It's Unbelievable How High Tech Is Senslessly Added to Everything!

Yeah, it truly is approaching the point of absurdity and overkill.

Just more expensive junk to break down and require expensive service.

But I guess as long as there are so many brainwashed sheep running around who simply have to have the latest and greatest gadgetry, there will be a market for such things.

Just makes me long for the simpler times of my youth.
 
For sure...a $5,000+ fridge just to keep food as fresh as a $1,000 fridge. But, then, that will give those with "money to burn" another way to display their excesses.

The thing that gets me is the stuff being promoted in new cars....wifi, bluetooth, cell phone capability, and various other "entertainment" options that contribute to drivers being distracted from the basics of driving safely.

All these "bells and whistles" might sound interesting, but when they begin to malfunction...and they will...the repair costs can quickly become ridiculous.
 

hauntedtexan said:
Please don't get me wrong, I am not allergic to tech, but come on........
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Well I have a mild allergy to tech. :bashcomp: :p I have no interest in anything "smart" like smartphones, smart TVs, smart meters and definitely not smart refrigerators. I'm not thrilled about cameras monitoring anything in my home, including the food in my fridge.

I like the older cars too, not the ones with all the monitoring and GPS devices installed. Some are manufactured where you can't even do a simple oil change or any basic maintenance without going to the dealer or a professional shop, if it can be done they see to it that it's an incredible hassle.

If it has a computer in it, it's not infallible and it can be hacked and controlled by someone at a remote location. I think there has even been cases where vehicles/brakes have malfunctioned on the highway and caused deaths, think there were some recalls.
 
Personally I hate it, LOL!!!

The good news is that it creates jobs and eventually the advances in new technology find an appropriate and meaningful application that improves the world in some way.
 
I have no problem with anything Hi Tech as long as it personally simplifies and gives comfort and pleasure to my life.
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I agree, Lon.

Some of it does reach the silly level, though. I recently thought about this when going through an entrance door that, as usual, required me to push a button. Since when do we need doors to open electronically?
 
Sunny said:
I agree, Lon.

Some of it does reach the silly level, though. I recently thought about this when going through an entrance door that, as usual, required me to push a button. Since when do we need doors to open electronically?
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Since doors become a part of the overall security of buildings. For example in the case of an emergency evacuation all doors would open automatically. Or in the case of a "lockdown" the reverse would apply.
 
Victor Meldrew said:
Yeah, it truly is approaching the point of absurdity and overkill.

Just more expensive junk to break down and require expensive service.

But I guess as long as there are so many brainwashed sheep running around who simply have to have the latest and greatest gadgetry, there will be a market for such things.

Just makes me long for the simpler times of my youth.
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Sure seems like it. The old saying .. "Less is more" comes to mind, but I think we've gotten to the point of no return. Everything we buy will have a chip/tracking device. More unneccessary money spent, and more invasion to deal with.
 
I admit some high end appliances are over-tech-ed. That's what makes them expensive. I bought a new washing machine. It's got all kinds of settings. I only use one for everything. I'm a 71 year old guy, who lives alone. I don't have delicate/special wash anythings. I guess the people, who were used to sound of dripping ice; thought the hum of a refrigerator was high tech.
 
Now if they would give us a choice between that junk and just plain simple appliance, etc, I wouldn't complain. But, it's when they start pushing this junk on all of us whether we want it or not, is when I will! This kind of nonsense just makes the old refurbished models look even better than before!!!!
 
AprilSun said:
Now if they would give us a choice between that junk and just plain simple appliance, etc, I wouldn't complain. But, it's when they start pushing this junk on all of us whether we want it or not, is when I will! This kind of nonsense just makes the old refurbished models look even better than before!!!!
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I agree. I was looking at washing machines the other day because mine is giving signs it might be coming to its end and I saw digital washing machines. What does that even mean? What on a washing machine needs to be digital??
 
My hobby is computers /electronics but in order to catch my interest the tech item needs to have a real life usefulness, and be fairly intuitive when used.

f I have to go get a degree in programming, in order to use it, then I consider it to be a fail!

Communicating with my fridge with my phone, naaaw!
 
Butterfly said:
I agree. I was looking at washing machines the other day because mine is giving signs it might be coming to its end and I saw digital washing machines. What does that even mean? What on a washing machine needs to be digital??
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In my opinion, nothing on a washer needs to be digital. I purchased a new one back in January that had a auto water level sensor. It decided how much water it wanted you to use, not you. There was no way to pick my water level myself. The problem was, it filled itself full with just one piece of clothing in it. I tested it several times with different amounts of clothing in it and it filled up full each time. I took that junk back and purchased an refurbished old model that I love and it works like it's supposed to!
 
With all the baby boomers getting older it is really sad. It makes it hard for those with memory problems to even operate a phone, TV or appliance. I have a 92 year old aunt with dementia and dealt with my aging parents that struggled with those items.
 
One reason you see more high tech features is that it's cheap to add eye catching gimmicks. Our washer has a whole bunch of options. I recently opened it up to repair it. Inside the control panel is one circuit board. All those choices would have been a nightmare with the old style mechanical control. The electronics makes them almost a no cost addition. Electronic controls are cheaper than mechanical equivalents. Also, the circuit board has jumpers so that it can be used on several different models. Standardization saves money too. And, it has built in diagnostics to help troubleshoot problems.

By the way, the real problem was a clog in the tubing that goes to the water level sensor. It didn't cost anything to blow it out. The sensor was fine.

I agree that many options are silly. My wife's Ford escape has interior mood lights in choice of color and a rear hatch that opens or closes by waving your foot under the car. It has some voice controls that we have never even tried. But, some things are really nice, like the seat that automatically adjusts for each driver, and the backup sensor that beeps if you get too close to something. The automatic electric door locks worry me though. Would the doors open after a bad wreck? I bought one of those little glass breakers to keep in the center console just in case.

Don
 
Grampa Don said:
One reason you see more high tech features is that it's cheap to add eye catching gimmicks. Our washer has a whole bunch of options. I recently opened it up to repair it. Inside the control panel is one circuit board. All those choices would have been a nightmare with the old style mechanical control. The electronics makes them almost a no cost addition. Electronic controls are cheaper than mechanical equivalents. Also, the circuit board has jumpers so that it can be used on several different models. Standardization saves money too. And, it has built in diagnostics to help troubleshoot problems.


By the way, the real problem was a clog in the tubing that goes to the water level sensor. It didn't cost anything to blow it out. The sensor was fine.

I agree that many options are silly. My wife's Ford escape has interior mood lights in choice of color and a rear hatch that opens or closes by waving your foot under the car. It has some voice controls that we have never even tried. But, some things are really nice, like the seat that automatically adjusts for each driver, and the backup sensor that beeps if you get too close to something. The automatic electric door locks worry me though. Would the doors open after a bad wreck? I bought one of those little glass breakers to keep in the center console just in case.

Don
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I have one of those glass breaker hammers, too, and it has a gadget on the other end to cut seatbelts. I hope I never have to use it.
 
AprilSun said:
In my opinion, nothing on a washer needs to be digital. I purchased a new one back in January that had a auto water level sensor. It decided how much water it wanted you to use, not you. There was no way to pick my water level myself. The problem was, it filled itself full with just one piece of clothing in it. I tested it several times with different amounts of clothing in it and it filled up full each time. I took that junk back and purchased an refurbished old model that I love and it works like it's supposed to!
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I don't think anything on a washer needs to be digital, either. A washer isn't a high tech gadget -- just a tub with a thing in the middle to swoosh the clothes around. The only options I need on a washer are choice of water level, choice of water temp, and a normal and a gentle cycle. Washers have had those forever, without having to be computer controlled.

I'll probably end up getting a refurbished older model, too. I don't want to deal with a washer that makes decisions for me.
 
Grampa Don said:
\

By the way, the real problem was a clog in the tubing that goes to the water level sensor. It didn't cost anything to blow it out. The sensor was fine.

Don
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If I had been able to use mine normally a while, I wouldn't have minded as much having it worked on. But, as soon as it was delivered and I turned it on, it was giving me problems with the sensor and it came straight from the seller's floor brand new. I just wasn't comfortable with something being wrong with it that quick.
 
AprilSun said:
If I had been able to use mine normally a while, I wouldn't have minded as much having it worked on. But, as soon as it was delivered and I turned it on, it was giving me problems with the sensor and it came straight from the seller's floor brand new. I just wasn't comfortable with something being wrong with it that quick.
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Absolutely! Either it had a bad part, or something was put together wrong. Our washer has the automatic water level feature, but you can also select the level you want. We've never used the auto level. Janie doesn't trust it.

I'm thinking about my Mom's washing machine when I was a kid. I don't remember any buttons or switches. I think she filled it with a hose from the wash tub. It had a lever that you could hit to release the rollers on the ringer in case of emergency. I believe the agitator was either on or off, and it was up to you how long it ran. Washing required a lot more attention then. I doubt whether any of us would want to go back that far.

Don
 
It's the overkill in the simplest of appliances and gadgets.

For instance. I have a digital air pressure gauge. Runs on batteries. If it's cold it doesn't work and it's slow.

However. I have a simple one that I found, made in England, that works just on the air pressure and pushes out a gauge.

That's the one I use now. There are some high tech improvements though that I wish I had. A rear view camera on the vehicle would be a blessing for me.

My sister just got a digital thermometer probe for her oven which is really nice when cooking a roast or a turkey. You never have to open the oven door. Came from Amazon and inexpensive.
 
Grampa Don said:
Our washer has the automatic water level feature, but you can also select the level you want. We've never used the auto level. Janie doesn't trust it.

Don
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Oh, I wouldn't mind that at all if I could find one that gives me a choice switching it between manual or automatic! But, when I was having to shop for a new washer, I couldn't find one that gave me that choice. I am like Janie, I don't trust them either even more so after that one was bad from the beginning. If you don't mind telling me, what brand is yours so if I have to go out shopping for one again, I'll know what to look for. The one I'm using now is a refurbished is why I'm asking. I just like to be prepared.
 

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