Ask HN: What technologies have made your life worse?
124 comments
Soft buttons and software-mediated knobs replacing real buttons and real knobs that actually do things.
Best microwave I've ever used was made in, I think, the late 70s. Didn't even have a turntable, and worked just fine without it, somehow. No clock at all. The "UI" was two heavy-feeling knobs, one for power and one for time. Turn the time knob, and it starts cooking at your selected power until the time runs down, with the knob itself tick-tocking down to zero and setting off a physical(!) buzzer. Want to add more time? Turn the knob while it's still running, no problem. Realize you added too much time? Ditto, but in reverse. Exactly as you'd expect. Simply pull the door open, no button for that, even.
Intuitive, simple, felt great to use, and did 100% of what I want out of a microwave.
Basically anything that used to have real buttons and knobs that have been replaced by shitty-feeling rubber-covered buttons and knobs that merely communicate suggestions, hooked up to an embedded computer, has a worse UI than what it replaced. And don't get me started on touch-sensitive buttons. At least touch screens have some excuse, some purpose. Dedicated touch-sensitive buttons are like some kind of practical joke, and have been central to several of my worst experiences with products.
Best microwave I've ever used was made in, I think, the late 70s. Didn't even have a turntable, and worked just fine without it, somehow. No clock at all. The "UI" was two heavy-feeling knobs, one for power and one for time. Turn the time knob, and it starts cooking at your selected power until the time runs down, with the knob itself tick-tocking down to zero and setting off a physical(!) buzzer. Want to add more time? Turn the knob while it's still running, no problem. Realize you added too much time? Ditto, but in reverse. Exactly as you'd expect. Simply pull the door open, no button for that, even.
Intuitive, simple, felt great to use, and did 100% of what I want out of a microwave.
Basically anything that used to have real buttons and knobs that have been replaced by shitty-feeling rubber-covered buttons and knobs that merely communicate suggestions, hooked up to an embedded computer, has a worse UI than what it replaced. And don't get me started on touch-sensitive buttons. At least touch screens have some excuse, some purpose. Dedicated touch-sensitive buttons are like some kind of practical joke, and have been central to several of my worst experiences with products.
I agree with this. My new washing machine has full-touch controls. It's great otherwise (includes full drying!), but it's way too easy to change the settings when it's running or turn it off when you're walking past it and accidentally bump against it.
Luckily I've found a workaround - I turn on the child lock once I've set up the wash program, so these accidental touches are ignored.
Luckily I've found a workaround - I turn on the child lock once I've set up the wash program, so these accidental touches are ignored.
> Didn't even have a turntable, and worked just fine without it, somehow.
It probably had a microwave "stirrer" -- basically just a rotating metal-bladed fan that the microwaves bounce off and get reflected to all parts of the oven cavity.
I believe large commercial microwaves may still use these. Residential models tend to use turntables because they're somewhat more compact.
It probably had a microwave "stirrer" -- basically just a rotating metal-bladed fan that the microwaves bounce off and get reflected to all parts of the oven cavity.
I believe large commercial microwaves may still use these. Residential models tend to use turntables because they're somewhat more compact.
Few years ago I brought a "fancy" microwave oven because it didn't have a turn table. I figured the lack of moving parts would add to its longevity.
I didn't realise it was old technology being remarketed.
I didn't realise it was old technology being remarketed.
I have one of these microwaves as well (albeit with a turntable) and it's one of my most beloved pieces of technology. The only thing is that it's 20+ years old and I'm dreading the day that it breaks and I won't be able to replace it with a model that has a non-terrible UI.
I remember my grandmother having one of those. The name of it was radar range. Had a pretty heavy hum when you ran it.
This, in cars.
Smartphones have had a significantly negative impact on my overall mental health. There's no denying that some of the features they provide clearly give tremendous value namely maps, messaging, and media (pictures/videos). Outside of that and limited utilities it becomes this broadly unfocused time sink that takes copious amounts of self discipline and boundaries to control. Given as an industry we've become so capable at capturing and holding user's attention there's this constant mental fixation on our phones and the continual dopamine hits they provide.
The minimalist smartphone market is developing but still rather anemic in its offering. I continue to watch companies like humane and blloc to see if they can ultimately produce something that is more compelling. Time will tell, but I feel like this is a market we really need more investment in.
The minimalist smartphone market is developing but still rather anemic in its offering. I continue to watch companies like humane and blloc to see if they can ultimately produce something that is more compelling. Time will tell, but I feel like this is a market we really need more investment in.
I'd class smartphones and in fact the entire Internet as largely negative, for me. But there are a handful of uses of both that are so damn valuable that they're hard to get rid of.
I used to dream about getting rid of both completely when I retire, but the way society and tech are going I expect that means I'd almost never see or hear from my kids or future grandkids or whoever. So, stuck with the crap still, I guess.
I used to dream about getting rid of both completely when I retire, but the way society and tech are going I expect that means I'd almost never see or hear from my kids or future grandkids or whoever. So, stuck with the crap still, I guess.
Delete all social media apps on your phone. You want none. I can access those sites from my home laptop - which provides just enough ceremony to force me to think what I'm doing. Sometimes I really do want to check in with friends and family, but at least there's just enough pomp and circumstance in order for me to do so that it dissuades the infinite scroll.
Programming languages! It is ironic because I am a programmer and I write programs and develop software for a living. But proliferation of programming languages has made my life worse. Too many programming languages and every company has their own favorites!
It may be an unpopular opinion on HN but I don't enjoy learning new syntaxes every year for relatively few benefits in new concepts or paradigms.
In my ideal world everyone would be using Lisp (my username checks out!) but so much power. It has a simple syntax (some say it has no syntax but I think that is a little hyperbole). In my ideal world new concepts and paradigms are implemented in Lisp using Lisp. I'd much rather spend time solving real problems that real human beings care about. I'd much rather learning new ways of solving problems with new paradigms. I don't want to waste hours learning new syntaxes and their gotchas and edge-cases!
It may be an unpopular opinion on HN but I don't enjoy learning new syntaxes every year for relatively few benefits in new concepts or paradigms.
In my ideal world everyone would be using Lisp (my username checks out!) but so much power. It has a simple syntax (some say it has no syntax but I think that is a little hyperbole). In my ideal world new concepts and paradigms are implemented in Lisp using Lisp. I'd much rather spend time solving real problems that real human beings care about. I'd much rather learning new ways of solving problems with new paradigms. I don't want to waste hours learning new syntaxes and their gotchas and edge-cases!
If you only had one programming language, this problem would turn into an issue of too many frameworks. The problem isn't that there are too many programming languages; the issue is that there are many ways to structure code around a problem. Different problems incentivize different structures and so you end up with different languages.
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~~Simple~~ JavaScript is eating the world. ClojureScript compiles to JS.
I'm convinced that Clojure will be the lisp-uber-language.
EDIT: I shouldn't have said "simple"; nothing ever is. I was being arrogant.
I'm convinced that Clojure will be the lisp-uber-language.
EDIT: I shouldn't have said "simple"; nothing ever is. I was being arrogant.
Do you get Javascript error messages in Clojure? That is one of the drawbacks to transpiled languages I have used before.
The best one I’ve used so far is Kotlin, which is a pleasure to use in comparison to Java, but this might be because I used it in an IDE written by the language designers themselves.
The best one I’ve used so far is Kotlin, which is a pleasure to use in comparison to Java, but this might be because I used it in an IDE written by the language designers themselves.
If Lisp was the only language I'd never program again
I have the same feelings for Lisp, honestly. From Day Zero of my programming experience I dreamt about a “meta” language (overdose of C64’s BASIC V2 caused this symptoms, maybe). I even didn’t know the meta word but years later I found the Lisp and said “yeah, that’s it”.
> I don't enjoy learning new syntaxes every year
I don't understand why you need to pick up every new language that comes out. Can't you just hold down one job for longer than a year?
I don't understand why you need to pick up every new language that comes out. Can't you just hold down one job for longer than a year?
> some say it has no syntax
That was always my impression, you're writing the AST directly, then manipulating it with fancy macros.
That was always my impression, you're writing the AST directly, then manipulating it with fancy macros.
Good thing there are other languages for other peoples preferences!
it's not the programming languages, it's the programmers.
people can't stop reinventing the wheel. everyone thinks they know better.
people can't stop reinventing the wheel. everyone thinks they know better.
Car touchscreens are the worst. More complicated, more failure states, and I can't feel the volume button, so I have to take my eyes off the road.
Car touchscreens are actively making the world a more dangerous place to live in. And everyone seems ok with it.
Dunno, I consider it a win. 99% of my looking at a touchscreen is at the map/car for more situational awareness. I look for things like is there a traffic jam coming up? Or see some motion out of the corner of my eye, turns out it's a motorcycle splitting lanes behind me. Or the car two cars ahead of me flashes red because it's braking.
The always present current speed limit is handy as well, didn't realize how often I used it until I drove a car without it.
At least in Tesla's, it seems like a win for safety. No switching channels, no loading CDs/switching stations (just say "play pink floyd"), no playing with volume (it's on the steering wheel), automatic wipers, (with manual do it now on the stalk), automatic temp control, voice based nav that works well. Seat adjustments are on the seat. Cruise control following distances are on the steering wheel. Pause music is on the steering wheel (or automatic when you receive a call or ask for voice control).
Car's without touchscreens still often require looking, can you change your channel to preset #3 without looking? Switch from heat to AC mode? Defrost your front/rear windshield? Seems about the same as a touch screen, and relatively infrequent.
Not sure what people are doing on their touch screens, but I rarely touch mine, and when I look it's for more info about my environment, not less.
At least in Tesla's, it seems like a win for safety. No switching channels, no loading CDs/switching stations (just say "play pink floyd"), no playing with volume (it's on the steering wheel), automatic wipers, (with manual do it now on the stalk), automatic temp control, voice based nav that works well. Seat adjustments are on the seat. Cruise control following distances are on the steering wheel. Pause music is on the steering wheel (or automatic when you receive a call or ask for voice control).
Car's without touchscreens still often require looking, can you change your channel to preset #3 without looking? Switch from heat to AC mode? Defrost your front/rear windshield? Seems about the same as a touch screen, and relatively infrequent.
Not sure what people are doing on their touch screens, but I rarely touch mine, and when I look it's for more info about my environment, not less.
Congrats, we don't all have a Tesla? I'm thinking of the mediocre touchscreen in my Honda.
Sounds ugly, on a tesla it's the left thumb wheel on steering wheel. So not only do you not have to take your eyes off the road, you don't have to take your hands off the wheel.
Tesla doesn't have touchscreens?
The parent complained about not being able to feel the volume knob, but it's just a roller ball on the steering wheel.
The Tesla does have a touch screen, but you don't need them to change the volume, the cruise control follow distance, play a new song, pause a song, make a phone call, use voice nav, manually overwrite the wipers (wipe now), etc.
The Tesla does have a touch screen, but you don't need them to change the volume, the cruise control follow distance, play a new song, pause a song, make a phone call, use voice nav, manually overwrite the wipers (wipe now), etc.
Yeah - this one. I'm sure there must have been some accidents that occurred because it really requires you to shift your attention to the screen.
Chatbots. Cheap excuse to cut customer service or hide it behind a tedious process of convincing the if-else that it can't actually solve your problem.
Literally every IoT device! These things are terrible. My dishwasher can't wash dishes once it does a software update. My TV spies on me and shows me targeted ads. Every useless piece of hardware has a microphone and camera in it.... Heck, I've spent countless days breaking the microphones and cameras on my new "smart" devices before I feel comfortable using them.
Even after spending thousands of dollars on a car, I'm not allowed to install alternative privacy friendly firmware on it. It's bad enough that there are AI-powered cameras with facial recognition everywhere, but thanks to HD cameras in every $100 phone, it's hard to walk in a public place without being in the background of an Instagram story.
Everyone is spying on me and every damn "smart" device is turned against me..
Even after spending thousands of dollars on a car, I'm not allowed to install alternative privacy friendly firmware on it. It's bad enough that there are AI-powered cameras with facial recognition everywhere, but thanks to HD cameras in every $100 phone, it's hard to walk in a public place without being in the background of an Instagram story.
Everyone is spying on me and every damn "smart" device is turned against me..
Agreed. Smart TVs are at the top of my list of hated IoT devices. Why can’t one just buy a dumb tv terminal to do what a tv was designed for … display images?
Why do you keep presumably buying these devices?
There aren't much alternatives anymore.
If I go to a physical shop I won't get any dumb dishwasher anymore. That's how I got my current "smart" one.
School's curriculum and grading system being connected to email alerts + doing standardized testing 3-4 times a year.
It takes a lot of energy to raise children and be a good partner. The anxiety introduced by constantly getting notified of what is being taught, what the grades are, what is missing EVERYDAY is not only overkill, but I think harmful.
My philosophy is that school (elementary, middle, high school) is a time to explore, be a kid, make mistakes, and do your best to navigate puberty.
The constant reminder of grades, grades, grades puts too much emphasis on my more school-inclined child to be obsessed with their identity as an "A" student, and my art-inclined child to rebel at every turn with us constantly stressing if she's "missed" anything.
It takes a lot of energy to raise children and be a good partner. The anxiety introduced by constantly getting notified of what is being taught, what the grades are, what is missing EVERYDAY is not only overkill, but I think harmful.
My philosophy is that school (elementary, middle, high school) is a time to explore, be a kid, make mistakes, and do your best to navigate puberty.
The constant reminder of grades, grades, grades puts too much emphasis on my more school-inclined child to be obsessed with their identity as an "A" student, and my art-inclined child to rebel at every turn with us constantly stressing if she's "missed" anything.
This is a good one.
Same with daycares. It used to be that the teachers would tell us if we needed to actually do something or bring something in.
Now, our kids miss out on school events because they are buried in single lines in one of the 4+ e-mails a day from them. And the response is always "didn't you see the e-mail?"
Same with daycares. It used to be that the teachers would tell us if we needed to actually do something or bring something in.
Now, our kids miss out on school events because they are buried in single lines in one of the 4+ e-mails a day from them. And the response is always "didn't you see the e-mail?"
I like knowing what they are teaching my kids. I also like knowing when they are marked absent from school … in case I was not aware of their absence.
Modern thermometers to take my temperature (fever).
I bought already a couple of them, and somehow none of them seems to work well, or they are too sensitive and I can't figure out where to measure my temperature and what counts as fever.
I finally found some thermometers that I used when I was younger, and now I can reliably measure my temperature and I can tell what counts as fever.
They didn't actually made my life worse, I don't want to be that dramatic, but I definitely dislike them.
I bought already a couple of them, and somehow none of them seems to work well, or they are too sensitive and I can't figure out where to measure my temperature and what counts as fever.
I finally found some thermometers that I used when I was younger, and now I can reliably measure my temperature and I can tell what counts as fever.
They didn't actually made my life worse, I don't want to be that dramatic, but I definitely dislike them.
Had to go through 3 recently but finally found a digital one that fits the bill. Super fast and accurate. Shop around they are cheap so you can try a few before getting that good one.
Have you tried digital ear thermometers? They work well enough for us, just based on the seeming consistency between "forehead feels hot" and "thermometer found a fever."
Not dramatic at all, those new thermometers are trash.
Automatic vehicle climate control. If the ambient temperature is hotter than the setting I get blasted with frozen air and if it's colder I have to sit in an oven until the car decides it's the correct temperature. I much preferred twisting a knob until the air hitting my face was comfortable. What is comfortable is altered by how active I've been, the time of day, the temperature I've been in before getting into the car, what I'm wearing, etc. Climate control doesn't give a shit about any of that.
In my 1979 BMW, there was a dial for the fan speed, a dial for the temperature, and a slider to control how much outside air came in. It was the best climate control ever.
In the snow I could blast the heat at full fan speed with max temp at my feet while allowing the icy air from outside to blow at my face at the same time to keep me awake.
In the snow I could blast the heat at full fan speed with max temp at my feet while allowing the icy air from outside to blow at my face at the same time to keep me awake.
Don't cars with climate control still have the manual option? You can turn off climate control and just adjust fan and temperature.
Odd. My car has digital climate controls and all I have to do is set the temp I want. If it too cold, it will keep the fan low while the air coming into the cabin is cold and as it warms up, the fan speeds up until the cabin is at the temp I set. It also knows to blow hot air at my feet and the windshield (to melt frost) and blow cool air out the dash directly at me. I keep it set at 23C year round and since it's a heat pump, I don't even need to switch it between heat and cool mode. It's perfect. The settings can be overridden but there is no need.
My Honda seems to do a pretty good job with automatic climate control, I can't remember the last time I've taken it out of auto, I just adjust the temperature up/down a few degrees when needed and let the car figure out the right fan speed, recirc setting, which vents to use, etc.
Glued-in, designed-to-be-non-replaceable batteries, when we all know that they'll start to degrade after a year or two of heavy use.
We should have rejected it in phones. We should certainly have rejected it in laptops.
I don't have much hope for EVs. With the battery making up maybe half of the value of the vehicle, a top design priority should have been standardised 'battery modules' shared between as many vehicle models as possible, to allow for easy replacement (including swapping out just 1 of N modules after minor damage rather than writing the whole car off), upgrade, salvage, and recycling.
We should have rejected it in phones. We should certainly have rejected it in laptops.
I don't have much hope for EVs. With the battery making up maybe half of the value of the vehicle, a top design priority should have been standardised 'battery modules' shared between as many vehicle models as possible, to allow for easy replacement (including swapping out just 1 of N modules after minor damage rather than writing the whole car off), upgrade, salvage, and recycling.
There was a delightful feature in the discontinued Flip™ video cameras. The standard internal battery could be recharged over USB, but it could also be removed completely and replaced with standard AA batteries. The device remains usable even though the manufacturer went out of business years ago.
Xbox controllers do something similar; I love being able to just swap them out from my box of rechargeable batteries without having to worry about if I left the device plugged in to charge recently.
Xbox controllers do something similar; I love being able to just swap them out from my box of rechargeable batteries without having to worry about if I left the device plugged in to charge recently.
This is not new or recent, but printers, photocopiers and projectors have always made my life confusing and painful. What should’ve been simple and what could’ve been intuitive has been made hellishly complex and unwieldy. The scene in Office Space showing them smashing a printer and the scene in The Office (US) where Pam is utterly defeated by a new copier [1] aren’t just jokes.
On relatively recent technologies, Bluetooth is unpredictable and finicky across different devices. One cannot effectively carry over one’s learning from one Bluetooth device to another. One cannot predict how a particular new Bluetooth device will work (or not) with one’s existing devices.
And then there are USB-C ports and cables. They all look alike, but you’d never easily know what it supports (which cable is the right one, power delivery, how much power can/will it handle, data transfer speed, is it Thunderbolt, etc.).
I can’t imagine how non-technical people roll the dice with all these and how much they must hate technology.
[1]: Season 5 Episode 19 (“Two Weeks”)
On relatively recent technologies, Bluetooth is unpredictable and finicky across different devices. One cannot effectively carry over one’s learning from one Bluetooth device to another. One cannot predict how a particular new Bluetooth device will work (or not) with one’s existing devices.
And then there are USB-C ports and cables. They all look alike, but you’d never easily know what it supports (which cable is the right one, power delivery, how much power can/will it handle, data transfer speed, is it Thunderbolt, etc.).
I can’t imagine how non-technical people roll the dice with all these and how much they must hate technology.
[1]: Season 5 Episode 19 (“Two Weeks”)
The aggressive push towards thin devices with questionable cooling combined with the ever increasing bloat in windows/office.
Seems to have eaten up all the gains from SSDs and more modern CPUs. The hardware gets better and excel stays slow
Seems to have eaten up all the gains from SSDs and more modern CPUs. The hardware gets better and excel stays slow
Windows was actually getting more resource efficient for a while around Windows 8 and 10 due to the emphasis on running Windows on low powered tablet devices. Then heartbleed etc hit and we lost a bunch of performance due to mitigation patches.
> Then MS Teams hit and we lost a bunch of performance due to crappy Electron apps.
FTFY
FTFY
LED vehicle headlights. How long will it take before they figure out how to make them without burning out the retinas of the general public?
Emergency vehicles around here seem to be in some arms race to put more and more lights on them in every direction. So late at night as you head down the highway, you can suddenly see nothing except emergency vehicles, at the expense of seeing the road, debris, and unlit vehicles.
The number of times I've flashed someone thinking their brights are on only to get a blast of true brights.
I think the bulk of this problem is just people not aiming their lights correctly.
Drivers shouldn't have to and generally cannot aim their headlights. Cars come like that from the manufacturer and/or garage after maintenance.
Sure, but after market kits for LED lights are pretty common and often are installed by the end user.
Huh, I wasn't aware of that. Shouldn't this be more tightly regulated, given that headlights are security features?
The bulk of the problem is that it's not even being recognized as a problem by municipalities, traffic safety administrations and police departments.
I shouldn't have to avoid driving after sunset because 80% of the general population are idiots who put LEDs in housings where LEDs shouldn't be used.
I shouldn't have to avoid driving after sunset because 80% of the general population are idiots who put LEDs in housings where LEDs shouldn't be used.
Anything that listens to your searches and uses that to tailor Youtube results, future search results, advertisements, etc.
I miss the discoverability of the old internet, and I hate having to do 90% of my searches in Incognito.
inb4 DuckDuckGo, etc.
I miss the discoverability of the old internet, and I hate having to do 90% of my searches in Incognito.
inb4 DuckDuckGo, etc.
I want both, tailored searches can be fantastically useful and provide a lot better results. But sometimes I am trying to get out of my own bubble of historical interest and then its a real problem.
Slack. It has turned everyone's current thoughts into interrupts for everyone else. The idea that it is async has long been abandoned and if you don't reply to someone quickly, they escalate or move on to someone else. It has created a world in which everyone thinks everything is a priority and must be addressed immediately. To make things worse, people create channel after channel after channel, many with all the same people but a slightly different scope and you're expected to have read them all. It's maddening.
Super-bright halogen headlights. It's highly questionable that they really provide any benefit for the driver except in some relatively uncommon circumstances (where a classic high/low system would work fine), and they definitely blind everyone else. Overall result: negative.
Smartphones - while providing great utility in some areas, they are generally too distracting without a lot of tweaking. They also result in me having to repeat myself at people fiddling with their phones instead of listening.
Chatbots - as others mentioned.
Laptops - encourage bad posture, lots of PT and exercise to improve that. Self-control as well.
Smart watches - same reasons as phone. Lot of good and a lot of bad.
Chatbots - as others mentioned.
Laptops - encourage bad posture, lots of PT and exercise to improve that. Self-control as well.
Smart watches - same reasons as phone. Lot of good and a lot of bad.
IMHO Juicero was a scam. Here's my list.
* Too many remote controls. One for TV, one for AppleTv, one for PS5 if I want to see a movie on bluray, one for the Denon AMP, etc... There should be a standard for that. Something with a touchscreen and an API manufacturers should support. * Touchscreens in cars (already mentioned). My Toyota is not even capacitive and it's a car from 2017. More generally... Touchscreens where they're not needed, like ATMs or vending machines: with all this covid fear, they're not hygienic. * Wireless headphones: battery, quality of sound... I fear the day there will be no wired headphones available on consumer market. I don't care about high quality wireless headphones, I don't want to charge my headphones * Messaging apps. I have to keep iMessage, Telegram, Whatsapp & Signal on my phone because I have different contacts using different apps. It was easier in the SMS era
* Too many remote controls. One for TV, one for AppleTv, one for PS5 if I want to see a movie on bluray, one for the Denon AMP, etc... There should be a standard for that. Something with a touchscreen and an API manufacturers should support. * Touchscreens in cars (already mentioned). My Toyota is not even capacitive and it's a car from 2017. More generally... Touchscreens where they're not needed, like ATMs or vending machines: with all this covid fear, they're not hygienic. * Wireless headphones: battery, quality of sound... I fear the day there will be no wired headphones available on consumer market. I don't care about high quality wireless headphones, I don't want to charge my headphones * Messaging apps. I have to keep iMessage, Telegram, Whatsapp & Signal on my phone because I have different contacts using different apps. It was easier in the SMS era
> More generally... Touchscreens where they're not needed, like ATMs or vending machines: with all this covid fear, they're not hygienic
I'll go one further and say touch controls. I hate my stove with a passion. It's absolutely horrible to use if my fingers are a tiny bit wet (I know, who has wet hands in the kitchen, right?!). Sometimes, even with dry hands, the on/off button will not register.
I need to press 3 different buttons to turn it on. I need to press two different buttons to change the power, one of which repeatedly if I want to change by more than one step – say to turn one burner off, if I want the others to stay on.
I'll go one further and say touch controls. I hate my stove with a passion. It's absolutely horrible to use if my fingers are a tiny bit wet (I know, who has wet hands in the kitchen, right?!). Sometimes, even with dry hands, the on/off button will not register.
I need to press 3 different buttons to turn it on. I need to press two different buttons to change the power, one of which repeatedly if I want to change by more than one step – say to turn one burner off, if I want the others to stay on.
> Too many remote controls. One for TV, one for AppleTv, one for PS5 if I want to see a movie on bluray, one for the Denon AMP, etc... There should be a standard for that. Something with a touchscreen and an API manufacturers should support
There is a standard where you can use some keys in your TV remote to control your device via HDMI, but I never had a device compatible with it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control
There is a standard where you can use some keys in your TV remote to control your device via HDMI, but I never had a device compatible with it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control
It works well with the Apple TV, the PS5, the Samsung soundbar I've got and probably others that I can't recall...
I still use their dedicated remotes though, as they have the full functionality whereas CEC only deals with some.
I still use their dedicated remotes though, as they have the full functionality whereas CEC only deals with some.
That covers just a subset of functionalities. Expose an API, give users one remote control with a touchscreen or a smartphone app and that's it. One device to rule them all.
> Too many remote controls. One for TV, one for AppleTv, one for PS5 if I want to see a movie on bluray, one for the Denon AMP, etc... There should be a standard for that.
Totally agree, although just as an anecdotal experience: I was very surprised this weekend when I set up a soundbar with my TV, which immediately recognized it and did some configuration which allowed me to control the soundbar volume with my normal TV remote.
Totally agree, although just as an anecdotal experience: I was very surprised this weekend when I set up a soundbar with my TV, which immediately recognized it and did some configuration which allowed me to control the soundbar volume with my normal TV remote.
Had a similar good experience a while ago with a Fire TV. The remote can be configured to control my audio amplifier, although it's a rather obscure brand [0] and not even an AV receiver at that (it only does stereo audio, and has no HDMI or video inputs / pass-through).
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[0] They are, however, very open and publish the remote codes.
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[0] They are, however, very open and publish the remote codes.
Yeah, but what if you want to control just something more complicated than the volume or basic stuff? You'll need its own remote.
Rechargeable AAA and AA batteries with their chargers and gadgets that need AAA and AA batteries.
I think environment-friendly and always have bought rechargeable batteries. However since about ten years I feel that rechargeable batteries don't work well anymore. They don't keep a lot of charge and die soon, sometimes only after two or three recharges.
I gave up and don't buy rechargeable AAA and AA batteries anymore and try to avoid gadgets needing AAA and AA batteries. Most toys need them, however.
What I really would like: USB-C rechargeable AAA and AA batteries by having an USB-C plug in the battery, a way to daisy-chain them during charging, a mini-display on the battery to show the charge in mAh, and a possibility to leave the batteries in the gadget during charging. Even better, don't sell gadgets without USB-C charging.
I think environment-friendly and always have bought rechargeable batteries. However since about ten years I feel that rechargeable batteries don't work well anymore. They don't keep a lot of charge and die soon, sometimes only after two or three recharges.
I gave up and don't buy rechargeable AAA and AA batteries anymore and try to avoid gadgets needing AAA and AA batteries. Most toys need them, however.
What I really would like: USB-C rechargeable AAA and AA batteries by having an USB-C plug in the battery, a way to daisy-chain them during charging, a mini-display on the battery to show the charge in mAh, and a possibility to leave the batteries in the gadget during charging. Even better, don't sell gadgets without USB-C charging.
Social media. It's more addictive than fun. I feel it rewards unpopular opinions, and humiliation of others. You get into the habit of being "savage" and putting down others. And eventually it wears down your ability to feel love and empathy for a stranger.
Are you talking about its effects on you or on society in general?
I feel it doesn't affect me directly since I don't use it (at least, not of the Facebook/Twitter variety). But I think it definitely contributes to polarization and extremism.
I feel it doesn't affect me directly since I don't use it (at least, not of the Facebook/Twitter variety). But I think it definitely contributes to polarization and extremism.
- touch based screen/UI technologies,
- web 2.0 and later,
- widescreen ratios,
- every Google technology/product plus how Google handles them,
- the whole “smart” concept,
- x86 monopoly,
- web browser hell,
- personal systems with active cooling,
- instant messaging,
enough for a first comment.
But CRT to LCD transition was the hardest era until HiDPI + scaling comes to town (a.k.a. retina).
- web 2.0 and later,
- widescreen ratios,
- every Google technology/product plus how Google handles them,
- the whole “smart” concept,
- x86 monopoly,
- web browser hell,
- personal systems with active cooling,
- instant messaging,
enough for a first comment.
But CRT to LCD transition was the hardest era until HiDPI + scaling comes to town (a.k.a. retina).
Voice over IP. All calls, mobile and landline, seem to run on it these days, introducing a latency that makes phone conversations very different from the way they were back when you had a direct wire connection.
Slack. It enables your worst people to monopolise the time and attention of your best, and provides pitiful tools to manage alerts.
Remember, they want to grow their user base, just like Facebook. They will use similar tactics.
Remember, they want to grow their user base, just like Facebook. They will use similar tactics.
Apple FaceID in general but definitely when driving, wearing sunglasses, or outside in bright sunlight.
I have a mount for the phone at center dash of my car and FaceID rarely works from there. I have to lean over while trying to drive to put my face in front of the phone to get it to work … sometimes. Usually the phone insists on the passcode which is insecure when mounted on dash for passengers to easily view and provides a further distraction.
Good old TouchID worked so much better in most circumstances.
I have a mount for the phone at center dash of my car and FaceID rarely works from there. I have to lean over while trying to drive to put my face in front of the phone to get it to work … sometimes. Usually the phone insists on the passcode which is insecure when mounted on dash for passengers to easily view and provides a further distraction.
Good old TouchID worked so much better in most circumstances.
FaceID adds friction to using my phone. Plus, looking at my phone doesn't necessarily mean I want it unlocked. I'll often glance at my phone to see a recent text, put it back in my pocket and then a few minutes later wonder why my pocket is warm...oh right it's probably sitting there unlocked with an app open.
"Smart" hardware requiring an app to do simple things. The whole space produces tings that are so convoluted to set up, prone to constant failures when wifi goes down, suffer from security issues, ergonomics, and probably steal loads of personal data.
Very specific, but: Mountain Bike 12x drivetrains.
They are extremely finnicky, delicate and built with very small tolerances for something that gets rattled around for kilometers of trail in dust, mud or water.
I never, ever had one or seen one that hasn't been very very capricious with cable tension or dropout straightness or cassette tightening or barrel adjustment. And usually they drop out of shape regularly after being maintained and re-set.
I get that the industry had to sell something new at some point, but give me any "old" 10x or reliable 11x drivetrain any day. Hell, I'd pay cash for a 9x with only the largest cogs of a modern 12x.
They are extremely finnicky, delicate and built with very small tolerances for something that gets rattled around for kilometers of trail in dust, mud or water.
I never, ever had one or seen one that hasn't been very very capricious with cable tension or dropout straightness or cassette tightening or barrel adjustment. And usually they drop out of shape regularly after being maintained and re-set.
I get that the industry had to sell something new at some point, but give me any "old" 10x or reliable 11x drivetrain any day. Hell, I'd pay cash for a 9x with only the largest cogs of a modern 12x.
Heh, very weird. Did you get Shimano or SRAM? Shimano generally seem to behave worse in the real world, at least on mountain bikes. Rain, snow, temp swings, grit, mud, etc seems to degrade them more than SRAM. Shimano also drives the upgrade cycle by not having user maintainable parts or even selling parts for older equipment. The shifters in particular are fragile, not user serviceable, and have incompatible changes every few years. SRAM's gripshift are robust, have one moving part, and often survive multiple crashes, also they aren't integrated so you don't have to replace brakes when your shifter dies. Thus the switch from mostly Shimano based XT/XTR for mountain biking to mostly 1x12 SRAM. I found the top of the line SRAM to be very reliable/robust.
SRAM.
I came from a 11x X01 with a 5 year lifespan in which I maybe only changed the cable once. Zero maintenance and it ran like clockwork.
The whole Eagle line has been a disappointment for me, from the bottom to the top products.
Wow, I've had really good luck with Eagle, I've talked to quite a few happy owners, was a huge upgrade over my previous shimano XTR. The year I got XTR it was quite the lemon, so much so that Mountain Bike Action (MBA) did an article on how terrible it was, I'd even get mocked by folks on the by folks recognizing the signature screech. Apparently the brake cylinders would fail, never retract, and the only fix was replacement, this combined with a light weight disc rotor with a particularly loud resonance. Very disappointing for a top of the line set of components.
In any case, sorry to hear it. I'm not shopping a bike replacement and leaning towards an ebike, but trying to avoid the Shimano EP8, which again has a signature noise, loud clunk/clanking on the downhills when not under power.
In any case, sorry to hear it. I'm not shopping a bike replacement and leaning towards an ebike, but trying to avoid the Shimano EP8, which again has a signature noise, loud clunk/clanking on the downhills when not under power.
burning fossil fuels for energy, leaded gasoline, Facebook
- Social media
- Ad-trackers
- App stores/subscriptions
- Cookie banners
- Stupid "AI"
- Ridiculous customer service chatbots/IVR call-trees
- Cryptocurrency scams
- Ad-trackers
- App stores/subscriptions
- Cookie banners
- Stupid "AI"
- Ridiculous customer service chatbots/IVR call-trees
- Cryptocurrency scams
Cars, and nothing else even comes close.
Social media. From Instagram to TikTok to YT to LinkedIn
Restricted OS like Android. Awesome hardware has been dumbed down to a pathetic handheld console, turning you into a brainless ad clicking zombie.
Touch controls replacing physical dials and buttons.
-Pop music
-social media
-processed/junk foods
-Bluetooth(depending on the device and the application, sometimes wires are just better)
Modern-day pop music: society's junk food for the ears.
Smartphone is easily the worst, too distracting and addicting. Internet I could still handle when I only had access to it in certain places.
Been toying with leaving my smartphone home and using only a smartwatch for day to day stuff. I can use it for music, maps, emergency calls and contactless payment. So far I'm enjoying it.
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IVRs / phone answering systems
when you need to get to a person and you don't fall within their voice prompt system you end up saying "operator" 7 times and then the computer is like "Did you want to talk to an operator?" and it says please enter your 10 digit phone number.. And you're stuck in hell for 10 minutes.
when you need to get to a person and you don't fall within their voice prompt system you end up saying "operator" 7 times and then the computer is like "Did you want to talk to an operator?" and it says please enter your 10 digit phone number.. And you're stuck in hell for 10 minutes.
Smart devices that do not need to be smart in the first place. Mandatory apps that are supported only on iOS and Android.
E-tickets for concerts:
- need to fumble through awful apps/sites to find them and hope you have signal
- phone dead? no ticket for you
- went with other people? all the tickets are on one phone. good luck getting back to your seat without that phone
- worst of all? no ticket stub to look back at years later
- need to fumble through awful apps/sites to find them and hope you have signal
- phone dead? no ticket for you
- went with other people? all the tickets are on one phone. good luck getting back to your seat without that phone
- worst of all? no ticket stub to look back at years later
Check out stubforge.com, it's a site I made to print replica ticket stubs so you can keep adding to your collection.
Fire
things were better when we didn't have to waste time cooking our food
and don't get me started on the Wheel :P
things were better when we didn't have to waste time cooking our food
and don't get me started on the Wheel :P
Slack
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Jira, without a doubt.
Everything that is is even remotely a negative connotation involves Jira for me.
Everything that is is even remotely a negative connotation involves Jira for me.
Electron. I don’t think that needs explaining, but happy to do so if required.
mostly twitter. not that i use it but bc of the effect is has on other people (making them racist so that all they can talk about is how white people are bad/racist)
huge changes in SAAS or app UIs. When every a company totally changes the UI, they rarely think of all the time users put into learning the original UI.
LED billboards
This surprised me. What's particularly bad about them? I mean, I don't love billboards, but I wouldn't think them being made of LEDs or not would make them worse.
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Touchscreens.
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Coca Cola Freestyle machines
Internet and the smartphone
Mobile parking apps
The concept of mobile parking apps is good, but the execution is pretty crappy. But then, i think, hey the fact that i have to drive a car because transit infrastructure is crap in America, and then i have to park said car (and all the annoyances that come with finding parking in some cities without getting tickets or worse towed away due to awfully written parking signage), and then to use a crappy mobile app to pay for said parking...it all makes me feel crappy all over. So, i submit that the crappy "tech" that has worsened our lives is the poor-planning of our American cities with their *car first* approach to design. Sure, the car can be considered both good and bad, mobile apps can be considered good and bad...but the design of our American cities itself that seemingly places cars above all else...wow, that takes the cake!
I do apologize for launching into a mild rant there...i guess i have deeper issues with mobile parking apps than i originally thought. ;-)
I do apologize for launching into a mild rant there...i guess i have deeper issues with mobile parking apps than i originally thought. ;-)
Wow, for me this is great. Admittedly I only have one for all the car parks around where I live, but apart from slight extra cost the experience has been great.
Social media
printers
Scales are an ancient, pretty straightforward technology. If a skilled craftsman built a scale 300 years ago and it was well maintained over the centuries, I think its reasonable to expect it to still work adequately, and a minimally trained person would be able to operate it.
However, this electronic scale was so complicated and full of gadgetry (including bluetooth) that the hospital staff were unable to weigh my child and we had to go back home and reschedule.
I can think of a million other examples (Juicero...) but I'm more curious to hear of real-life examples like the one I shared.