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Overkill objects for everyday life

neil.computer

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Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#641

Post by ornornor »

cmendel wrote: post #604
ornornor wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no idea what that comment meant to say. Am I being thick or it the same for anyone not manufacturing drugs for a living/as a hobby?

I'll do my best to explain. So in chemistry, there is a thing called 'chirality' essentially this has to do with how a molecule is shaped. It's assessed by how a beam of polarized light that is passed through a molecule rotates. There are a few different types: Achiral, no change Levorotary (L), Rotates anticlockwise Dextrorotary(D), Rotates clockwise The reason that it matters and what I was talking about above is t…

Thank you, that was informative.

If generic drugs have a different L:D ratio and L molecules have a different effect than D molecules, then surely the generic has a different effect and result than the brand name which would make or the other work better. Wouldn’t that come up and be an issue leading to either reformulating the generic to better match the brand name, or pulling the generic altogether?

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#642

Post by culturestate »

solatic wrote: post #630
culturestate wrote: post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The cheapest microwaves you can get have two dials, one for temp, one for time. Why not buy one of those?? I imagine two reasons: first, the market seems to have decided that simple microwaves must be small microwaves. If you want to heat anything larger than a bowl of soup you’re gonna forfeit the dials. Second, most of the time the dials also suck. Want to heat something for 2 minutes 30 seconds? Good luck with t…

> Want to heat something for 2 minutes 30 seconds? Good luck with that on a cheap microwave that shows minutes in 5mm increments with 2.5mm of play in the dial. No cooking really works like this. Set the microwave timer for 30 minutes and set a timer on your phone for 2 minutes. After two minutes, pull the microwave timer to zero to stop the microwave and check the food. Decide whether or not it needs more time and c…

You're drastically underestimating the most convenient feature of a microwave: repeatability.

Once you know how long something needs to be cooked and at what level - say, a mug of your favorite soup - you can just throw it in, put in your usual settings, and have something that's ready to eat when it dings[1]. A few seconds either way can be the difference between "needs more time" and "oh dear god my mouth is on fire."

There's a reason one of the first "smart" features microwaves added was customizable presets.

1. This is, incidentally, how microwaves are used in restaurants too. Nobody's guessing.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#643

Post by culturestate »

alpaca128 wrote: post #626
culturestate wrote: post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The cheapest microwaves you can get have two dials, one for temp, one for time. Why not buy one of those?? I imagine two reasons: first, the market seems to have decided that simple microwaves must be small microwaves. If you want to heat anything larger than a bowl of soup you’re gonna forfeit the dials. Second, most of the time the dials also suck. Want to heat something for 2 minutes 30 seconds? Good luck with t…

> the market seems to have decided that simple microwaves must be small microwaves. Maybe I'm living in the wrong area of the world, I've never seen a differently sized microwave no matter the price category. They all are about large enough to fit a decently sized dish. Sure, the pizza from the local place won't fit, but that's not a microwave problem then. > Want to heat something for 2 minutes 30 seconds? Not reall…

> I've never seen a differently sized microwave no matter the price category

A quick look at the Amazon search filters for 'microwave' will tell this story - there are some that would fit the whole pizza and others that wouldn't even take your dinner plate.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#644

Post by kwhitefoot »

culturestate wrote: post #477
megablast wrote: post #421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> About 8 years ago I bought the cheapest catering/professional microwave/combioven I could get my hands on. I did this because I got tired of consumer units with overcomplicated UIs designed (apparently) by unregenerate misanthropes, rotating dishes that are a pain in the ass to clean, overzealous bleeps that go off every 30 - 60 seconds after a cycle is finished, peeling enamel, corrosion issues, and that are too s…

> The cheapest microwaves you can get have two dials, one for temp, one for time. Why not buy one of those?? I imagine two reasons: first, the market seems to have decided that simple microwaves must be small microwaves. If you want to heat anything larger than a bowl of soup you’re gonna forfeit the dials. Second, most of the time the dials also suck. Want to heat something for 2 minutes 30 seconds? Good luck with t…

Simple doesn't have to mean poor quality.

I have a Moulinex 800 W microwave with a turntable. It has a non-linear timer dial so that short times are easy to set. Five minutes on that dial is 180 degrees but from then on an extra five minutes is only 20 degrees up to a total of 30 minutes. The power knob is continuous and spans 270 degrees (but the actual power regulation is a simple on off duty cycle control).

I inherited it from my mother thirty years ago and apart from the internal lamp failing it works perfectly.

Moulinex still make microwave ovens with similarly easy controls.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#645

Post by BossingAround »

NegativeLatency wrote: post #187
BossingAround wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the main difference between Virtuoso+ and Encore? From just a quick glance, Virtuoso+ has a number of features that aren't very useful (like a timer, or LEDs/display) while having seemingly identical burr system?

I have one of these, the LED is dumb but the digital timer is really nice for repeatability in how much you grind. Wasn’t willing to pay even more for one with a scale

Generally, I'd advise against storing coffee in the bean loader. They aren't really hermetically sealed, so your beans will go stale.

I always grind to measure, in which case I don't need timer.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#646

Post by Arch-TK »

ateng wrote: post #515
ValentineC wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand: if you drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, and don't mind putting in some elbow grease — a manual grinder like a Comandante or Kinu often produces much better grinds for the same price, since money can be allocated towards a better burr set instead of a motor. I've had a few friends whose only experience with a manual grinder was a Hario Skerton or its clones, and get turned off manual grinding because…

Life hack: link your manual grinder to a drill. Now you have a automatic grinder that’s reasonably priced and have a superb burr. Have not tried this myself but I was told by a professional this is way cheaper and better than any automatic grinder below USD$1000, if you’re spending around $200 for a top end hand grinder

The main issue with doing this is the potential to damage your grinder. Your arm has a built in torque limiter, has a feedback loop and only operates at a low speed. If you want to do this with a drill I would recommend one with a torque limiter and a variable speed so you can use it at a low speed.

There are also other niceties that proper electric grinders give you.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#647

Post by culturestate »

kwhitefoot wrote: post #644
culturestate wrote: post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The cheapest microwaves you can get have two dials, one for temp, one for time. Why not buy one of those?? I imagine two reasons: first, the market seems to have decided that simple microwaves must be small microwaves. If you want to heat anything larger than a bowl of soup you’re gonna forfeit the dials. Second, most of the time the dials also suck. Want to heat something for 2 minutes 30 seconds? Good luck with t…

Simple doesn't have to mean poor quality. I have a Moulinex 800 W microwave with a turntable. It has a non-linear timer dial so that short times are easy to set. Five minutes on that dial is 180 degrees but from then on an extra five minutes is only 20 degrees up to a total of 30 minutes. The power knob is continuous and spans 270 degrees (but the actual power regulation is a simple on off duty cycle control). I inhe…

> Simple doesn't have to mean poor quality.

No, but "cheapest" usually does.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#648

Post by CRConrad »

DrPhish wrote: post #237
cecilpl2 wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone who does any backcountry camping should have a map and compass and know how to use them.

and the first thing to know when bringing a map and compass into the backcountry is that if you didn't use them (properly!) to get in, it'll be hard-to-impossible to use them to get you back out. There's more to it than you think! Orienteering is a deep enough subject to be a tool, hobby and sport. Recommended skill, just for the entertainment value

Side note: Oriente(e)ring is still, AFAICT, part of phys. ed. in Nordic schools just like it was decades ago when I went. Conscription also helps, of course.

On the whole, I'm pretty damn satisfied with the overweening cradle-to-grave nanny state, making sure you get at least the rudiments of basic life skillz and all.

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#649

Post by sokoloff »

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…

Have you tried going to Lowes to buy a part for your broken dishwasher? AFAICT, you can’t.

I’ve done a dishwasher repair, 1 dryer repair and 2 fridge repairs here, and a washer repair at my in-laws. Every case was a consumer-brand unit and every case the local home center was not capable to supply the parts from stock, so it became and “order online and wait” anyway. (For the washer repair, a local appliance parts store had the parts on-hand at ~$215 vs $55 online, which I politely declined.)

Re: Overkill objects for everyday life

#650

Post by Doxin »

csunbird wrote: post #640
Doxin wrote: post #609

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just banning all the zany things manufacturers come up with to thwart repair should be fine. No security screws, no tamper seals, no plastic clips that you must break, no cryptographic verification of components, cartridges, or firmware. I'm probably missing a load of other tricks, but just doing the above would go a long way to ensuring products can be repaired reasonably.

> ... no cryptographic verification of components, cartridges, or firmware No, I definitely think that the verification on the parts to make sure that they are original should stay, but it should not disallow non official parts to be installed. Because, if I want to replace a part with an original, there should be a way to verify the part is not counterfeit, and I think it would be super beneficial for consumer if th…

I'd be fine with doing verification of parts like that if and only if it doesn't lead to nonsense such as scary popups warning of damage or reduced functionality or what have you.

Obviously this also implies that to create a replacement part you don't need to ask the original manufacturer for permission. A "third party signing" key should be publicly available.

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