131–140 of 416 posts
Thanks for sharing it.
The market decides, right? What is actually happening here?
1. Most people actually like this overdone gimmickry?
2. Most people think they will like it, buy it and then get sick of it? Thus people like me, who seek out the ungimmicked product, are not a significant market force?
3. Most people would prefer not to have it, but due to a free market failure, the ungimmicked product just isn't available any more?
The gimmicks are everywhere. We have a basic "Instant Pot" pressure cooker. It has just the right amount of electronic smarts. A few button presses to cook a roast to completion in about an hour, and walk away. It beeps when it's done. With later models you see an almost obsessive drive to load them up with more features, few of which anyone will ever use.
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> a) our fridge broke last year early pandemic & our landlord replaced it, we didn't really have a choice
Ha, the rental apartment of the future (the fantasy version where humanity actually did something about climate change and we didn't all die) needs a "Reset apartment to factory settings" when a new tenant comes in.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They definitely don't, the entire consumer electronics is a huge practical joke on its users. It's not only smart devices - even the induction stove with the integrated touch buttons beeping loudly at you and shutting off every time you breathe around them. And I could go on...
Oh man, I absolutely hate the touch buttons on my stove. A simple action like turning the heat up or down takes 2 actions and five minutes – you have to touch for a duration before the action registers.
Maybe the next gen model will have a Button Button^TM and we will have reached peak absurdity.
Be glad it doesn't (yet) shame your eco-ignorance on Facebook, doesn't tell your insurance company you occasionally buy bacon and doesn't call the police for you infringing their intellectual property by refusing to buy new genuine filters often enough. "Smart" home devices which are not open-source and not under your full control are a horror. I would break it open and remove the WiFi antenna if I had no choice of b…
Vacuums from Dreame and Roborock can be rooted with some effort and be used completely offline with Valetudo. It's getting harder and harder though.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The idea is to use some peoples receptivity to religion for shifting their awareness to the risks of traveling. It can also help to center thoughts, calm down, and increase mindfulness while steering the motorized vehicle, therefore decreasing traffic accidents. (I wonder whether there are studies on if this actually helps.)
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How long until some manufacturer sells a basic fridge and then a 'frequent use service pack' monthly fee that lets you open the door more than the standard number of times a day?
I use a CPAP. After a year, I went back to the doctor for a followup, and was asked to bring the SD card so they could review the data it collects. The device records the times and duration of use, various settings, and some metrics on breathing (apnea events, etc). I knew it recorded this stuff on an SD card.
I brought the card to the appointment, but the doctor said "I don't need that, I have your data here." It turns out that the CPAP contains a cellular modem, and it phones home and reports in real-time. I had no idea this thing was recording any data at all. It wasn't verbally disclosed to me by either the doctor or the equipment technicians. I imagine there's something buried in the fine print of the (long lost) documentation, possibly even in the fine print of some form I signed, but I was caught off guard and none too pleased.
I've since done some research on this and discussed it with my new doctor when it came time to get a new CPAP. The doctor acted surprised by me having a problem with it. She immediately jumped to the defense of the manufacturer and insurance company, claiming that they "needed" that data. She said that if I disabled it, insurance would refuse coverage.
This is insanely invasive, even with disclosure, and ought to be illegal without explicit, obvious verbal and written disclosure. The insurance defense is complete bullshit. For one, I paid cash for the CPAP because I had a high-deductible insurance plan and would have had to pay out-of-pocket anyway (and never claimed it even for the deductible offset).
I realize a CPAP isn't a fridge, and there's at least a case to be made for insurance enforcing compliance (at least when insurance claims are involved). I don't agree with the undisclosed enforcement mechanism, nor do I agree that treatment should be contingent on monitoring (it is for some other treatments, but not for most; no one is monitoring diet, exercise, drug use, cigarette consumption, or other risky behaviors, and threatening to withhold treatment for non-compliance).
Anyway, I've ranted enough, but there's a serious problem with the normalization of surveillance technology.