The Glad Corporation = Satan
I am totally pissed off at the Glad Corporation this evening. For over a year, I have been advocating the Amazon Kindle book reader (I now have a Kindle 2) in part because it actually is superior to regular books for reading in the bath tub. Just zip the Kindle into a clear Ziploc bag, and it is waterproof and quite easy to read. And it is easy to turn the pages, unlike trying to put a regular book in a bag.
That is, until today. For some reason, I misplaced my usual Ziploc bag. So I ran to the kitchen for a replacement, and found to my horror the new bag design is no longer clear. There is some kind of pattern in the plastic that is still sort of transparent but is far less satisfactory for book reading. I wonder if anyone is selling black market old-Ziploc bags on eBay?
The never-ending need of American corporations to tinker with designs usually helps make for a better world, but it has a dark side too. First the Edsel, and now less-than-transparent Ziplocs.
Postscript: We also used to use Ziplocs for cheap underwater photography. It actually works OK, if you pull the bag tight across the lens.
Update #1: The freezer bags are thicker -- I am hoping that they are still clear. I will run to the store tomorrow to buy a box and let you know.
Andrew:
just get off brand bags, they'll still be clear.
June 8, 2009, 11:25 pmObloodyhell:
Well, unfortunately for you, the problem here is that your usage is hardly typical.
The typical user is storing something in the freezer in it, and, no doubt, wants the capacity to write, with a permanent marker on it, the date of storage (so you can tell when stuff is ancient and needs to be tossed without thawing it). For this purpose, the non-clear part of the design is perfect.
So, too, for many other common uses, such as, say, putting screws to a component in a baggie while moving or storing the component (i.e., table, shelf, whatever). You usually would prefer to write the contents on the bag in case things get separated.
And for these things, the new bags clearly *are* better.
For most uses, "clear" isn't a plus, but a minus. You want "partly clear" because you can see the contents and get an idea. But you also want partly un-clear, since that gives you easy identification/information on a deeper level.
June 8, 2009, 11:59 pmObloodyhell:
P.S., you might write/email the Glad corporation and explain your problem, making it clear to them that, while you aren't a huge segment of the market, there are in fact uses for which a clear bag is suitable. At the least, they may produce them in such a way that there will be other sources for them.
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
If you don't make it clear to a business that there is a market for something, they might inadvertently ignore you.
.
June 9, 2009, 12:02 amJess:
FWIW, as of three days ago the 100 pack (Costco!) of Zip Freezer bags are still clear...
June 9, 2009, 10:24 amTom:
And why should you be upset at Glad because their competitor, S.C. Johnson, changed the Ziploc bag?
June 9, 2009, 11:13 amAre you applying S.C. Johnson's trademarked product name to Glad's product, or are you mad at the wrong company?
Matt:
As far as I know the regular Ziplock bags are still clear. Make sure that the patterned bags are not the vaccum bags (these have a raised pattern on the inside of the bag to allow more complete air extraction as the bag collapses under the pressure differential.
June 9, 2009, 11:14 amMichael:
Over that last few weeks, I've been able to read 2 years worth of posts, and found them very informative and educational. I'm sure schools across America have blocked access to your blog. But with my personality, I find humor where others might not. Take:
For over a year, I have been advocating the Amazon Kindle book reader (I now have a Kindle 2) in part because it actually is superior to regular books for reading in the bath tub.
While a straight forward statement, an image appears of a 40 something man in a shower cap, seeking refuge from the family in a bubble bath, in utter frustration over the transparency of a plastic bag while simple wanting to read his electronic book.
And there's no false male bravado. The bath tub didn't become by the pool with a beer with the kids splash after having finished mowing the lawn or changing the cars oil or procuring the family meal.
Of course the shower cap and bubbles and seeking of refuge are speculation and used just to embellish the image. End the end, you gotta respect a guy with the self assurance to post to the world that he like to read in the bath tub.
June 9, 2009, 2:52 pmBruce:
Hefty bags are clear as well(no pattern) and they are cheaper thatn ziplock.
June 9, 2009, 4:09 pmWill H:
My suggestion is to graduate to a more secure bag for you Kindle. The follow link shows a product designed for what you want.
http://www.rei.com/product/697944
As for photography, both underwater and around water I use a housing for my point and shoot Cannon. You can get housing for SLR but they are more than I wanted to spend.
This is the housing I use and I bought it from BH Photo in New York City, a very interesting store.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/397834-REG/Canon_0778B001_WP_DC80_Case_for_SD550.html
I use this when snorkeling and it works well. There are external buttons to manipulate all the buttons on the camera.
June 10, 2009, 7:34 amJoe Jones:
This is a great post. We used to pay a lot for expensive cruises, but found clear 55 gallon garbage bags to be just as effective. You blow them up yourself and air-filled they are quite buoyant (do tie them off with several heavy duty rubber bands - do not trust the draw string as your weight alone will cause the air pressure to increase forcing the bag open and possibly drowning you or leaving you to swim many miles back to shore).
The clear bags allow you to see well into the water and are ideal for the shallower coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. Our first experience was a test run off of Daytona Beach Florida. That experiment taught us a lot. For instance you need more than one inflated bag to support a 250 pound man, plus with more bags you have the added benefit of not having to constantly balance your weight against the movement of waves and wind (it was quite frustrating at first because you spent so much time falling into the water and then trying to remount the trash bag air-ball that you had little time to enjoy yourself. So this was worth the effort and learning curve).
Six bags, tied to each other (across ways) and then one bag acting as a spine (not inflated) forms a perfect nest and is not uncomfortable or scary and I am 6 foot 2 inches tall (long for this purpose). So the wife, kids and I headed out for a short trip over to Bermuda. We recommend the large, freezer bags for things like wallet, passport, sandwiches, and even drinks (pour your favorite pop into the bag, seal it tightly, then poke a hole in with a straw and use tape to seal the hole tightly).
Not being powered was a little frustrating as were the Cuban Coast Guard.
June 11, 2009, 10:15 am