4 ms·

We used to have all our utilities work offline for decades and they work like they are supposed to. Issues were fixed during R&D by analysing every situation th

We used to have all our utilities work offline for decades and they work like they are supposed to. Issues were fixed during R&D by analysing every situation that might break the product. Now, every company wants to collect data or they say the product will not function properly. All of them now needs to access internet for convenience. In a decade, our own belongings will say, I will not work unless you update me.

titzer 9y ago
> In a decade, our own belongings will say, I will not work unless you update me. I see this happening too, and I don't want any part of it. Tech is making it way into everything, and it bothers me. Toothbrushes with LCD screens? Anecdote: Metronomes are all digital now, whereas they used to all be mechanical, like analog watches. The windup mechanism is super simple; it's just a spring with a ratchet on it. The spring is designed to exert a constant force to counteract the natural friction of the pendulum swinging, like an inverted grandfather clock. Such a metronome is simple, straightforward, human-scale understandable from the most basic of investigation. A kid could understand it. Now, with digital metronomes, the damn thing is so tightly integrated that it comes with either a specifically designed IC, an FPGA with EEPROM, or a full CPU with software. Of course they require batteries. Can you figure out how it works from taking it apart? No chance. The chip itself has a stack of PhDs in it; let alone any software. It's fractally complex. Leave aside Metronome software apps for a moment; these stupid digital metronomes have no swinging arm (a nice indicator to help you get rhythm back), only flashing lights. If/when it breaks, and it will break, let's say 20 years from now, what do I do? I've been programming my entire life and yet I still wouldn't have a clue how to fix it. Nor would anyone else for that matter. That damn thing will go in the bin, and I'll have to buy another. But the model from today won't be available then; I'll be forced to get some other whizz-bang techy thing that is all new and better, and more sophisticated, and even less repairable. Dumb. So yeah, nowadays I have an analog metronome and I'll fix it if it breaks.
- xkcd-sucks 9y ago
  The cheap electronic metronomes are just a 555, some passive components and a rotary switch. Diagnosing and fixing one is a really good project for a 10-15yo
  - titzer 9y ago
    > Diagnosing and fixing one is a really good project for a 10-15yo It does sound fun. But, it'd be a project. Now imagine you had no manuals, voltmeter, or replacement chips. What's a 555? Not so fun now. Or imagine this another way. You have all the docs, and a fully stocked electronics lab. And in the other corner is someone with a screwdriver and a broken mechanical metronome. Who's faster?
    - xkcd-sucks 9y ago
      Without a set of watchmaker's tools and the patience of an adult-- those coil springs and gears are pretty frustrating!
  - titzer 9y ago
    > The cheap electronic metronomes are just a 555, some passive components and a rotary switch. BTW the digital one I have has no moving parts; it has buttons to select the bpm and pattern from pre-programmed options.

titzer 9y ago

> In a decade, our own belongings will say, I will not work unless you update me. I see this happening too, and I don't want any part of it. Tech is making it way into everything, and it bothers me. Toothbrushes with LCD screens? Anecdote: Metronomes are all digital now, whereas they used to all be mechanical, like analog watches. The windup mechanism is super simple; it's just a spring with a ratchet on it. The spring is designed to exert a constant force to counteract the natural friction of the pendulum swinging, like an inverted grandfather clock. Such a metronome is simple, straightforward, human-scale understandable from the most basic of investigation. A kid could understand it. Now, with digital metronomes, the damn thing is so tightly integrated that it comes with either a specifically designed IC, an FPGA with EEPROM, or a full CPU with software. Of course they require batteries. Can you figure out how it works from taking it apart? No chance. The chip itself has a stack of PhDs in it; let alone any software. It's fractally complex. Leave aside Metronome software apps for a moment; these stupid digital metronomes have no swinging arm (a nice indicator to help you get rhythm back), only flashing lights. If/when it breaks, and it will break, let's say 20 years from now, what do I do? I've been programming my entire life and yet I still wouldn't have a clue how to fix it. Nor would anyone else for that matter. That damn thing will go in the bin, and I'll have to buy another. But the model from today won't be available then; I'll be forced to get some other whizz-bang techy thing that is all new and better, and more sophisticated, and even less repairable. Dumb. So yeah, nowadays I have an analog metronome and I'll fix it if it breaks.

xkcd-sucks 9y ago
The cheap electronic metronomes are just a 555, some passive components and a rotary switch. Diagnosing and fixing one is a really good project for a 10-15yo
- titzer 9y ago
  > Diagnosing and fixing one is a really good project for a 10-15yo It does sound fun. But, it'd be a project. Now imagine you had no manuals, voltmeter, or replacement chips. What's a 555? Not so fun now. Or imagine this another way. You have all the docs, and a fully stocked electronics lab. And in the other corner is someone with a screwdriver and a broken mechanical metronome. Who's faster?
  - xkcd-sucks 9y ago
    Without a set of watchmaker's tools and the patience of an adult-- those coil springs and gears are pretty frustrating!
- titzer 9y ago
  > The cheap electronic metronomes are just a 555, some passive components and a rotary switch. BTW the digital one I have has no moving parts; it has buttons to select the bpm and pattern from pre-programmed options.