this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2026
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[–] scytale@piefed.zip 151 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

I thought at first it’s a pivot to AI like what AllBirds did, but:

Prego says that the screen-free Connection Keeper has no wifi or Bluetooth, doesn’t hook up to the cloud, and doesn’t pack any AI features. The point, in fact, is that it’s supposed to help families disconnect, encouraging everyone to put their phones away during dinner and live in the moment. 

“Everything now is AI, and everyone has their phones on the table,” Elyce Henkin, a managing director of StoryCorps studios and brand partnerships, told Wired. “It interrupts the conversation and the flow. We wanted to get rid of that and go back to the basics and have everyone talking to each other.”

Using the gadget is simple. Just press a button, and the device’s two microphones begin recording, and you press the button again to make it stop. You can upload your recordings to StoryCorps’ website after manually transferring them to your computer using a cable — and if you opt in, share it with the company, which makes physical copies of its recordings and adds them to its collection in the Library of Congress.

So it’s essentially just a $20 audio recorder? Still a weird product from a pasta brand.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 33 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm 90% sure it's not to actually be used. It's to make people post about it online and have their brand pop up. It's a product that requires no R&D and they can create a nice story of their product connecting families. It's good marketing honestly. It's got people talking about it here at least without even realizing they're sharing an ad.

[–] FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Is there a HailCorporate comm? Maybe we can start one for Lemmy, just without the crypto-scammer mods this time.

[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Every time someone mentioned any brand name on reddit, some idiot screeched "r/hailcorporate", like it was some kind of gotcha. I wonder if the guy here on Lemmy that was removing artists' signatures from comics was one of them.

Someone would ask for advice, you'd say, I had a good experience with this item, and the "r/hailcorprate" shills would show up.

[–] FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 1 points 42 minutes ago

I appreciated those “idiots.” We live in a tyrannical consumerist hellscape. Anybody trying to break us out of that is a hero in my eyes.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 38 points 1 day ago (2 children)

And not even good cheap pasta sauce. Store brands are often times much much better for half to almost a quarter of the price.

[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

In my experience store brands are maybe 75% the price of Prego, and comparable quality. It's not high end but it's also not vastly overpriced. Maybe $3-4 a jar vs $2-3 for store brand, or $7-10 for the fancy brands.

[–] Peasley@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

i really dislike Prego: too sweet for me and the flavor is weak

my grocery store has nice canned San Marzano-type tomatoes for about $4 for a big can. Enough to make maybe 2 jars of sauce.

You need to add your own herbs, spices, and simmer a bit but the end result is generally as good as the $10/jar fancy brands. I keep a fancy brand jar in the cupboard in case i don't have time, but i try to simmer my own sauce as often as possible

My go-to herbs are coyote mint, yerba buena (Clinopodium), Mexican oregano (Lippia) and california bay leaf. i will also throw in some toasted garlic and some hard cheese when on hand

[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

There are varieties made with little or even no sugar.

I respect the DIY sauce game, but my point was that if you're buying pre-made sauce it's neither pricey nor necessarily loaded with sugar.

[–] Peasley@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 8 minutes ago)

Which ones? Every single Prego variety at my local grocer has added sugar. It's not good sauce

there might be inexpensive brands without added sugar but if they exist they aren't available in my grocery store. The "store brand" at my local grocer is on the expensive side, like $8/jar, but it's very good

My grocery store is within walking distance of my apartment, and i live in a very very car-centric region, so i'd much rather go there than drive to say a Costco

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

yeah it's ketchup.

if I have to buy a sauce because I don't have time to make some, it's newman's own sockarooni.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I get great value and best choice(?) and they beat the crap out of not only prego but some other higher end pasta sauces as well. Especially great value. I was super surprised by them. And they are like $1.50 vs $4-6 for the various prego and analogs. And I actually think the great value is better than most premiums in the ~$10 range. Carbone might be the one that is hands and fists above all others.

[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Great Value is Walmart and I just won't shop there. I can say I notice little difference (in a good way) between lower end brand names like Ragu or Prego and various store brands. I just don't see the price difference as much though. Maybe a dollar's difference. I'm still a store brand buyer, but I'm more price sensitive than taste sensitive on the question.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 10 hours ago

You're not wrong about avoiding Walmart as best you can. But I live in their home territory, so it's that or Kroger, and Kroger donates big to trump and have a history of union hostility. So it's really a push for me until a locally owned place pops up.

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The cheapest pasta sauce is fine as long as you’re willing to fix it. More garlic, spices, salt, cooking down, or adding water. The solution varies.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I dare you to try great value marinara just as it is straight out the bottle. I may add some garlic to it and maybe some red pepper flakes from a pizza place that didn't get used on the pizza, but the shit is awesome unadulterated.

But you are absolutely right, and I tend to put a little cayenne and fresh ground black pepper in anything I cook.

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I can’t, tomatoes make me die :(

But I’m not one to reject a dare so I’ll go borrow a bit from a nei

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Please don't. Although it's pretty good, it's not really worth the risk.

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You’re right, and I was just joking. Enjoy tomatoes double-hard for me! They used to be my favorite, until they turned on me.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I will eat a whole fresh one right now with some Tony C's

[–] farting_gorilla@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Found the Louisianian

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Pretty sure no-one puts the used jar of sauce on the table when they're eating.

[–] Carighan@piefed.world 2 points 1 day ago

It's ultra weird, although I guess I... could kinda see how someone wants to keep a diary of family dinner conversations?

You can just use your phone to record those of course, but a dedicated device might be easier to use. Since it's not cloud-connected and you transfer off of it manually anyways, fiiiiiiineee I guess? 🤷