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Everything with a battery should have an off switch

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Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#181

Post by donatj »

_Microft wrote: post #175
donatj wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

> Not to humblebrag or anything, but my favorite part of getting posted on hackernews or reddit is that EVERY SINGLE TIME there's one highly-ranked reply that's "jesus man, this could have been a blog post! why make 20 tweets when you can make one blog post?" > CAUSE I CAN'T MAKE A BLOG POST, GOD DAMN IT. I have ADHD. I have bad ADHD that is being treated, and the treatment is NOT WORKING TERRIBLY WELL. I cannot focu…

You can append to a blog post as you go the same way you can append to a Twitter feed. It's functionally the same, the medium just isn't a threaded hierarchy. There's no reason it has to be posted fully formed as he declares.

My own blog posts often have 10+ revisions after I've posted them.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#182

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

Beltalowda wrote: post #157
hexo wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Environment disagrees with "market". "Market" takes whats available. Not producing ewaste means "market" cannot consume it. Simple.

Sure, but the point is that you can keep making these things and people will keep buying them, so "noone wants another e-waste" is clearly not true. Discussions about "the market", its effects on the environment, etc. are all important and worth having, but don't really have much bearing on whether or not "people want another e-waste".

I mean, if you look at it that way then people really want corrupt politicians and exploitative businesses because they keep electing the former and paying the latter.

I think people really don't want e-waste. They don't want oceans (and now bodies) full of plastic. The industries have just done a great job of convincing them nothing can be done about the problem.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#183

Post by micromacrofoot »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #152
andreareina wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a book actually: The Design of Everyday Things

That book, IMNSHO, should be required reading for anyone that designs anything to be used by anyone.

Their managers should read it too, lots of bad products come from inflexible business requirements

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#184

Post by jowsie »

numlock86 wrote: post #150

I like the topic but the tweet ... oh boy, the tweet was really a waste of time. > buys the cheapest controller one could find > "Oh my god it's all cheap components/design!" > buys a transparent one > "Oh my god I can see the charger indication on literally the entire surface area which triggers my ADHD!"

> I can't believe the modern equivalent of InterAct/MadCatz would let me down

This line is sarcastic, the whole thing is somewhat tounge in cheek.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#185

Post by francisofascii »

key_to_dcmbr wrote: post #49

ahahahah how ridiculous is this idea. Just want to see author having off buttons on all their remotes: TV, AC, ect. Enjoy manually turning them off and having redundant button=)

The remote to my gas fireplace runs dead every few weeks. The remote uses radio, so I assume it is constantly communicating with the fireplace. I don't use it everyday, so I keep the back off to dislodge the battery when not in use, and reconnect the battery to turn the thing on. I would love a simple on/off switch.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#187

Post by te_chris »

bluesquared wrote: post #169
pveierland wrote: post #67

Related to the topic, besides the energy argument and the ability to cycle system state, I'd argue the huge importance of being able to power things off for personal freedom, especially for things with connectivity. We still have the power to shut off devices and largely the ability to block their connectivity (e.g. routing TV ads through a network filter). With 5G and future connectivity, it feels as there will be p…

In a somewhat similar manner, my CPAP has a 4G modem that's a huge double-edged sword (for Americans only, you can see where this is going...). On one hand, it is nice to have an app that shows my stats, and my doctor can also remotely access how my therapy is going. On the other hand, it also phones home to the manufacturer & my insurance. When I don't hit my usage target for a specific time period, insurance stops…

Jesus Christ that's dystopian.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#188

Post by Zak »

lavela wrote: post #146
baq wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the real problem is the design team doesn't give two shits about neither users nor developers of the product... developers aren't treated as customers by design teams and then everybody is confused why the thing doesn't work. (hint: maybe it's stupid hard to make it work if you are actively prevented to be able to work on it?)

the real problem is that you can't keep all those little features you'd wish for in your head, so while you are making a buying decision they don't factor in as much as the lower price achievable without those features.

That varies a lot based on product type, price point, and target market.

For something long-lived and expensive, I will pay extra and accept a less sleek design for standardized removable batteries. I research most purchases of durable goods. Of course, I may not be the most profitable customer since I don't plan to buy a new widget every six months.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#189

Post by vjk800 »

lavela wrote: post #146
baq wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the real problem is the design team doesn't give two shits about neither users nor developers of the product... developers aren't treated as customers by design teams and then everybody is confused why the thing doesn't work. (hint: maybe it's stupid hard to make it work if you are actively prevented to be able to work on it?)

the real problem is that you can't keep all those little features you'd wish for in your head, so while you are making a buying decision they don't factor in as much as the lower price achievable without those features.

This is the real problem. Otherwise the markets would have solved the crappy products problem a long time ago.

When I use something at my home, I usually have a constant stream of minor annoyances that could easily be fixed by the manufacturer. However, when I'm shopping for a new product, I dont remember any of them.

Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch

#190

Post by can16358p »

onion2k wrote: post #77
can16358p wrote: post #63

While I get the motivation, I'd rather have my Apple devices which have some economic value to be findable using Find My, which can't function with a physical "hard" off switch. I'd rather have Bluetooth use infinitesimal amount of my iPhone/Macbook battery than them being lost/stolen which could be potentially tracked when off with "soft off". But besides some use cases like this, I agree with the post.

I'd rather have my Apple devices which have some economic value to be findable using Find My, which can't function with a physical "hard" off switch. Why not? I mean obviously they wouldn't be findable if they were off, but that's a feature. Apple could add a physical switch and leave everything else the same . Your devices would function as they do now in "On" mode, but you'd also be able to turn the off properly. I…

That would literally kill the whole point of being able to find it if it's stolen.

I know there are other ways to do it (a sophisticated theif might just put it in a Faraday Cage), but Find My would just work in its current form otherwise, and putting a physical switch that physically switches it off kills the whole purpose.

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