THE MORNING RANT: Lodging Made Torturous by Smart Appliances and Electronics

THE MORNING RANT: Lodging Made Torturous by Smart Appliances and Electronics - “The Big Regression”

When vacationing, my wife and I are tending to once again stay at hotels rather than renting through VRBO or Airbnb. While we prefer to rent an apartment/condo with a kitchen, laundry room, full size bathroom, and additional living space, the unrelenting hassles involving appliances and electronics is pushing us back to hotels. (As well as the detailed and lengthy “clean-up” instructions we’ve encountered at some places, but that’s a subject for another day.)

It has effectively become part of our unpacking process when we arrive at a rental property to contact the property manager so we can learn how to set the thermostat and operate the TV.

In a crazy paradox, the more “luxurious” the rental unit is, the more complex and user-unfriendly it tends to be. For me, having to watch training videos and download apps before I can set the thermostat or run the dishwasher is not luxury, it’s torture. Programming the lighting through a tablet on the wall is excruciating when I realize that something less upscale would offer me a simple light switch.

Jason Fried, a tech executive who co-founded Basecamp, wrote about this problem at “Hey,” another of his software companies. I first read this essay in its entirety on Mr. Fried’s Twitter/X page, but he also has it posted under the title “The Big Regression” at his website.

My folks are in town visiting us for a couple months so we rented them a house nearby.
It’s new construction. No one has lived in it yet. It’s amped up with state-of-the-art systems. You know, the ones with touchscreens of various sizes, [Internet of Things] appliances, and interfaces that try too hard.
And it’s terrible. What a regression.
The lights are powered by Control4, and require a demo to understand how to use the switches, understand which ones control what, and to be sure not to hit THAT ONE because it’ll turn off all the lights in the house when you didn’t mean to. Worse.
The TV is the latest Samsung which has a baffling user interface just to watch CNN. My parents aren’t idiots, but definitely feel like they’re missing something obvious. They aren’t — TVs have simply gotten worse. You don’t turn them on anymore, you boot them up. Worse.
The Miele dishwasher is hidden flush with the counters. That part is fine, but here’s what isn’t: It wouldn’t even operate the first time without connecting it with an app. This meant another call to the house manager to have them install an app they didn’t know they needed either. An app to clean some peanut butter off a plate? For serious? Worse.
Thermostats... Nest would have been an upgrade, but these other propriety ones from some other company trying to be nest-like are baffling. Round touchscreens that take you into a dark labyrinth of options just to be sure it’s set at 68. Or is it 68 now? Or is that what we want it at, but it’s at 72? Wait... What? Which number is this? Worse.
The alarm system is essentially a 10” iPad bolted to the wall that has the f***ing weather forecast on it. And it’s bright! I’m sure there’s a way to turn that off, but then the screen would be so barren that it would be filled with the news instead. Why can’t the alarm panel just be an alarm panel? Worse.
And the lag. Lag everywhere. Everything feels a beat or two behind. Everything. Lag is the giveaway that the system is working too hard for too little. Real-time must be the hardest problem.
Now look... I’m no luddite. But this experience is close to conversion therapy. Tech can make things better, but I simply can’t see it in these cases. I’ve heard the pitches too — you can set up scenes and one button can change EVERYTHING. Not buying it. It actually feels primitive, like we haven’t figured out how to make things easy yet. That some breakthrough will eventually come when you can simply knock a switch up or down and it’ll all makes sense. But we haven’t evolved to that point yet.
It’s really the contrast that makes it alarming. We just got back from a vacation in Montana. Rented a house there. They did have a fancy TV — seems those can’t be avoided these days — but everything else was old school and clear. Physical up/down light switches in the right places. Appliances without the internet. Buttons with depth and physically-confirmed state change rather than surfaces that don’t obviously register your choice. More traditional round rotating Honeywell thermostats that are just clear and obvious. No tours, no instructions, no questions, no fearing you’re going to do something wrong, no wondering how something works. Useful and universally clear. That’s human that’s modern.

Preach, brother. Preach. Thank you.

For me, simplicity is luxury. An absence of apps is luxury. Not having to watch a training video is luxury. Not having to engage with a wall-mounted tablet is luxury. Those are the luxuries I want when traveling.

Related Business Idea – “The Hostelry TV”: As noted in Mr. Fried’s back-to-basics rental unit in Montana, everything was old-school except for the TV, which was still a burden. There is a business opportunity in the tech / media space for someone to develop a simple, user-friendly TV for hostelries that works like a hotel TV of old, in that the guest simply clicks “Power” on the remote and can then start changing channels with the “Channel” button. Perhaps it might be a 32” desk-top TV (with larger wall-mounted options) and a simple, proprietary remote, along with immediate access to what might have been called “basic cable” in the old days. The TV would immediately connect to the internet via Starlink, or some such. Tech bros could figure that out pretty quickly, I presume. The Hostelry TV manufacturer could contract with one of the streaming services to have the basic cable bundle ready to go. There has got to be a way to provide simple, traditional TV access to patrons of hotels and lodging facilities.

*****

Other Things I’m Writing About

My latest piece at The American Spectator has been published, titled “While Canada Cozies Up to China, Mexico Imposes Harsh Tariffs Due to Chinese Auto Dumping.”

Mexico made a mistake in letting itself become a dumping ground for China’s excess automobile production. (Which, by the way, is overwhelmingly gasoline-powered vehicles, not electric, despite the media buzz about Chinese EVs.) Mexico is finally trying to undo the damage with stiff tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports.

Allowing Chinese vehicles into a market is not “free trade.” China has excess capacity of government-subsidized vehicles, which it is dumping into new markets, causing great harm to existing auto manufacturing operations. Many of these vehicles are manufactured by state-owned entities, whose primary purpose is to provide jobs in China, not to make a profit. Mexico has learned how damaging this trade structure is. Canada would be wise to take note.

My latest piece at The American Spectator: China has made Mexico a dumping ground for its glut of government-subsidized new cars*. To save its auto industry, Mexico just retaliated with stiff tariffs.
(*Despite media hype, these are gas cars, not EVs.)https://t.co/ebzHzJy5iV
— Buck Throckmorton (@BuckThrockmort) January 24, 2026

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Sponge!

Posted by: rickb223 at January 26, 2026 11:00 AM (zILP0)

2 Foist!!

Posted by: Sock Monkey * sporting my Andrew Breitbart attitude at January 26, 2026 11:01 AM (uaYsl)

3 You're younger than I thought.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:01 AM (jc0TO)

4 SPONGE!!!

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at January 26, 2026 11:01 AM (kgE5c)

5 SMART = Spying on You

Posted by: Lizzy at January 26, 2026 11:01 AM (0yjaw)

6 So nurse is going to be a grandmother?

Posted by: Duncanthrax at January 26, 2026 11:02 AM (0sNs1)

7 >>For me, having to watch training videos and download apps before I can set the thermostat or run the dishwasher is not luxury, it’s torture.

>>For me, simplicity is luxury. An absence of apps is luxury. Not having to watch a training video is luxury. Not having to engage with a wall-mounted tablet is luxury. Those are the luxuries I want when traveling.

THIS
THIS
THIS

Posted by: Lizzy at January 26, 2026 11:03 AM (0yjaw)

8 I confess that I never foresaw the day when Canada would be the stupid, corrupt member of the NA free trade zone and Mexico would be the one who learned the lesson.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:03 AM (Riz8t)

9 "The TV is the latest Samsung which has a baffling user interface just to watch CNN."

Wouldn't this go into the "Tech is Great" win column?

Posted by: Another Anon at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (4h45B)

10 Buttons good
Screens bad

Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (vFG9F)

11 I spent my entire career in IT involved in hundreds of projects.

Guess who strenuously avoids all things tech/internet enabled as it relates to appliances and home features?

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (cYBz/)

12 My theory is that the ones who engineer all this inconvenience into things are nerds getting even for what happened on the third grade playground.

Posted by: Eeyore at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (s0JqF)

13 Samsung remotes the worst. They put they most used keys in the most inconvenient place.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:05 AM (jc0TO)

14 I like having big dials and nobs on my women I mean cars to control them. and I hate those new dishwashers that have no lights on the outside so you can't tell that they are running

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at January 26, 2026 11:05 AM (lNLJj)

15 7 >>For me, having to watch training videos and download apps before I can set the thermostat or run the dishwasher is not luxury, it’s torture.

>>For me, simplicity is luxury. An absence of apps is luxury. Not having to watch a training video is luxury. Not having to engage with a wall-mounted tablet is luxury. Those are the luxuries I want when traveling.

The VCR was merely the stalking horse for the invasion of needlessly complex appliances.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:05 AM (Riz8t)

16 Not just spying, but GATEKEEPING

What happens when you lose internet?

Hell, what happens when a third party decides what features you can access from the app, or worse, decides to kick you off the app?

Posted by: Lizzy at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (0yjaw)

17 Creating overly-complicated systems that increase difficulty of use, reduce functionality and efficiency, and create numerous and wholly unnecessary failure points is not technological advancement.

Posted by: Tell Microsoft and Apple at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (TbWk/)

18 So nurse is going to be a grandmother?
Posted by: Duncanthrax at January 26, 2026 11:02 AM

and NDH got Pretti's heart.

It's a good day.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (jc0TO)

19 So solly.

Posted by: Samsung at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (yVcA5)

20 While we prefer to rent an apartment/condo with a kitchen, laundry room, full size bathroom, and additional living space, the unrelenting hassles involving appliances and electronics is pushing us back to hotels.

I'd have thought that it was the hullaballoo about several Airbnbs having been found to have surveillance cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (ExV1e)

21 I recently yanked all of the "smart" shit out of my house aside from the two thermostats (Ecobee) that work really well. The rest of the plugs and switches I eventually realized are just not great at best, and complete ass at worst. They don't save time and I feel like a goober yelling at Alexa to turn things off or on. I'd much rather walk across the room and turn a lamp switch.

Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (5aZAZ)

22 One day one of these "smart" houses will tell the user "I'm sorry, Dave. I can't let you do that."

Posted by: AZ Hi Desert (Gringo fuertemente armado-Tempus belli) at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM (I8+9i)

23 When I travel, I stay at hotels, because I want to deal with professionals, and not insane amateurs.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM (n1OCj)

24 I like having big dials and nobs on my women I mean cars to control them. and I hate those new dishwashers that have no lights on the outside so you can't tell that they are running

My Bosch dishwasher is like that except they put a small red light focused on the ground when it's running. The thing is so quiet you can't tell otherwise.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM (Riz8t)

25 So nurse is going to be a grandmother?
Posted by: Duncanthrax at January 26, 2026 11:02 AM (0sNs1)

Not at the moment. I can see how yesterday's comment would give that impression though. Apparently there was an unstated "eventually" in there.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM (lFFaq)

26 All of my smart home technology (I have a lot, lights, heat, AC, TV, blinds, oven) all work with my voice using Alexa.

I have no idea why people struggle with this.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM (RqMDa)

27 Lodging Made Torturous by Smart Appliances and Electronics - “The Big Regression”

I told you so.

Posted by: Zombie Ted Kaczynski at January 26, 2026 11:08 AM (P5BPp)

28 12 My theory is that the ones who engineer all this inconvenience into things are nerds getting even for what happened on the third grade playground.
Posted by: Eeyore at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (s0JqF)

No it's to make owner repair impossible and stifle the ability of third parties to manufacture parts and furnish repairs, so the manufacturer makes more money.

Posted by: It's all about monopolization at January 26, 2026 11:09 AM (TbWk/)

29 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:09 AM (Zz0t1)

30 The VCR was merely the stalking horse for the invasion of needlessly complex appliances.
Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:05 AM

This is about me, isn't it?

Posted by: Blinking 12:00 at January 26, 2026 11:09 AM (0sNs1)

31 Also please stop patronizing AirBnB. Shitty leftist company run and founded by shitty leftist pricks.

And the economy it created is fueled by assholes buying up residential properties and running them as short-term rental party houses, fucking up the neighborhoods they're in because they attract shitbirds.

VRBO in typical vacation-y places like beaches and resorts is much better.

Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (5aZAZ)

32 "I spent my entire career in IT involved in hundreds of projects.

Guess who strenuously avoids all things tech/internet enabled as it relates to appliances and home features?
Posted by: Tonypete "

I worked on a 20K sq ft house that had all that stuff. 14 HVAC zones, whole house audio, TVs and computers everywhere, irrigation control, alarm and fire systems, etc. You need a tech staff just to keep everything running. Do not want.

#1 son got a new Mavrick hybrid. It had 2 big screens and almost no buttons. Do not want.

I recently scored a 2001 Ranger 4wd with manual windows, locks and seats. Lots of buttons on the dash and no screens. DO want.

Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (vFG9F)

33 In a crazy paradox, the more “luxurious” the rental unit is, the more complex and user-unfriendly it tends to be. For me, having to watch training videos and download apps before I can set the thermostat or run the dishwasher is not luxury, it’s torture.
++++
Nothing installed into or attached permanently to your house should ever *require* an internet connection. I am also of the opinion that it should never *have* an internet connection at all, but there is room for disagreement there. A requirement, though? No. Product rejected.

When my folks bought their house, the first thing I did was take out the "smart" thermostat and install a simple, easy-to-use, clear, high-quality "dumb" thermostat. Digital and whatever, but no programming and no apps.

I know them. Adding complexity buys nothing but frustration and provides no value.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (MABZ1)

34 Makes me want to stick to hauling the horses someplace with scenic trails and camping in the trailer. Having to get training to work lights, heat and appliances at a short term rental would be a hard pass.

Posted by: PaleRider at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (hhkIi)

35 I must never stay any upscale airbnbs lol. I’ve never had to download an app to turn on lights or change the thermostat. And I’ve stayed at probably 100 airbnbs over the years.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (xg+/D)

36 When I bought my new Honda SUV this summer, I got it home only to find that it no longer has a button you can program to raise the garage door. They want you to get a $5/month subscription to an app so you can raise your door from Mars, should you need to do so.

I bought an old style remote and clipped it to my visor instead.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (Riz8t)

37 For me, having to watch training videos and download apps before I can set the thermostat...
---------

[eyes Honeywell mercury thermostat on the wall]

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (XeU6L)

38 Someone is going to be smart enough to do a Vermont Country Store of appliances.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (0KSrI)

39 People who have a home full of "smart " appliances are the same folk who have to Ask Alexa how to operate a hand can opener.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * sporting my Andrew Breitbart attitude at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (uaYsl)

40 @30: "Posted by: Blinking 12:00"

Some of us knew how to take care of problems like you.

Posted by: Walter Freeman at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (KOx5s)

41 I have no "smart" appliances at all. Even my smart phone has no apps on it. I like it that way.

And I don't own a TV. at. all. Oh, wait. I have an old mini boom box, found at the dump, that has a 4 inch B&W CRT TV screen in it. For shits and grins, I turned it on last month. One or two channels got some squiggly lines. It cannot decode digital OTA TV, so it is not watchable. Orphan tech.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (8zz6B)

42 People without the skills and time to learn how to set up a smart home should not do it. Just like any tool.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (RqMDa)

43 Not just spying, but GATEKEEPING

What happens when you lose internet?

Hell, what happens when a third party decides what features you can access from the app, or worse, decides to kick you off the app?
Posted by: Lizzy

I run shit now!

Posted by: Your online coffee pot at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (YasuL)

44 The Miele dishwasher is hidden flush with the counters. That part is fine, but here’s what isn’t: It wouldn’t even operate the first time without connecting it with an app. This meant another call to the house manager to have them install an app they didn’t know they needed either. An app to clean some peanut butter off a plate? For serious? Worse.
++++
I have one major appliance that *can* have an internet connection. But it's optional. As it should be. As it must be.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (MABZ1)

45 All of my smart home technology (I have a lot, lights, heat, AC, TV, blinds, oven) all work with my voice using Alexa.

I have no idea why people struggle with this.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM

Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take
I'll be listening to you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay
I'll be listening to you

Posted by: Anon2020's Alexa at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (P5BPp)

46 My brand new kitchen range has a smart app that I can use via Samsung.

I have absolutely NO INTENTION of ever using it.

The instructions that came with the oven are next to useless, since they don't include anything useful like setting the clock on the oven or using the timer to cook food.

It took me three days to figure out how to set the clock.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (ESVrU)

47 Interesting.

I absolutely hate hotels and motels because the other "guests" tend to be rude assholes who make a lot of noise (cue Don Henley's "It's Like There's Nobody Else In The World But You") including slamming doors unnecessarily in the middle of night or early morning.

So, the general quiet and peace of mind is more than worth it as we usually use AirbBnB -- and only as a place to crash at night, not to eat or watch TV or anything else.

But our trips have always been brief -- one or two days -- which will likely change after I retire sometime this year ... so something to consider, thanks Buck.

A couple decades ago we spent a week in a very nice lakeside cabin in Moosehead Lake, Maine -- and the owners had a nice manual that explain how to operate everything (appliances, TV, thermostat, etc.) so that trip might have spoiled us.

Posted by: ShainS -- 'The Warmth Of Collectivism' Is Code For 'Hell On Earth' at January 26, 2026 11:12 AM (yrqXS)

48 My toaster remains loyal.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:12 AM (jc0TO)

49 Also please stop patronizing AirBnB. Shitty leftist company run and founded by shitty leftist pricks.

And the economy it created is fueled by assholes buying up residential properties and running them as short-term rental party houses, fucking up the neighborhoods they're in because they attract shitbirds.

VRBO in typical vacation-y places like beaches and resorts is much better.
Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (5aZAZ)

DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME WHAT FUCKING HOUSE TO RENT FOR MY SUPER BOWL PARTY! FUCK YOU!

Posted by: Most super conservative of conservatives at January 26, 2026 11:12 AM (TbWk/)

50 Had a sales kid roaming my neighborhood years ago. He was trying to sell home security systems.

He told me he wanted to use my house as a demo home. They would install the system for free, I would just need to be willing to talk about the system and give an eval for others.

"You'll have all the sensors and cameras and would be able to access all of them over the internet."

"Wait, you want to put my house on the internet?"

"Yes. For free."

"Get the f*ck off my lawn......."

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:12 AM (Zz0t1)

51 I'd be happy if my old hotmail account (which I don't want to give up as I've had it for decades) would stop shutting me out at random times and ask for various methods of verification the past few years. Worst is the damned authenticator. All my efforts to by shut off these added level of security seem to eventually fail.

Posted by: Ripley at January 26, 2026 11:12 AM (GUOwU)

52 Dolley went all in on smart things, mostly lights, a few years ago.

But too many nights of Alexa not recognizing her commands and forcing her to stand up to turn off the lights in the bathroom just turned her off to the whole thing.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (GBKbO)

53 6 So nurse is going to be a grandmother?
Posted by: Duncanthrax

We talkin' sea otters or real babies?

Posted by: Out of the Loop at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (oftw2)

54 I do agree watching TV at an Airbnb is a hassle. Because there are 4 remotes and you have no idea which one does what. Or once you do figure it out you have to log into apps.

What I do is travel with an hdmi cable. I use the TV as an monitor and watch “tv” through my laptop.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (xg+/D)

55 I confess that I never foresaw the day when Canada would be the stupid, corrupt member of the NA free trade zone and Mexico would be the one who learned the lesson.
Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:03 AM (Riz8t)

Bald kid in monk's robes: Do not try and foresee which country will be stupid and corrupt. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. They're all stupid and corrupt.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (ExV1e)

56 As soon as I see 'app', or 'QR code', I lose interest.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (XeU6L)

57 One of the more egregious outright falsehoods was that vintage refrigerators were energy hogs, and thus you should borrow $900 at interest to purchase a chi-com fridge to “save” $32 a year in electricity consumption, for an appliance that will be bricked in less than five.

Posted by: Common Tater at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (uQjsv)

58 36 When I bought my new Honda SUV this summer, I got it home only to find that it no longer has a button you can program to raise the garage door. They want you to get a $5/month subscription to an app so you can raise your door from Mars, should you need to do so.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (Riz8t)
-----
New BMW SUVs have heated seats as a subscription service, lmao.

Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (5aZAZ)

59 53 6 So nurse is going to be a grandmother?
Posted by: Duncanthrax

I gathered she said Her Son and DIL were "working" on it...

Posted by: It's me donna at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (VE6XX)

60 I recently scored a 2001 Ranger 4wd with manual windows, locks and seats. Lots of buttons on the dash and no screens. DO want.
Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (vFG9F)

That's a win.

I have a 96 Ranger 4cyl 5spd. LOVE it. Just wish it was the V6 4WD. Although the fuel mileage would go way down from the 24 avg it gets currently.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (Zz0t1)

61 You load 16 tons and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt

Posted by: Skip at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (Ia/+0)

62 I gathered she said Her Son and DIL were "working" on it...
Posted by: It's me donna at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM

Wink wink, say no more, say no more..

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (jc0TO)

63
I gathered she said Her Son and DIL were "working" on it...
Posted by: It's me donna at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (VE6XX)

They appear to currently be in negotiations.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (Zz0t1)

64 " One of the more egregious outright falsehoods was that vintage refrigerators were energy hogs"

We have to save that electricity so they can make videos of cats water skiing.

Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (vFG9F)

65 Not just spying, but GATEKEEPING

What happens when you lose internet?

Hell, what happens when a third party decides what features you can access from the app, or worse, decides to kick you off the app?
Posted by: Lizzy at January 26, 2026 11:06 AM (0yjaw)

Or decides that your house is too hot, or too cold? Or decides that you've watched enough TV today? Or decides...

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (ExV1e)

66 My thermostat has an app but it’s also touch screen. App is nice for a vacation. Turn the heat down while away and then turn it back up a couple of hours from return remotely.

My dishwasher has an app component. Never used it. What’s the point? It’s retarded.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (xg+/D)

67 Another thing, I don't understand people that are 'proud' of not knowing how to do any of this. If the technology is not for you that is perfectly understandable but the taking of 'pride' in ignorance baffles me.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (RqMDa)

68 Samsung remotes the worst. They put they most used keys in the most inconvenient place.
Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:05 AM (jc0TO)

All TV remotes are shit. The most important button of all is always obscure and hard to find. I speak, of course, of the "mute" button. By rights, it should be a big red bar, full width of the control box, and raised higher than all the other buttons. Because it's the one that you need to hit most often.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (8zz6B)

69 And the lag. Lag everywhere. Everything feels a beat or two behind. Everything. Lag is the giveaway that the system is working too hard for too little. Real-time must be the hardest problem.
++++
Sort of. It can be more than powerful enough hardware, but the real problem is the network. If it isn't local, the network adds up.

Phone -> WiFi -> Gateway -> Internet -> Server in AWS somewhere -> Hosting infrastructure -> Internet -> Gateway -> WiFi -> Device -> WiFi -> Gateway -> Internet -> Server in AWS somewhere -> Hosting infrastructure -> Internet -> Gateway -> WiFi -> Phone

Two round trips for everything, all the way across the internet. Even with a snappy (low-latency) connection, it is just too much distance and too many steps. These interfaces can *never* be all that fast with that design - but not having that design requires local infrastructure to do it, which is both higher in complexity to the end user (and thus unappealing, except for the privacy-minded) and deprives the manufacturer of all your usage data and the various "marketing" opportunities provided by it.

This problem cannot be solved with cloud-based home IOT systems. The round trips are costly.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (MABZ1)

70 People without the skills and time to learn how to set up a smart home should not do it. Just like any tool.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (RqMDa)

I have the skills to set up a smart home, but why waste the time when the equivalent dumb switches are more robust, easier to use, and can be operated by anyone?

Technology is wonderful, but recognition of its uses and limitations is the mark of a truly technological society.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (Zv8bq)

71 My toaster remains loyal.

Yessss, that's it, loyal. There's nothing to worry about. It isn't like there's a conspiracy with the subterranean lizard people or anything.

Posted by: The toaster, smirking at the SLP sitting next to him at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (Riz8t)

72 I encountered this problem when kids gave their parents air cleaners and other appliances that they could not operate without assistance. Our staff struggled with them too.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (RIvkX)

73 All I want out of a dishwasher or a washing machine is one dial to turn and one button to push.

Posted by: Tom Servo at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (cx1bp)

74 I'd have thought that it was the hullaballoo about several Airbnbs having been found to have surveillance cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Posted by: I used to have a different nic

Trust me, no one wants to see me nekkid.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (cYBz/)

75 I only stay in hotels WITH fridges and at least a microwave (I prefer a whole kitchen but I make do). Best of both worlds - clean, easy, and still have my own food if needed.

Posted by: Nova Local at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (tOcjL)

76 The guy with the "smart home" who comes home during a power outage and is locked out of his own home is not only amusing, but a cautionary tale.

Dude was unable to stay in the home during the multi-day outage because every little thing was IoT. And there was no Internet to control the thermostat, open the garage door, lock the windows/doors, turn on or off lights and so on.

And he never planned on being without the Internet.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (qwVdq)

77 Hotels aren't immune to this, though.

The weirdest shower controls I've ever seen have all been in hotels, and the fancier the hotel, the more fucktarded the shower controls are likely to be.

This makes no sense whatsoever. Putting a weird shower control in your house is no big deal. You learn how it works and then you're good.

But in a hotel, where everyone who uses it is going to be unfamiliar, almost by definition?

Yeah, dipshits. Don't do that.

Posted by: President Donald Trump at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (IG3/x)

78 have a 'smart' samsung tv that i made a retard by simpler never plugging in the interweb cable to it

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (lNLJj)

79 My refirgerator died just before Christmas because of course it did. I had the pleasure of shopping for a new referigerator for the 3rd time in 15 years. Because appliances are made like shit these days.

It is almost impossible to find a plain side by side refrigerator without needless bells and whistles. I don't need my refrigerator surfing the internet or with a glass door. Just keep things cool. Simple.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (viF8m)

80 Trust me, no one wants to see me nekkid.
Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM

There's a niche fetish for everyone.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (jc0TO)

81 But too many nights of Alexa not recognizing her commands and forcing her to stand up to turn off the lights in the bathroom just turned her off to the whole thing.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (GBKbO)

I go to people's homes with Alexa and ask Alexa to give me prices and availability for various butt plugs, lubes and f*ck dolls.

The remaining advertisements they start to get is a benefit that makes me smile uncontrollably.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (Zz0t1)

82 Foot and a half of snow covering, got a chemo follow up appointment at 1pm. Need to shovel path to road so uber can pick me up. That's about thirty feet with the last five being four feet high of plowed road snow at the end of the driveway. Maybe I'll survive this. Maybe.

Posted by: From about That Time at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (sl73Y)

83 Never stayed at an Air B&B. Our son has. It was a large Victorian House with about five other people living there who were all working. I have no smart technology and do not want my appliances talking to me. Don't want Alexa . I am bored by the car flashing a message to put on my seat belt, but at least it's not a voice. The cell phone gives me talking directions and I sometimes shout at that as well.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (2sfNr)

84 "I have a 96 Ranger 4cyl 5spd. LOVE it. Just wish it was the V6 4WD. Although the fuel mileage would go way down from the 24 avg it gets currently.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer "

I'm getting 18-20 with the V6. Yeah, I snapped this one up because it is in great shape and I could sell it at any time for more than I have in it. The first day I got it someone asked me at a gas station if I wanted to sell it.

Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (vFG9F)

85 For me, having to watch training videos and download apps before I can set the thermostat...
---------

[eyes Honeywell mercury thermostat on the wall]
Posted by: Mike Hammer,

My furnace is a 28 year old Bakers Choice wood cook stove. Built by the Canadian Amish. Operating instructions include open or close back damper or bottom drawer. Load firewood as necessary. 5 AM this morning it was -2 on the porch and 65 inside. Stoked the fire and opened the dampers. By 5:15 it was 72 inside.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * sporting my Andrew Breitbart attitude at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (uaYsl)

86 81 I go to people's homes with Alexa and ask Alexa to give me prices and availability for various butt plugs, lubes and f*ck dolls.

The remaining advertisements they start to get is a benefit that makes me smile uncontrollably.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (Zz0t1)

=======

We have 5 Alexa devices in the house.

4 of them are...unplugged.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:18 AM (GBKbO)

87
The weirdest shower controls I've ever seen have all been in hotels, and the fancier the hotel, the more fucktarded the shower controls are likely to be.

I want to know who the f*ck decided that faucet knobs were no longer "righty tighty, lefty loosey" so I can punch them in the throat.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:18 AM (Zz0t1)

88 70 People without the skills and time to learn how to set up a smart home should not do it. Just like any tool.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (RqMDa)

I have the skills to set up a smart home, but why waste the time when the equivalent dumb switches are more robust, easier to use, and can be operated by anyone?

Technology is wonderful, but recognition of its uses and limitations is the mark of a truly technological society.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (Zv8bq)

I'm thinking smart homes and power outages are a disaster, especially if the outage occurs when you aren't home...or have they fixed the "can't get in now" problem. I won't do a smart home til all of the "what happens if" have been resolved...

Posted by: Nova Local at January 26, 2026 11:18 AM (tOcjL)

89 I watched the new version of Running Man the other night, and I didn't particularly care for it, except for the William H Macy character who had a swath of old "dumb" tv's for sale in his black market shop. "They don't watch you back." This. I want this. Dumb tv's I turn on with three free networks whose news I don't watch, but I can enjoy sportsball, dog shows and the Macy's parade without having to pay extra extra money. A washing machine and dryer with knobs that I turn and they run, rather than having to hold a button for three seconds and do the hokey pokey to hope it will start. The new life tech has engendered sucks. I want old school.

Posted by: moki at January 26, 2026 11:18 AM (wLjpr)

90 There is a business opportunity in the tech / media space for someone to develop a simple, user-friendly TV for hostelries that works like a hotel TV of old, in that the guest simply clicks “Power” on the remote and can then start changing channels with the “Channel” button.
++++
There is another market, that is sadly probably much bigger.

Modern stuff is just too complicated for people with dementia. Too complicated, too hard to learn, changes too often. There is a HUGE untapped market of simplified, feature-poor devices with obvious usage methods for people aging out of mental dynamism or aging into mental degradation.

I saw a great product, for example, that is a total failure. It's a water bottle that reminds you to drink. Simple idea, and *ideal* for old people who don't get thirsty anymore and can't remember to hydrate. But it has a damn app and is hard to use. It's targeted at Zoomers eating too much adderall, not the elderly - and the elderly are a much bigger market. It should be "dumb." Set a switch on the bottom with four timer options and a slot for a AA battery. Keep it simple, and move more product.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:18 AM (MABZ1)

91 Wouldn't making it hard to watch CNN actually be a good thing?

Posted by: Ian S. at January 26, 2026 11:18 AM (2ocoG)

92 Used to be just your car talked back to you or refused to obey you. No it's your house? Welcome to 1984.

Posted by: Eromero at January 26, 2026 11:19 AM (LHPAg)

93 "The Big Regression" is new to me.

I've heard this described more generally as "the enshittification of everything."

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:19 AM (MABZ1)

94 I have smart lights integrated with Alexa/Ring. I can turn on and off pretty much any light in my house remotely, Comes in handy when traveling to give the appearance someone is home.

Also all fire alarms are integrated. If one goes off I’m alerted on my phone. Same with cameras and motion sensor lights outside. I live in a very safe area but I like knowing my entire property is monitored and recorded if I ever need to look at something.

It was kind of a pain to set it all up and get working. But now it’s just there. There’s nothing to do. I think a lot of posters here are making it sounds way more complex than it is.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (xg+/D)

95 I gathered she said Her Son and DIL were "working" on it...
Posted by: It's me donna at January 26, 2026 11:14 AM (VE6XX)
=====

I have sunk so low as to text my friends that they should demand their children get married already. Uncle Franpsycho loves a good wedding and he only has two on the schedule this year.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (RIvkX)

96 Hold on, I just got an email from my microwave. Pizza rolls are done!

Posted by: Duke Lowell at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (u73oe)

97 77 Hotels aren't immune to this, though.

The weirdest shower controls I've ever seen have all been in hotels, and the fancier the hotel, the more fucktarded the shower controls are likely to be.

This makes no sense whatsoever. Putting a weird shower control in your house is no big deal. You learn how it works and then you're good.

But in a hotel, where everyone who uses it is going to be unfamiliar, almost by definition?

Yeah, dipshits. Don't do that.
Posted by: President Donald Trump at January 26, 2026 11:16 AM (IG3/x)

True, but then the front desk has someone come to show you how everything works so you don't have to figure it out...and usually, they also make it all idiot proof so they don't have to have this manpower...

Posted by: Nova Local at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (tOcjL)

98 Centralized control disguised as technological advancement.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (fd80v)

99 Lucky maybe haven't been to a hotel in a very long time

Posted by: Skip at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (Ia/+0)

100 16 Not just spying, but GATEKEEPING

What happens when you lose internet?

Hell, what happens when a third party decides what features you can access from the app, or worse, decides to kick you off the app?

or when chatgpt discovers your old pro-orangeman tweets and decides you don't deserve clean dishes?

Posted by: anachronda at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (sGtp+)

101 I was thinking about the annoyances of technology this weekend, and reminiscing about when my dad and I would head to the Boundary Waters every May. We took only what we could carry on our backs. This was way before cell phones. We could understand how everything we carried worked. Knife, hatchet, canteen, rods and reels, tent, sleeping bag. Simple. Didn't have to worry about something not working.

Posted by: Frasier Crane at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (bNf8H)

102 67 Another thing, I don't understand people that are 'proud' of not knowing how to do any of this. If the technology is not for you that is perfectly understandable but the taking of 'pride' in ignorance baffles me.
Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM (RqMDa)
-----
I have been in IT professionally for 20 years, most of those specializing in cybersecurity and automation.

The time spent setting up and maintaining a "smart" home easily eclipses the time the average homeowner would spend walking across the room to turn the lights on or off each day. Not to mention all of the security holes the IoT shit opens in your home, also not to mention having to have Alexa or some other digital skank listening to every word you say in your own home.

The juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (5aZAZ)

103 "I have the skills to set up a smart home, but why waste the time when the equivalent dumb switches are more robust, easier to use, and can be operated by anyone?

Technology is wonderful, but recognition of its uses and limitations is the mark of a truly technological society."

Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (RqMDa)

104 96 Hold on, I just got an email from my microwave. Pizza rolls are done!

Posted by: Duke Lowell at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (u73oe)

======

Followed quickly by an email from Google saying that you're running out of free storage in your Gmail and you should upgrade.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (GBKbO)

105 82 Foot and a half of snow covering, got a chemo follow up appointment at 1pm. Need to shovel path to road so uber can pick me up. That's about thirty feet with the last five being four feet high of plowed road snow at the end of the driveway. Maybe I'll survive this. Maybe.
Posted by: From about That Time at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (sl73Y)

Be careful. I did a slow hour and quit. It is taking 4x as long as normal snow to remove...it's that heavy with an ice sheen to break through on top.

Posted by: Nova Local at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (tOcjL)

106 I'm getting 18-20 with the V6. Yeah, I snapped this one up because it is in great shape and I could sell it at any time for more than I have in it. The first day I got it someone asked me at a gas station if I wanted to sell it.
Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:17 AM (vFG9F)

Mine has 240k miles on it, leaks a bit of antifreeze and I still get people that drive by and ask if it's for sale.

I'll likely rebuild the motor at some point. It's just that neat a vehicle.

Ford made a mistake, IMHO. The current Ranger should've been the F100, since it's more of a 1/2 ton truck than anything. The current Maverick, which was a 4 door sedan ferchryssakes, should've been better looking and called the Ranger, which was always a small utility truck.

Somehow, the Maverick was Motor Trend's Truck of the Year last year.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (Zz0t1)

107 Another thing, I don't understand people that are 'proud' of not knowing how to do any of this. If the technology is not for you that is perfectly understandable but the taking of 'pride' in ignorance baffles me.
Posted by: anon2020
---------

Perhaps, the issue is not 'ignorance', but thoughful, experieced judgement.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (XeU6L)

108 The weirdest shower controls I've ever seen have all been in hotels, and the fancier the hotel, the more fucktarded the shower controls are likely to be.

Yeah. I've seen some really fucktarded shower controls in hotels. They're just knobs, but they don't work the way you expect.

Posted by: Ian S. at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (2ocoG)

109 We need hackers to design a nuclear powered remote controller.

Posted by: thug dolphin at January 26, 2026 11:22 AM (EyfuW)

110 My dad has the Alexa lights thing. It usually only takes him 2-3 tries at increasing volume to get it to turn the couch lamp on.

Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:22 AM (vFG9F)

111 At DM, "Based on a wild virus known to infect bacteria, scientists used an AI tool called Evo2 to create 285 entirely new viruses from scratch."

Dangling reference. It's saying the scientists are based on a wild virus. Other than that grammatical error, nothing to see here.

Posted by: Cats at January 26, 2026 11:22 AM (N8ZBc)

112 Allowing Chinese vehicles into a market is not “free trade.” China has excess capacity of government-subsidized vehicles, which it is dumping into new markets, causing great harm to existing auto manufacturing operations. Many of these vehicles are manufactured by state-owned entities, whose primary purpose is to provide jobs in China, not to make a profit.

Mexican Maquiladora in 1996.

Posted by: r hennigantx at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (gbOdA)

113 No tours, no instructions, no questions, no fearing you’re going to do something wrong, no wondering how something works. Useful and universally clear. That’s human that’s modern.
---
And no app contributing to tracking everything you do.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (krQz2)

114 If the technology is not for you that is perfectly understandable but the taking of 'pride' in ignorance baffles me.

There's a certain set of Americans who think they're better off not knowing things. We usually call them "Democrats", but it's certainly not exclusive to them.

Posted by: Ian S. at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (2ocoG)

115 Modern stuff is just too complicated for people with dementia. Too complicated, too hard to learn, changes too often. There is a HUGE untapped market of simplified, feature-poor devices with obvious usage methods for people aging out of mental dynamism or aging into mental degradation.

Remember the Jitterbug phone for oldsters? Huge buttons, lots of backlight, no apps or other nonsense. Then they screwed it up by requiring that you use their crappy network.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (Riz8t)

116
It was kind of a pain to set it all up and get working. But now it’s just there. There’s nothing to do. I think a lot of posters here are making it sounds way more complex than it is.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:20 AM (xg+/D)

You wew be vewy vewy sowwy vewy soon, wowndeye......

Posted by: Chinese Hackers at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (Zz0t1)

117 Viva La Revolution!

Posted by: The washing machine at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (YasuL)

118 According to my electric utilities outage map, there are only 8 households without power this morning in the entire service area.

That's probably because every Cletus in the state has at least two chainsaws and tools in the back of their hoopdie pickup trucks.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (cYBz/)

119 @102
I have been in IT professionally for 20 years, most of those specializing in cybersecurity and automation.

The time spent setting up and maintaining a "smart" home easily eclipses the time the average homeowner would spend walking across the room to turn the lights on or off each day. Not to mention all of the security holes the IoT shit opens in your home, also not to mention having to have Alexa or some other digital skank listening to every word you say in your own home.

The juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

There are solutions that are completely local and once set up is done forever with minor maintenance.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (RqMDa)

120 An app just to run your dishwasher. SMH The epitome of ludicrous. I have a Miele dishwasher that is a few years old and I love it for the most part. But it's obviously not one of the ones that came with an app to operate or I would never have considered it.

Posted by: Lady in Black at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (qBdHI)

121 I spent my entire career in IT involved in hundreds of projects.

Guess who strenuously avoids all things tech/internet enabled as it relates to appliances and home features?
Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (cYBz/)

I spent my entire career as a television broadcast engineer. Worked with the latest high tech equipment. And had to diagnose and repair the stuff. Guess who also avoids any high tech as it relates to home appliances? I didn't need the same stress after I came home from a full day of stress at work.

Posted by: thatcrazyjerseyguy at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (5xuJ/)

122 When I visit people who have Alexa, I talk sh*t about Jeff Bezos.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * sporting my Andrew Breitbart attitude at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (uaYsl)

123 Anybody remember X-10? Those plug in modules worked pretty good and you had a remote with buttons you used to turned the lights on and off and dim. The wall switches sucked though. For those I prefer the regular old toggle switch.

Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (vFG9F)

124 Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM

*clap*clap*

I am still available for the landwhales.

Posted by: The Clapper at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (tomcf)

125 I kick around the idea of "downgrading" these smart electronics.
Because you can find them for free on the curbs every weekend.

Like, a $3k washing machine can be rendered useless because the circuit board is dead.

But, $50 in analog dials and knobs, can run the motors and pumps forever.
I don't need 50 different cycle options--I need one: Wash, rinse, spin.
Heavy duty? Run it twice.

A 3d printer or a cheap CNC to mount the new dial and knobs where the old panel of buttons was ....
Along with the old Maytag engineering manual from the 60's to design the new controls ....

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (HXT0k)

126 When the heating/plumbing guy in his 20s refuses to have a "smart" thermostat in his home or install one unless specifically asked, that's when you know that it's not a good idea.

Posted by: pookysgirl prefers that her house stay dumb at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (Wt5PA)

127 Preach.

I'm not proud of this, but setting up tech things reduces me to a toddler having a tantrum.
Just don't have the background or experience.
So I rely on the kindness of friends, SILs and grandchildren.

Posted by: sal at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (f+FmA)

128 One of the more egregious outright falsehoods was that vintage refrigerators were energy hogs, and thus you should borrow $900 at interest to purchase a chi-com fridge to “save” $32 a year in electricity consumption, for an appliance that will be bricked in less than five.
Posted by: Common Tater at January 26, 2026 11:13 AM (uQjsv)

Vintage refrigerators might pull 4 or 5 amps while the compressor runs, and then zero for a long spell until the thermostat kicks it in again. Modern fridges might pull 2 or 3 amps, but they run almost constantly, with only brief breaks.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:25 AM (8zz6B)

129 There are solutions that are completely local and once set up is done forever with minor maintenance.
Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (RqMDa)
++++
"Home automation" - as it used to be called, before it was "smart home" - has been on my list of things to play with and do for years. I'm a geek. I find the idea appealing. But not if it goes on the internet. Ever. Local-only. One day, I'll get around to it.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:25 AM (MABZ1)

130 This is a big reason we have avoided buying a car for the last 10 years. Too many non-car things to maintain to cope with to repair etc.

Especially the "engine off at stop signs" thing. That won't work here at all with stop signs on every corner.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 26, 2026 11:25 AM (RIvkX)

131 69 Sort of. It can be more than powerful enough hardware, but the real problem is the network. If it isn't local, the network adds up.

Phone -> WiFi -> Gateway -> Internet -> Server in AWS somewhere -> Hosting infrastructure -> Internet -> Gateway -> WiFi -> Device -> WiFi -> Gateway -> Internet -> totally not suspicious redirection to china -> filtering though chinese spy network -> Server in AWS somewhere -> Hosting infrastructure -> Internet -> Gateway -> WiFi -> Phone

fixt

Posted by: anachronda at January 26, 2026 11:26 AM (sGtp+)

132 Off catsock. Well, my new car battery has arrived. It has a good warranty with roadside assistance. I'll wait until warmest part of the day to put it in: 3PM, forecast -9degF windchill. The old battery still takes a charge, so I'll keep it for running my FT-891 in case of emergency.

Posted by: gp at January 26, 2026 11:26 AM (N8ZBc)

133 Dishwasher is not a great use I agree but it is fun to run and monitor it from the living room.

I am an engineer so this is also all fun for me.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:26 AM (RqMDa)

134 Cool tech is just one more thing to break. I have manual window cranks in my truck.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:26 AM (jc0TO)

135 There are solutions that are completely local and once set up is done forever with minor maintenance.
Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (RqMDa)
----
Yeah man I run a home lab.

99% of people out there aren't self-hosting this shit because....it's a gigantic pain in the ass if you're not a fucking nerd. There. I said it.

Also, "done forever" is a comically retarded thing to say about anything vaguely technological. Tell me you don't know your ass from a hole in the ground without actually telling me.

Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:26 AM (5aZAZ)

136 I would love to bu a washing machine that allowed me to simply set the time (or just LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY) and pick wash and rinse temperature. Last and current model have way too many settings and will not allow me to use hot water when I want.

Posted by: Ripley at January 26, 2026 11:26 AM (GUOwU)

137 Me to the youngins:

You want to make a smart home, no problem, go for it, but make absolutely sure that it's full of good old fashioned "dumb" controls that can send inputs to the system with the touch of a finger, or even better, can be switched over to a manual control to override the system. These types of specialized controls exist, you just have to find (and pay large) for them.k Totally worth it if the smart system craps the bunk (and at some point, it will.)

Thermostats are often just 4 or 5 wires going down to the control board in the furnace/AC. Put two main thermostat units in, the first can be however smart you want, and the other one is a good old fashion dial with a mercury switch. Put a 5 or 6 position double-throw manual switch between them so you can switch back and forth between the two thermostats.

Or... OR... Hear me out: You could just stick with good old fashioned light switches and a simple thermostat! Wouldn't that be nice?

Appliances: Can't help you there pal, go buy old refurbished units if you can find a guy who does that. Modern appliances have a terrible track record anyway.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (O7YUW)

138
That's probably because every Cletus in the state has at least two chainsaws and tools in the back of their hoopdie pickup trucks.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (cYBz/)

Some will ask for money for helping with a downed tree, but around our parts of the wood, they tend to say God bless, and move on to the next house. The uppity folks can look down on us rednecks all they want. I'd rather have coffee with Cletus and hear about his exploits in possum wrasslin'.

Posted by: moki at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (wLjpr)

139 When the heating/plumbing guy in his 20s refuses to have a "smart" thermostat in his home or install one unless specifically asked, that's when you know that it's not a good idea.
Posted by: pookysgirl prefers that her house stay dumb at January 26, 2026 11:24 AM (Wt5PA)
++++
When I replaced my HVAC a number of years ago, I told the people bidding on it that their bids must *not* include anything internet-connected. All of the salesmen said, "sure thing. We get that request a lot, and we'll leave smart thermostats and controllers off the bid."

Not one of them was pushy about it and that it's apparently common gave me a modicum of hope.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (MABZ1)

140 I've been in the IT world since the 90's.

I have NONE of that shit in my house. I griped at the First Lady when she hooked the TV to the home WiFi.

"I don't need my TV listening to every word I say. Does it have a camera?"

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (Zz0t1)

141 The coffee machine I recently got is supposed to be internet capable and have an app, but it's not necessary, so I'm not setting it up.

You can use it without, I'm using it without.

Posted by: XTC at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (6Uni8)

142 "Lol guys just set up a server rack in your closet and self-host all your smart home automation! Easy Peasy!"

Fucking clown

Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (5aZAZ)

143 Mexico Imposes Harsh Tariffs Due to Chinese Auto Dumping.
---
Auto-dumping is not allowed in my house.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (krQz2)

144 With cars I love the old school analog cars. I own one. It’s fun to drive, has a manual transmission, bare bones tech. Power windows is about it for comfort creatures. But that’s my fun weekend car. It’s meant to DRIVE!

For daily drivers where I’m going to the store or take my kids to school or whatever, fuck year I want the latest safety items. I want auto brake and a 360 degree camera and heated seats and the rest of it.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:28 AM (xg+/D)

145 I spent my entire career in IT involved in hundreds of projects.

Guess who strenuously avoids all things tech/internet enabled as it relates to appliances and home features?
Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (cYBz/)

I spent my entire career as a television broadcast engineer. Worked with the latest high tech equipment. And had to diagnose and repair the stuff. Guess who also avoids any high tech as it relates to home appliances? I didn't need the same stress after I came home from a full day of stress at work.

I spent my career working with (and troubleshooting) complex scientific equipment. I can do it. I don't want to.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:28 AM (Riz8t)

146 Every time one of my devices updates I feel dumber.

Posted by: javems at January 26, 2026 11:28 AM (lMFe/)

147 Technology is wonderful, but recognition of its uses and limitations is the mark of a truly technological society.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at January 26, 2026 11:15 AM

^^^ This.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (kgE5c)

148 143 Mexico Imposes Harsh Tariffs Due to Chinese Auto Dumping.
---
Auto-dumping is not allowed in my house.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:27 AM (krQz2)

=======

Is NRO going to write an article about how Mexico is hurting itself by imposing tariffs?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (GBKbO)

149 Smart home devices might make sense for a HOME. For a short term rental fuck that shit. I'm not a trustfarian, I have to work full time, leisure time is limited, so if I take a vacation I don't want to spend a chunk of it learning how to work special apps just to get heat, lights, use the stove etc. Fuck that noise.

Posted by: PaleRider at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (hhkIi)

150 I've been in the IT world since the 90's.

Sponge

Sheeeeet. . . . I've got underwear older than that.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (cYBz/)

151 This one I can really relate to. DanMa'am got a new car a few months ago. A Lincoln Nautilus. It has more buttons and bells than I can keep up with and the constant interruption by the guy playing the xylophone in the background drives me nuts!

And driving the damn thing is a riot too. Fighting the automatic steering deal and getting the message I need to pull over have a cup of coffee is infuriating.

The owner's manual is available on-line only. One night the car lights up like Vegas when you open a door and other times you open a door and its dark as night.

I like my old F150 just fine.

Posted by: DanMan at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (8uzBS)

152 Mexico Imposes Harsh Tariffs Due to Chinese Auto Dumping.

The problem is the 2" sewage pipes they use.

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (jc0TO)

153 Shall. We. Play. A. Game?

Posted by: WOPR at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (6kPUI)

154 124 Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM

I have no mouth, but I must watch HBO.

Posted by: Tom Servo at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (cx1bp)

155 Well, the really vintage refrigerators were smaller, and had no defrost.

But they pull fewer amps. They use less energy. There were a few years in the 1970s where certain makes and models were some energy hogs. Sort of like cars.

But they are lying, liars who lie. Who goaded millions into trading off perfectly serviceable appliances for junk. The whole thing was bullshit.

We are talking an appliance that costs pennies per day to run anyway. Who gives a fuck?

Posted by: Common Tater at January 26, 2026 11:30 AM (uQjsv)

156 105 Be careful. I did a slow hour and quit. It is taking 4x as long as normal snow to remove...it's that heavy with an ice sheen to break through on top.

martin sheen > ice sheen

Posted by: anachronda at January 26, 2026 11:30 AM (sGtp+)

157
Sheeeeet. . . . I've got underwear older than that.
Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (cYBz/)

Work wise. My dad came home from a ComDex show in the early 80's with an IBM PC Jr.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:30 AM (Zz0t1)

158 I would love to bu a washing machine that allowed me to simply set the time (or just LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY) and pick wash and rinse temperature. Last and current model have way too many settings and will not allow me to use hot water when I want.

Idea: Put two big buttons on a washing machine, one marked MEN and one marked WOMEN. Men will do what they always do, and throw everything in in a heap and hit MEN. Women and gay men can spend their time moving through the endless menus of choices.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:30 AM (Riz8t)

159 Ask Alexia who are more nazied, Them or us?

Also can men have babies?

Can machines have orgasams?

Posted by: thug dolphin at January 26, 2026 11:31 AM (EyfuW)

160 Can I also sorta blame the Myth of the Busy Mother for all this?

Like, all of these "convenience" features are "supposed" to be so she can get things done faster, spend less time, etc.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 11:31 AM (HXT0k)

161 Hal, turn the hot water back on in the shower
I can't do that David, se need to conserve energy

Posted by: Skip at January 26, 2026 11:31 AM (Ia/+0)

162 Is NRO going to write an article about how Mexico is hurting itself by imposing tariffs?
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (GBKbO)

——————

It’s not Trump doing it so it’s fine.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at January 26, 2026 11:31 AM (u73oe)

163 @129
++++
"Home automation" - as it used to be called, before it was "smart home" - has been on my list of things to play with and do for years. I'm a geek. I find the idea appealing. But not if it goes on the internet. Ever. Local-only. One day, I'll get around to it.

---

Look at Home Assistant: This open-source home automation platform allows for local control and privacy, enabling you to run devices without relying on cloud services. There are others but this is very popular and powerful but needs more skill.
Good luck and have fun!

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:31 AM (RqMDa)

164 Smart home devices might make sense for a HOME. For a short term rental fuck that shit. I'm not a trustfarian, I have to work full time, leisure time is limited, so if I take a vacation I don't want to spend a chunk of it learning how to work special apps just to get heat, lights, use the stove etc. Fuck that noise.
Posted by: PaleRider at January 26, 2026 11:29 AM (hhkIi)
++++
I can see it from the property owner's standpoint. When the guest leaves, pop open the app and shut everything off and quit wasting power.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (MABZ1)

165 We have a programmable thermostat in our house and rarely, rarely touch it.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (krQz2)

166 also not to mention having to have Alexa or some other digital skank listening to every word you say in your own home.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (RqMDa)

Pooky's newest persistent nighttime hallucination, a little girl in a white dress that stares at him with glowing eyes, is named "Alexa" because "she just lurks there, not saying anything."

Yes, I need his new antipsychotic to kick in, why do you ask?

Posted by: pookysgirl doesn't want to be surveilled at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (Wt5PA)

167 I wonder if China will fill Canada up with BYD electric vehicles?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (pkeXY)

168 Ripley,
I love my Speed Queen mostly because it will allow me to open the lid to throw in that sock I dropped without making me wait for it to unlock.
It respects me enough to know that I won't stick my hand in a moving washer.
It has four water temps and several load weight options.
The only thing I wish it had was a separate spin cycle.
Nice solid machine.

Posted by: sal at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (f+FmA)

169 Look at Home Assistant: This open-source home automation platform allows for local control and privacy, enabling you to run devices without relying on cloud services. There are others but this is very popular and powerful but needs more skill.
Good luck and have fun!
Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:31 AM (RqMDa)
++++
Yup. It's at the top of my "play with it when I get around to it" list.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (MABZ1)

170 Google knows everything about me already. As does the government.

I doubt they need to ask Alexa’s for any additional info.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:33 AM (xg+/D)

171 Yup. It's at the top of my "play with it when I get around to it" list.
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (MABZ1)

This seems like something 'masturbatin' Pete' would say.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:33 AM (Zz0t1)

172 For me, simplicity is luxury.

I have HomeKit light switches in my house. This is mainly because it was cheaper to install a HomeKit light switch than to replace the single light switch at one end of the long hallway with a light switch at either end.

But they are light switches. When the Internet goes out, they still work as light switches. Before I set them up on my phone, the switch worked.

I accidentally bought a pair of outlet “switches” a few years ago (for turning lights on and off when I’m on vacation) and was surprised to find that they don’t actually have a physical switch. They work for what I got them for. They don’t work for anything else.

The fact that (as far as I can tell) there is literally no smart thermostat you can buy commercially that doesn’t require hooking up to a third party server means these things aren’t for you. They’re for the third party.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:33 AM (EXyHK)

173 Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (RqMDa)

No, there are people who are mute.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:33 AM (8zz6B)

174 I would love to bu a washing machine that allowed me to simply set the time (or just LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY) and pick wash and rinse temperature. Last and current model have way too many settings and will not allow me to use hot water when I want.

pre 2019 Speed Queen is the answer, there are appliance dealers that can assist

Posted by: DanMan at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (8uzBS)

175 I wonder if China will fill Canada up with BYD electric vehicles?

I'm pretty sure the idea is that Canada is merely a caravanserai on their way into the US. That's why Trump is bigly mad at them.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (Riz8t)

176 Can I also sorta blame the Myth of the Busy Mother for all this?
---

I would call that more marketing lingo than myth.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (RqMDa)

177 Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (RqMDa)

https://youtu.be/s-kdRdzxdZQ

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (ExV1e)

178 Sponge - you triggered a memory for me of the IBM System/370 Field Engineering Maintenance Manuals during the 70's in the machine rooms.

They were monsters with 17" x 11" pages.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (cYBz/)

179 Thx Buck.
Just finished shoveling. My neighbor came over with his snow blower to help with the heavy stuff pushed into the driveway by plows. Twenty inches is a lot of snow

Posted by: Smell the Glove at January 26, 2026 11:35 AM (e4I2N)

180 Idea: Put two big buttons on a washing machine, one marked MEN and one marked WOMEN. Men will do what they always do, and throw everything in in a heap and hit MEN. Women and gay men can spend their time moving through the endless menus of choices.
Posted by: Archimedes

Yep. My wife cringes when I wash clothes. I have to do it when she isn't around.

Posted by: Ripley at January 26, 2026 11:35 AM (GUOwU)

181 When we installed a new HVAC system a couple of years ago. The furnace guy was practically insulted that told him we didn't want the internet connected thermostat.

Posted by: Beartooth at January 26, 2026 11:36 AM (GGatE)

182
Yes, I need his new antipsychotic to kick in, why do you ask?

Posted by: pookysgirl doesn't want to be surveilled at January 26, 2026 11:32 AM (Wt5PA)

Praying for you, pookysgirl. Hugs to you all

Posted by: moki at January 26, 2026 11:36 AM (wLjpr)

183 Auto-dumping is not allowed in my house.
Posted by: Axeman
-------

Pro Tip: Avoid MiraLAX

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:36 AM (XeU6L)

184 I would critique my appliances, but I’m afraid they might hear me, or be watching over my shoulder as I type. I KNOW that the kitchen is in Cahoots with my iPad. Not sure about my furnace.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 11:36 AM (pDt9x)

185 No, there are people who are mute.
---

Then they would find this less useful but with universal remotes not impossible.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:36 AM (RqMDa)

186 This busty bikini brunette with nice teeth also prefers comprehensible systems when she travels:
http://tiny.cc/pa5y001

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (MABZ1)

187 Sponge - you triggered a memory for me of the IBM System/370 Field Engineering Maintenance Manuals during the 70's in the machine rooms.

They were monsters with 17" x 11" pages.
Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (cYBz/)

Torture.....pure torture.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (Zz0t1)

188 I have sunk so low as to text my friends that they should demand their children get married already. Uncle Franpsycho loves a good wedding and he only has two on the schedule this year.
Posted by: San Franpsycho

Henny Youngman liked weddings, too. He's check with the hotel concierge or go down to the dining/event room to see if there was one scheduled. Go to the rehearsal, talk to father of the bride, tell him that for $200, Henny would do ten minutes. You can always tell your friends and relatives that Henny entertained at your wedding. Made a lot of cash that way, and no Uncle Sam getting his cut.

Posted by: Entremanurial Spirit at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (oftw2)

189 Yep. My wife cringes when I wash clothes. I have to do it when she isn't around.
Posted by: Ripley at January 26, 2026 11:35 AM (GUOwU)
++++
:: shrugs ::

I buy clothes I can just toss into the machinery and let it run. Makes it easier. I can wash everything together and it doesn't matter.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (MABZ1)

190 186 This busty bikini brunette with nice teeth also prefers comprehensible systems when she travels:
http://tiny.cc/pa5y001
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (MABZ1)

Fine teeth. Really fine teeth.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (pDt9x)

191 There are solutions that are completely local and once set up is done forever with minor maintenance.
Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:23 AM (RqMDa)

You know how I know that you are part of the "problem"?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (8zz6B)

192 Energy is not “saved”; they want you to consume less.

A dryer that “uses 2/3rds less energy!” uses the same amount of energy. Now it takes 3 hours instead of 50 minutes to dry a load. Maybe that will work for you:

But you aren’t saving energy, you’re not saving any money. In fact you spent money to buy a piece of shit that will break in 5 years, and only enriches slave labor commies on the other side of the planet.

None of this makes any sense, other than the power companies want to reduce peak load capabilities. Because the neo-Luddites outlawed coal and gas and nuclear, or near enough.

Hopefully, Re-chargeable clothes dryers are just around the corner!

Posted by: Common Tater at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (uQjsv)

193 We got a lot of rain last night which, mercifully, melted all the ice.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (qFwJc)

194 186 This busty bikini brunette with nice teeth also prefers comprehensible systems when she travels:
http://tiny.cc/pa5y001

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (MABZ1)

======

So desperate for a fake candid selfie that she dislocates her shoulder to accomplish it.

2/10

Would not bang.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (GBKbO)

195 Any household tech that is not obvious and easy to use is by definition, poorly conceived and designed.

Purposefully so.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (XV/Pl)

196 Still children will egg each other on to go for a spin.

Posted by: thug dolphin at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (EyfuW)

197 186 This busty bikini brunette with nice teeth also prefers comprehensible systems when she travels:
http://tiny.cc/pa5y001

She looks like Shannon Elizabeth, who is now 52. Tempus fugit.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (Riz8t)

198 Considering that the lifetime of an automated system is driven by a failure in the control system, there is no point in using anything that will last longer than it. So things like pump seals use marginal materials, corrosion is no longer a problem, etc.

Another is the ease and cost in associated with providing wifi connectivity is very low. It's becoming a default configuration. It's essential a single chip and the antenna is laid out on the pcb.

It even lowers the cost if you can replace the user interface with a mobile app.

The thing is that there is no downside to making something cheaper because price is the first thing people look at. A lot of consumers shop looking for the lowest price, quality is secondary.

Posted by: pawn at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (jnZe8)

199 We bought a new GE's gas stove, which had everything we wanted, and one thing we didn't: a motherboard.

Gas stoves are typically bullet proof, but motherboards are not, and cost as much as a new stove to replace.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (wBaIH)

200 Idea: Put two big buttons on a washing machine, one marked MEN and one marked WOMEN. Men will do what they always do, and throw everything in in a heap and hit MEN. Women and gay men can spend their time moving through the endless menus of choices.
Posted by: Archimedes

Yep. My wife cringes when I wash clothes. I have to do it when she isn't around.
Posted by: Ripley at January 26, 2026 11:35 AM (GUOwU)

I do the quick wash option. 22 minutes. My clothes are as clean as the 1:15 “normal” cycle which my wife uses. All my clothes, one load. Hers: 177 loads all separated by delicate, regular, etc. I’m like dude it’s all the same fucking thing, you think the washer really changes how it washes from “regular” to “delicate” to “extra clean” to “bedding”? We’ve been having this debate for 20 years, lol.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (xg+/D)

201 For rentals, smart appliances/gadgets are not ideal.

But for your main residence they're a game changer.

Everything from my dishwasher to my oven to my vacuum to my lights and security cameras are linked to my smart home.

The dishwasher sends me notifications when the filter needs to be cleaned. We routinely use the remote control functionality on the oven to pre-heat it while we're on the way home, or we stick a frozen casserole in there before we leave for a hockey game and then turn it on from our phones when we're on the way home.

The vacuum will start when the HVAC system filter triggers a dust / dog hair alert.

My lights are set on a schedule to turn on 15 minutes before sunset.

I truly love my smart home. And so far, nobody has hacked it to make anything catch on fire or turn my stuff on and off - and I've been running it now for 10 years.

Posted by: Defenestratus at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (WYStd)

202 Henny Youngman liked weddings, too. He's check with the hotel concierge or go down to the dining/event room to see if there was one scheduled. Go to the rehearsal, talk to father of the bride, tell him that for $200, Henny would do ten minutes.
Posted by: Entremanurial Spirit

Probably didn't do much of the 'take my wife, please' material.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (cYBz/)

203 177 Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:21 AM (RqMDa)

https://youtu.be/s-kdRdzxdZQ
---
That started WAY before smart homes.

Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (RqMDa)

204 And the "clever" designers of these touch panels make the fonts so small! It's an 11 or 11.5 font size, even though the touch panel could comfortably accommodate 14. Yes, I'm older than dirt, but still

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (enwbs)

205 Just got a message from my toilet. The growler I just flushed needed 8 more hours of digestion.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (g8Ew8)

206 How busty bikini gal manages to stay in that top without falling out is a mystery.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 26, 2026 11:40 AM (2sfNr)

207 But not if it goes on the internet. Ever. Local-only. One day, I'll get around to it.

If you have a smart home, you almost certainly have a local hub that controls it. There is no need for any device to connect to the wider Internet; it need only connect to the hub.

This is very useful when away, to check cameras, turn lights on and off, all from one place, and generally more reliably than the standalone devices of the past. (I used to very often return from a week-long trip to discover that the timer on my lights was now turning them on during daylight hours, sometimes even when there was no evidence of a power outage.)

There is no need—at the homeowner’s level—for any particular device to have Internet access. Only the hub need have Internet access, and being that it’s already a hub, it does not need to connect to a central server except insofar as to have whatever its current IP address is brokered to your account.

Any automation device that does connect to the Internet directly is by definition untrustworthy, because it’s doing something it shouldn’t be doing.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:40 AM (EXyHK)

208
https://youtu.be/s-kdRdzxdZQ
Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (ExV1e)

I hated that movie.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:41 AM (Zz0t1)

209 yum yum shit
yummy shit pebbles
in my mouth

Posted by: Aliassmithsmith at January 26, 2026 11:41 AM (COcDH)

210 This busty bikini brunette with nice teeth also prefers comprehensible systems when she travels:
http://tiny.cc/pa5y001
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (MABZ1)

She can handle it because she's not blonde. But she prefers charming others into doing it for her.

Posted by: Count de Monet at January 26, 2026 11:41 AM (wVcYX)

211 206 How busty bikini gal manages to stay in that top without falling out is a mystery.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 26, 2026 11:40 AM (2sfNr

Magic. Or tape. Or magic tape.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (pDt9x)

212 ... I’m like dude it’s all the same fucking thing, you think the washer really changes how it washes from “regular” to “delicate” to “extra clean” to “bedding”? We’ve been having this debate for 20 years, lol.
Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:39 AM (xg+/D)
++++
There is a difference, depending on machine.

"Bulky items" mode on mine has a longer agitation cycle and uses more water, since it has to launder a *lot* of mass that doesn't move freely. It also spins longer to help push out more water. The "heavy duty" cycle - which I rarely use - agitates for even longer and ramps up the temperature. There is a difference, it just isn't worth the extra time and water usage. "Delicate" makes virtually no difference, but I also don't have weak, frilly clothes so I don't know how much it adds up.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (MABZ1)

213 The fact that (as far as I can tell) there is literally no smart thermostat you can buy commercially that doesn’t require hooking up to a third party server means these things aren’t for you. They’re for the third party.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:33 AM (EXyHK)

Exactly - I have turned down every free offer from Dominion to install a smart thermostat in my home and save money on my electric bill. I figure I'd only be "saving" when I really f'in wanted the power, like when it's 0 degrees or 100 degrees. In that case, someone else can freeze or overheat to death to save a couple pennies/week...

Posted by: Nova Local at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (tOcjL)

214 It's pretty obvious now. It settles the Science.

All this cold proves the Earth is warming.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (krQz2)

215
Smart electronic appliances have also caused major problems for the blind.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (RAGUN)

216 A long time ago, I purchased a Pioneer DVR-650H-K. This is a standalone DVR before cable and satellite companies started pushing their own PVRs.

Advantage to the Pioneer? You could edit videos super-easy to cut out the commercials, and then write the edited videos to DVD-R, DVD-RW, or DVD+R optical disks because it came with a drive built in to DO that and firmware to support that function. Awesome. I'm sure the MPAA was losing its mind because DVRs completely disappeared from the market shortly thereafter.

Anyway, the real point of this post is this: Whoever designed the remote for this box was a freakin' genius and probably said: Let's lock a couple of programmers, a couple of engineers, and a couple of couch potatoes in a room and none of them come out until they're ALL happy with the design.

Everything about how the remote worked was intuitively obvious. THAT is what most modern design is missing and it's why we all hate it so.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (O7YUW)

217 got new washer/dryer set from Maytag. OLD FASHIONED no computer!!! love them to death!

I had a top of the line Samsung set before and kept having to get "panels" fixed for $$. ok but the thing functionally is fine, but it won't clean/dry?!?! WTF

I'm in an old house anyway, which I'm starting to appreciate, especially in the cold. My new car is a low-tech Jeep Wrangler.

no smart house here. I love my Amish-build actual house!

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:44 AM (emBoF)

218 Clap on! Clap off!

My level of advanced home technology.

Posted by: Count de Monet at January 26, 2026 11:44 AM (wVcYX)

219 I maintain my pre-2010 appliances, some of them much older, in order to ensure that they are not only 'not smart', but because appliances built before then are made to last more than five years.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2026 11:44 AM (0U5gm)

220 ... Anyway, the real point of this post is this: Whoever designed the remote for this box was a freakin' genius and probably said: Let's lock a couple of programmers, a couple of engineers, and a couple of couch potatoes in a room and none of them come out until they're ALL happy with the design. ...
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (O7YUW)
++++
This is how I think it went for the BlackBerry BB10 smartphone OS. BBRY was too little and too late to adapt to the change in the market and it didn't succeed, but it is the best mobile OS I ever used. Intuitive, easy, clear. It's like they dumped a shipping container full of smart phones on the phone and told their engineers, "all of these suck. Do better."

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:45 AM (MABZ1)

221 "Delicate" makes virtually no difference, but I also don't have weak, frilly clothes so I don't know how much it adds up.

there are special bags for delicates.

or hand wash them

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:45 AM (emBoF)

222 but I also don't have weak, frilly clothes so I don't know how much it adds up.
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:42 AM (MABZ1)

What is wrong with you?
It's like I don't know you any more.

Posted by: Deplorable Ian Galt at January 26, 2026 11:45 AM (Uod8Q)

223 Put a bag of popcorn in for microwave popping. The oven started flashing at a corner inside, and it ended up melting the plastic support that holds up a shelf.

Do they do any testing?

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 11:45 AM (enwbs)

224 219 I maintain my pre-2010 appliances, some of them much older, in order to ensure that they are not only 'not smart', but because appliances built before then are made to last more than five years.

me too

I've taken to praying for my amazing dishwasher! that thing is a WORKHORSE

please never die

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (emBoF)

225 We have a refrigerator from around 1990. It refrigerates, and has a freezer, which freezes. That’s all it does. It may outlive all of us here.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (pDt9x)

226 Rehumanize.
There' no app for that.

Posted by: BirdRockDoc at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (VOcQ6)

227 Now look... I’m no luddite

I am.
I don't want any of this crap.
I'd rather be back in the 90s. I don't see how app this and online that has improved anything.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (gwt4v)

228 btw I don't have a microwave at all.

why would you have a microwave?

you can heat stuff up without it

they creep me out, honestly

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (emBoF)

229 I have a smart sprinkler system. App based, schedule time. It uses weather info to adjust water cycles based on whether it’s rained or not lately. It’s pretty cool like that and it will add a few mins or reduce a few mins. It’s neat.

Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:47 AM (xg+/D)

230 Science Oven!

Posted by: American Hustle at January 26, 2026 11:47 AM (wVcYX)

231 Would not bang.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:38 AM (GBKbO)

Your wife is standing behind you, isn't she?

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at January 26, 2026 11:47 AM (/HDaX)

232 They were monsters with 17" x 11" pages.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (cYBz/)
---
"This page is left intentionally blank." -- IBM

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:48 AM (krQz2)

233 10 Buttons good
Screens bad
Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:04 AM (vFG9F)

----
Goes double for cars. (Not to go OT).

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 11:48 AM (enwbs)

234 This busty bikini brunette with nice teeth also prefers comprehensible systems when she travels:
http://tiny.cc/pa5y001
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:37 AM (MABZ1)

She has teeth??

Posted by: LinusVanPelt at January 26, 2026 11:48 AM (xT8gx)

235 Hopefully, Re-chargeable clothes dryers are just around the corner!

Laundry lines in back yards? For the win!

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at January 26, 2026 11:48 AM (3Ope8)

236 They were monsters with 17" x 11" pages.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 26, 2026 11:34 AM (cYBz/)

Do you know about the page sizes?

Posted by: Frank Costanza at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (wVcYX)

237 When Hurricane Sally pretty much destroyed the interior of our home, we had all new appliances installed during the rebuild. That was five years or so ago. I fully expect those appliances to start failing any day now.

Posted by: one hour sober at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (Y1sOo)

238 I am.
I don't want any of this crap.
I'd rather be back in the 90s. I don't see how app this and online that has improved anything.
Posted by: bear
--------

Ah. A fellow traveler.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (XeU6L)

239 Everything about how the remote worked was intuitively obvious. THAT is what most modern design is missing and it's why we all hate it so.

One of the reasons I actually started to watch streaming more often than physical media over the last few years is that, for all its faults, Apple’s Apple TV remote is brain-dead easy to use without having to turn all the lights on and get out my reading glasses.

When I do watch a DVD, I keep wishing I could run it through the Apple TV. I literally have had to deliberately take time to memorize the location of the play button, and the pause button (down two rows from the big circle that I never use, three buttons, the ones on the right). The on-screen display so that I can see how much time is left in the movie is bottom left, one row up.

The Apple remote makes me hate the Roku remote, too. The Roku remote has about the same number of buttons as the Apple, but they’re arranged in a non-differentiating grid such that tactile memory isn’t invoked. It’s like someone said, how can we make a simple remote that short-circuits all the reasons people want simple remotes?

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (EXyHK)

240 "but I also don't have weak, frilly clothes so I don't know how much it adds up."

It would be funnier if the knob said "weak, frilly clothes". I've never used that cycle.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (ix8EF)

241 Bjarne Stroustrop's famous quote: "I have often wished my computer was as easy to use as my telephone. I have gotten my wish. I no longer know how to use my telephone."

Alan Cooper's "The Inmates Are Running The Asylum"was first written in the late 1990s and updated in 2004. This isn't a new phenomenon.

From 2008 to 2017 I worked at a company that designed and manufactured consumer electronics, including IoT devices, and I assure you that user experience was not part of the design process at all. There weren't even any UX experts in our department. It's just not something that anyone involved considers.

Posted by: Daniel Ream at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (LgYtf)

242 I did not know that Mexico had an auto industry.
---

Summer of '24 I got a new AC system, along with some upgrades to my HVAC plant. Included a new programmable thermostat. Luckily, it has a 'simple' mode, where pressing one button scrolls thru HEAT COOL and OFF. Pressing another button increases temp setting by one degree, pressing the opposite button lowers temp setting by one degree. I am happy.

Also cut my AC bill nearly in half.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (ZxPkt)

243 Rehumanize.
There' no app for that.

Posted by: BirdRockDoc at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (VOcQ6)

--------------

Nor apparently any appetite for that.

/Half the world is now clinically mentally ill -- including rampant narcissism.

Posted by: ShainS -- Who's Gonna Be Today's FAFO Darwin Award Winner? at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (V8agI)

244 So we need someone stepping up in this country to start manufacturing simpler technology. The one who can pull that off will be rich beyond belief.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 26, 2026 11:50 AM (7xrfc)

245 I've taken to praying for my amazing dishwasher! that thing is a WORKHORSE

please never die
Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:46 AM (emBoF)

It eventually will. I had an "old reliable" too. When it finally died, I wept.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at January 26, 2026 11:50 AM (g8Ew8)

246
Our new dishwasher has one button, start.

We don't need all the different cycles.

Posted by: fourseasons at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (3ek7K)

247 We have NO smart appliances in this house.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (w6EFb)

248 Because everyone has a voice and can say dim lights, temperature 75, TV on, go to Netflix, all without leaving the couch.

Posted by: anon2020

*Directs a raised middle finger in your direction*

Posted by: The deaf-mute neighbors down the street at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (a+4eV)

249 At some point today I will trudge to Breitbart. I am staring to not like doing that.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (pDt9x)

250 "This page is left intentionally blank." -- IBM
Posted by: Axeman
------

Yup. Seen it dozens of times. It's a bit of an existential puzzle.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (XeU6L)

251 Summer of '24 I got a new AC system, along with some upgrades to my HVAC plant. Included a new programmable thermostat. Luckily, it has a 'simple' mode, where pressing one button scrolls thru HEAT COOL and OFF. Pressing another button increases temp setting by one degree, pressing the opposite button lowers temp setting by one degree. I am happy.

Also cut my AC bill nearly in half.
Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (ZxPkt)

That is how my dumb one works...it's so nice to press the up or down arrow buttons to change temp.

Posted by: Nova Local at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (tOcjL)

252 We have a refrigerator from around 1990. It refrigerates, and has a freezer, which freezes. That’s all it does. It may outlive all of us here.

While in Boerne last week I happened across a place that restores vintage gas pumps, soda bottle dispensers, and refrigerators. They had a GE Monitor Top refrigerator—literally the first modern home refrigerator freezer—that they’d restored, in working order. I was very tempted.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (EXyHK)

253 Yeah, I have the Rainbird app for my sprinkler system. It sucks. I quit using it and just walk out into the garage and use the touchpad on the control unit to set the watering times for the three zones.

Posted by: one hour sober at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (Y1sOo)

254 Gvili's identity was confirmed by the National Forensics Institute, rabbinic advisors, the police, and the IDF.

Upon the positive confirmation, they immediately notified the Gvili family.

Gvili was murdered on October 7, and then his body was taken to Gaza.

His return marks the end of the saga of returning all live and deceased hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.
-JPost

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (RIvkX)

255 Bjarne Stroustrop's famous quote: "I have often wished my computer was as easy to use as my telephone. I have gotten my wish. I no longer know how to use my telephone."

For those who do not know who Bjarne Stroustrop is, he's the guy who invented the C++ programming language.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (ExV1e)

256 31 Also please stop patronizing AirBnB. Shitty leftist company run and founded by shitty leftist pricks.

And the economy it created is fueled by assholes buying up residential properties and running them as short-term rental party houses, fucking up the neighborhoods they're in because they attract shitbirds.

VRBO in typical vacation-y places like beaches and resorts is much better.
Posted by: ballistic at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (5aZAZ)

----

Don't hold back! These short term rentals have no business in most residential neighborhoods

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (enwbs)

257 I'd like to replace my refrigerator. It works fine but is really ugly.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (ZxPkt)

258 I have a smart sprinkler system. App based, schedule time. It uses weather info to adjust water cycles based on whether it’s rained or not lately. It’s pretty cool like that and it will add a few mins or reduce a few mins. It’s neat.
Posted by: Really?? at January 26, 2026 11:47 AM (xg+/D)

If God wants my lawn watered, He will take care of it.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (8zz6B)

259 Yup. Seen it dozens of times. It's a bit of an existential puzzle.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:51 AM (XeU6L)
++++
It makes perfect sense. It removes ambiguity. "Is this page blank because of a production mistake, or is it blank as a spacer?"

"This page intentionally left blank" tells you clearly that it's the latter, and there's no problem. The last thing you want in a technical manual is for something to be missing.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:53 AM (MABZ1)

260 No, there are people who are mute.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:33 AM (8zz6B)

Not enough people are mute

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at January 26, 2026 11:53 AM (lNLJj)

261 I fully expect those appliances to start failing any day now.
Posted by: one hour sober

You have no future. It's all used up.

Posted by: Marlene Dietrich at January 26, 2026 11:53 AM (oftw2)

262 Bjarne Stroustrop's famous quote

I have that one in my quote file. I also like Douglas Adams’s:

“The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair.”—Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:54 AM (EXyHK)

263 I used to have an old school, 60's maybe, fridge in the garage. just an aluminum box freezer and the cooling lines in the top of the fridge part. No auto defrost, so I'd have to turn it off once every couple months and remove the ice blocks, but that damn thing worked well.

It was still working when I got rid of it. We replaced the kitchen fridge and moved that old one into the garage.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:54 AM (Zz0t1)

264 My dishwasher is a year old, a Maytag. It came with a manual that describes all the wonderful cycles and programs. But I just use the NORMAL button and the START button. Simple mode.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:55 AM (ZxPkt)

265 For those who do not know who Bjarne Stroustrop is, he's the guy who invented the C++ programming language.
Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (ExV1e)
---
But had no luck programming his dial phone with it.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:55 AM (krQz2)

266 Don't hold back! These short term rentals have no business in most residential neighborhoods

I hate them honestly

and it's creepy to stay in especially when owners are nearby. I did it ONCE up in Newtown bc my kid had a tourney up there. Old couple. SO UNCOMFORTABLE. the lady was a total lib, and I caught her several times BEATING HER HUSBAND

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:55 AM (emBoF)

267 I have a smart sprinkler system. App based, schedule time. It uses weather info to adjust water cycles based on whether it’s rained or not lately. It’s pretty cool like that and it will add a few mins or reduce a few mins. It’s neat.

Posted by: Really??

That's nice. If I water my lawn in the summer on non-approved days, I get a nastygram text from the water company, which is government owned. They don't bother to look outside or check the rainfall totals. I imagine if I had a 'smart' watering system, it would ask permission from the government before allowing me to water my property. No thanks.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (0U5gm)

268 257 I'd like to replace my refrigerator. It works fine but is really ugly.
Posted by: Don Black

While you're at it, please, please, replace that ugly red Toaster!

Posted by: Chrome Toaster Patriot at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (oftw2)

269
"This page intentionally left blank" tells you clearly that it's the latter, and there's no problem. The last thing you want in a technical manual is for something to be missing.
Posted by: Joe Mannix
-------

Except...the page isn't blank.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (XeU6L)

270 I do the quick wash option. 22 minutes. My clothes are as clean as the 1:15 “normal” cycle which my wife uses. All my clothes, one load. Hers: 177 loads all separated by delicate, regular, etc. I’m like dude it’s all the same fucking thing, you think the washer really changes how it washes from “regular” to “delicate” to “extra clean” to “bedding”? We’ve been having this debate for 20 years, lol.
---
Some gal did a study on her jeans; one pair washed regularly for the term, then the other not washed for the same time.

Test each for amount of bacteria at the end.
Result?
Both had the same amount. The unwashed may have even had less.
Your washer is just getting rid of the excess dirt, not "cleaning."

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (HXT0k)

271 257 I'd like to replace my refrigerator. It works fine but is really ugly.
Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:52 AM (ZxPkt)

I'd like to replace my mistress...

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (lNLJj)

272 "This page is left intentionally sparse."

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (krQz2)

273 lol the Eagles are still SOL with finding a new OC

it's becoming quite the comedy

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (emBoF)

274 269
"This page intentionally left blank" tells you clearly that it's the latter, and there's no problem. The last thing you want in a technical manual is for something to be missing.
Posted by: Joe Mannix
-------

Except...the page isn't blank.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (XeU6L)

======

Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (GBKbO)

275 Putting things online means that it's probable someone else will be able to control those things.

Like your thermostat during peak electric usage times and your utility can't keep up with demand for the datacenter down the road.

So they'll throttle you. And your neighbors. But keep raising your rates.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (qwVdq)

276 Except...the page isn't blank.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (XeU6L)
++++
Indeed. That is an unsolvable problem. We do the best we can with the logical trap

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (MABZ1)

277 My dishwasher is a year old, a Maytag. It came with a manual that describes all the wonderful cycles and programs. But I just use the NORMAL button and the START button. Simple mode.
Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:55 AM (ZxPkt)

Had a nice GE dishwasher. Cost a few grand. It lasted less than 3 years.

Bought a different one from a scratch and dent store for around a grand to replace it. Sure it has features, but I press Start twice and it washes dishes. I don't think it's passed the 3 year mark yet, however.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (Zz0t1)

278 My dad's oven and stove were put in in 1959. The knobs have worn off their markings, but the thing still works fine. That really says something when you compare the longevity of the crap made today.

Posted by: Lady in Black at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (qBdHI)

279 "Delicate" makes virtually no difference, but I also don't have weak, frilly clothes so I don't know how much it adds up.
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!)

I think the "delicates" cycle moves spindle in one direction then stops and moves the spindle in the same direction to agitate the water and the clothes.

As opposed to all the other cycles which move the spindle in one direction and then the other.

Apparently the lack of back-and-forth swishing is what you want for things that tear, or felt (like wool), under the normal agitation.

Posted by: The deaf-mute neighbors down the street at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (a+4eV)

280
And I don't own a TV. at. all. Oh, wait. I have an old mini boom box, found at the dump, that has a 4 inch B&W CRT TV screen in it. For shits and grins, I turned it on last month. One or two channels got some squiggly lines. It cannot decode digital OTA TV, so it is not watchable. Orphan tech.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 11:11 AM (8zz

-----

"And i don't own a TV. at. all." Words spoken by a man who gets sh*t done. Worth serious contemplation

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 11:58 AM (O5nIL)

281

The House of Tomorrow

https://youtu.be/AwWb-JongQo

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at January 26, 2026 11:58 AM (pkeXY)

282 "This page is left intentionally blank." -- IBM
Posted by: Axeman

The page is not blank. There is writing on it.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (0U5gm)

283 275 Putting things online means that it's probable someone else will be able to control those things.

Like your thermostat during peak electric usage times and your utility can't keep up with demand for the datacenter down the road.

So they'll throttle you. And your neighbors. But keep raising your rates.
Posted by: Martini Farmer
=======
Utilities are already putting Smart Meters to enable that. Depending on the jurisdiction, you don't have a choice. A smart thermostat though can have its wireless access blocked at the router. In or out and in many cases simply turned off or left uninstalled.

Posted by: whig at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (E4rtv)

284 Darwin Award nominee:

@Rightanglenews
·
53m
BREAKING - Leftists in Minneapolis are outraged after an anti-ICE agitator lost parts of her fingers when attempting to grab a flashbang and throw it back at federal officials during yesterday’s riot.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (ZxPkt)

285 I assumed everything would be voice activated and commanded in a "smart home."

Posted by: ShainS -- Who's Gonna Be Today's FAFO Darwin Award Winner? at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (AsZRs)

286 Ah dishwashers. Protip. Scrape and rinse dishes before putting them in dishwasher. Dishwashers are not garbage disposals.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (pDt9x)

287 I spent my career working with (and troubleshooting) complex scientific equipment. I can do it. I don't want to.
Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:28 AM (Riz8t)

Absolutely. As a retired broadcast engineer, i love technology and have been a tech geek all my life. But, let ME make the choice whether or not I want it in my appliances. I still tinker in my basement workshop, restoring older tech (TVs, radios, etc) to working order. My train layout is composed of many of my Lionel engines I had when I was a kid in the 50's. But, I also own many of the newer Lionel locomotives with Rail Sounds, cruise control, etc, all run from a remote or from your phone, using Bluetooth. Pretty cool. But, that's for fun.

Posted by: thatcrazyjerseyguy at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (5xuJ/)

288 The TV is the latest Samsung which has a baffling user interface just to watch CNN. My parents aren’t idiots, but definitely feel like they’re missing something obvious. They aren’t — TVs have simply gotten worse. You don’t turn them on anymore, you boot them up.

------

Oh, I can relate to this. They had that Samsung at a rental I went to in Carolina Beach. It was damnably complicated and awful to use... hard to even figure out how to watch something.

Let alone, G-d forbid, if you want to plug in a USB stick to scroll through your camera footage, as I did. It's simple on most TVs. Not that one.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (BI5O2)

289 I'd like to replace my refrigerator. It works fine but is really ugly.
Posted by: Don Black

They make specific "appliance epoxy" paint in spray cans.

It smells really terrible, though, so don't use it indoors.

Posted by: The deaf-mute neighbors down the street at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (a+4eV)

290 lol the Eagles are still SOL with finding a new OC

it's becoming quite the comedy
Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (emBoF)

I laugh that Buffalo fired their head coach because ownership was "tired of not going deep in the playoffs."

Um, you getting screwed by the officials in the playoffs year after year isn't the head coach's fault.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (Zz0t1)

291 I think the "delicates" cycle moves spindle in one direction then stops and moves the spindle in the same direction to agitate the water and the clothes. ...
Posted by: The deaf-mute neighbors down the street at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (a+4eV)
++++
I have an agitatorless washer. It does that anyway.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (MABZ1)

292 273 lol the Eagles are still SOL with finding a new OC

it's becoming quite the comedy

Posted by: BlackOrchid at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (emBoF)

Why would anyone want to go there?

Nick is a moron who insists on keeping Patullo on staff.

AJ Brown is going to bitch and moan at anyone who gets hired.

They're going to be stuck making Patullo the OC again.

Posted by: XTC at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (6Uni8)

293 284 Darwin Award nominee:

@Rightanglenews
·
53m
BREAKING - Leftists in Minneapolis are outraged after an anti-ICE agitator lost parts of her fingers when attempting to grab a flashbang and throw it back at federal officials during yesterday’s riot.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (ZxPkt)

======

"The federal government must stop using non-lethal weapons against agitators."
-the court

*breaks out the grapeshot*
-the administration

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (GBKbO)

294 "This page is left intentionally blank." -- IBM
Posted by: Axeman

The page is not blank. There is writing on it.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (0U5gm)
---
Bloody 'Ell!

Posted by: IBM Manuals - The Python Sketch at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (krQz2)

295 279 "Delicate" makes virtually no difference, but I also don't have weak, frilly clothes so I don't know how much it adds up.
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!)

I think the "delicates" cycle moves spindle in one direction then stops and moves the spindle in the same direction to agitate the water and the clothes.

As opposed to all the other cycles which move the spindle in one direction and then the other.

Apparently the lack of back-and-forth swishing is what you want for things that tear, or felt (like wool), under the normal agitation.
Posted by: The deaf-mute
=====
Correct. A lot of female clothes require delicate setting to last over time.

Posted by: whig at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (E4rtv)

296 276 Except...the page isn't blank.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (XeU6L)
++++
Indeed. That is an unsolvable problem. We do the best we can with the logical trap
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (MABZ1)

This page intentionally left almost blank.

I'd smile if I saw that in a manual.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (gwt4v)

297 I’d live in a nice hotel suite in a Casino or resort hotel for the rest of my life if I was able to.

Ala Howard Hughes but without the OCD .

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (KDPiq)

298 The House of Tomorrow

I love the bit where they set their kid in front of the Internet-connected television.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (EXyHK)

299 Indeed. That is an unsolvable problem. We do the best we can with the logical trap
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (MABZ1)

Simple answer: print on the previous page, "The next page is intentionally left blank, but don't doodle on it, because we may want to recall this manual and print some addenda on that blank page, including an instruction to disregard this notice."

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 26, 2026 12:01 PM (8zz6B)

300 BREAKING - Leftists in Minneapolis are outraged after an anti-ICE agitator lost parts of her fingers when attempting to grab a flashbang and throw it back at federal officials during yesterday’s riot.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (ZxPkt)

LARP and find out.

dipshits........

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:01 PM (Zz0t1)

301 My smart dish ran away with my smart spoon.

Posted by: oh fork at January 26, 2026 12:01 PM (vFG9F)

302 300 BREAKING - Leftists in Minneapolis are outraged after an anti-ICE agitator lost parts of her fingers when attempting to grab a flashbang and throw it back at federal officials during yesterday’s riot.

Posted by: Don Black at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (ZxPkt)

LARP and find out.

dipshits........

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:01 PM (Zz0t1)

=======

"Good guys don't get hurt in wars! I saw Avengers Endgame!"

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (GBKbO)

303 in culture news, Guns N Roses had a mini Trump hate-fest at their recent concert.

Why?

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (HXT0k)

304 Oh lads, a GREAT video from Minnesota! Sorry, link is to Reddit, as I haven't seen it posted elsewhere yet, but a protestor apparently got hit in the hand with a non-lethal round, and she dramatically flops around for the cameras as they all yell "medic" lol

https://tinyurl.com/3bupfzd8

Posted by: Intercepted Reddit Transmissions brought by the Intrepid AoS Liaison at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (JCZqz)

305 300

LARP and find out.

dipshits........
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:01 PM (Zz0t1)

She is now known as “ Stubby”, heroine of La Revolucion!!!

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (pDt9x)

306 in culture news, Guns N Roses had a mini Trump hate-fest at their recent concert.

Why?
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (HXT0k)
++++
Because they can?

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (MABZ1)

307 My dad's oven and stove were put in in 1959. The knobs have worn off their markings, but the thing still works fine. That really says something when you compare the longevity of the crap made today.
Posted by: Lady in Black
------

Yup,same here. Installed when the house was built ~1960. Cooktop: 'Frigidaire, a product of General Motors'

Bonus: It's pink

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (XeU6L)

308 Utilities are already putting Smart Meters to enable that. Depending on the jurisdiction, you don't have a choice. A smart thermostat though can have its wireless access blocked at the router. In or out and in many cases simply turned off or left uninstalled.

Posted by: whig at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (E4rtv)

-------------

I'm such a control freak that I can't ever imagine riding in a driverless vehicle.

I imagine this nightmare of all the doors locking after some hacker or Feral Gubmint Agent hacks the vehicle, speeds it up to over 100 MPH, and hurls it off a cliff with me inside.

Posted by: ShainS -- Who's Gonna Be Today's FAFO Darwin Award Winner? at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (AsZRs)

309 I rent an airbnb in my basement in-law apartment. It has a programmable thermostat but not a smart or connected one. Most guests can figure it out.

My Roku TV that has a guest mode. Not exactly "cable" like, but it does allow you to select apps like PlutoTV (free) while also offering the guest to login to their own accounts for Prime Video, Netflix, HBO Max, etc. And if they set their checkout date, all accounts are automatically logged out. I have found that also works really well.

Posted by: drocity at January 26, 2026 12:03 PM (SWJcb)

310
The Roku remote has about the same number of buttons as the Apple, but they’re arranged in a non-differentiating grid such that tactile memory isn’t invoked. It’s like someone said, how can we make a simple remote that short-circuits all the reasons people want simple remotes?
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 11:49 AM (EXyHK)

I love my Roku-enabled Sharp TV remote. I suspect that noted customer service star Heckler and Koch helped with the design.

By the way, this totes isn't sarcasm. Really.

Six shortcut buttons to various streaming services (Amazon, Hulu, etc). You don't have any of those? Fuck you, cheapskate. And don't even THINK about trying to reprogram them, it's impossible. Because you suck, and we hate you.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 26, 2026 12:03 PM (y9nCu)

311 I had a 35 year IT career. Building early networks, servers and the like. Then administrating them. Then at the end of my career, leading a software development team for the Army.

I'd rather the shit "just work" and not require a bunch of farting around with it to do what I want. I'm fine with doing configuration stuff to make something worthwhile work the way I'd prefer... but a smartphone should not require any thought to be used as a phone.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 26, 2026 12:03 PM (qwVdq)

312
Simple answer: print on the previous page, "The next page is intentionally left blank, but don't doodle on it, because we may want to recall this manual and print some addenda on that blank page, including an instruction to disregard this notice."

Except that they'd then put something on the nominally blank page saying "see previous page for explanation of this page".

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 12:03 PM (Riz8t)

313 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Posted by: Picard at January 26, 2026 12:03 PM (wVcYX)

314 What percentage of G&R's actual fans do you figure support Trump?

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (BI5O2)

315 289 I'd like to replace my refrigerator. It works fine but is really ugly.
Posted by: Don Black

They make specific "appliance epoxy" paint in spray cans.

It smells really terrible, though, so don't use it indoors.
Posted by: The deaf-mute neighbors down the street at January 26, 2026 11:59 AM (a+4eV)

They also make really cool magnetic door covers . I’m thinking of buying some and I have a brand new fridge.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (KDPiq)

316 in culture news, Guns N Roses had a mini Trump hate-fest at their recent concert.

Why?
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (HXT0k)

To quote my dad:

"WHO!???"

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (Zz0t1)

317

Posted by: This comment intentionally left blank at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (vFG9F)

318 314 What percentage of G&R's actual fans do you figure support Trump?

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (BI5O2)

======

Predominantly Gen-X, I presume.

So...55% or so?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (GBKbO)

319 If there is one band to get political advice from, it's Guns N Roses.

That band has it so together.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (krQz2)

320 This page is intentionally left blank, except for the words "This page is intentionally left blank"

Oh, crap, and also "except for the words..."

Back to the drawing board.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (0U5gm)

321 BREAKING - Leftists in Minneapolis are outraged after an anti-ICE agitator lost parts of her fingers when attempting to grab a flashbang and throw it back at federal officials during yesterday’s riot.
Posted by: Don Black

LOL. F'n LARP'ers.

Posted by: rickb223 at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (zILP0)

322 but a protestor apparently got hit in the hand with a non-lethal round, and she dramatically flops around for the cameras as they all yell "medic" lol

https://tinyurl.com/3bupfzd8
Posted by: Intercepted Reddit Transmissions

Did ICE promptly shoot any medics that came to assist?
Everyone's videogame training should have told them that you take out the enemy's healing capabilities first.

Posted by: FeatherBlade at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (a+4eV)

323 in culture news, Guns N Roses had a mini Trump hate-fest at their recent concert.

Why?

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 12:02 PM (HXT0k)

-------------

It's all the rage?

Posted by: ShainS -- Who's Gonna Be Today's FAFO Darwin Award Winner? at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (lofPS)

324 304 Oh lads, a GREAT video from Minnesota! Sorry, link is to Reddit, as I haven't seen it posted elsewhere yet, but a protestor apparently got hit in the hand with a non-lethal round, and she dramatically flops around for the cameras as they all yell "medic" lol

https://tinyurl.com/3bupfzd8

They REALLY want to be seen as equivalent to our military personnel. Protip: they aren't.

Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (Riz8t)

325 Axl Rose is 63. Relevance is a fleeting thing.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (pDt9x)

326 Axel Rose has looked like an angry elderly lesbian for at least a decade. So it tracks he'd be mad at Orangeman.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (gwt4v)

327 "in culture news, Guns N Roses had a mini Trump hate-fest at their recent concert.

Why?
Posted by: People's Hippo Voice"

Illegal aliens from south of the border are a large part of their fan base. There are at least 12 of them.

Posted by: Ripley at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (GUOwU)

328 314 What percentage of G&R's actual fans do you figure support Trump?

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (BI5O2)

I'd imagine most are too alcoholic to give a shit.

Posted by: XTC at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (6Uni8)

329 276 Except...the page isn't blank.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (XeU6L)
++++
Indeed. That is an unsolvable problem. We do the best we can with the logical trap
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (MABZ1)

This page intentionally left almost blank.

I'd smile if I saw that in a manual.
Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (gwt4v)

Fascinating. *raises one eyebrow*

Posted by: Science Officer Spock at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (wVcYX)

330 > They also make really cool magnetic door covers . I’m thinking of buying some and I have a brand new fridge.
---------
Shrink wrap it with something cool looking. Like they do with cars/trucks. I saw a kitchen done up with some Alien inspired appliance wraps that looked.... awesome.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (qwVdq)

331 WHen I did my kitchen over I was looking at appliances and seeing all that madness. I think I saw stoves and refrigerators can be hooked to the net. Yeah no fucking way. No reason in the planet of hell that a stove needs to be hooked to the net. Ohy you can tell it to preheat when you're on your way home from work. No, you can tell it to burn your frigging house down while you're stuck in traffic you lazy frigging bastard.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (snZF9)

332 Axl Rose is 63. Relevance is a fleeting thing.
Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (pDt9x)
++++
In his case, it fled a long time.

"Use Your Illusion II" mostly sucked. "The Spaghetti Incident?" sucked, period. "Chinese Democracy," when it finally came, wasn't good.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (MABZ1)

333 Predominantly Gen-X, I presume.

So...55% or so?
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (GBKbO)

I bet higher. I was a fan as a kid. They're fan base was not exactly the most fertile ground for left-liberal political recruiting.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 12:07 PM (BI5O2)

334 332 Axl Rose is 63. Relevance is a fleeting thing.
Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (pDt9x)
++++
In his case, it fled a long time.

"Use Your Illusion II" mostly sucked. "The Spaghetti Incident?" sucked, period. "Chinese Democracy," when it finally came, wasn't good.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (MABZ1)

=====

Isn't his problem that he lost his ability to hit the high notes in the mid to late 90s?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:07 PM (GBKbO)

335 332 Axl Rose is 63. Relevance is a fleeting thing.
Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (pDt9x)
++++
In his case, it fled a long time.

"Use Your Illusion II" mostly sucked. "The Spaghetti Incident?" sucked, period. "Chinese Democracy," when it finally came, wasn't good.
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (MABZ1)

He is well into the enlarged prostate times.

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:07 PM (pDt9x)

336 Trump spoke with Walz. Said Homan is on the way . Wonder how Walz's bowels are holding up

Posted by: Smell the Glove at January 26, 2026 12:07 PM (e4I2N)

337 WHO!???"
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (Zz0t1)

Hopefully the surviving member or members of WHO didn't weigh in with their opinions on Trump.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (2sfNr)

338 "This is intentionally the only text on this page ... besides the page numbers."

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (krQz2)

339
Idea: Put two big buttons on a washing machine, one marked MEN and one marked WOMEN. Men will do what they always do, and throw everything in in a heap and hit MEN. Women and gay men can spend their time moving through the endless menus of choices.
Posted by: Archimedes at January 26, 2026 11:30

-----
I live in two worlds: upstairs year-old kitchen appliances that require reading an owner's manual. Downstairs, ancient washer and dryer that would may require reading the washing machine lid. Once. I use the MEN setting.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (EAEJ9)

340 Did ICE promptly shoot any medics that came to assist?
Everyone's videogame training should have told them that you take out the enemy's healing capabilities first.

Posted by: FeatherBlade at January 26, 2026 12:05 PM (a+4eV)

--------------

I remember a boss I had who was a Vietnam Veteran -- and he said they always shot to wound, not to kill, because it took multiple people off of the field.

Posted by: ShainS -- Who's Gonna Be Today's FAFO Darwin Award Winner? at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (lofPS)

341 This page intentionally left almost blank.

I'd smile if I saw that in a manual.
Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at January 26, 2026 12:00 PM (gwt4v)

This page intentionally contains no information related to the general subject matter.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (ExV1e)

342 336 Trump spoke with Walz. Said Homan is on the way . Wonder how Walz's bowels are holding up

Posted by: Smell the Glove at January 26, 2026 12:07 PM (e4I2N)

======

"Will you hand over illegals you have in your jails?"

"We don't have any illegals in our jails. We stopped enforcing laws a LONG time ago."

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (GBKbO)

343 I'd imagine most are too alcoholic to give a shit.
Posted by: XTC at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (6Uni8

Def. I'm talking about the ones who do vote because they're not too busy being cool and kicking ass.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 12:08 PM (BI5O2)

344 As a side note, I have a hey.com account, that I am replacing my gmail with. It's really an interesting way to do email. New emails come upfor you to approve, if you want to receive emails. You can then send it to the Imbox (for important), Paper Trail (for receipts and such) or TheFeed (things like gardening company emails). The Feed puts them in a long string, where you can clickto read more. They eventually fade away.Nice company

Posted by: Notsothoreau at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (+mUZM)

345 Guns N Roses hasn't been relevant since.....well.....I don't know.

Most times you hear anything, it's from their first release. Axl ruined any opportunity they had to be bigtime by being an obnoxious asshole and being drunk as f*ck at concerts.

When you get Canadians to destroy an arena, you're an accomplished asshole.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (Zz0t1)

346 >I wonder if China will fill Canada up with BYD electric vehicles?

It's going to have to. All of the major auto manufacturers have bailed out of EVs, and Canada is insisting on 60% of new auto sales being zero-emission by 2030 (100% by 2035). Either they all come from China or we stop driving.

Posted by: Daniel Ream at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (LgYtf)

347 I like GnR music. I always wanted to do a documentary styled film of war and other footage from the Iraq war synched up with GnR music.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (KDPiq)

348 About 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies are blaming ICE for the Democrat-generated fake protests designed to get as many people killed as necessary to win the mid-terms riots. The list includes CEOs of United Healthcare, which we should definitely put out of business, Boston Scientific, Ecolab, US Bancorp and Ameriprise (end the f'ing Fed!), Allina Health, CentraCare Health, Essentia Health, Fairview Health, Health Partners, Target (let them burn), Best Buy, General Mills,...

Posted by: Oglebay at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (GPa4z)

349 The White House has dropped a stunning document showing that historically, the experts over the years never have considered those born of foreign parents in the United States to be U.S. citizens.

It's the exact position President Donald Trump took when he issued an executive order months ago stating that children of illegal aliens are not, in fact, U.S. citizens.

Posted by: SMOD at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (GITLP)

350 I'd like to replace my refrigerator. It works fine but is really ugly.
Posted by: Don Black
======
Vinyl wrap, same as for cars.

Posted by: whig at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (E4rtv)

351 >>> Posted by: anon2020 at January 26, 2026 11:07 AM (RqMDa)

timwalz trying to sell spyware says what?

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at January 26, 2026 12:10 PM (ULPxl)

352 About 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies are blaming ICE for the Democrat-generated fake protests designed to get as many people killed as necessary to win the mid-terms riots. The list includes CEOs of United Healthcare, which we should definitely put out of business, Boston Scientific, Ecolab, US Bancorp and Ameriprise (end the f'ing Fed!), Allina Health, CentraCare Health, Essentia Health, Fairview Health, Health Partners, Target (let them burn), Best Buy, General Mills,...
Posted by: Oglebay at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (GPa4z)
++++
Yup. They're closing ranks around the Left.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:10 PM (MABZ1)

353 349 The White House has dropped a stunning document showing that historically, the experts over the years never have considered those born of foreign parents in the United States to be U.S. citizens.

It's the exact position President Donald Trump took when he issued an executive order months ago stating that children of illegal aliens are not, in fact, U.S. citizens.

Posted by: SMOD at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (GITLP)

======

They dropped it in federal court.

It's part of their argument that "cross the border, drop a kid" is not actually US law and that no one thought it was.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:10 PM (GBKbO)

354 Trump spoke with Walz. Said Homan is on the way . Wonder how Walz's bowels are holding up

Posted by: Smell the Glove at January 26, 2026 12:07 PM (e4I2N)

---------------

I think it's going to be a Three-Tampon day for Tim.

Posted by: ShainS -- Who's Gonna Be Today's FAFO Darwin Award Winner? at January 26, 2026 12:10 PM (lofPS)

355 What percentage of G&R's actual fans do you figure support Trump?

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at January 26, 2026 12:04 PM (BI5O2)

I'd imagine most are too alcoholic to give a shit.

Posted by: XTC at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (6Uni

I never gave a shit about them. I didn't even think slash was that great of a guitar player people make him out to be.. Nice tone though.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (snZF9)

356 The list includes CEOs of United Healthcare, which we should definitely put out of business, Boston Scientific, Ecolab, US Bancorp and Ameriprise (end the f'ing Fed!), Allina Health, CentraCare Health, Essentia Health, Fairview Health, Health Partners, Target (let them burn), Best Buy, General Mills,...
Posted by: Oglebay

Gosh that wounds like a bunch of people who should be investigated for connections to all the medical and childcare fraud.

Posted by: FeatherBlade at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (a+4eV)

357 I'm looking for appliances that change color, avocado one month, coppertone the next, harvest gold, etc. Why be boring?

Posted by: Retro Rick at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (oftw2)

358 When we bought our TV, I told the salesman "We just want a dumb TV. Nothing fancy."

He guided me over to what I wanted and said "Sir, you understand that this will lack various features such as-"

After he finished, I said "Yes. That's fine."

He rang me up and I wrote an email to his boss to say thank you for the fact he didn't try to hard sell me.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (7xrfc)

359
Ah dishwashers. Protip. Scrape and rinse dishes before putting them in dishwasher.

Posted by: tubal

=============

IOW, wash them before you wash them.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at January 26, 2026 12:12 PM (PTQs9)

360
Axl Rose is 63. Relevance is a fleeting thing.
Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (pDt9x)

Someone needs to hold him down and remove that tattoo of the 32nd Cavalry from his arm with a spoon, to restore some measure of Elvis Presley's honor.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 26, 2026 12:12 PM (y9nCu)

361 It's the exact position President Donald Trump took when he issued an executive order months ago stating that children of illegal aliens are not, in fact, U.S. citizens.
Posted by: SMOD

The legal work in this administration has generally been superb. Most of the blame for DoJ for not performing has come about because of leftist judges that simply refuse to apply the law and the remaining RESIST DoJ personnel that pop up. The DoJ resist types are now either more clever in avoiding detection by obvious refusal to do the work or by being rooted out already.

Posted by: whig at January 26, 2026 12:12 PM (E4rtv)

362 I never gave a shit about them. I didn't even think slash was that great of a guitar player people make him out to be.. Nice tone though.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (snZF9

I did like that he agreed with you.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 26, 2026 12:13 PM (KDPiq)

363 "Use Your Illusion II" mostly sucked. "The Spaghetti Incident?" sucked, period. "Chinese Democracy," when it finally came, wasn't good.
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:06 PM (MABZ1)
---
I don't know if I recall this correctly, but all that was after Duff McKagen left.

Appetite for Destruction is really the only quintessential GNR album.

Maybe it's like books and films. You write/develop that first one for a lifetime. Everything else, by comparison is a rush job.

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 12:13 PM (krQz2)

364 359
Ah dishwashers. Protip. Scrape and rinse dishes before putting them in dishwasher.

Posted by: tubal

=============

IOW, wash them before you wash them.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at January 26, 2026 12:12 PM (PTQs9)

Yep. Ironic, innit?

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:13 PM (pDt9x)

365 I didn't even think slash was that great of a guitar player people make him out to be.. Nice tone though.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (snZF9

He's incredibly technical. And that usually = boring.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (Zz0t1)

366 I'm looking for appliances that change color, avocado one month, coppertone the next, harvest gold, etc. Why be boring?
Posted by: Retro Rick at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (oftw2)

Wrap it in aluminum foil and get the rotating light wheel ala the '60's aluminum Christmas trees. Or one of them laser light show boxes.

Disco Kitchen!

Posted by: Count de Monet at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (wVcYX)

367 Nap time over

Posted by: Skip at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (Ia/+0)

368 296 276 Except...the page isn't blank.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 26, 2026 11:56 AM (XeU6L)
++++
Indeed. That is an unsolvable problem. We do the best we can with the logical trap
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 11:57 AM (MABZ1)

This page intentionally left almost blank.

I'd smile if I saw that in a manual.

i once saw "this page intentionally left what would be blank were it not for this message". i chuckled.

Posted by: anachronda at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (sGtp+)

369 I think that was probably part of the reason why the Bruce Springsteen movie flopped- because he was a multi millionaire who keep giving his leftist opinions on politics, which most people didn't want to hear.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (2sfNr)

370 Gosh that wounds like a bunch of people who should be investigated for connections to all the medical and childcare fraud.
Posted by: FeatherBlade at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (a+4eV)
++++
Perhaps. Probably some shady shit there.

More likely it's, "chaos is bad for business, and capitulating is the fastest way to reduce chaos this quarter." Never mind that they will end in destruction.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (MABZ1)

371 Part of the allure of IoT stuff is that is is kinda fun. BUT there is the time involved, the glitches, and the exposure to spyware.

The other thing is the "planned obsolescence" factor built in. At some point upgrades are necessary, whether just from age or design. Planned obsolescence used to be by design where the washer broke down from some mechanical weak spots after five years, but with tech they can just be programmed to become obsolete. (please upgrade to Windows 11, and subscribe to our plan).

I had a receipt reader with software that was kinda nice, recognized receipts from same place and categorized, etc. Then that stopped working and only a subscription service was available. Printer still worked, but no software for it, unless part of the subscription. arseholes.

Posted by: illiniwek at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (vbXSk)

372 "I have completely reshaped my view on geopolitics because the singer of some songs I liked told me I was wrong."

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (GBKbO)

373 A bit OT, but I was reading something linked on Insty, about a SF guy who is comparing the shit happening in Minnesota with the kinds of small terror cell organization he saw first-hand in GWOT. The organization, the opsec, the division of labor, etc etc etc.

I suppose the first obvious thought is "wow, so they're learning from terrorists how to operate an insurgency".

But my second thought was... "wait... who learned what from whom?"

All those cells and factions over there... they're all run by people who went to college in the US. Aren't they?

Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (06Hmj)

374 "The Spaghetti Incident?"

Did they steal that from Calvin and Hobbes' "the noodle incident?"

Posted by: Bulg at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (77rzZ)

375 365 I didn't even think slash was that great of a guitar player people make him out to be.. Nice tone though.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (snZF9

He's incredibly technical. And that usually = boring.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (Zz0t1)

So you are saying he’s no Mark Knopfler?

Posted by: tubal at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (pDt9x)

376 370 Gosh that wounds like a bunch of people who should be investigated for connections to all the medical and childcare fraud.
Posted by: FeatherBlade at January 26, 2026 12:11 PM (a+4eV)
++++
Perhaps. Probably some shady shit there.

More likely it's, "chaos is bad for business, and capitulating is the fastest way to reduce chaos this quarter." Never mind that they will end in destruction.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (MABZ1)

=======

"We paid of BLM last time, and it worked out great!"

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (GBKbO)

377 Oh lads, a GREAT video from Minnesota! Sorry, link is to Reddit, as I haven't seen it posted elsewhere yet, but a protestor apparently got hit in the hand with a non-lethal round, and she dramatically flops around for the cameras as they all yell "medic" lol
---
IDK which is more embarrassing, the cries of "medic" or the other losers saying "OMG"

These pussies really, really haven't seen actual violence or death, have they?
This is all a LARP of some TV show to them.

So of course it's scaring bed-wetting faggots and retards like Errorkson and Cassidy--they also don't know reality and think the TV is real.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (HXT0k)

378 "We paid of BLM last time, and it worked out great!"
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (GBKbO)
++++
Yeah, pretty much,

Plus you can be sure that McKinsey assured them that they will be eaten last.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (MABZ1)

379 357 I'm looking for appliances that change color, avocado one month, coppertone the next, harvest gold, etc. Why be boring?

do you also want to be able to watch the superbowl on it?

asking for a friend.

Posted by: anachronda at January 26, 2026 12:16 PM (sGtp+)

380 "I have completely reshaped my view on geopolitics because the singer of some songs I liked told me I was wrong."
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (GBKbO)

"See? I made the right choice by approving the bands for the Super Bowl."

- - - - - - Roger Goodell

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:16 PM (Zz0t1)

381 377
These pussies really, really haven't seen actual violence or death, have they?
This is all a LARP of some TV show to them.

So of course it's scaring bed-wetting faggots and retards like Errorkson and Cassidy--they also don't know reality and think the TV is real.

Posted by: People's Hippo Voice at January 26, 2026 12:15 PM (HXT0k)

=======

There's a reason that the "riot" at the St. Paul hotel was only about 20 people.

And it's not because people are being attracted to the side that's losing soldiers who have no idea that they're in a war that they've self-declared.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, searching for twisted thrills with Park Chan-wook at January 26, 2026 12:16 PM (GBKbO)

382 Silver spot at $114.19 per oz. One oz of silver is 4 quarters plus 4 dimes - all made before 1965. That means a dime in average circulated condition made before 1965 has $8.20 worth of silver in it.

Gold spot at $5106.10 per oz.

Gold and Silver aren't going up, the US dollar is shrinking.

Posted by: An Observation sez Trump is my President at January 26, 2026 12:16 PM (Da7Vv)

383 I wonder if China will fill Canada up with BYD electric vehicles?

It's going to have to. All of the major auto manufacturers have bailed out of EVs, and Canada is insisting on 60% of new auto sales being zero-emission by 2030 (100% by 2035). Either they all come from China or we stop driving.

Posted by: Daniel Ream

Good luck with that. When I was involved with fleets, anything north of Omaha could not use electric vehicles because the range was so short in winter.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at January 26, 2026 12:16 PM (0U5gm)

384 Nood.

Posted by: Nazdar at January 26, 2026 12:17 PM (NcvvS)

385 The other thing is the "planned obsolescence" factor built in. At some point upgrades are necessary, whether just from age or design. "

GM OnStar anyone?

Posted by: man at January 26, 2026 12:17 PM (q9/Un)

386 NOOD INSURRECTION

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at January 26, 2026 12:17 PM (MABZ1)

387 He's incredibly technical. And that usually = boring.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at January 26, 2026 12:14 PM (Zz0t1)

I feel that way about Buckethead.

I mean... obviously I can't play like that, most people can't... but...

It's just "widdle widdle widdle widdle". Gimme a hook or a melody or something, man, if I just wanted to listed to C-130 full of notes getting dropped on my head in a great big pile, I'd go to a jazz club.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at January 26, 2026 12:18 PM (06Hmj)

388 My phone has less apps than it came with.
I would be expecting a refund. A penalty too if there were no warning about such convolution.

The absurdity that passes for thought is astounding.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at January 26, 2026 12:20 PM (m24qK)

389 You see all these nil-brains posting about Kyle Rittenhouse?

Like Rittenhouse was a protestor challenging police.
Like he wasn't somebody there to protect property.

"How you let interloper protect property?!"

Posted by: Axeman at January 26, 2026 12:20 PM (krQz2)

390 I hate unhelpful error messages.

I took over a system which the lab techs: "More than twenty minutes have passed since a connection with the 360."

I changed it to: "Lab test results are not reaching the nursing station! Please call extension 1234"

Because a computer to computer connection had failed.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at January 26, 2026 12:20 PM (VVQO9)

391 Mr. Pretti died for what he believed in:

The right of illegal aliens - murderers, rapists, spouse beaters, child molesters, fraudsters, multi-DWI drivers- to run free and prey upon US citizens.

That's the part the Left in this country want us to forget.

Posted by: mrp at January 26, 2026 12:20 PM (rj6Yv)

392
I always wanted to do a documentary styled film of war and other footage from the Iraq war synched up with GnR music.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 26, 2026 12:09 PM (KDPiq)

Back in the late 80s and through the Gulf War, Megadeth was the soldier-approved metal band.

My first squad leader SSG Murray was a Ranger, and notably, insane. He made us all memorize the lyrics to Peace Sells, and he'd quiz us. He'd get into our face, knife-hand to your skull and recite a line. If you couldn't immediately respond with the next line, he'd have you down on your face, pushing the pavement down.

Insane yes, but funny as hell.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at January 26, 2026 12:21 PM (y9nCu)

393
"Corpspersyn!"

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at January 26, 2026 12:21 PM (tgvbd)

394 Chinese cars made of Chinesium.
Who can you trust if you can't trust a Chinaman?
Sincerely, Your Boss, _ Warlord Xi

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at January 26, 2026 12:25 PM (m24qK)

395 Six shortcut buttons to various streaming services (Amazon, Hulu, etc). You don't have any of those? Fuck you, cheapskate.

Hell, it’s gotten worse lately, man. It was only four buttons in my day. Still can’t program them, though.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at January 26, 2026 12:25 PM (EXyHK)

396 Yup. They're closing ranks around the Left.
Posted by: Joe Mannix
=====
Won't save them. The extent of fraud in MN is going to be in the neighborhood of 100 billion bucks more or less. That is going to enrage a whole lot of normal folks. By the time you get to CA or NY, the fraud could easily be well over 500 billions.

That is the reason that Walz and Frey are panicking. They have embedded financial fraud of federal dollars into the very fabric of MN politics. And it does explain why Timmy might very well have ordered the assassination of a MN top legislator who blocked illegals getting Medicaid, it threatened to topple the whole structure.

The Democrat party has become a cartel mafiosi designed to steal and despoil the US treasury and it has no scruples in destroying this country to keep themselves out of prison and impoverishment.

They have about 22-25 percent of the population as leftist ideologues concentrated in urban areas/college areas and about 15-25 percent depending on location, of welfare clientele depending on federal transfers for money, etc.

The existing welfare clientele though ain't happy that the illegals though are stealing their cheese on the street

Posted by: whig at January 26, 2026 12:27 PM (E4rtv)

397 My microwave oven is a commercial model with a mechanical timer on a twist knob. I learned that from my mother who asked me: "Why should using a microwave should be any more difficult than using a toaster?"

Posted by: An Observation sez Trump is my President at January 26, 2026 12:29 PM (Da7Vv)

398 Quote: "...just to watch CNN. My parents aren’t idiots,... "

This one made me laugh. The juxtaposition is perfect!

Posted by: Zippyslug at January 26, 2026 12:31 PM (/jFSs)

399 And wait until those apps get orphaned by a bankrupt or bought-out manufacturer, and then they don’t work on the latest smartphone OS version. Suddenly, a dishwasher that would have worked for 15 years is useless.

Posted by: OnPoint at January 26, 2026 12:39 PM (RK/h9)

400 I have never understood wanting to stay in someone else's house on vacation. If I wanted to cook and clean and do laundry, I'd just stay home. Maybe it's better if you have young children, but I much prefer hotels.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at January 26, 2026 12:43 PM (Vvh2V)

401 Put an App not on a Pixel Android cellphone's built in listing & watch the cellphone instantly become a paperweight forever.

Posted by: L - No nic, another fine day at January 26, 2026 12:45 PM (NFX2v)

402 I recently scored a 2001 Ranger 4wd with manual windows, locks and seats. Lots of buttons on the dash and no screens. DO want.
Posted by: fd at January 26, 2026 11:10 AM (vFG9F)

I saw an older Ranger parked on the street recently by my place and noticed that it had a manual transmission. I almost set up shop there on the sidewalk to wait for the owner to come back so I could make an offer.

Posted by: Octochicken at January 26, 2026 12:47 PM (oCS0o)

403 I still have my 2006 Ford Ranger Sport, with manual windows (I insisted) . It's an automatic, but has well over 200,000 miles on it and is still going strong. It was raised with my little no frills mini pick-up, so I think it thinks it's a Toyota.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at January 26, 2026 01:16 PM (Vvh2V)

404 Chinese cars are so terrible, falling apart and unreliable, that even the Russians are complaining bitterly about them. They make a Trabant look like a Toyota.

Posted by: Beverly at January 26, 2026 01:59 PM (reMys)

405 Outstanding post, BUCK! We just had to ditch our high tech thermostat because it refused our suggestions for "climate control".

Posted by: FINGERS at January 26, 2026 02:01 PM (C8ve7)

406 So, what you're saying is that advertising my 100+ year old AirBnBs as basic controllers would be an advantage for me? Sadly the dings you get for not having a modern TV are pretty rough even when you said you didn't have TV. We do have thermostats we can monitor but that can be easily controlled at the house side. It let's us keep tabs on energy usage after guests check out and this week of snow and ice we are making sure the houses are staying warm enough to protect pipes and fixtures.

Posted by: 2nd Amendment Mother at January 26, 2026 03:06 PM (3aOHH)

407 My sister-in-law just had $3000 of repairs for a busted side mirror on her Lexus. The money went almost entirely to pay for sensors to tell her not to back up or merge into anything which are necessary because they stopped caring, or intentionally provide terrible, site lines. Now you need the computer when a working neck used to suffice. She asked if they could just give her the mirror mounting and mirror without all the fussy stuff. They can't.
A mechanical car with a touch pad for maps and music would make millions. Even just an Android/Apple auto hook up.

Posted by: Ben Sears at January 26, 2026 04:05 PM (3M71d)

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