# What Goods or Services Would You Buy That are Not Currently Available? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634 "2008-04-24T02:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/41 "2008-04-30T13:29:10Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] A combination mini-car/van; i.e., a little two seater for commuting that could be quickly and easily attached to a van or pickup-truck back end. I beed a little car 90% of the time, but occasionally I need something bigger. Why have two cars? [/QUOTE] I saw a concept car almost exactly like this at the Chicago Auto Show in (I think) the early 80s. I don’t remember whose display it was, but I remember chatting with the representative about how it was just what my wife and I needed; a small car for local driving and a large vehicle to haul the books we sold at conventions. I’m also with **Priceguy** and **tdn** ; I’m a very tactile person and I love touching and being touched, but that sort of thing is generally seen only as a type of foreplay. Maybe we could open a chain of “touch and scratch parlors” where you can get your back scratched and your hair and skin stroked. We could even have tickling for **EmAnJ**. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/42 "2008-04-30T14:05:40Z")
I checked the Yotel, but it is still 53 dollars for a 6 hour nap. Would that be worth keeping your eyes open a little longer to you? I’ve stayed in Formule 1 hotels in France, and while a tad depressing, they are very good for the purpose. They are extra cheap if you stay with 3 persons in a room. They are almost completely automated, and, as **Colophon** mentioned, their cheap location on ring roads makes them even cheaper. Holland has another idea for “modern” hotels that fit Ianzin’s bill: [Qubic hotels.](http://www.qbichotels.com/) But those are innercity hotels. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/43 "2008-04-30T14:14:11Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] I checked the Yotel, but it is still 53 dollars for a 6 hour nap. Would that be worth keeping your eyes open a little longer to you? [/QUOTE] 53 dollars? Pfft. That’s less than 30 quid in real money. I can pretty much guarantee that in six hours awake at Gatwick or Heathrow I would spend more than 30 quid. A couple of coffees, maybe a pint and a pizza… purely out of boredom rather than hunger. Then a magazine, perhaps - at airport prices, it’s cheaper to sleep! ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/44 "2008-04-30T14:20:16Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] A bathtub designed along the lines of a [chaise longue.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaise_longue) IOW, one you can stretch out in at full length without (1) bending your knees or (2) risking drowning if you fall asleep. [/QUOTE] Have you looked into a slipper tub? They’re a little more upright than a chaise lounge, but otherwise meet your criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/45 "2008-04-30T19:10:54Z")
A straight razor shave. Sure there are some specialty shops in larger cities where you can have it done, but the days of being able to just go to the corner barber and get one are gone. One of the things I miss about being stationed in Turkey. I could get a killer shave and haircut there. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/46 "2008-04-30T20:28:29Z")
A box with battery(s) and auto voltage that I plug in at the wall. Power supply charges batteries and various DC output voltage plug-ins For: Computer Printers Scanner Speakers External hard drives Other devices etc. Thin power cords to various powered devices. Gives me a brownout, blackout, surge protected power supply. Eliminates one/two howling fans at the computer. Don’t need a dozen different power blocks/transformers wasting energy. Should be a quality device unlike some of the power cubes that heat up to searing temperatures that I unplug each time out of fear. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/47 "2008-04-30T20:59:33Z")
[QUOTE=smithsb] A box with battery(s) and auto voltage that I plug in at the wall. Power supply charges batteries and various DC output voltage plug-ins For: Computer Printers Scanner Speakers External hard drives Other devices etc. Thin power cords to various powered devices. Gives me a brownout, blackout, surge protected power supply. Eliminates one/two howling fans at the computer. Don’t need a dozen different power blocks/transformers wasting energy. Should be a quality device unlike some of the power cubes that heat up to searing temperatures that I unplug each time out of fear. [/QUOTE] DC power has greater loss than AC when run for a distance. I’m with you, though, getting rid of power supplies, wall warts, etc. would make life much easier. There is also not a great deal of care being put on low-end power supplies to make sure they are efficient: people buy them strictly on cost (mea culpa). Standarding voltages and plugs would be a nice start. I heard from a colleague that a typical computer may have half a dozen different voltages used internally for fans, disks, CPU, chipset, LEDs, memory, IO busses, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/48 "2008-04-30T22:58:39Z")
A sturdy plastic box to store spare AA batteries in while traveling, keeping them reliably insulated from the rest of the backpack/bag contents, with individual storage positions that can be mechanically flagged as “used/needs recharging”. As it is I take a blister pack or two of batteries with me, and once I remove the first battery the rest fall out soon, leaving a mess of batteries of unknown charge status in my pack/baggage that may even short themselves over any metal items if I am unlucky. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/49 "2008-05-01T20:20:53Z")
[QUOTE=Atrael] A straight razor shave. Sure there are some specialty shops in larger cities where you can have it done, but the days of being able to just go to the corner barber and get one are gone. One of the things I miss about being stationed in Turkey. I could get a killer shave and haircut there. [/QUOTE] Head out to some smaller towns in your area, and look for barbers. They guy in my town does them, and I am willing to bet the older barbers still have the ability. Failing that, you could always go over to [straightrazorplace.com](http://straightrazorplace.com) and see if any of them are local to you, and want to make a quick buck… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Shot\_Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_Clock)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/50 "2008-05-02T13:44:12Z")
Man, I wish somebody would start making **Buc-Wheats** cereal again. The day I hit the number, I’m buying that formula and a cereal factory. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/51 "2008-05-02T14:09:57Z")
[QUOTE=tschild] A sturdy plastic box to store spare AA batteries in while traveling, keeping them reliably insulated from the rest of the backpack/bag contents, with individual storage positions that can be mechanically flagged as “used/needs recharging”. As it is I take a blister pack or two of batteries with me, and once I remove the first battery the rest fall out soon, leaving a mess of batteries of unknown charge status in my pack/baggage that may even short themselves over any metal items if I am unlucky. [/QUOTE] I have a couple of little plastic holders that came with rechargeable batteries, so they’re out there. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634/52 "2008-05-02T19:03:54Z")
Wi-fi style electricity. Rather than plug in your laptop at Starbucks, library, hotel lobby, poolside, etc… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-goods-or-services-would-you-buy-that-are-not-currently-available/446634.md?page=2)