The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Tuesday, October 9

Hey, everyone!

Feel free to guess what Eric Dier is screaming in the above picture. I will abstain.

Ramble of the Day

Several weeks ago, my older sister asked this question: Why are garbage cans so expensive? I can’t remember exactly why she asked (perhaps because she or someone she knows is in the market for a new one), but I quickly went to Bed Bath & Beyond’s website to verify. It turns out that garbage cans are indeed expensive. I will now spend the next several hundred words attempting to answer my sister’s question.

First, I had to do some research. After Googling “why are garbage cans expensive,” I came across an online forum and discovered a few things from it:

1. One person said any trash can under $40 will stink up your kitchen.
2. Cheap trash cans can get around that problem with scented trash bags.
3. Someone else said they got a trash can under $5 at Bed Bath & Beyond. (I think this person meant under $10, and I only found one of those on the website.)
4. Most people just bought a trash can from Costco because it had the best value (but wasn’t under $40), and they also apparently have a good return policy.

Needless to say, it did not answer my burning question, so once again, I will have to hypothesize all by myself. If they’re not plastic, perhaps the price point can be explained by material and technology, since many of them now involve motion sensors. I’ve seen a bunch that cost several hundred dollars, so that probably only accounts for part of the explanation.

I then had to go back and check out some of the expensive ones to see what was so special about them. A few of them have built-in compartments for regular old trash and for recycling, which is obviously a nice feature. That was also the case for Bed Bath & Beyond’s most expensive available trash can, which also has “touch-to-open technology” and other stuff. I didn’t particularly care for these discoveries, but I may have already had my answer. Perhaps that person in the above forum was right; maybe trash cans cost as much as they do because you buy them infrequently and you need one, so you’re going to spend the money whether you like it or not.

Regardless, the ability to reconcile our feelings about trash with the actual realities of keeping up with our trash is fascinating, at least to me. We cannot fully make waste waste until it is out of our possession; until then, the things we find worthless must be housed well and looked after for safe passage to the people who should take care of it properly. Somehow, it feels like there is less than one would think that humans treat poorly, but if you’re a bit pessimistic like me, you’ll quickly readjust your thinking.

tl;dr: Garbage, with a little bit of philosophy.

Links of the Day

The nominees for the Ballon d’Or have been revealed, with the French Football Federation awarding the best women’s players and the best young men’s players for the first time.

José Mourinho will be investigated by the FA for comments he made towards the cameras during Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United.

Arsenal have signed a deal with Adidas worth almost £60 million a year, and will begin wearing kits by the manufacturer next season.

Today’s longer read: Louise Taylor interviews Sunderland manager Jack Ross on emotional intelligence, writing children’s books, and life in the northeast for The Guardian