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> At one point I wanted to see if I could create a sort of a DIY UPS for the water fountain. It would be quite bad if I was at work and a power outage results i

> At one point I wanted to see if I could create a sort of a DIY UPS for the water fountain. It would be quite bad if I was at work and a power outage results in cats not being able to drink water (they don’t really care for normal water bowls after getting the fountain). So another self-made problem then.

npteljes 3y ago
No, the point is that the charger has a standard USB-A socket, but delivers nonstandard charge. This is potentially dangerous, as the function of the charger does not match the user expectation.
- palemoonale 3y ago
  Nope, the point is that he thought to fancy / easy up life with more tech (mentioned potential health issues my ass, you have to clean up every day anyway after pets - does he thin a fountain does not build up residue and germs?), and promptly got more issues to solve. One is the non-standard voltage output, another is spoiled cats which can't be arsed to drink from a peasant's bowl (knew about such habits before, exact same situation). Stop trying to 'improve' life by more & more tech-based BS.
  - hddherman 3y ago
    Hi, author here. Usually I'd agree with you here, people use tech in places where it shouldn't be used quite often, but in this case I do not mind it at all. If this helps avoid future visits to the vet (and so far it has worked), then it's OK in my book. And yes, you do have to clean it regularly and change the filters, we're already doing that.
  - npteljes 3y ago
    No, that's not the point. The point is to illustrate that products defy expectations with regards to the U in USB, which is for Universal. The rest of the article is context for the point, not the point itself. Reason 1 supporting this: the article's title is "My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter". What sticks out most here is the word spicy, and when used in conjunction with electricity, it usually means more electricity than needed. Very good title. Reason 2 supporting this: The heading is "It turns out that you can’t trust any USB type A power adapter to be within spec". Nothing about cat fountains. Reason 3 supporting this: the article is tagged with the "ramblings" tag, setting us up that the article will be opinionated, and not strictly just about the central point of it. >Stop trying to 'improve' life by more & more tech-based BS. Hard disagree. There's no clear healthy cutoff with regards to technology, and the frame of reference also changes over time (and the course of history). Our life is supported by a ton of technology, many pieces of it being thought about as both "too much" and "not good enough".

npteljes 3y ago

No, the point is that the charger has a standard USB-A socket, but delivers nonstandard charge. This is potentially dangerous, as the function of the charger does not match the user expectation.

palemoonale 3y ago
Nope, the point is that he thought to fancy / easy up life with more tech (mentioned potential health issues my ass, you have to clean up every day anyway after pets - does he thin a fountain does not build up residue and germs?), and promptly got more issues to solve. One is the non-standard voltage output, another is spoiled cats which can't be arsed to drink from a peasant's bowl (knew about such habits before, exact same situation). Stop trying to 'improve' life by more & more tech-based BS.
- hddherman 3y ago
  Hi, author here. Usually I'd agree with you here, people use tech in places where it shouldn't be used quite often, but in this case I do not mind it at all. If this helps avoid future visits to the vet (and so far it has worked), then it's OK in my book. And yes, you do have to clean it regularly and change the filters, we're already doing that.
- npteljes 3y ago
  No, that's not the point. The point is to illustrate that products defy expectations with regards to the U in USB, which is for Universal. The rest of the article is context for the point, not the point itself. Reason 1 supporting this: the article's title is "My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter". What sticks out most here is the word spicy, and when used in conjunction with electricity, it usually means more electricity than needed. Very good title. Reason 2 supporting this: The heading is "It turns out that you can’t trust any USB type A power adapter to be within spec". Nothing about cat fountains. Reason 3 supporting this: the article is tagged with the "ramblings" tag, setting us up that the article will be opinionated, and not strictly just about the central point of it. >Stop trying to 'improve' life by more & more tech-based BS. Hard disagree. There's no clear healthy cutoff with regards to technology, and the frame of reference also changes over time (and the course of history). Our life is supported by a ton of technology, many pieces of it being thought about as both "too much" and "not good enough".