Regardless of what anyone can think about the actual product, I find it remarkable how the author managed to get such resonance in the media.
It might be the name, it might be that the subject matter generates strong opinions in people, but in terms of generating buzz and getting attention it has been quite a success.
I agree. Especially since he isn't the first. None other than Scott Adams of Dilbert fame marketed a burrito with the exact same goals a while back. Combined with water it was to be a complete food source with first adopters potentially techs who didn't want to bother with food. The name (no joke): "Dilberito". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilberito
Personally, I'm slightly surprised that it's proving to be so popular. Making and eating awesome food is a great joy in life; why would you try to work around that? Interesting concept, nevertheless.
I think Michael Pollan described it well when he said food in America was undergoing a process of 'nutrification', i.e., breaking it down into its nutrients, and trying to create supplements with those nutrients.
The studies in the book, though, say that we haven't yet cracked the code. I.e., taking the equivalent of one apple's nutrients isn't the same as eating an apple. The reasons weren't quite known yet. I read the book a long while back, so my recollection may be spotty.
I read that in the case of C vitamin, for instance, the body simply doesn't recognise it as C vitamin when it doesn't come directly from fruit. Just ignores it and passes it onto urine.
A nootropicist friend I have suggested that C vitamin only works in combination with Magnesium supplements ... etc. It gets pretty complicated. I'd rather just eat a stupid piece of fruit. It's tasty, efficient, and awesome. Why complicate things with dystopian future pills?
I've been struck by the decades-long change "health food stores" have made from raw bulk fresh/dried produce to endless rows of little white plastic bottles.
I can't find anywhere what it's actually made of (not on the campaign page either). And none of the people listed in the company has any training regarding food or medicine. #slightlyworried
Other than that, could be awesome. You could just have a cup with you all day and drink some whenever you feel hungry.
Hmmm so this and a combination of my anti-depressants should make for a real treat. I don't see how food is so fundamental to enjoyment.
Regardless, the man behind this admits it's not about completely removing the traditional meal but rather removing the time spent in trying to find a nutritional meal. So meals become more about enjoying food, the textures, the smell and the company rather than worrying whether that $30 lunch is going to be enough to satiate your hunger and nutritional requirements.
What's the shelf life of the beta product? And what's the expected shelf life of the released final product, in the correct packaging?
Are they going to sell it as a monthly subscription, delivering each week as individually bagged days? Or do they deliver a huge box of the stuff?
The World Food Program has a Specialized Nutritious Foods Factsheet, and that lists shelf life as 12 or 24 months. (One product, Wawa Mum, is listed at 6 months.)
I'm still strongly against the way it's being sold at the moment. Other people on HN have said that they enjoyed the idea of Soylent when it was self-experimentation.
As Kurtz79 say, they've done a remarkable job of generating media buzz about something that is not new or disruptive or innovative. I'd be interested to see what they could do with a real product.
I still don't buy into this being a real product. Everything about it is far too generic and uniformed. "It comes in a large unmarked baggy". Really? No. This can't be true.
Is anyone else suspicious about the amount of money that they raised in their first day (around $130k)? The company's crowdfunding site doesn't let you see who contributed to its campaign and that's a lot of money to raise in one day.
How is this different / better than any other shake-based diet powder?
Edt: As my wife just put it, "It sounds like guys are too insecure to drink Slim-Fast, so the idea is being re-branded to be more manly. Like the Axe of diet shakes."
It's not a cheap diet-oriented meal replacement (little more than protein, sugar, and vitamin mix) intended to provide satiating filler with minimal meaningful content but still requiring "a sensible meal". It's a serious attempt at providing EVERYTHING a body needs, including hard-to-manage micronutrients.
The article fails to mention how much product is in the bag you get (weight) and it's kcal/day ratio. The bag looks really small in the picture...
Also, think about how much you will hate the flavor after a while. Anyone who ever bought cherry flavored protein powder by mistake will know what I'm talking about. Have fun forcing the stuff down your throat the 10th or 20th time. I going to eat my steak an laugh at you.
That said I would be really interested to use the product on expeditions IF it provides a significant advantage.
So - how is this superior to a load of sugar(s), whey protein and a micronutrients supplement?
Wow. The marketers have done a good job to get such an insipid product so much attention in diverse media outlets. Meanwhile, there are probably dozens of more substantial products failing because their creators don't know how to sling bullshit. #FailuresOfCapitalism.
[+] [-] angersock|12 years ago|reply
Wait wait wait.
Is there a chance, however fleeting, that a chunk of the Register's staff could come down with food poisoning, or be hospitalized for malnutrition?
Maybe 2013 isn't so bad after all.
[+] [-] Kurtz79|12 years ago|reply
It might be the name, it might be that the subject matter generates strong opinions in people, but in terms of generating buzz and getting attention it has been quite a success.
[+] [-] sopooneo|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danielbarla|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sheri|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Swizec|12 years ago|reply
A nootropicist friend I have suggested that C vitamin only works in combination with Magnesium supplements ... etc. It gets pretty complicated. I'd rather just eat a stupid piece of fruit. It's tasty, efficient, and awesome. Why complicate things with dystopian future pills?
[+] [-] ctdonath|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jaachan|12 years ago|reply
Other than that, could be awesome. You could just have a cup with you all day and drink some whenever you feel hungry.
Question then remains, why isn't it green?
[+] [-] DanBC|12 years ago|reply
There are existing alternatives if you want to try liquid feeds but want rigorously tested QAd product from existing reputable manufacturers.
Or Soylent, but be aware that it's fun self-experimentation.
Here's one of my (grumpy) posts listing alternatives (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5876219)
[+] [-] sp332|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rickyc091|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] StavrosK|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ctdonath|12 years ago|reply
Because it's not made of people.
[+] [-] venomsnake|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] navs|12 years ago|reply
Regardless, the man behind this admits it's not about completely removing the traditional meal but rather removing the time spent in trying to find a nutritional meal. So meals become more about enjoying food, the textures, the smell and the company rather than worrying whether that $30 lunch is going to be enough to satiate your hunger and nutritional requirements.
[+] [-] bestdayever|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DanBC|12 years ago|reply
What's the shelf life of the beta product? And what's the expected shelf life of the released final product, in the correct packaging?
Are they going to sell it as a monthly subscription, delivering each week as individually bagged days? Or do they deliver a huge box of the stuff?
The World Food Program has a Specialized Nutritious Foods Factsheet, and that lists shelf life as 12 or 24 months. (One product, Wawa Mum, is listed at 6 months.)
(http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/co...)
I'm still strongly against the way it's being sold at the moment. Other people on HN have said that they enjoyed the idea of Soylent when it was self-experimentation.
As Kurtz79 say, they've done a remarkable job of generating media buzz about something that is not new or disruptive or innovative. I'd be interested to see what they could do with a real product.
[+] [-] namwen|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DanBC|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dhgisme|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] raldi|12 years ago|reply
Edt: As my wife just put it, "It sounds like guys are too insecure to drink Slim-Fast, so the idea is being re-branded to be more manly. Like the Axe of diet shakes."
[+] [-] ctdonath|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] riams|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] einhverfr|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Kilo-byte|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] n3rdy|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rfvtgb123|12 years ago|reply
That said I would be really interested to use the product on expeditions IF it provides a significant advantage. So - how is this superior to a load of sugar(s), whey protein and a micronutrients supplement?
[+] [-] NathanRice|12 years ago|reply