BAS is a thing. I have it.

Well, I've just officially started my folding bike collection.  Prior to approximately 10 minutes ago, I only had one folding bike, so it was just part of a larger bike collection.

However, I've been umming and ahhing about maybe bying a Strida (for quite some time), and the online shop I occasionally stare at just slashed the price by $200.

This means I could get the bike, a bag and a couple of other accessories for less than what the bike usually costs.

So, I've now ordered a Strida (a cream one) and I'll probably be posting photos of it soon enough.

Two folding bikes = folding bike collection.

Alternatively, two folding bikes + penny farthing + unicycles I still haven't sold/given away/disposed of = "novelty" bike collection.

It's probably best not to question too closely the reasons for buying another folding bike when I'm currently riding my "regular" bicycle to work due to the fact that I've blown out the rear tyre on my Brompton and I've decided I can't be bothered changing the tubes when I want to try buying some Tannus tyres anyway.

Bike Acquisition Syndrome is a bear of a thing to live with.

Gaming

So, wait a minute...

The Nintendo 2ds is about $100 cheaper than the Nintendo 3ds, but it plays all the same games and the only differences are:

It has a weaker graphics thingy whatnot (which I don't care about)

It only has a mono speaker which isn't as good as the other speakers (which I don't care about)

It doesn't fold up like a clamshell (which would be nice, but it's not a deal breaker - and it does improve the structural integrity)

It doesn't have 3D capabilities (which I don't want - if I got the 3ds I'd turn that off, so it's a waste of tech)...

That sounds like a pretty good deal, to me.

I wonder if it plays old knock-off games from the 1980s?  My favourite game when I was a kid was a cheap Donkey Kong rip-off called Jungle Kong.

This is why I'm not buying Apple Products any more

I have a beloved iPod touch.  It's about five years old.

Although I'm not much of one for shiny tech toys (the only reason I have a tablet is because I need one for work), something about this particular gadget found its place in my life.

I don't want or need a new gadget to replace this one.  I like this one.  It has my favourite things on it.  I've had it just long enough for it to become something I regard as part of my standard kit, but nowhere near long enough for me to think "oh, this old thing!  I ought to have that replaced".

I neither want nor need to make calls on the thing I use to listen to music and podcasts.  I'm happy for my "taking phone calls" device and my "general entertainment" device to be two different things.  Right now, the iPod is the thing that I have, and the thing that I want.

Apple is rendering it useless.

It's an iPod, right?  As in "Pod" for "podcast".  I can't get any new podcasts on it.  Apple has changed the podcasting function so that it is dependant on an app.  The app won't work on the operating system I have on my iPod.  I can't upgrade my iPod to a higher operating system, because it's "not supported" any more.

I also have a MacBook.  Its also about five years old.  It's not as beloved, but I was still liked and appreciated.  And then it too became un-updatable.  I can't update it to the latest operating system.  I can't get the latest version of programmes like EndNote without having the latest operating system.  Ergo, if I want to keep using "a Mac" into the future, I have to buy a new Mac on a regular basis.

So I now know this to be true:

Essentially, any Apple product I buy will be completely obsolete within a few years.  Its not just a case of "you won't have the best and shiniest of things" but rather "you won't have anything functional at all."

And Apple products aren't cheap.  It's a throw-away product that is sold at a "something special to keep" price.

Additionally, I've never been able to get my iPod to talk to my MacBook when I was offline.  If I wasn't connected to the internet, not only could I not move files between my iPod and my MacBook, but my MacBook would try to delete everything on my iPod.  I'm guessing it's because it couldn't keep tabs on me when I wasn't online and report my every move to the mothership.

Now, I'm not a complete idiot.  If you tell me "you can buy Product A or Product B.  Product A is more expensive than Product B and will stop working sooner - it's also not as forgiving or as flexible as Product B..."  Well, I can't make a good argument for buying Product A.

I've been thinking lately about whether I want to replace my MacBook, and I have to say I'm definitely leaning towards "Not particularly".  I also have no interest in buying an iPhone.  I'd get better mileage out of almost anything else at all, as far as I can tell.

So that's why I'm probably not going to buy Apple Products any more - I like value for money.