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Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

arstechnica.com

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Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#241

Post by samatman »

theturtletalks wrote: post #240
samatman wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much use out of something is enough? AirPods weigh 10.4 grams for the pair. Let's say two hours per charge, and 400 charges, before they're no good. That's 1.3 milligrams of e-waste per hour. After 77 hours you have one aspirin pill's worth of e-waste on your conscience. Filling a landfill? With the case, I get about 1.5 million per shipping container. How big are landfills where you live?

Don't you think comparing something degradable like aspirin to plastic and lithium batteries is a false equivalence?

Fair, let's compare like for like.

A pair of AirPods weighs the same as two ordinary plastic bags, the grocery store kind.

Lithium? About a gram of lithium in a disposable AA lithium battery. About 0.015 grams per AirPod proper, and another 0.16 grams in the case. So call it 0.2 grams, or when you toss five (5) AirPods with their cases, that's as much lithium as one (1) disposable AA battery.

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#242

Post by pants2 »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #225
semi-extrinsic wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Logitech seem to be crazy about user support somehow. I had one of their old Harmony IR remote controls, and when they discontinued the software used for programming the older generations of remotes, they sent me a brand new remote free of charge .

To a degree. They forced ghub upon us which doesn’t even open most of the time on macos at least

Logitech software is appalling but BetterMouse exists!

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#243

Post by joshstrange »

hypercube33 wrote: post #224
semi-extrinsic wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Logitech seem to be crazy about user support somehow. I had one of their old Harmony IR remote controls, and when they discontinued the software used for programming the older generations of remotes, they sent me a brand new remote free of charge .

I have a fleet of harmony remotes and they all still work great. I'll continue using them until an open source alternative arrives that fills this void

Every few months I go searching again to see if anything can beat the Harmony remote with hub (no screen on the remote) and nothing comes close. I mean there are a few products that are decent and what I'd buy if Harmony stopped working but they are not as good as Harmony. The battery life is measured in months (like 6-12) and not having to point the remote is huge QoL improvement. Pair that with being able to script actions for on/off and it was an amazing device.

For a while I hoped someone would buy their Harmony division and keep making them but alas, it was not meant to be.

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#244

Post by PurestGuava »

squigz wrote: post #196
al_borland wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stories like this will make me more comfortable trying Logitech products in the future (I say as I look around the room at the 3 Logitech nice within 10ft of me). I’ve been hesitant to buy things like smart remotes, or other things in similar categories, because so many companies have poor track records around support. Good support does more than advertising ever could for me.

A counter story: The battery in a Logitech wireless headset I had died under warranty. To send a replacement, Logitech would have had me "destroy" my existing headset and send pictures as proof. Given that interaction, and how quickly the wireless headset died, I am very wary of buying Logitech products, personally.

They do that because shipping things that have (potentially) faulty lithium-ion batteries is generally frowned upon, so in lieu of returning them some (potentially explosive) e-waste, they have you destroy it to ensure that you're not just trying to get a second headset for free.

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#245

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

crazygringo wrote: post #122
keraf wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lack of care for e-waste produced makes me sick. Spotify should at least open the hardware or sponsor a contest for a smart re-use / open source firmware for the device, would probably cost them less at the end and make them look better.

This is going to be a hot take here, but honestly I'm not that concerned about e-waste, in the grand scheme of things. What about cars, air conditioners, dishwashers, fridges, furniture, clothing? What about when we throw all of those out? The amount of e-waste I've gotten rid of over my life is miniscule both in terms of weight and volume in comparison to the things I've listed. I think we confuse environmental impa…

Buildings too. We should be building for repairability.

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#246

Post by [deleted] »

bravetraveler wrote: post #197
oceanplexian wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t really see a problem with that. People get wiser as they get older and more mature. This has been proven by insurance companies, who charge higher rates for younger drivers since they’re more likely to be reckless and get into an accident. Not the kind of person you would want to encourage to vote, unless you have ulterior motives to manipulate impressionable young people.

I can ramble a little about it, I don't know how much water it'll hold. First, as an adult who is otherwise held to certain responsibilities, we've already decided "they are the kind of person we want to vote..." unless they're a felon or something. The social contract says the people/law abiding adult citizens aren't to be subjugated. They get to defend themselves and vote. Not some of them. All. With well-meaning a…

[deleted]

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#247

Post by anticensor »

crazygringo wrote: post #239
fragmede wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fascinating. Time to go buy dishwashing liquid from my local restaurant supply store instead of the grocery store then.

It won't work -- putting aside the phosphates, it's a totally different formulation, because restaurant dishwashing machines run for 2-4 minutes, rather than 30-60. On the other hand, if you searched online, I'm sure you would be able to find the exact type of phosphate that was removed from dishwasher detergent, where to order it independently, and in what proportion it could be mixed together with modern dishwasher…

A mix of about 5 parts domestic dishwasher detergent to 1 part commercial dishwasher detergent ought to work.

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#248

Post by thayne »

croes wrote: post #78
thayne wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That assumes there is a candidate to vote for who cares.

I don't know for the US but in other countries you can vote but make it invalid, so it counts for the total votes but not for a candidate.

The impact on the outcome is identical to not voting in the US. The total number of votes doesn't matter, just how many votes other candidates got.

Even voting for someone who isn't from the two major parties is effectively equivalent to not voting in the current election. At it best may communicate a preference for certain policies that the major parties take into account in the next election cycle.

Re: Spotify won't open-source Car Thing, but starts refund process

#249

Post by [deleted] »

goodluckchuck wrote: post #219
crazygringo wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't matter where our laws against murder were invented originally, historically. Today in the US they are codified into actual statute. I have never in my life heard the claim that the codification of law is an attempt to "undermine the judiciary"... after all, statutes passed by democratically elected representatives is the very cornerstone of democratic governance. I'm genuinely curious, is your perspective…

It’s a process I’ve seen play out many times in my state. The legislature will pass a bad law. The courts will explain the situation, fix it, and move on. The legislature then won’t have the votes to pass a contradictory amendment, so they “codify” in a way that leaves something out of context or creates an ambiguity. Litigants then cite the statute instead of the precedent… even though they legislature never actuall…

[deleted]
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