Even if it was free, opening an app to get water is bullshit.
Edit: Let the record show, I was referring to the chilled water.
It clearly says that you can push the button to get water.
It “clearly” says, “USE APP TO ACCESS”, so no, you can’t just push the button. It has to verify your subscription first.
It only requires the app for chilled and filtered. The regular tap water is still available.
@ch00f@lemmy.world said, “Even if it was free…” which implies he’s talking specifically about the paid button on the right and not the free button on the left.
The implication being even if the chilled and filtered water was also free, having to open an app for the button to work would be bullshit.
Meh, he says, “opening an app to get water.” I think there’s some fudging going on here.
Water is available with no app.
Certain processed water is offered with an app.
If this was downtown or at parks I can kinda see them providing something. Knowing this is likely at a university library or building its just removing access that was already there.
Fuck that. If it’s downtown or at a park the fucking municipality can afford $1.99/mo
We need more public facilities. This privatization bullshit can kick rocks
The heart of what you’re saying is right, but it isn’t 1.99, it’s 1.99x whatever their expected ussage/power/maintenance metrics are.
No, it’s just was the usage/power/maintenance is. It’s not $1.99 times anything. $1.99 doesn’t enter into it anywhere. $1.99 was made up out of the whole cloth.
Right this is what I really mean. It’s a trivial cost in the grand scheme of things for a municipality to provide public drinking fountains. This shouldn’t be outsourced to a for profit private enterprise.
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=(specific+heat+of+water)*12.8K*(1+gallon+*+water+density)
200kjoules of heat must be removed from a gallon of water to cool from 55F to 32F (out of the ground down to pleasant drinking temperature).
Assuming a COP of 2 for your compressor (conservative), that’s 100kjoules or 1/36 of a kWh.
High price for a kWh of electricity is $0.25 in the US. So for your $2 subscription, you can pay for 8kWh per month or enough to cool 288 gallons of water or roughly 9 gallons per day. More than anybody would rightly use.
What a fucking ripoff.
Not to mention that, in a place like a public park, 55F water is totally fine. It isn’t the coolest most refreshing drink of all time but it’s damn good from a public fountain on a 90F day.
You’re also paying for the installation of a refrigeration system right at the point where you want water.
it’s* just removing access
No it’s providing new access. Used to be, you had to take refrigerated water. Now you can have room temperature water which is superior because you can actually just drink it instead of having to sip it ultra slow.
I’m not going to hate the company for trying, but if you’re a building admin using these instead of Oasis or Elkay fill stations you’re a huge fucking asshole.
But with all the money they’re saving, they’ll be able to renovate the admin building for the first time in two years, or have a nice dinner for the big donors, or give even more money to the football team.
Edit: assuming this is a uni. If not: won’t someone please think of the investors?
I feel that the majority of innovation occuring in modern capitalism is confined to two key areas:
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Regulatory capture and market control.
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New ways to mindfuck people into overpaying for goods and services.
The entire country has incentivized its top minds to developing ad tech bullshit. Like literally our astrophysicists are working at Stitch Fix instead of doing astrophysics.
I help setup ad placement TVs for resort style businesses.
Studied theoretical astrophysics and astro xenobiology as a double advanced major…
My boss used to brag he managed to get the astronaut in his team so, I am useful for facts and puzzles.
God I hate my existence.
So like video games, cars, slap bracelets, chicken fries, winnebegos, movies, music, none of that’s “innovation” under capitalism? Just the antisocial types? Nobody’s come up with anything interesting under capitalism?
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Is it still a thing? The website doesn’t go anywhere and I can’t find the app. All I can actually find are a few articles talking about how ridiculous it is to have a $2 subscription service on water fountains.
All I could find were articles from 2017 and I haven’t heard of it before, so I’m gonna say it’s not a thing any more.
Oh that’s funny. I still see these things installed in some buildings but it’s not like I ever saw anyone bother with the “premium water” but also now sodastream is getting in on it for I think a higher cost actually…
Ugh. Please let this whole concept of selling tap water die.
I found this indiegogo link from 7 years ago which gives a little more background. Its not quite as horrible as the picture suggests, I think.
There’s some FAQ and Comments that give some background, like this one:
Rier Esor 7 years ago I’ve been asked by a few people: why do we need reefill water stations when there are water fountains around NYC (if you look hard enough!) and we >all have tap water at home? What’s my best answer?
Patrick Connorton 7 years ago PROJECT OWNER We’re also working with New York City and the Port Authority to map free public bottle filling stations around town – these are usually in or near >parks but, unfortunately, need to be off six months a year to avoid freezing and can be challenging to maintain. Reefill is a natural complement to >these fountains, filling in the gaps in parts of town where it is impractical or cost-prohibitive to install a water fountain.
So it doesn’t sound like these were replacing existing free water fountains, but instead offering free (and paid) water in places never offered before by generating revenue from the paid water to support the installation of any water (including new free water) in places that had none before.
It also looks like the project died in 2019.
Here’s something that could be provided for free. Instead of innovating, I’m going to invent a shit version of this thing, give you free access to that, and then charge for the original version.
Cooling and filtering water is hardly free, nor is the added maintenance. I don’t know the context here but it may be something the building should be paying for.
Both probably give the same exact water at the same temp.
Oh yeah, Steve called the manufacturer about that, and they’re supposed to be sending someone out this month. Maybe next. Our deepest apologies for the inconvenience.
No, the system won’t allow us to discount or refund.
That’s my favourite line, “I’m sorry we can’t do that because of how our system works.”
“But you’re ripping me off and that’s illegal.”
“I’m sorry, the system won’t allow me to refund you.”
“So you’re admitting that your company built a system that rips people off and breaks the law as a matter of policy? You realise that’s worse, right?”
It’s just finger pointing to avoid liability.
“Oh no, that’s not our fault! It’s these guys who did it, so talk to them!”
Jokes on you; I torrent my water!
I stream it
A torrent of water, if you will.
And plenty of leachers.
I am not often in favour of shooting people.
For legal reasons this concludes my statement.
Would genuinely break this on sight
This product is going to fail.
Why are people trying to justify this, the city can put in chilled water taps like those Elkay ones for super cheap. Then when shitty businesses like these go under, you aren’t left with a useless machine with no other water source nearby. Relying on private entities for basic things like this is just objectively a bad idea if it can be at all avoided.
I would rather take the tap water than trust the maintenance of whatever filter they put in there.
No Google Play or App Store?
Oh, I’m so sorry, no fresh water for you.
