Technological/practical "backward steps" we all just accept now

Renting a car is pretty inconvenient outside of metro areas.

lol, you know ilx has a pretty vocal "ban private car ownership" cadre.

In response to "what about people who live in rural areas / areas not well served by public transportation?" the answer seems to be "wull, just don't live in rural areas / areas not well served by public transportation."

My stepbrother lives in rural NorCal and there's still major bragging rights over new truck purchases; the biggest 3/4 ton, the newest, that's what you want. There's no charm in carefully maintaining a truck for years or decades, just trade it in and get something bigger and newer than the guy across the road.

And you definitely need a 3/4 ton when you're buying a bag of potting soil at Home Depot.

Lol Dan

_Renting a car is pretty inconvenient outside of metro areas. _


lol, you know ilx has a pretty vocal "ban private car ownership" cadre.

In response to "what about people who live in rural areas / areas not well served by public transportation?" the answer seems to be "wull, just don't live in rural areas / areas not well served by public transportation."

And you definitely need a 3/4 ton when you're buying a bag of potting soil at Home Depot.

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, September 21, 2021 2:20 PM (three hours ago)

lol -- one of these days when I have plenty of time on my hands, I want to do a field study at Home Depot -- where I note the make/model of vehicles in the parking lot and the size of what they are purchasing. ... I spend a lot of time at Home Depot. The 3/4 ton truck dudes are buying a bag of potting soil; the dudes with 20 year old Toyota Tacomas are buying actual construction materials

I’m sorry but for the climate we are going to have to empty rural villages Ceaucescu style.
― Porking level G4 (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, September 21, 2021 3:29 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Fuck. Off.

Drones raining from the sky in Zhengzhou 😬

Word on the street is that a rival drone company that lost the bid interfered to overwhelm the drones nav system!pic.twitter.com/MukM8PjJJr

— Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) October 4, 2021

endtimes stuff there

I dont think we all necessarily accept that tbf

The true technological backward step that's really irking me lately is having chips and sensors in fucking EVERYTHING. All kinds of devices now have functions that no one asked for and no one wants (why does my dehumidifier need to connect to wifi? Why do I need 30 different settings on my clothes washer?), and they fail more easily as a result. To make matters worse, now that there's a chip shortage it's difficult or impossible to get many of these devices. Can't you just fucking go back to making them without chips? Of course not.

^^^ otm

We've been helping with laundry for a friend because their washer died and it has been two months and counting waiting for a new one. I would love this shortage to mean that companies decide they don't need to pit chips in literally every-fucking-thing, but I'm afraid it's too late to put that genie back in the bottle because Joe Schmoe likes being able to get an alert on his iPhone that his washer finished the cycle.

obv building towards a subscription-based economy. there's nothing left to exploit really

"I understand your concerns, however you have not upgraded to the ad-free tier for your LG clothes dryer, so unfortunately, yes, you must listen to our 60-second advertisement for the Joe Rogan Experience in order to complete your delicate cycle. For just $15.99 per month, you can experience an uninterrupted drying cycle."

My laundry appliances are ancient, and the repair people always tell us not to replace them, because they still (basically) work and are reparable with widely available parts. Get one of them computer-operated thingies and it takes a team of coders and engineers to fix.

Yup, I deeply, deeply regret buying my LG washer and dryer. Not sure I could have gotten much more life out of the Maytags that came with the house, but I understand there are still some out there that don't have computers (I think Speed Queen?)

"you can't even see the car's engine anymore, all these new-fangled doodads and bells & whistles, harumph"

i bought one of these a couple years ago and it's great (and cost well below $999) https://www.maytag.com/washers-and-dryers/washers/top-load-washers/p.3.5-cu.-ft.-commercial-grade-residential-agitator-washer.mvwp575gw.html

the repair people always tell us not to replace them

I've heard there's a big market for farming tractors of 30 years ago, for this very reason. The news one have subscription-based software systems that add a huge expense to an already outrageously expensive tractor (Caterpillar), and the old ones can be serviced more readily by the farmer himself or his shade-tree buddies

plus a regular old hotpoint dryer. they're still out there. if i ever have to buy one of those computer things i may just go back to the laundromat tbh.

They are awful, and I bought what was supposed to be the best one according to NYTimes Wirecutter. There isn't a single setting I've used that doesn't make the washer or dryer do a worse job at its basic task of washing or drying clothes, and it's very complicated to override them and use a simpler manual setting. Plus after less than a year the touch screen is getting wonky.

I got a new washing machine and dryer set a few months back and theyre fuckin amazing tbh

In fact you're posting from them now.

lol

they are posting FOR him

Their 5G reception is immaculate

I’m guessing the newer appliances, while “smart,” are probably way more efficient than the old ones.

I’m about to install solar and I’m kicking myself for buying the natural gas dryer.

in before the UK / EU folx saying "why do you have a dryer even?"

I recall a story a while back about a teen girl who got her iPhone taken off her and she was tweeting out venting about it from her fridge.

xp we hang dry a lot of stuff, but not towels, socks, underwear, sheets.

the natural agitators of ILX

I’m guessing the newer appliances, while “smart,” are probably way more efficient than the old ones.

I do wonder about the actual long term savings of increased efficiency versus having to buy a new washer every 4-5 years instead of every 15-20.

this makes me grateful that I live in an apartment building with the very dumb commercial washer/dryer that has sliding trays that take quarters. on the other hand, the coin shortage is back. If I want more than one roll of quarters (as in, if I want to do more than one load of laundry) I would either have to go to multiple banks, skulk into a laundromat and use its change machine (if it still has one), or ... and I actually did this last week ... go to a BART station and use the "add fare" machine to get quarters for dollars, which requires me to put at least 25 cents on the Clipper card, but hey, I can get more than $10 in quarters all in one place!

so, if any ILXor is visiting the SF Bay Area, I would be happy to gift you with a Clipper card with at least $7 on it to use local transit ... could be more, depending on how long the coin shortage lasts this time

Just read that you can search the model of the washer/dryer and buy a key for it online, bypassing the coin lock

"you can't even see the car's engine anymore, all these new-fangled doodads and bells & whistles, harumph"

Having just had to change the battery on my truck, this complaint is accurate. If I hadn't found a video of a tech showing all the steps (there are five steps required to remove the positive terminal connector) I would have broken pieces trying to figure it out.

Just read that you can search the model of the washer/dryer and buy a key for it online, bypassing the coin lock

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, October 5, 2021 3:14 PM (twelve minutes ago)

there is a set of keys in the maintenance closet next to the washer/dryer, which contains keys to both washer and dryer. I don't want to risk getting evicted over hacking the laundry machines when I can afford to go get quarters. I've been here almost 24 years and have rent control.

I do wonder about the actual long term savings of increased efficiency versus having to buy a new washer every 4-5 years instead of every 15-20.

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, October 5, 2021 3:27 PM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

you mean you don't upgrade to the latest washer and dryer models every year? what are you, poor?

i just wanted to say that i still support my drones falling from the sky tweet-post, even if it isn't truly a step that we all accept now. it's a step we all will appreciate over the next 10 years, and it's too late for us to prevent it...therefore most people will accept it (because not accepting the inevitable is hard, way too hard for almost everyone)

but i understand there's a cool conversation happening about chips in my balls

I will support the intent and thrust of the post if you will agree to a stay on it being sent out to all recipients by rhonda for say five years or so

In the meantime we can settle the matter of chipped balls so the path is clear

this is a hard bargain, but i agree to all of that. rhonda will be a hero in 5 years, mark my words

5-10 let's say

"years"

*didn't say which planetary years!!!*

I trust u implicitly, work with rh. directly and I'll sign off on whatever outcome

Now look you said chips is that like crisps, are we talking crispy balls here

my connections to radiohead are fragile but real. i started my career as a poster at radiohead.com/msgboard. i made over 100,000 posts there and still hold a place on the all-time top posters (by volume) list, as "feedback". during that time, between 1-2 of my yelled frantic questions at the "blues" (the members of radiohead, + like stanley donwood and a few people like that, the only ones who could post in blue) were answered. so they totally know me. i will reach out to them with my our demands, letting them know that Rhonda holds personal responsibility and financial liability for anything i may say or do that is incorrect. regarding radiohead, that is - just want to let you know i have crossed the i's and dotted t's, we're looking at unending growth for at least 6 quarters now

6 quarters ain't enough to both wash and dry.

looooool godammit