Geekfoolery’s Timeless Products of Real Quality
Welcome to the first in a continuing series that celebrates the classics… stuff that could well have been passed down from grandfather to father to son, things that purchased today are virtually indistinguishable from the same item purchased 50 years ago, designs that haven’t changed because they got it so damn right the first time. Some of these items have been produced by the same manufacturers for generations, some of them are simply designs that are in the public domain.
GFTPoRQ #1: The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star.
Size 13, low top, black or white. There was a shoe store in my old hometown that once had a going-out-of-business sale and I picked up several pairs for $5 each. If I were smarter, I would have bought a dozen or more pairs and I would have been set for life, or at least a very long time. Like cockroaches, these sneakers walked the earth long before there were “running shoes” and “cross trainers” and “air gel insoles” and “pumps” and other such nonsense, and I believe that the Converse All-Star, like the cockroach, will outlive the god-awful moonboots that pass for footwear today.
In my youth, All-Stars were simply sneakers, a function they serve admirably today, but you can also wear them as a fashion statement in nearly any occasion. If one must, one can indulge one’s coarser impulses with Converse’s selection of gaudy fashion styles, but I think this is unwise. I maintain the preference for either black or white, though I concede one can get away with other solid colors as well, and then the only consideration is high-top or low-top. This footwear goes equally well with jeans and t-shirt as it does with a tuxedo, depending on the occasion. I’d have gotten married in a pair except for the unreasonable objections of my wife.
There may even be cause for runners, who are the primary market for the running shoes that in some cases cost more than a second-hand car, to take another look at the simple Converse All-Star instead of the high-tech marvels that are available today. According to this article, high-tech running shoes may actually be causing injuries rather than preventing them. The author recommends that runners “consider switching to a lightweight shoe that provides less cushioning and no arch support.” Converse All-Stars are not mentioned by name, but hey, if the shoe fits…
Let me know what your Timeless Products of Real Quality are.
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[…] Original post by Mr. Alex […]
Dear Mr. Alex,
While I don’t know if it’s a product of real quality, the Coke bottle is definitely timeless — at least up to now — ;-). Both the shape of the bottle and the logo let you know immediately what it is. And I also love “foreign variants†on the original. When I was in Japan and Korea I was really happy to find bottles in the native scripts. I didn’t have to ask people, “Is this the Japanese/Korean word for ‘Coke’?†Even though I couldn’t read the scripts, the bottle answered the question.
You go on to say that Converse All-Stars are good for you; the same probably can’t be said for the contents of the Coke bottle. Nevertheless, when I drink Coke, I KNOW I’m drinking crap. While people who drink so called “sports drinks†or “energy drinks†are deluding themselves into thinking that they are drinking something that’s good (or better) for them. However, if you look at the contents and nutritional requirements of most “sports drinks,†they’re drinking crap, too. Plus, I’ve heard that the “energy drinks†don’t have any more caffeine than Coke, so they probably don’t give you much more of a “rush†than Coke. (However, unlike, say alcohol, the caffeine content isn’t listed, so you can’t really compare them.)
Sincerely,
Mr. Monkey
Dear Mr. Alex,
This is an addendum to yesterday’s comment. If my grandfather had passed down a bottle of Coke to me, there would have been one obvious difference in the contents: cocaine. While there was never as much cocaine as urban legends would have one believe, it seems that it WAS a little more stimulating than today’s caffeinated version. My grandmother told me a story (which may or may not be apocryphal): “I was selling Coke at a booth one summer, and a man came by and told me, ‘Don’t drink too much of that. It’ll cook ya.’ â€
Sincerely,
Mr. Monkey
Mutual Funds and Market Research…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…