I should have a hole for your head, too, so you can walk around the house. And it shouldn't be so long. And it should be a poncho or some normal item of clothing.
Hmm . . . that product is advertised in the NY/NJ media market as The Snuggie.
It's a fine idea, and probably genuinely useful. The only problem is the $44.95 price, which automatically makes anyone who owns one a tool. Because, you know, it's just a damn blanket that someone's run through a sewing machine. And not an especially nice blanket at that. But if they were $14.95, your smug condescension would ring hollow.
And it's also the "Snuggie" on commercials up here in Boston.
And, while "Snuggie" and "Slanket" are both awful, "Slanket" is definitely worse.
Yeah at that price it is probably beyond the reach of it's natural market: the homeless.
2: In the LA, too. In fact, I had several semi-serious conversations with loved ones just this weekend about the Snuggie, and the possibility of gifting said loved ones with same this holiday season. Do you know that if you call the toll-free number advertised on local LA stations, you can get two for the low price of 19.99?* And that they will throw in two free clip-on book lights?
*Shipping and handling not included of course. I assume that their handling charge will be astronomical.
I wish the Snuggie had two more cuffs on the opposite end, for one's feet. I suppose I'll have to wait for the next generation.
Better yet, two pockets for one's feet. To keep them extra warm.
The first comment at DCist mentions SkyMall, which to me puts the Slanket firmly into the douchebag apparel category. The only possible upside is that idiots might turn the heat way down in order to justify the use of this stupid, stupid thing, and that would be good.
The Snuggie is $28 for one or $36 for two. ($8 handling charge, buy one get one for just extra handling, plus you get a booklight with each.) I suspect the fabric on the Snuggie is crap.
Yeah at that price it is probably beyond the reach of it's natural market: the homeless professional bloggers.
To me, they appear to be nothing short of the end of the human race -- who's ever going to get laid wearing a Slanket?
It's always nice being reminded of the immense advantage in finding sexual satisfaction one has by having no shame about this sort of thing. (Admittedly, the Slanket is ridiculous. But if people let ridiculousness get in the way of getting laid, I'd never have gotten any.)
who's ever going to get laid wearing a Slanket?
Are you suggesting the need for another hole in it?
I propose a latex pocket, in lieu of another hole. You don't want to let the heat escape.
Slankets are the first step on the path to furrydom.
Oh yeah, those things --- I've only ever seen them in SkyMall catalogs, which I have been looking at rather too much this year because of too much flying. I think of them not so much as douchebag apparel as a Sign You Are Turning Into A Crazy Old Person. There are two other bits of clothing that I remember from airplane magazines. First, the PJs with reversed writing on them so you can look in the mirror and see positive messages about how wonderful and lovable you are (these are aimed at desperately unhappy fat 30-something women). And then the amazing posture-enhancing shoe that puts a spring in your step, improves your spinal alignment and, just coincidentally, and noted only three or four paragraphs into the pitch, makes you appear three inches taller (angry little short guys of the world, rejoice).
Then there are the matchmaking services for Busy Executives.
I don't actually understand the name -- it's what + blanket?
If you click through to Sommer's post, you'll see that the Snuggie and Slanket are indeed two different products.
I think 16 has it right. It's like if you crossed a furry with a Jedi outfit.
SkyMall
I learned this weekend that my landlord is on their mailing list. I didn't realize they sent them out. I don't know what level of toolishness this implies - after the incident where ordering a TV table put me on the list for five or six catalogs for old people, I'm wary of assuming that marketing-list demographers know what they're doing.
I'm guessing sleeve + blanket. But Tom noted that it sounds more like a misogynistic Elizabethan epithet.
re: 3
And we are back to the UK/US divide again. I'd consider the equivalent of $45 USD bloody cheap for a blanket.
We tried to find a reasonably warm blanket that could be thrown over our bed and couldn't find anything for under $150 USD or equivalent.
19: what's different about them? Combining 7 and 19, I'm wondering if the Snuggie is the cheap knock-off Slanket? (And I wonder how the knock-off got the better name?)
18: Snuggle, I'm guessing.
Will we all look like Little Nemo?
I'd consider the equivalent of $45 USD bloody cheap for a blanket.
For a decent blanket, yes, but not for a goddamn piece of flannel.
22. Americans hate it when the slaves in overseas textile plants demand money.
Okay, I take back all the nice things I said before:
One subzero night in 1998 during my first semester of college I could not escape Maine's winter bite. While watching Late Night with Conan O'Brien I decided I needed to tear a hole in my sleeping bag so I could keep my upper body warm as I channel surfed during the commercial breaks. During Christmas vacation I commissioned the first Slanket to be made by my mother...and it was born.
Everyone behind the The Slanket is on the same level when it comes to life. Besides creating a product to make people comfortable and warm, our life goals are not to accumulate mansions, SUV's, expensive watches and closets just for shoes. What we want in life is to travel the world and experience all its cultures while representing humanity positively. Whether surfing in Costa Rica, snowboarding in Austria, or studying language in South America and China, we love to spread our sleeves and let them flap in the wind, giving back in the process. BUT... there is nothing like coming home, wrapping up in THE SLANKET on your own couch and feeling the warmth of your friends and family.
what you are + what it is =
slob + blanket
It's obviously Slate + junket, people. Or perhaps slain + kismet. Watch your backs!
Asking "who's going to get laid in one of these?" seems like the wrong question. Like a bathrobe, the answer is both "anybody, given a sufficient domestic situation" and "almost nobody except Hef". It's not apparel, exactly, it's a blanket with extra capabilities. Asking if it's going to get you laid is like pointing out that a reading pillow is not proper attire for the opera.
Why not just wear a goddamn sweater?
Also, in the interest of full disclosure, what I wear around the Flophouse in the winter to stay warm in lieu of a Slanket is a free hoodie that I got from Blogger many years back. Which is pretty dorky, but not Slanket dorky.
Also I'd like a straw that runs from my bag of chips to my mouth.
It does seem kind of cozy to me, in a "I'm a human bean bag!" kinda way. "Cats curl up on me and purr."
32: Because then what's going to cover your legs, smart guy? Not all of us are so fancy as to constantly wear pants, Mr. Fancypants.
I conceive of the use case for this product as: you're sitting up in bed, reading or on the phone or whatever, and that means your arms are outside the blanket, and maybe your torso is too. Brr!
Not that you'd be walking around in it. In that case, why not just buy a goddamn robe?
BUT... there is nothing like coming home, wrapping up in THE SLANKET on your own couch and feeling the warmth of your friends and family.
The fight over the armholes would be entertaining, if nothing else.
35: I think Ben meant to put your legs through the sleeves.
In that case, why not just buy a goddamn robe?
And for that matter, it's just a robe turned hospital-gown style, no? I guess minus the scratchy tag.
why not just buy a goddamn robe?
I like the slanket, but this isn't a bad question. In the wintertime, I rely on my thick, pimpin house robe. To be fair, I think it was more expensive than a slanket.
Wait, am I really the only one here who thinks this product fills a clear need? I curl up under blankets a lot, and with a standard blanket having your arms free means having them uncovered, i.e. cold. Not to mention your upper chest and neck.
I wouldn't buy one, but not because they don't seem useful.
I curl up under blankets a lot, and with a standard blanket having your arms free means having them uncovered, i.e. cold. Not to mention your upper chest and neck.
Wear A Sweater.
I looooove robes. Much better than a Slanket is a nice cotton or microfiber robe lined in terry.
Remember the Unix design philosophy, Brock.
I like to think that all those models on the slanket page were complete nude underneath.
A robe does not cover your feet. And might be too constraining for certain activities.
Much better than a Slanket is a nice cotton or microfiber robe lined in terry.
I bet you wouldn't be ashamed to be seen wearing one, too.
A robe does not cover your feet.
You're mixing up your use cases now. Wear Slippers, then.
41: Have you gained any weight back yet? That's probably why you're cold all the time. Have a sandwich.
And listen to Ben and Becks. Clothing for the arms and torso is a problem that was solved centuries before the Slanket came along.
Now, this product is a lot longer than a robe. A robe on a couch leaves your tootsies out. I'm with Brock. I'm up for dressing as a human Beanie Baby. Except it's not that cold here and I get up and down far too often so it'd actually drive me nuts. But I like the idea.
A Slanket is nothing but a particular and novel variety of robe, you luddites. Loving one and hating the other is silly.
Ok, change all the robe recommendations to "wear a good robe".
Luddites: opposing advances in bioengineering and textiles since 1900.
i think this is about being naked yet warm and not rude
obviously if you're wearing clothes you're warm but not naked -- but as the phrase "i sleep naked" proves, being covered by a blanket is different from wearing clothes
this is a blanket you can wear and still be naked at all times, anywhere (so is an actual blanket but they require advanced toga skills to -- for example -- make yrself a mug of horlicks while wearing)
THERE'S NOTHING LIKE SHELTERING IN THE BODY CAVITY OF A FRESHLY SLAUGHTERED CARIBOU.
Dear god:
Slanket ProposalMy boyfriend and I have been talking about getting Slankets for weeks, but hadn't yet bought them. I came home on Saturday, and he said he got us early Valentine's Day presents- Slankets! He had his on, and gave me mine. Turns out, he had had his mother sew pockets into mine, and inside the pocket was an engagement ring... He asked, and I said yes! Proposal via Slanket... what could be better?!
Jessica
Boston
if gollum had worn a slanket all the unpleasantness could have been avoided
Better than a Snuggie would be a union suit or footie pajamas.
42: While a sweater may be more appropriate for the bed use case, it should be clear that attempts to establish sweater/blanket equivalency are wrongheaded. I posit that coziness can be expressed as a function of the volume of warm air surrounding the body in an otherwise cold environment, such that ordinary movement does not result in the loss of heat. This is perhaps best illustrated by reminding the discussants of how their mean parents used to saw "put on a sweater" instead of turning up the thermostat, and how it totally wasn't the same at all.
The sweater works, but maintains a relatively small pocket of warmth close to the body. This is less satisfying for reasons that, I will admit, have yet to be fully expressed scientifically. It's also more encumbering.
The blanket, by comparison, allows for a full-body warm air pocket to be created, maximizing coziness. The slanket seems to be an attempt to preserve that advantage while adding sleeves to aid in magazine perusal, Xbox manipulation, self-defense, etc.
while adding sleeves to aid in magazine perusal, Xbox manipulation, self-defense, writing blog comments mocking Slankets, etc.
As a kid I used to walk around wrapped in just a blanket. I've since had nightmares that I went to work like this. I don't want to think about Slankets.
NB- the opening on a Slanket is in the back, on a normal robe it's in the front. The analogy to hospital gowns is more apt.
I read 57 as a letter to God from Jessica in Boston.
Better than a Snuggie would be a union suit or footie pajamas.
No boy toy is Mina Loy!
It's also more encumbering.
What kind of sweaters do you wear? Note, too, that the Slanket, by attempting to be all things to all people, is as to the sleeves little more than an incompetent sweater. I would have thought that you of all people, Tom, would appreciate the reminder in 44.
!!!
Why not just wear a flannel dress?!
Dear Jessica,
Have you considered wearing a sweater while living in sin?
Yours truly,
God
I want something approximating a Slanket, but that I apply via aerosol can.
Have you experimented with that spray stuff you can fill your tire with if you have a flat? I'd bet it's fairly warm. Take pictures and report back.
How cold do people actually keep their homes in the winter? I suppose it's different for me since a large apartment building never actually gets all that cold, but even in the dead of winter I'll only let the temperature in my place fall to the mid-to-high 60s when I'm normally home (I have it go down to the 50s at night and while I'm at work). Those are the same temperatures where I happily wear jeans and a t-shirt all fall and spring. Even when I'm tired and feeling chilly, my comfy hoodie or a sweatshirt feels like overkill after an hour or two. Do these people who wear slankets just not have heating? Or have they never heard of retiring to a smaller bedroom/study and using a space heater for the late evening?
67: That would be handy, for when you're competing on Double Dare on Nickelodeon.
what happens if you use that spray stuff to fill your slanket? you can't do that with a sweater or a dress
I think everyone is objecting to the ham-fisted marketing, and suffering from deep shame that they desire an item so clunkily marketed. It's also okay to own a hot dog cooker and a ped-egg.
I love the copy on the Ronco site. It's just like the TV ads!
Set Includes:
Save Today by purchasing the 12 cans of GLH for the price of 10;
But Wait...There's More! You will also save on Shipping and Handling.
Great. First I'm informed that I'm a dork for wearing pleated pants, and now I'm told that my Slanket is terminally uncool as well.
Screw you guys - I love my Slanket.
I'm not sure whether there's a difference in fabric between the Slanket and the Snuggie, but there is a difference in size. The Slanket is 60x95, and the Snuggie is 48x71
74: Does your sweater remove foot callouses or cook your hot dog with a touch of a button? Mm-hmm.
First I'm informed that I'm a dork for wearing pleated pants
Wait, when did that happen? Because that's just wrong.
A slanket sounds like a cross between a slut, a skank, and a strumpet.
78: The wearing of pleated pants or the judgment that doing so is for dorks?
64: I guess it depends what part of the Unix design philosophy you're referring to, but the "do one thing, do it well" precept can be counted in the slanket's favor, I think: rather than trying to keep me somewhat warmed in a variety of situations and positions (like the well-meaning but overgeneralized sweater), the slanket only wants to keep me warm -- but perfectly so -- while I'm on the couch.
Or is your objection that the slanket doesn't accept text streams through STDIN?
It's not only "do one thing, do it well", but also "little tools that combine". If you want to be kept warm on the couch, we already have a way to do that, and it involves a conventional blanket and a conventional sweater.
"Well-meaning but overgeneralized sweater" is a slander, of course; it would be like calling grep "overgeneralized" because you can search for a variety of patterns.
While the rest of you are passing judgment on me for my pleated pants and my Slanket, I'm passing judgment on 79 for its quadruple violation of the use-mention distinction.
Wear Slippers, then.
On the couch? What kind of decadent West Coast hedonism is this?
I wish the Snuggie had two more cuffs on the opposite end, for one's feet.
This product exists, more or less. It's in all the dowdier catalogues - basically a long, loose nightgown with cuffs at the bottom, so the freedom of the nightgown without the riding up.
60: establish sweater/blanket equivalency are wrongheaded
Absolutely. Tom is all over it.
This is really trying to fill the robe niche. My most successful robe has been a closely-woven full length Bedouin robe ( a jallabiya?). Had that walk around in a blanket (a light one) feel and surprisingly warm for its thinness.
What kind of decadent West Coast hedonism is this?
A kind of middling kind, actually.
My ex-husband had something like this, only it was made of fake fur, with the fur side inside. It enabled him to stay warm whilst painting in a New England winter, without having to wear bulky clothing. [Our power regularly went out, so our heat came from two fireplaces - not all that effective in a house that was, literally, the size of a barn, having been one in a previous incarnation.]
I put on my Slanket and wizard hat.
Cocksucker.
Composing 90 made me think, in light of last week's ultra-navel gazing thread about past greatness, that it's possible that a contributing factor to the perceived decline in wit around here is the house style for quoting. I think it's correct and necessary (due to speed of posting), but it takes something out of a one word, quick retort to have to quote the referent.
Of course, there the actual culprit is the ridiculous # of comment[er]s, but it's where you can see it manifest.
Or not.
/meta
This thing is just a half (or whole) assed variation on the night dress. The latter covers your rear too.
I just found the nuddle blanket, which is a Slanket made out of fancier fabric and AN OUTER HAND POUCH.
This is really trying to fill the robe niche.
Which reminds me: WTF is up with robes without full length sleeves? Why would I ever want to cover my wet body but not my wet forearms? Why would I ever want to cover my cold body but not my cold forearms? Why would I want dangly sleeves hanging from my elbows like some sort of damsel getup?
This is what we furriners call a "poorly blanket". When you are suffering from man flu, or equivalent levels of debility, your s/o wraps you up in one of these and leaves you to watch daytime television until you can't stand your own smell any longer and plead to shower and go back to work.
The idea of it as a fashion item does not compute.
I'm so glad someone has mentioned the Snuggie, so that I can watch the commercial again and revel in their Harry Potter glory. When you see the family gathered around the table in their Snuggies, do they not look like they're part of a coven? about to go to a Quidditch match? For serious, y'all, I cannot get over how wizard-y they look, all in matching burgundy robes.
All I can think about is how my back and ass are going to freeze the minute I stand up. Don't they know that a woman's ass is the coldest part of her body? I guess they assume you're sitting on it the whole time.
First, the PJs with reversed writing on them so you can look in the mirror and see positive messages about how wonderful and lovable you are (these are aimed at desperately unhappy fat 30-something women).
I resemble that remark, kinda. My favourite t-shirt ever was a black one with reversed silver writing saying "You look good today" (made by Esprit, IIRC). I was 31 at the time and not particularly fat (about a UK size 14) or unhappy.
Don't they know that a woman's ass is the coldest part of her body?
Fascinating.
that nuddle one's fabric looks suspiciously like mine
it gives off a lot of fibers, everything covered with loose fibers, very disapponting, i was to buy just nice kilted one, but was deceived by seeming cozyness of this one
and fleece fabrics attract a lot of hair ime
WTF is up with robes without full length sleeves? Why would I ever want to cover my wet body but not my wet forearms?
Maybe you're trying to show off your muscular arms?
More importantly: I maintain that robes are contraindicated by wetness, except, perhaps, in situations where the ambient heat is jacked really high. Either way, all of a sudden we're talking about garments selected for their absorbency rather than their warmth. And although there may be overlap with the slanket as both relate to invalids, this still seems likely to lead to confusion.
House quoting style is particularly arduous when commenting from an iPhone.
burkas provide full-body warmth, even covering the back.
98: She's right, but you have to be careful about how and when you offer to warm them.
94: my stepmother likes those because she usually cooks breakfast in her robe and doesn't want the loose and dangling sleeves interfering.
When you are suffering from man flu
You mean Manx flu, I assume.
Maybe you're trying to show off your muscular arms?
"The chicks dig my slanket because it highlights my pipes."
a woman's ass is the coldest part of her body?
I thought it was the hottest part?
I don't like the slanket/snuggie, but if I did have one I think I would want it to have sleeves that weren't so damn open. How's that supposed to keep you warm?
You pack the sleeves with ground beef, M/tch.
It's also okay to own a hot dog cooker and a ped-egg.
Oh my God. I was watching TV this weekend with my mom when this commercial comes on. The woman in the ad finishes egging her peds and dumps like a half cup of parmesan cheese out of the reservoir. I nearly threw up.
I just found the nuddle blanket, which is a Slanket made out of fancier fabric and AN OUTER HAND POUCH.
I can't tell whether the all-caps here are meant to indicate desirability or obnoxiousness. On the one hand, I can't imagine why an outer hand pouch would be obnoxious. On the other hand, if Becks' only problem with the Skanklet is that it isn't prissy enough for her, well...
Thanks, Becks! Mrs. Chopper will be getting a Nuddle for Christmas. And a new fleece hoodie to replace her old one that she's worn every winter day for the last three years.
And Ben, etc. She already wears sweaters--she still needs a damn blanket at all times on the couch for optimal comfort.
a ped-egg
Is this like a cosy sleeping bag designed for you and the eight year old you just abducted?
shiv used to have a blanket that had a pouch sewn in one end that would serve as a place to stuff the rest of the blanket for easy storage and as a way to keep one's feet warm (when unrolled.) That was useful.
The Slanket strikes me as ridiculous, if only because one of the virtues of a blanket is that it can be easily tossed aside when one gets up.
How cold do people actually keep their homes in the winter?
If possible (this is Texas) we keep the house at 65. I keep this computerroom/study at under 60. It has a North window open when I'm there, so when the winds are right...
I am under these hand-knitted afghans right now, two of them. With all the "decorative" holes, layering creates air pockets that are very warm. I like cold but cozy, and I have always liked weight and texture when I sleep.
I want 4-sleeved slankets for the dogs. 1 pink & 1 blue.
104: - A friend of mine is recovering from third degree burns due to clothing catching fire while cooking. Loose shirt + gas stove = very, very bad. His prospects are good for a full recovery, but it's going to be a painful process.
32: Why not just wear a goddamn sweater?
Indeed. My first thought on reading the post was: Huh. Last week when I did the farm pickup, the farmer (who's a friend) took one look at me in my sweater and said, "You look like you're wearing a blanket." And for sure, the sweater kind of looks like a blanket. Warmest, most comforting thing in the world, used to be my dad's, and maybe a little ragged, but I defy anyone to say anything. Except for Matt the farmer, who just made me smile.
Oh. I've just looked at the photo of the slanket. Nothing like a sweater. Monk's cowl. You'd just end up dipping the edges of the sleeves into your mug of tea or cocoa or what have you.
As far as the open sleeves, my impression from the commercial I saw last night is that the Snuggie has less flare in the sleeves than the slanket.
I thought "Do one thing, do it well" was the design philosophy for GMC trucks.
Oh, you people scorn the ped-egg, but you do not know how much more efficiently it works than a pumice stone. So smooth and lustrous are the feet that are the final product of the ped-egg's ministrations that even those who can afford real pedicures weep in envy.
The parmesan cheese part is extremely gross, though. I don't look.
Trouble in Ped-Egg infomercial land?
Bed temp is an issue for us.
I like it cold. Brandi likes it hot. She would love this horrible thing.
And the coldest part of a woman's body is not her ass but her feet. Although a nice cool booty is very nice.
I am covere4d in cats who are456 sitting on the key7board. Wamr but inefficient.
69: even in the dead of winter I'll only let the temperature in my place fall to the mid-to-high 60s when I'm normally home
62 to 64 when up and about at home. 60 overnight. 66 if I'm just really chilly or about to take a shower.
Since the heat doesn't work in my drafty old house, in the winter it's in the mid-50s or whatever.
And the coldest part of a woman's body is not her ass but her feet.
Down-filled booties! The Biophysicist bought me some for Xmas one year - and even in sunny/smoky SoCal, there are times when they are indispensable.
126: Maybe you should try wearing a sweater.
Maybe you should try wearing a sweater.
IYKWIM.
126: Maybe you should try wearing a sweater.
Eh, it's not for me.
Here the apartment is usually 75 degrees, unless it's really cold out, and then it's about 65. We have no control over the heat in the building, and the radiators are a bit nuts.
You mean Manx flu, I assume.
No. Manx flu is when you freeze your tail off.
Or unexpectedly find yourself growing a third leg.
Down-filled booties!
Make your feet sweat, though, no? I had a pair for exactly one winter years ago, after which it was clear that they'd become a bit .. sweaty.
And see, I feel guilty for my 64-degree house. Someone recently boggled at this news and declared that 58 is as high as his household is willing to go. Well, for god's sake, I'd have to be wearing gloves in the house at that point, I think; or at least I'd be cooking like a madwoman in order to warm the house up.
he's got the manx flu iykwim laydeeez
134: I throw them into the wash fairly regularly, so they don't smell like old gym socks. They're cotton, so there isn't much sweating going on anyway, because they breathe.
Completely OT: Anyone here have any experience w/puzzle games, on Wii? If so, any recommendations? The Biophysicist has to do a secret santa thing at work and the only clue to what this person might like is that he enjoys puzzle games.
Someone recently boggled at this news and declared that 58 is as high as his household is willing to go.
That person doesn't understand that modern-day insulating technology is designed to bring us somewhere above the wolves-huddling-in-an-underground-den level of existence.
Since the heat doesn't work in my drafty old house, in the winter it's in the mid-50s or whatever.
Shorter w-lfs-n: I don't even have heat.
the only clue to what this person might like is that he enjoys puzzle games.
I suggest you ask James Shearer.
OT: Peter Singer has answered Michael Berube's post about what can be expected of young people with Down syndrome. Berube to audience:
Well, Singer wrote to me to say that my reply to this passage suggests that he is wrong about Down syndrome, whereas in fact it takes more than a couple of exceptional children here and there to challenge the general rule. After all, the passage speaks of expectations, and although people do win the lottery now and again, it would be unreasonable to buy a lottery ticket and expect to win. Professor Singer then asked me to direct him to some evidence that would indicate that Jamie is not anomalous--and, he said, this is not an idle challenge: if he is mistaken about Down syndrome, he will correct himself in the future.
[...] I think it's important to go public with arguments about what we can and can't expect from people with Down syndrome, because those expectations play such a large role in debates over prenatal testing, reproductive rights, and "selective" abortion.
And his second reply to Singer:
[...] I do think "we cannot expect a child with Down syndrome to chat with us about the latest Woody Allen film" instates a distinctly Upper West Side-y performance criterion, and is worth critiquing on those grounds alone. More seriously, I note that in the 1920s we were told that people with Down syndrome were incapable of learning to speak; in the 1970s, we were told that people with Down syndrome were incapable of learning how to read. OK, so now the rationale for seeing these people as somewhat less than human is their likely comprehension of Woody Allen films. Twenty years from now we'll be hearing "sure, they get Woody Allen, but only his early comedies--they completely fail to appreciate the breakthrough of Interiors."
137: He doesn't have a choice with respect to insulation: he doesn't own the home. And I guess they've made the decision that heating oil is awfully expensive.
And I guess they've made the decision that heating oil is awfully expensive.
Ben rents from the heating oil cartel?
my heating is periodic, in the evening it's cool, around 4-5-6 am it's stifling, dries my skin and nose, so i have to drink a lot of water in the morning and keep water in the bowl to evaporate, need to buy the vaporizer
but anyhow spring usually comes just when i'm about to buy it
duality, whenever i go
Anyone here have any experience w/puzzle games, on Wii? If so, any recommendations? The Biophysicist has to do a secret santa thing at work and the only clue to what this person might like is that he enjoys puzzle games.
Hmmm. Boom Blox was a lot of fun (find puzzle-y ways to blow up towers and knock down stacks of blocks), but relatively simple. World of Goo is a game where you have gooballs that make webs and you have to build towers and bridges; it's available on the Wii, but I think only as a download, and I'm not sure whether the game could be given. But if you could, it's pretty cool and about $15. de Blob isn't really a puzzle game, but it's awesome (bounce around as a blob and paint a city colors in timed challenges.) I'm not sure whether any of the Mercury Meltdown titles are available for the Wii, but they're all a lot of fun (roll a ball of mercury through mazes.)
For me the difference between 60 degrees and 63 degrees is huge. 63 degrees is fine, 60 degrees makes me want to go to any other building in the world to avoid the depression induced by being in my own home and unable to get comfortable in any way. But that difference costs a lot sometimes.
This all sounds bizarrely cold to me. I don't actually know what temperature our apartment usually is, we don't control the radiators. But I think there's an NYC regulation that a landlord must keep interior temperatures over 65 or so.
It's 68° between 6 am and 10 pm, 55° at night.
Interesting. Massachusetts says 68F during daytime (7am-11pm) and 64F at night, from mid-September to mid-June, and that it can't get any hotter than 78F (105 CMR 410.201)
(I thought the regulation said "must be capable of", but it doesn't. Does that imply that the landlord should prevent the tenant from moving the thermostat below that?)
Nah. I would read that reg as saying that if the tenant has control of a thermostat that would get the temperature up to what's required, the landlord has 'provided' the requisite heat.
I imagined that it only applies to situations wehre the tenant doesn't have a thermostat.
I think that Ned has some kind of agglomerative disorder.
Like fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva of the pseudonym.
In a cold house, a very hot bath in the morning keeps you comfortable for most of the day.
Running hot water over your wrists is also surprisingly effective, as is baking cookies all the time, and leaning on the stove as they bake. I lived in a very cold apartment in Chicago one year.
154: So true. Plus bathrooms are nice and tiny, perfectly amenable to a small space heater. On a really cold day, after a nice hot bath or shower, you'll never want to leave.
136: Zack & Wiki is now hard to find in stores due to its being a dismal commercial failure, but it's frequently cited by critics as one of the best Wii games out there. And yeah, it's a puzzle game.
I've got it and like it, but haven't been compelled to finish it. But then, I'm basically a stupid and violent person, and so have spent my videogame time playing Halo 3 instead.
I suggest eBay for picking up Z&W. Looks like it can be had for $15-20.
Running hot water over your wrists is also surprisingly effective
Armpits are even better.
Also, long underwear and warm socks.
as is baking cookies all the time
Yeah. Or making roasted vegetables in the oven, or making, say, curried sweet potato soup (involves boiling water!)
The comfort level of these heating temperatures is also a function of the type of heating you have: in my house, it's forced hot air (oh yuck), which means the sudden blowing of exceedingly warm air for 10 minutes every time the heat kicks in. It's unpleasant, drying. It's stupid, truth be told. And it actually means I'd rather have the heat kicking in less often. When it's below freezing out, you get this absurd cycle of Hot Air Blowing! then damn it's getting chilly in here! then Hot Air Blowing! then damn, chilly.
Stupid. Radiant floor heating is the best, not that many houses can afford it. (Mmmmm, my last house had this, and between that and the terra cotta tiles in the kitchen, it was fab.)
In a cold house, a very hot bath in the morning keeps you comfortable for most of the day.
Provided you don't go outside.
Also, long underwear and warm socks
Not sure why you'd want to get those wet, John.
Don't these things have hoods? And why do they open in the back? That's so wrong. They should just pull on over your head. And they should always be black and come with a complimentary scythe.
158: Is that the one where they make a porno?
The Slanket is the very bottom of our culture as a species.
My apartment is supposed to be 68 degrees right now? Jesus.
I'm wearing a sweater, warm socks, slippers AND a blanket. And I'm still cold.
But I'd rather be cold than wear a Slanket.
Wherever you are, you'll feel warmer if you've had a very hot bath that morning.
I suggest eBay for picking up Z&W.
For ttaM, way upthread there, I suggest eBay for picking up wool blankets; you can often find plenty of high-quality vintage Pendletons for cheap. I recently scored one custom made years ago for the Shriners, which is mostly standard-issue Pendleton Native Americanish except for a big sword-crescent-and-star Shriners logo in the center. Totally cool—yet totally warm!
176: I figured it was an indication she was getting blotto in the grotto.
me 'n borko gotta snorto in the porto.
I suppose "porto" could be slang for a type of mushroom, too. In which case: UR DOIN IT RONG.
I figured it was an indication of pretension.
"Snort port" was infelicitous, ben. You've been unkind to me lately.
And yet, "snort port" is felicitous. Very Anglo. The English have called it "port" for ages.
One alternative would have been to say "snort sherry". It wouldn't have been true, but there are worse things.
185: the estranged lover of a mournful Steve Perry, if memory serves
I have been giving this a lot of thought:
slacker + blanket
183: That's a jihad blanket, Jesus.
186: Thanks ever so much, KR, for sticking that music inside my brain.
189 -- If you come out tonight to Frankie Valli's twist party, you'll be cured of that affliction.
It's also okay to own a hot dog cooker and a ped-egg.
I was tempted to buy a ped egg, but I reined myself in because I'd already bought a diamancel file which is marketed very differently and is really overpriced. It does work pretty well though. I have found that keeping my feet in decent shape requires a multi-pronged approach.
I was looking for an online version of Ray Charles singing it. Couldn't find it, but I did find this. Put on your slanket for this one, folks.
Go to 1:27 of this Forbes segment on the Slanket if you want to make Beefo Meaty cry.
Aha! I finally figured out what the Slanket reminds me of - it's a proto-Thneed.
Completely OT: Anyone here have any experience w/puzzle games, on Wii?
I'd definitely second World of Goo and Zack & Wiki. They're truly joyous games.
As for the subject of the thread, I'd love one of these things, provided the fabric was comfortable. Indeed, I "invented" them in my head long ago, except with the foot pockets mentioned by several posters.