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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: makattak on March 05, 2020, 09:46:30 PM

Title: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: makattak on March 05, 2020, 09:46:30 PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/opinion/harbinger-failure.html

It seems economists have discovered people who consistently like and buy products that end up failing and being discontinued.

Not only that, but all their decisions are "wrong" as in not popular. AND tend to live near other harbingers.

I'd like to think I'm a harbinger, but I so rarely buy a "new!" "exciting!" product that I doubt it. Also most of the products listed sound revolting. Watermelon oreos? I barely like normal oreos. Cheetos lip balm? No thank you.

How about you? Any of you think you are a harbinger?
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Ben on March 05, 2020, 09:49:43 PM
What's the name for somebody who has to search forever for a pair of shoes that are comfortable for all day wear, and as soon as they find them, they're *expletive deleted*ing discontinued. Because that's what I am.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Fly320s on March 05, 2020, 09:57:55 PM
What's the name for somebody who has to search forever for a pair of shoes that are comfortable for all day wear, and as soon as they find them, they're *expletive deleted*ing discontinued. Because that's what I am.

Normal.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: RoadKingLarry on March 05, 2020, 10:00:44 PM
I usually discover something after it has been discontinued. I find it, use it, like it, then when I go to get more discover that it is no longer available.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Andiron on March 05, 2020, 10:55:37 PM
Lucked out this time.

They just killed the Danner Pronghorn boot. 

I  found out soon enough to grab several pair before the market noticed.  These boots WORK,  why change?

That said, anything that comes from China, or asia is suspect.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Hawkmoon on March 05, 2020, 11:15:55 PM
I usually discover something after it has been discontinued. I find it, use it, like it, then when I go to get more discover that it is no longer available.

^^^ The story of my life.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Perd Hapley on March 06, 2020, 01:09:51 AM
makattak, did it ever occur to you that maybe you'd enjoy the watermelon Oreos if your lips were coated with Cheetos gloss?

I think we need more research on the vast numbers of people who consistently like perversely popular garbage, like reality television, or ranch dressing. We need to figure out what's gone wrong with these people, so we can stop them.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: HeroHog on March 06, 2020, 03:12:51 AM
For a time I was heavily into all things 9mm Largo and 8mm Hakims and FN-49s. Oh yeah, .303 Enfields both British and the P-14 Eddystone I had too.

PS: don't forget the 9mm WinMag AutoMag III's I had! :old:
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: 230RN on March 06, 2020, 05:47:11 AM
Somewhere around here I have a couple of brochures for the 1970s Auto Mag pistol.

I usually discover something after it has been discontinued. I find it, use it, like it, then when I go to get more discover that it is no longer available.

#metoo  I first discovered this with disposable razors.  Found the perfect one, obscure brand, bought and used them for more than a year, then they disappeared.  That got me thinking about other similar instances and I reckon I fit the description of "harbinger."

Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: K Frame on March 06, 2020, 08:03:00 AM
No, not a harbinger, but I have latched onto some products over the years that were subsequently discontinued, much to my dismay...

Monchel soap (stuff was wonderful winter soap... didn't dry out my skin).

Planter's Cheese Balls... I'm one of a LARGE group of people who still mourn these.

Hershey's Bar None... the best goddamned chocolate bar ever made, bar none.

McDonald's Fried Apple Pies...
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Ben on March 06, 2020, 08:06:16 AM


McDonald's Fried Apple Pies...

When did they stop making those???

I didn't order them a lot, but for a while, some years ago, they would throw one or two into my drive-thru order during their "get you through the drive-thru fast" years if there was a holdup of more than a couple of minutes. They were actually pretty good.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: K Frame on March 06, 2020, 08:22:09 AM
Early 1990s. I would occasionally get one and would turn it into a apple pie ice cream sunday.

Yeah, there's a good reason I'm fat.  :rofl:

Some places you can still get the "classic" fried pies. They were even offering fried blueberry pies in limited markets for awhile some years ago. That one I would have loved to have gotten hold of.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: makattak on March 06, 2020, 08:40:35 AM
Early 1990s. I would occasionally get one and would turn it into a apple pie ice cream sunday.

Yeah, there's a good reason I'm fat.  :rofl:

Some places you can still get the "classic" fried pies. They were even offering fried blueberry pies in limited markets for awhile some years ago. That one I would have loved to have gotten hold of.

AH HA! That was why I loved McD's in high school. My favorite meal was two Big Macs for $2 and 2 Apple Pies for $1.

(I was a cross country runner. That barely satisfied my minimum caloric requirement per meal.)
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: RoadKingLarry on March 06, 2020, 09:01:33 AM
Quote
Planter's Cheese Balls... I'm one of a LARGE group of people who still mourn these.

Planter's Cheese Balls have returned from snack food purgatory.
Picked some up a couple of weeks ago. Good, but I remember them being better.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: MechAg94 on March 06, 2020, 09:11:51 AM
Planter's Cheese Balls have returned from snack food purgatory.
Picked some up a couple of weeks ago. Good, but I remember them being better.
I will have to keep an eye out.

HEB grocery stores has a store brand cheese ball that is close. 
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: K Frame on March 06, 2020, 09:18:44 AM
Planter's Cheese Balls have returned from snack food purgatory.
Picked some up a couple of weeks ago. Good, but I remember them being better.

Most likely because the recipe has changed and they may be made for Planter's, not by Planter's...

Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: zxcvbob on March 06, 2020, 09:53:39 AM
No, not a harbinger, but I have latched onto some products over the years that were subsequently discontinued, much to my dismay...

Monchel soap (stuff was wonderful winter soap... didn't dry out my skin).

Planter's Cheese Balls... I'm one of a LARGE group of people who still mourn these.

Hershey's Bar None... the best goddamned chocolate bar ever made, bar none.

McDonald's Fried Apple Pies...

Have you tried Utz cheese balls?  They come in a 35 ounce plastic barrel at Sam's Club, or a 20-something (28?) ounce barrel everywhere else.  They are very similar to Planters, and maybe better.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: grampster on March 06, 2020, 10:08:25 AM
Does it count if something I see that I might want in clothing or shoes that goes on sale is never in my size?
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: HankB on March 06, 2020, 10:19:11 AM
What's the name for somebody who has to search forever for a pair of shoes that are comfortable for all day wear, and as soon as they find them, they're *expletive deleted*ing discontinued. Because that's what I am.
I feel your pain.

For decades I wore Rockport World Tour shoes. The "same" ones I used are now made in another country using inferior materials and are formed on different lasts, so they don't fit.  :mad:

And don't even get me started on the multitudes of other products I quit buying once they were "new and improved" . . . which is just a euphemism for "lower grade item with higher profit margin."

And of course, most of the TV shows I like get cancelled and replaced by some inane reality show.  [barf]
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: WLJ on March 06, 2020, 10:20:52 AM
I think tt all started with me with Betamax. It may have started before that but that's when I first noticed.

Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: makattak on March 06, 2020, 10:28:26 AM
I see now that my adoption of 6.8SPC has all but doomed it.

Incidentally, I also seem to be drawn to ALREADY FAILED calibers. I like .35 Remington. I know no one else uses it1, but I don't care. I'd even love to get a Remington Model 8!







1: It's hyperbole. Sue me
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: WLJ on March 06, 2020, 10:31:12 AM
I see now that my adoption of 6.8SPC has all but doomed it.

Incidentally, I also seem to be drawn to ALREADY FAILED calibers. I like .35 Remington. I know no one else uses it1, but I don't care. I'd even love to get a Remington Model 8!







1: It's hyperbole. Sue me

Sometimes you just got to hang in there. Look at 10mm, it almost died and now it's enjoying a resurgence
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: grampster on March 06, 2020, 10:43:37 AM
Sometimes I have found myself as the harbinger of a new product that I desire.  I have been buying some of my clothing from The Territory Ahead catalog for many years.  Several years ago I sent an e-mail to a VP of products suggesting that their casual pants would be improved if they put a three inch elastic set up in the side of their pants allowing for a more comfortable fit.  That way, those of us of the burly persuasion would be much more comfortable in the pants they were selling us.  Since the men who can afford their products would be more likely purchase pants of that nature, it would be a good idea.

I wasn't but a few months later they announced their new type of pants and shorts;  Comfort Waist.  It has become their best seller.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: K Frame on March 06, 2020, 10:44:49 AM
Have you tried Utz cheese balls?  They come in a 35 ounce plastic barrel at Sam's Club, or a 20-something (28?) ounce barrel everywhere else.  They are very similar to Planters, and maybe better.


I grew up in Central Pennsylvania about 20 miles from Utz central.

Utz and Tastykake were the snacks of my youth.

Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: K Frame on March 06, 2020, 10:48:06 AM
I'd call the .35 Remington anything but failed.

As far as I can tell, it's been in continuous production with rifles being made for it, for nearly 115 years.

It might not be hugely popular anymore but I bet it's going to be with us for a lot longer.

But, I know what you mean... I have a deep, abiding love for the .300 Savage...
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: MechAg94 on March 06, 2020, 10:48:30 AM
I see now that my adoption of 6.8SPC has all but doomed it.

Incidentally, I also seem to be drawn to ALREADY FAILED calibers. I like .35 Remington. I know no one else uses it1, but I don't care. I'd even love to get a Remington Model 8!







1: It's hyperbole. Sue me
Academy down here still sells 6.8 and 35 Remington.  I don't think they are dead.  I have a Stag rifle in 6.8, but I don't shoot it much.

With the new Sig 277, I heard commentary hoping for more bullet designs available for 6.8 SPC.  
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: lee n. field on March 06, 2020, 10:49:13 AM
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/opinion/harbinger-failure.html

It seems economists have discovered people who consistently like and buy products that end up failing and being discontinued.

Not only that, but all their decisions are "wrong" as in not popular. AND tend to live near other harbingers.

I'd like to think I'm a harbinger, but I so rarely buy a "new!" "exciting!" product that I doubt it. Also most of the products listed sound revolting. Watermelon oreos? I barely like normal oreos. Cheetos lip balm? No thank you.

How about you? Any of you think you are a harbinger?

I do have a couple .40s, does that count?

More than once I've bought a thing somewhere in the trailing edge of its popularity.  
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Jocassee on March 06, 2020, 11:20:56 AM
I don't know if I qualify but I know a lot of people who do.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: MechAg94 on March 06, 2020, 02:27:35 PM
I do have a couple .40s, does that count?

More than once I've bought a thing somewhere in the trailing edge of its popularity.  
I guess I am way behind the curve.  I bought one of the police trade in Sig P226 pistols in 40 from AIMSurplus in Feb.  They have them under $400.  I have to say it handles that caliber better than any other pistol in 40 I have shot. 
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: lee n. field on March 06, 2020, 05:43:09 PM
I guess I am way behind the curve.  I bought one of the police trade in Sig P226 pistols in 40 from AIMSurplus in Feb.  They have them under $400.  I have to say it handles that caliber better than any other pistol in 40 I have shot. 

DA/SA has looped around to being cool again, in some circles.  So sez the Innernet.  (YMMV).

I was being facetious about .40, seeing as how the Internet Gun Social Media herd mind gets all hatey on it these days.  It does nothing less or more than it ever did.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Ben on March 06, 2020, 06:13:56 PM
DA/SA has looped around to being cool again, in some circles.  So sez the Innernet.  (YMMV).

I was being facetious about .40, seeing as how the Internet Gun Social Media herd mind gets all hatey on it these days.  It does nothing less or more than it ever did.

I'm actually starting to dig my new DA/SA, given that it has 1911 style controls.

I just consigned my G23 at my gunshop for 15% fee and store credit. We decided to try for $350 (I paid $525 for it), but they said I should expect closer to $300, because there's a ton of police trade-ins on the market for right around that price. I think it's not that .40 is more or less than what it was, it's that 9MM just got better.

I'm actually thinking of keeping my Walther PPQ in .40 now, with the hopes that like bell bottoms, the .40 may get popular again and I'll sell it then, instead of taking the big price hit now.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: lee n. field on March 06, 2020, 07:51:39 PM
I'm actually starting to dig my new DA/SA, given that it has 1911 style controls.

I just consigned my G23 at my gunshop for 15% fee and store credit. We decided to try for $350 (I paid $525 for it), but they said I should expect closer to $300, because there's a ton of police trade-ins on the market for right around that price. I think it's not that .40 is more or less than what it was, it's that 9MM just got better.

I'm actually thinking of keeping my Walther PPQ in .40 now, with the hopes that like bell bottoms, the .40 may get popular again and I'll sell it then, instead of taking the big price hit now.

The 23's the compact, right?   Local place had one on consignment last year sometime.  I was interested in it as a complement to my Gen 3 19.  I hemmed and hawed, then decided to offer $300, see if it flew.  I walked in, right as someone else was finishing dickering for it.  <sigh>
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on March 06, 2020, 08:51:47 PM
Frescetta used to make a sauce-stuffed-crust pizza.

I loved the shyt out of that, as far as frozen pizza was concerned.

Of course the cheese-stuffed-crust product line was more popular, and I shall never again see my beloved sauce stuffed crust.

Marinara is love.  Marinara is life!
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: BlueStarLizzard on March 06, 2020, 10:21:07 PM
mmmm.... Cheese balls.


Did anyone calculate in teenagers/young adults? Because I'm pretty sure the only reason I bought crystal pepsi was because "the cool kids" did it...
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: K Frame on March 07, 2020, 07:49:30 AM
I do have a couple .40s, does that count?

More than once I've bought a thing somewhere in the trailing edge of its popularity.  

My nightstand gun is a Smith & Wesson .40. I never had much interest in the cartridge, but a few years ago I came across this S&W and the price was WAY too good to pass up. I figured I'd give it a try and probably use it for trade bait, but the more I played with it, the more I liked it.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Perd Hapley on March 07, 2020, 08:57:00 AM
Quote from: Mike Irwin
...the more I played with it, the more I liked it.

(https://backtothetoons.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/beavis_and_butt_head_by_whitehosain-d5247py.png?w=900)
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Tim L on March 07, 2020, 07:08:13 PM
Lucked out this time.

They just killed the Danner Pronghorn boot. 

I  found out soon enough to grab several pair before the market noticed.  These boots WORK,  why change?

They'll be back, new name, new price $$$.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Jim147 on March 07, 2020, 07:47:51 PM
I really enjoyed that Win 3.1 but then it went away.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Andiron on March 07, 2020, 07:53:37 PM
They'll be back, new name, new price $$$.


Man I hope.  I've had probably 7 pairs of these over the years,  my feet like them. 
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Jim147 on March 07, 2020, 08:02:07 PM
When I got out of the shop wearing steel toes everyday I found some BK shoes that were so comfortable I bought another pair. When I wore those out I couldn't find them anymore even online. Sucks to be me.

ETA: and the original Winchester Silver tips.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: lee n. field on March 07, 2020, 08:49:56 PM
ETA: and the original Winchester Silver tips.

Heh!   About 20 years ago when I had my first .40, the local Walmart clearanced a bunch of social purposes .40, and I snapped it all up.  Mostly Silvertip.  Still working my way slowly through that stash.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Jim147 on March 07, 2020, 10:03:24 PM
I have four or five loaded in .270 and about 60 bullets for 30-30 to load up. Has always been a one shot stop with a silvertip
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Doggy Daddy on March 07, 2020, 10:10:19 PM
I really enjoyed that Win 3.1 but then it went away.

Hawkmoon, your new alias is already taken by someone else.  Also, I can give you a link to a Win 3.1 aficionados forum.  They have tips and hacks on making it run as the native OS on almost any current home users computer.  Sorry though, it IS behind a paywall.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Jim147 on March 07, 2020, 10:45:40 PM
I have 3.1 on floppy around here some where and. Some older stuff also just lack th Tim to play
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Doggy Daddy on March 08, 2020, 12:20:58 AM
I have 3.1 on floppy around here some where and. Some older stuff also just lack th Tim to play

 :lol:   :lol:
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: bedlamite on March 08, 2020, 12:29:16 AM
I have 3.1 on floppy around here some where and. Some older stuff also just lack th Tim to play

Pretty sure I have NT3.51, but I'm not sure if all those floppies will still work after 25 years.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: WLJ on March 08, 2020, 10:41:05 AM
I have 3.1 on floppy around here some where and. Some older stuff also just lack th Tim to play

1, 2, 3.0, 3.1
You can actually run them in dosbox though workable mouse drivers are a PITA in 1.0.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: WLJ on March 08, 2020, 10:48:35 AM
Pretty sure I have NT3.51, but I'm not sure if all those floppies will still work after 25 years.

My 3.0 & 3.1 3 1/2 floppies still work fine
1 & 2 were on 5.25s but I had copied all my old floppies to a HDD and then a flash drive long time ago.

Check your old CDs, many older CDs may have rotted by now.

 
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: Ben on March 08, 2020, 10:51:13 AM
1, 2, 3.0, 3.1
You can actually run them in dosbox.

Are they available for free anywhere? It'd be kinda fun to install win 3.1 in dosbox to play around with just for the nostalgia.
Title: Re: Are you a Harbinger?
Post by: WLJ on March 08, 2020, 10:54:14 AM
Are they available for free anywhere? It'd be kinda fun to install win 3.1 in dosbox to play around with just for the nostalgia.

I am not responsible for any possible malware/virus from such sites

https://winworldpc.com/library/operating-systems