tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post6012031961358682214..comments2023-11-03T11:32:01.540+00:00Comments on Thought Experiments : The Blog: Starbucks and the Tragedy of the CommonsBryan Appleyardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276787058430388582noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-13797112977094002372008-05-28T02:03:00.000+00:002008-05-28T02:03:00.000+00:00Battery for 942RV 312-7209 DELL Inspiron 2000/2100...<A HREF="http://www.batterylaptoppower.com/dell/Battery-for-942RV-312-7209-DELL-Inspiron-2000-2100-2800.htm" REL="nofollow">Battery for 942RV 312-7209 DELL Inspiron 2000/2100/2800</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.batterylaptoppower.com/dell/Battery-for-DELL-312-0191-312-0309-315-0084-3R305.htm" REL="nofollow">Battery for DELL 312-0191 312-0309 315-0084 3R305</A><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-49647662660215746582007-05-02T21:54:00.000+00:002007-05-02T21:54:00.000+00:00Tea, anyone?Tea, anyone?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-28846722504150527102007-05-02T20:35:00.000+00:002007-05-02T20:35:00.000+00:00One of my small pleasures in life is to walk into ...One of my small pleasures in life is to walk into Starbucks (almost always mostly empty in our town) and order a "Large coffee." It didn't translate that well in a Cafe Nero the other week.<BR/><BR/>Bryan: You know, of course, that this post and the one just below it are the same post. This is not, though, actually a tragedy of the commons because the seats and tables at Starbucks are not heldDavidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16902329503560660425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-11738093556570478062007-05-02T19:39:00.000+00:002007-05-02T19:39:00.000+00:00Three cheers for the missus!Three cheers for the missus!Frank Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18410473158808750903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-6669782498389577212007-05-02T19:18:00.000+00:002007-05-02T19:18:00.000+00:00Susan BYes, I live in Minnesota. Also there is fie...Susan B<BR/><BR/>Yes, I live in Minnesota. Also there is fierce competition here between Starbucks and Minneapolis based Caribou Coffee. We may have the highest per-capita supply of coffee houses in the states.Duckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08852569465893563139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-81182874828757478212007-05-02T18:51:00.000+00:002007-05-02T18:51:00.000+00:00Well, coffee certainly brought everyone out, didn'...Well, coffee certainly brought everyone out, didn't it?<BR/><BR/>And I don't believe there are any Starbucks in Italy, by the way. A considered decision apparently - nobody is going to teach an Italian anything about making coffee!<BR/><BR/>And no, I don't go so far as to transport my machine there - just find I can now make a better cup at home.I Beatricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671136605194399080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-81961537097489946362007-05-02T18:20:00.000+00:002007-05-02T18:20:00.000+00:00I don't have a spare hour so can't read these comm...I don't have a spare hour so can't read these comments, so forgive me if someone has already written this:<BR/>Your wife sounds just like you, Brian.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-67679841273691466082007-05-02T17:38:00.000+00:002007-05-02T17:38:00.000+00:00Duck, if you've never seen a Starbucks without a s...Duck, if you've never seen a Starbucks without a seat, you must live somewhere remote...like Minnesota. Indeed, I think that *is* where you live.<BR/><BR/>Last Starbucks where I sat for awhile was the one on the top floor of the Barnes & Noble next to Lincoln Center, NYC. There were no tables available, long lines for the brew, and lots of people sitting on the floor. We ultimately got a table, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-70308294992676428232007-05-02T17:10:00.000+00:002007-05-02T17:10:00.000+00:00"The problem is: how do they relieve their custome..."The problem is: how do they relieve their customers of the illusion that they own the joint without compromising th"eir laid-back, corporate style? <BR/><BR/>I would have the educated workforce explain to the troublesome customers the tenets of capitalism:<BR/><BR/>Capitalism <BR/> <BR/>An economic and political system characterized by a free market for goods and services and private control Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-70848621798425770932007-05-02T16:11:00.000+00:002007-05-02T16:11:00.000+00:00also, for those anxious not to get blood on their ...also, for those anxious not to get blood on their clothes, i've found calling people 'pal' has an oddly chilling effect. For example, "I'm not moving," isn't anywhere near as effective as "I'm not moving, pal."<BR/><BR/>i think it's the 21st Century equivalent of a neanderthal hunting roar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-44276662416431619542007-05-02T15:25:00.000+00:002007-05-02T15:25:00.000+00:00I have to admit that this hasn't been a problem at...I have to admit that this hasn't been a problem at any Starbucks that I have been to but the solution is very simple. "Fuck you" goes a long way in these situations. "That table is being held for someone." "Fuck you." "You can't sit there, we are having a meeting." "Fuck you." As soon as enough people take this attitude then rudeness will end. And before anyone says anything, "Fuck you" in Tom P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05638283790763940692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-48126082621076970672007-05-02T15:19:00.000+00:002007-05-02T15:19:00.000+00:00I'm with recusant in that here decent coffee is t...I'm with recusant in that here decent coffee is to be translated as not Nescafe. However as one of the eminent Controllers of flickering remote-controlled happy happy people, I have to say I'm all in favour of the plastic homogenisation of the planet in the form of all these McStarbucks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-18258871378111019592007-05-02T15:18:00.000+00:002007-05-02T15:18:00.000+00:00I know a well placed "accident" say a Latte tipped...I know a well placed "accident" say a Latte tipped over the laptop does wonders to ease the sitting arrangements.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-61308270132711540122007-05-02T15:12:00.000+00:002007-05-02T15:12:00.000+00:00Beatrice, Peter Burnet et al - Shame on you for cl...Beatrice, Peter Burnet et al - Shame on you for claiming that Starbucks, and all the other 'Coffee Bars', actually sells a drink that can be described as coffee. An Italian would choke on his Ristretto to hear it so described.<BR/><BR/>They are simply purveyors of hot milky drinks with coffee flavouring. Meanwhile they are committing two egregious sins:<BR/><BR/>-Making people believe that this Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-12454351463082097012007-05-02T15:10:00.000+00:002007-05-02T15:10:00.000+00:00the Starbucks coffee i've had is awful, i much pre...the Starbucks coffee i've had is awful, i much prefer Nero's if you're going with big chains; though Starfuck's blueberry cheesecake is good.<BR/><BR/>your wife has moxie: she just needs weaponry and the right can-do Charles Bronson attitude, to sort these yuppy scum out.<BR/><BR/>for these kind of group encounters, a flamethrower is really ideal, or a building-clearance weapon like a Heckler & Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-25027152712435162242007-05-02T14:54:00.000+00:002007-05-02T14:54:00.000+00:00Bryan,I am heartened that you have finally come ar...Bryan,<BR/>I am heartened that you have finally come around to the utility of firearms, if only jokingly. These signs of discontent in Blighty are just more evidence to the contrary of Brit's contention that the English are a <A HREF="http://thinkofengland.blogspot.com/search?q=bunch+of+poofs" REL="nofollow">reasonable people</A>. I've never encountered such behavior in America. I haven't ever Duckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08852569465893563139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-56705791573547602652007-05-02T14:29:00.000+00:002007-05-02T14:29:00.000+00:00You could add, the ad hoc poetry meetings. They ar...You could add, the ad hoc poetry meetings. They are a bit like amateur drama, life in ones own hands. The vision of a lever arch bulging with the latest version of an Iliad is a truly terrifying encounter when all that's needed is caffeine. I'm with you on the gunfire. In these situations, left bank in a pigs eye, West bank !. Don't get me wrong I'm all for the public Arts. Though, I like to Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442327549417743472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-20906307759758260842007-05-02T14:14:00.000+00:002007-05-02T14:14:00.000+00:00top marks to your wife, who's obviously no pushove...top marks to your wife, who's obviously no pushover -- what a pity the table-hoggers were so obtuse, but it seem some people are incapable of feeling shamed. A friend of mine, when heavily pregnant, had need of a seat in a tube carriage and no one offered her one until a rough-looking young guy standing at the other end of the carriage called out,'If I had a seat, I'd give it up for you, love!'David Mackinderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01418303910448201961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-36397235284914169552007-05-02T13:55:00.000+00:002007-05-02T13:55:00.000+00:00I hate Starbucks coffee (tastes burned), but I do ...I hate Starbucks coffee (tastes burned), but I do like the fact that they're everywhere and hence one can hang out in them while waiting for people or events.<BR/><BR/>Your wife's approach was perfect. I've done the same thing, or close to it. I've discovered the phrase "Excuse me" can be used more aggressively than one might think. As in, "excuse me, are you using this chair?" for the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-59883980272616101432007-05-02T13:29:00.000+00:002007-05-02T13:29:00.000+00:00Beatrice, I agree the coffee is great--it's the cu...Beatrice, I agree the coffee is great--it's the culture of the place I can't abide. I believe James 1 closed London's coffee shops because he saw them as dens of subversion and treason. Would that we had something so exciting. All I ever see are know-nothing beautiful people with Volvos and Beemers parked outside who like to put on intensely serious looks and spout drivel like "we shouldn't be Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-8383851408955777142007-05-02T13:22:00.000+00:002007-05-02T13:22:00.000+00:00Are you implying, Beatrice, that you take the mach...Are you implying, Beatrice, that you take the machine in question into Starbucks? A bold move indeed.Bryan Appleyardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08276787058430388582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-60566781404622702442007-05-02T13:12:00.000+00:002007-05-02T13:12:00.000+00:00Oh, but what you have perhaps forgotten, Peter Bur...Oh, but what you have perhaps forgotten, Peter Burnet, is that it wasn't possible to get a decent cup of coffee anywhere in Britain, before Starbucks came along!<BR/><BR/>My own solution to the seating problem is to invest in a Nespresso Krups coffee machine. Or rather, get your richer son to give you one for Christmas. I have had many a coffee-maker in my life, but this one is absolutely I Beatricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671136605194399080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-32704216323936866092007-05-02T13:03:00.000+00:002007-05-02T13:03:00.000+00:00I think it was Kingsley Amis who once said everyth...I think it was Kingsley Amis who once said everything wrong with the modern world could be summed up in one word: <I>workshop</I>. My vote for the 21st century would be <I>Starbucks</I>.<BR/><BR/>But the end of civilization as we know it may be forestalled as long as there are people like your wife around.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-29734910267710798622007-05-02T12:44:00.000+00:002007-05-02T12:44:00.000+00:00As usual, you pinpoint the problem perceptively an...As usual, you pinpoint the problem perceptively and accurately - it is a tragedy of the commons situation. And there's no solution, because as with pubs (and perhaps some blogs?), regulars have the power and occasional passer-by have none.<BR/><BR/>Similarly, four-seater tables on trains have become desks for laptops and conference calls. And the Quiet Carriage has become the Mobile Users vs Brithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00390560583798960760noreply@blogger.com