Thread Of The Day

Here is a forum thread that has been active for over three and a half years. Ten posts per page and 178 pages long and growing. I wonder what the record is for longest forum thread?

http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/latteart/121020?LastView=1226457431&Page=1

The coffee lovers at  the CoffeeGeek.com forums are showing off their latte art.

Latte Art

Pretty cool. I’ll have to learn how to do this and practice with the new espresso machine I got from woot.com.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I have to mention woot.com again because right now they are in the middle of a Woot-Off. During this special time, they sell a limited amount of one item. When it sells out, they quickly move on to the next item. So during a Woot-Off, they may sell dozens of different products in a day or two instead of the normal one item per day.

The most coveted item for Woot fanatics is “Random Crap”, a.k.a. “Bag of Crap”.

Woot Bag Of Crap

Wooters who order the random crap do not know what they will be getting, but each crap order cost only $1 plus $5 shipping. It is best to order the maximum of three, because shipping is still only $5. Most items in this potluck package are not very exciting, but usually worth more than what you pay. Sometimes much more.

Thousands of Woot members eagerly wait for the rare “Random Crap” sell. The instant woot.com lists it, their servers are overwhelmed. Only a small percentage of members are able to make it through the ordering process. The rest all come to this thread to complain.

http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=2685943

The main reason I am writing about this is because I have tried several times in the last couple years to get my hands on these bags of crap. I could never get past the “server busy” screens. Today, somehow, I finally succeeded. I actually was able to order three of them. Most people who were lucky enough to order today’s crap are reporting they could only get one. You can see my post in the thread as “allnicksgone”.

I can’t wait to see what I get. Stay tuned. I will post an update here at ThreadOfTheDay.com when it arrives. Woot, if you read this blog, I’m not picky, but I sure could use a big, flat panel t.v., and a surround sound system, and a printer.

Hmm, I sound like a little kid writing a letter to Santa Claus. That’s what woot will do to you. Make you a kid again.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Woot.com is a whimsical deal-a-day website. Every day, they sell only one product. At midnight, they move on to the next item. The majority of the products are electronics, but they can be anything. I have seen pens, pistachios, vacuum cleaners, wine, 65 inch tvs. Whatever the item, it is always a great deal and shipping is a flat $5 no matter how big or small the product.

Most days I pass on whatever they are selling, but still go back every day to read the write up of today’s product. They are always hilarious. Their writers are brilliant.

I have bought a few items there and have been very satisfied with my purchases. Recently, Woot was offering a nice looking Breville 800ESXL espresso machine. Williams-Sonoma and Bed Bath & Beyond sell it for $400. It gets good reviews on Amazon.com where the best price is $380. Woot’s price was only $150 so I jumped on it.

The reason I bring this up here on ThreadOfTheDay.com is because each product does have it’s own forum thread. This is only the second time I have highlighted a forum I participate in. The first was “Isla Mujeres Dolphin Rescue“.

It turns out this great deal is turning out to be a bust. Many of the espresso machines are being reported as defective, including mine. Lots of them have a weird problem where the internal pump continuously directs water to the excess water tray that sits under your coffee cup on the machine, completely bypassing your coffee grounds. This has caused quite a few flooded kitchen counters as the pump can kick on even when the power is off.

Here is a link to the thread. Since it is a long one, I skipped ahead to when people’s machines begin arriving and they report the condition of their espresso makers.  There is a very high percentage of members with defects. What a mess.

http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=2608562&PageIndex=7&ReplyCount=373#post2621223

Despite this hiccup, I will probably continue to use woot.com. I am sure they will get this straightened out somehow. Also Breville seems like a good company and have promised new machines to those who called them, including myself. I hope everything works out. Stay tuned.

Popularity: 17% [?]