Metal barrels look nice but you're trading one problem for another. The galvanized ones will rust where the water line sits unless you line them with epoxy every year. That's a pain nobody talks about. A buddy of mine went through two of those fancy rain barrels in four years before he gave up and bought another plastic one. Maybe just grab one of those Rubbermaid 50 gallon totes from Tractor Supply and rig up a spigot, they're thick plastic and way cheaper than the "rain barrel" tax.

Nah, buying #1s is basically a treasure hunt. You never know which one turns into the next big thing and you get to say you were there first. Plus the thrill of pulling something out of the new releases is half the fun, right?

Yeah but did anyone actually check if he even knew what the line was supposed to do? I've seen plenty of divers tie off to a cleat or rail and then act surprised when their SMB either gets dragged underwater or they nearly lose a hand when the boat shifts. That flag is just a decoration if nobody on deck knows how to handle the gear.

And that's exactly what these flashy new services are counting on - they spend ALL that money on advertising instead of actually building a reliable platform. I'd bet good money their servers are just rebranded cheap VPS boxes that can't handle any real traffic.

Read somewhere that art types stick with it longer because decorating makes it feel less like a chore.