally going crazy due to his own phoode while at the same time raising millions of VC money.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:03 AM on August 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:03 AM on August 15, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, we should probably note that Rhinehart has made a follow-up post. I wouldn’t say that it will change anyone’s minds, though it’s perhaps a bit more humble: “The Appeal of Outsourcing”
posted by Going To Maine at 12:07 PM on August 15, 2015
posted by Going To Maine at 12:07 PM on August 15, 2015
High Levels of Lead and Cadmium Found by As You Sow in Two Samples of the Trendy Meal Replacement Powering Silicon Valley Coders
The samples were of Soylent 1.5; version 2.0 has apparently made some significant recipe changes. But let's assume it still contains lead. As You Sow claims that "one serving of Soylent 1.5 can expose a consumer to a concentration of lead that is 12 to 25 times above California's Safe Harbor level for reproductive health." California's Safe Harbor level is 0.5 µg/day. The CDC's safe level is 10 µg/day. So 25 times 0.5 µg/day is 12.5 µg/day, which is barely above the CDC's level, and well below the 25 µg/day threshold used from 1985 to 1991. I'm more inclined to trust the CDC's levels than California's, since "chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer" is so overapplied that it's become a punchline. That doesn't mean this isn't a problem Soylent needs to address, but if you're already drinking it, there's probably no need to panic about dangerous levels of lead. (No time to look up figures for cadmium right now; maybe later.)
posted by Rangi at 12:10 PM on August 15, 2015
The samples were of Soylent 1.5; version 2.0 has apparently made some significant recipe changes. But let's assume it still contains lead. As You Sow claims that "one serving of Soylent 1.5 can expose a consumer to a concentration of lead that is 12 to 25 times above California's Safe Harbor level for reproductive health." California's Safe Harbor level is 0.5 µg/day. The CDC's safe level is 10 µg/day. So 25 times 0.5 µg/day is 12.5 µg/day, which is barely above the CDC's level, and well below the 25 µg/day threshold used from 1985 to 1991. I'm more inclined to trust the CDC's levels than California's, since "chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer" is so overapplied that it's become a punchline. That doesn't mean this isn't a problem Soylent needs to address, but if you're already drinking it, there's probably no need to panic about dangerous levels of lead. (No time to look up figures for cadmium right now; maybe later.)
posted by Rangi at 12:10 PM on August 15, 2015
As You Sow has also found lead and cadmium levels above California's Safe Harbor threshold in 26 chocolate products, including Ghirardelli, Hershey, Mars, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. If these results are typical, then either a lot of our food is poisoning us with lead and cadmium, or the "safe" thresholds are too low. I believe the usual procedure is to label such products with "This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer" and just keep selling them, because the other 49 states don't care.
posted by Rangi at 12:17 PM on August 15, 2015
posted by Rangi at 12:17 PM on August 15, 2015
The samples were of Soylent 1.5; version 2.0 has apparently made some significant recipe changes.
It isn't related to anything substantial at all, but I live that the first note on the Version 2.0 tumbler post is:
pieflavoredjizz reblogged this from soylentme
posted by Going To Maine at 12:27 PM on August 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
It isn't related to anything substantial at all, but I live that the first note on the Version 2.0 tumbler post is:
pieflavoredjizz reblogged this from soylentme
posted by Going To Maine at 12:27 PM on August 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
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What. I can't even...
posted by insert.witticism.here at 9:22 AM on August 3, 2015 [22 favorites]