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Overkill objects for everyday life

neil.computer

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Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#481

Post by drewzero1 »

t0mas88 wrote: post #382
whack wrote: post #18

> The average consumer is an idiot, so the bean counters keep milking them... They want pizzaz over functionality and durability. They want shiny stuff in a bigger box... The industrial, military and commercial market doesn't mess around. They want to purchase equipment that works reliably and performs to a specification. It's professional and their livelihood depends on it. It sort of self filters the entire market.…

I would highly recommend a 787 cockpit seat instead. Much more comfortable and adjustable than an ejection seat and also kind of futuristic looking from behind. If you mind the gap between your knees for the controls too much, look for an Airbus seat. They also have nice armrests because the stick is on the side.

I have a couple of seats I pulled from a VW GTI that seemed very comfortable when they were in the car, but when I've sat in them outside of the car I feel like I need to be going faster. I imagine an ejector seat might have a similar effect in the absence of the G-forces it was designed to handle.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#482

Post by Noumenon72 »

IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

> I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in like 90 seconds.

The reason commercial dishwashers run so fast is that they sanitize dishes, but do not remove food from them. That is done by a restaurant employee. Home dishwashers include soaking and scrubbing to remove food, which takes longer.

https://www.reddit.com/r/answers/comments/no3c9j/why_do_comm...

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#483

Post by mike50 »

nraynaud wrote: post #330
ansgri wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very clever, I assume it’s far more difficult to game the system unless you control two bidders.

No, they just talk to each other and take turns being the lowest one. I mean how many military equipment companies can you sustain with a country the size of California? Whatever your answer, above a certain pay grade, all employees come from a single engineering school anyways.

France is a large exporter of weapons and aerospace products. Thales and Airbus are essentially based there.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#484

Post by drewzero1 »

alrs wrote: post #427
drewzero1 wrote: post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had an XPS M1330 about 10 years ago, and if I could figure out the apparent thermal issue I might still use it sometimes. At the time I found it incredibly portable (compared to my iBook and ThinkPad) without being slow, and the design was striking yet professional. Dell still isn't my favorite brand, but they've come a long way from the crappy Dimensions I had in the early 2000s.

Dell ca. 2000 had some great stuff. Optiplex desktops were good, Latitude laptops were good. Anything that they sold out of an insert in the Sunday paper was junk.

See, there's my problem. I had a handful of Dells in the mid-2000s that all came out of the cheap end of the catalog, and I skimped on some of the specs to fit them in the budget. I did definitely get my $20 worth out of the optional floppy drive, though.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#485

Post by kube-system »

Jiro wrote: post #138
kube-system wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Engineered to fail” and “planned obsolescence” are both pejorative rephrasings of “consumers prioritize price” Engineering is an exercise in prioritization. If 90% of consumers buy the cheapest blender on the shelf, the blender made with the cheapest materials wins. Hobart still exists, and still makes good blenders. Consumers just started buying new designs that were more cost efficient. If you look at the prices o…

Something "engineered to fail" may be cheaper because materials that don't last so long are cheaper. But it's also possible that the material isn't cheaper at all, but the manufaturer gains because if the part wears out sooner they can sell a replacement sooner. That isn't a case of "consumers prioritize price". For instance, manufacturers have tried to sell printers which refuse to print when there is still quite a…

The “razors and blades model” you’re referring to isn’t really the same thing as obsolescence. People know these items have consumables when they purchase them, and the original item doesn’t “break”, it just inherently requires another product.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_model

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#486

Post by ben-schaaf »

__d wrote: post #429
franga2000 wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because when it breaks, your company won't want to use 3rd party repair, so they will send it straight to Apple. That means that it will take at least a month to get back and all your data getting erased is pretty much a guarantee, even if all that was broken was one resistor in the power supply circuit. Even if they buy a new one, how long will it take you to set it up from scratch? Meanwhile, any other vendor will…

A modern Mac laptop uses a motherboard where everything is soldered on, everything is tiny, and it's basically impossible to repair. Leaving aside whether that's good or bad, it's just a fact that you should know up front. Consequently, most failures are "repaired" by swapping the motherboard, and so your flash drive contents are gone. Happily, you are using Time Machine (right?) and so you plug your backup drive int…

Board-Level repair isn't that difficult with the right tools. Plenty of 3rd party repair, as well as Apple's refurbishment do it just fine. The only real reason it's impossible to repair is an artificial lack of parts/documentation.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#487

Post by hellbannedguy »

Grustaf wrote: post #393
IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

Is this a joke or are you missing the point? The guy doesn't actually think that a fighter jet seat is better than a normal office chair in any practical sense. He just thinks these things are cool. Often, part of the charm is how incredibly impractical they are.

I get it.

I heard something interesting about ejection seats on tv.

The canopy cost up to a million dollars.

There are personnel who main job is making sure the ejection seat is working properly.

If a pilot needs to use the ejection seat, he, or she, has a 9 out if 10 chance of survival.

The spine will compress 1/2" after that emergency handle is pulled, and they said the shortening of the spine is permanent.

If I had the room, and was offered a small commercial Hobart mixer at a rock bottom price, I would buy it.

I worked at Marin Bagel factory in college, and that mixer was the only thing I liked about the job. The owner didn't like me, so when he was in a bad mood, my job was rotating the freezer. Imagine 5:30 am. Cold outside. A bakery where talking was discouraged. Climbing into a packed 10 x 20 foot packed to the door with frozen food. 1 foot of clearance on top of the food. Then rotating everything. Worst job ever. It wasn't the job, it was the owner.

Sorry about my ramble.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#488

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Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#489

Post by BostonEnginerd »

IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

I think one good strategy is to buy the highest volume product -- the more of a widget someone makes, the better they are at it.

For example, a Ford Focus or Chevy Malibu is a lot more reliable and cheaper to maintain than a fancier and more fun car. Loads of third party parts, etc.

Regarding the mixer, I understand they changed the gears to plastic so they would strip without damaging the motor. Easier to replace a cheap set of seats than an expensive motor.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#490

Post by SilverRed »

Noumenon72 wrote: post #482
IgorPartola wrote: post #341

I will postulate an opposing view to TFA: Quality consumer goods are better in two key areas. First, they are replaceable. I don’t want a military grade mixer in my kitchen if getting a broken whisk or motor on it is going to require me hunting all over eBay for the specific part hoping it’s available. I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in l…

> I was very excited at one point about the idea of getting a commercial dishwasher that can run a load of dishes in like 90 seconds. The reason commercial dishwashers run so fast is that they sanitize dishes, but do not remove food from them. That is done by a restaurant employee. Home dishwashers include soaking and scrubbing to remove food, which takes longer. https://www.reddit.com/r/answers/comments/no3c9j/why_d…

Dishwashers also save water by only drawing in enough to run half the jets at once. They then switch between which half is active which works just as well for washing but takes twice as long. I don't think many people sit there waiting on the dishwasher so it really doesn't matter that much if it takes 3 hours instead of 1.5h if it means less cost.
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