what is this world coming to???

[starman]

People are buying air cannons for $400 that some guy made for $30.

The value of the parts put into something isn't necessarily the sum value of the final product. It's also the time invested in engineering and building the things...that counts too. If you sell lots of them, you're probably paying a guy to come over and build ordered units or parts of them...you have to pay him, you have to pay to advertise, you have to pay the website guy, you have to pay taxes, someone has to answer the phone, you have to pay everyone it seems....and YOU have to put food on your table!!

That's why I can see a well constructed cannon going for at least $400, if not more. I sold 2 of my noise cannon knock offs for $300 each...and that was the discounted "friend rate"...



I also have a good bit more than $30 into each of these cannons. It's the market that prices things...if someone is willing to pay it, that's what the price is! Capitalism at its finest...

BTW, I'm not advertising here. These were one time deals.

[FishBoy]

I know, but these were crappy sprinkler valve guns with either unsuported barrels or barrels so long and akward it looked like the valve would just break in half if you sneezed at it.

However, I could see a gun like those above going ofr $400

[SP00K]

Plenty of people nowadays would rather buy something than build it. Many people also have no idea how to use basic tools, and would build something extremely dangerous. If they don't recognize that a spudgun can be made for $20, then they probably shouldn't be spudding in the first place.

Ahh, lazy American economy at its finest. Lol, I guess that's true. I can see my neighbors glancing at one of my guns, and running to the lumber yard in an attempt to build their own.

It's because some people don't have the time or resources to learn and construct something like that. You don't realize that most random people (adults included) would have no real idea where to start or how to make everything work. Even if they had an all day class on it, chances are they wouldn't quite get everything to thread correctly or to measure out correctly and work, it would be like shop class with a bunch of sub par products from inexperienced workers.

Prime example - A company decides they want something to shoot T-shirts for an event. They look around, find a T-shirt launcher for $400. If they have the budget of any decent sized company, that would be no big deal to purchase. They get something premade, safe (hopefully), reliable and with instructions. If something doesn't work, they (hopefully) have someone to contact.

It's the same as asking "why would anyone buy a Dell PC when you can build a better one for cheaper?!". Most people know no better or don't have the time/resources to do it on their own, they just want a finished product with instructions.

That's probably the only way I'd ever buy a cannon for four hundred-some dollars. The computer quote really showed me.

[starman]

The computer quote really showed me.

That was true at one time. However, today there's no way you can buy new parts off the shelf (I'm talking about gaming level equipment) and build a computer that's cheaper than a typical Dell...especially considering the time you'll put in to building it, buying Windows and software for it and maintaining it yourself. Your off-the-shelf one may be a somewhat better performer, but it won't be cheaper. The off-the-shelf costs only start getting better once you hit the top of the line XPS models. Even then the costs are roughly even.

Building that hot gaming system is not the cheap way out.

[Xxplosive42o]

Ah, well that 30$ quote earlier is HIGHLY unlikely. With 30$ you'd be lucky to build a simple cannon with a flint igniter. To build a nice advanced you should be looking at around 100-200$. That’s when you break it down part by part and include tax and the epoxy needed etc. I'm currently working on a cannon that has put me about 300$ in the hole and I'm still adding more to it. In any event, some people don’t want to waste the time to plan, shop, build. Therefore, a 400$ cannon isn't unreasonable if you concider the process.

Cheers!

[TurboSuper]

Heh, did you know, that litre for litre, HP inkjet cartridges cost more than human blood?

[Hydra]

Yeah, Our world is going to become lazy, ignorant, stupid, is going rely too much on technology and become arrogant soon.

Heh, did you know, that litre for litre, HP inkjet cartridges cost more than human blood? Wink

Thats really sad
Really sad

Alot of people on this website would probably like to go on Instructables.com

[SP00K]

Building that hot gaming system is not the cheap way out.

True, but somewhere along the way, there's probably a situation or example where we could be seen by some other groups of people as lazy, stupid, and ignorant.

Alot of people on this website would probably like to go on Instructables.com

Not really sure what that had to do with anything but...I LOVE
that site! I used to go to rotteneggs, but I've pretty much seen all the files on there pertenant to my discression. Rotteneggs used to be cool, but all it is is a smaller version of instructables.

[jitup]

My computer is the balls and I only put $600 into it. It can kill any xps machine. (not derect x 10 I am a hard core xp fan) my comp was built to be a music production workstation, therefore I need a top performer comp. I have dual monitors aswell. (I know it is easy to due and not a big deal, but I think it is cool)

also if I could sell basic air cannons for $400 I would do it in a heart beat.

[starman]

My computer is the balls and I only put $600 into it. It can kill any xps machine. (not derect x 10 I am a hard core xp fan) my comp was built to be a music production workstation, therefore I need a top performer comp. I have dual monitors aswell. (I know it is easy to due and not a big deal, but I think it is cool)

Prices have dropped lately on some parts especially memory, 4GB <$50, amazing. However, a decent motherboard and processor is going to run you in the $350-400 range, graphics card $100, Power supply $100, Hard drive, $100, DVD burner $50, Case $100, Windows XP $200 and this isn't even the high end stuff....and you still have to buy your dual monitors.

You've got to count all your costs.

[Ragnarok]

You think that's bad?

You clearly have no idea how scientifically inept some people are.

Here's a nice example for you. A woman finds a rainbow in the water pattern coming from her sprinkler. To any sensible person, this is nothing - light refraction.

This woman? Blames the government for it, because rainbows were never this low to the ground before, so they must have put something in the water, or the air, or the ground. (Even once blaming "metallic oxide salts"... sorry, what?)

Don't believe me? Here's a nice youtube video (sorry, I couldn't find the original, this is a repost under a "epic fail" type title)

[youtube][/youtube]

[MrCrowley]

I have a feeling that's faked, like half the other 'fail' videos.

'Failblog' even posted a video, that was purposely an Australian comedy sketch, and called it 'explanation fail' or something.

[FishBoy]

Actually, that's real, I remember seeing it when it was first released. there was a lot of news stories on it.

[Sticky_Tape]

LOL she thinks the govenmment is putting stuff in the water she is right they do just not stuff that is mean't to make rainbows wtf ''we as a nation need to ask ourselves what the hell is going on THERE IS A RAINBOW IN MY SPRINKLER!?!? WHY TH F*** IS THERE A RAINBOW IN MY SPRINKLER!?!?'' It's funny how so many people think they know everything that is related to science and will not except any exsplaination other than their own.

[MrCrowley]

Actually, that's real, I remember seeing it when it was first released. there was a lot of news stories on it.

I don't trust the news either. They have a thing for not checking the reliability of most stories and blowing things out of proportion.

For example, the New York Times publishes phony letter from Mayor of Paris.

There was also a letter to an editor awhile back in some American newspaper written from the perspective of a fundamentalist Christian when infact it was an Atheist organization mocking Christianity. It was similar to the video above in which the person appeared to have no knowledge of basic science and in this case history also.

I have also experienced first hand how the media will say anything to get more readers. A teenager killed himself earlier this year, he used to go to my school. So the media instead portrayed that he was still a student of my school instead of saying he was expelled. (Asked not to return the following year for the optional last year).

They also go on to say how my school wouldn't let him come back after he wanted to and that they ignored his mental state. (He had ADHD or something).

That was also false, the school asked him not to return because he'd only turn up to 1 in every 10 classes, when he did turn up he just talked and did no work and when asked to leave the classroom he'd go home. He also was caught with drugs on school grounds and chose not to take his pills for ADHD with which his mother agreed with.

Yet, the news blames the school. At the same time we had a 'fight club' in our school, this guy happened to get in a fight with a student after school, so the newspaper says that this guy killed himself because he lost a fight in a student run 'underground' fightclub operating at my school.

Then the news also says it was the school fault for not properly monitoring his mental state when it was his mother who told him not to take his pills.


Anyway rant over, don't believe 90% of what you read in the news. 10% is the actual story, the other 90% is what would've made a good story.