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>A large chunk of the restaurants I go to have extremely similar setups. Tons have Ziosk terminals at the table. Lots of others allow scanning a QR code and ord

>A large chunk of the restaurants I go to have extremely similar setups. Tons have Ziosk terminals at the table. Lots of others allow scanning a QR code and ordering at the table through a website/app. At least half the restaurants I frequent have some kind of digital ordering system. What restaurants are these, Chipotle? I just visited the US for a few weeks and didn't see ANY of this. >Some of these restaurants started implementing these systems over a decade ago. I never saw it when I lived in the US, except for Panera. >Either way, remote controlled single-room AC units have been a thing in the US for several decades. No, they haven't. You're thinking of those shitty window units. They aren't the same; those are horrible. That's why the mini-split systems have gotten so popular, and they're all made in Asia (by companies like Daikin and Mitsubishi, rather than by the typical US brands like Westinghouse). So yes, apparently only Japan could have figured this out. >but with the two separate units I'm able to run multiple loads through faster. Sounds like you save up your laundry too much. Anyway, you can only do this if you're physically present to move the laundry between machines. >They've been for sale in the US once again for decades You're making the same mistake as with the A/C. No, they're brand-new, they haven't been available for decades. You're thinking of those shitty "over-under" units, with a dryer mounted on top of the washer. I'm talking about combo drum-style washer-dryer units with heat-pump drying: you put the clothes in, hit "start", and a few hours later your clothes are clean and dry. >Everything I need to do can generally be done through NFC/Bluetooth on my phone these days. Let's see you do that in NYC.

Dalewyn 2y ago
Washer-dryer combo units (sometimes called "laundry centers") have been around for a long time in the RV, marine, and apartment markets where space- and water-savings are essential. Coincidentally, most Japanese households also greatly value space-savings. Splendide[1] has been in the business since 1984, and according to Wikipedia the first washer-dryer combo unit was invented in 1953 by Bendix[2][3]. Both are American companies. [1]: https://www.splendide.com/index.html#faq https://www.splendide.com/index.html#faq [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer-dryer#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer-dryer#History [3]: https://books.google.com/books?id=Dlpfw-9ikKAC&q=bendix+duomatic+1953+first&pg=PT47 https://books.google.com/books?id=Dlpfw-9ikKAC&q=bendix+duom...
vel0city 2y ago
> I just visited the US for a few weeks and didn't see ANY of this. You visited for a few weeks and feel you have a good sample size of one of the largest countries in the world. I've been to Cozumel, I take it the rest of Mexico is exactly like that. Everyone in Mexico just hangs out at the beach all day every day right? Just one example restaurant from 2014: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/chilis-is-installing-tablet-ordering-at-all-its-restaurants/372836/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/chili... > You're thinking of those shitty window units. No, I'm definitely thinking the mini-splits. I grew up in Houston. You can't survive without air conditioning there. I've seen every kind of AC setup hundreds of times over. Mini-splits were pretty common for a DIY add to a garage or a backyard shed/studio even back then. I saw dozens of them in the 90s. I'd still take a central air system for my home. And ooh, so fancy, an IR remote controller! So high tech. I guess I'll just throw out my thermostat that logs my environment data to my home system along with how often the unit and fan have run, its impact, outside weather data, its total energy usage, its pressure levels, and more. It'll also automatically adjust dampers to ensure proper airflow to help target whatever rooms I'm using. A basic IR remote and noisy shit tacked on the wall is way fancier. And yeah, instead of just having ducts properly planned into the construction of my home I'll just have loads of copper pipes with highly compressed and often toxic/flammable refrigerants run to the dozen or so spaces that currently have vents. Seems so superior. Mini splits make a lot of sense when you only have a handful of spaces you're trying to cool, much less sense when it's a four bedroom two living room single family home in a place where it's 90F+ at 70% RH half the year. > I'm talking about combo drum-style washer-dryer units with heat-pump drying: you put the clothes in, hit "start", and a few hours later your clothes are clean and dry. Once again, I'm very aware of what you're talking about. Notice how I was suggesting two units is faster for multiple loads? Notice how an over/under is technically two units? See how I know the kind you're talking about? > Sounds like you save up your laundry too much Or maybe I've got a family with kids that make a lot of messes in my household. They're not that new, they've been around for a while. Only recently popular in large full-size units. Once again, I saw them in the 00s in the US. People would often have them in a fancy big RV/camper trailer or on a yacht due to the fact you can have a single unit and still do laundry on the go. They're not new, you just hadn't seen them much before. It turns out maybe you don't know everything and experienced it all before. Who would have thought? > Let's see you do that in NYC. Ah, so that's what it is. You lived in and visited NY and assumed that's life for the rest of the US? Turns out the entire US isn't just NYC, for better and worse.

Dalewyn 2y ago

Washer-dryer combo units (sometimes called "laundry centers") have been around for a long time in the RV, marine, and apartment markets where space- and water-savings are essential. Coincidentally, most Japanese households also greatly value space-savings. Splendide[1] has been in the business since 1984, and according to Wikipedia the first washer-dryer combo unit was invented in 1953 by Bendix[2][3]. Both are American companies. [1]: https://www.splendide.com/index.html#faq https://www.splendide.com/index.html#faq [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer-dryer#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washer-dryer#History [3]: https://books.google.com/books?id=Dlpfw-9ikKAC&q=bendix+duomatic+1953+first&pg=PT47 https://books.google.com/books?id=Dlpfw-9ikKAC&q=bendix+duom...

vel0city 2y ago

> I just visited the US for a few weeks and didn't see ANY of this. You visited for a few weeks and feel you have a good sample size of one of the largest countries in the world. I've been to Cozumel, I take it the rest of Mexico is exactly like that. Everyone in Mexico just hangs out at the beach all day every day right? Just one example restaurant from 2014: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/chilis-is-installing-tablet-ordering-at-all-its-restaurants/372836/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/chili... > You're thinking of those shitty window units. No, I'm definitely thinking the mini-splits. I grew up in Houston. You can't survive without air conditioning there. I've seen every kind of AC setup hundreds of times over. Mini-splits were pretty common for a DIY add to a garage or a backyard shed/studio even back then. I saw dozens of them in the 90s. I'd still take a central air system for my home. And ooh, so fancy, an IR remote controller! So high tech. I guess I'll just throw out my thermostat that logs my environment data to my home system along with how often the unit and fan have run, its impact, outside weather data, its total energy usage, its pressure levels, and more. It'll also automatically adjust dampers to ensure proper airflow to help target whatever rooms I'm using. A basic IR remote and noisy shit tacked on the wall is way fancier. And yeah, instead of just having ducts properly planned into the construction of my home I'll just have loads of copper pipes with highly compressed and often toxic/flammable refrigerants run to the dozen or so spaces that currently have vents. Seems so superior. Mini splits make a lot of sense when you only have a handful of spaces you're trying to cool, much less sense when it's a four bedroom two living room single family home in a place where it's 90F+ at 70% RH half the year. > I'm talking about combo drum-style washer-dryer units with heat-pump drying: you put the clothes in, hit "start", and a few hours later your clothes are clean and dry. Once again, I'm very aware of what you're talking about. Notice how I was suggesting two units is faster for multiple loads? Notice how an over/under is technically two units? See how I know the kind you're talking about? > Sounds like you save up your laundry too much Or maybe I've got a family with kids that make a lot of messes in my household. They're not that new, they've been around for a while. Only recently popular in large full-size units. Once again, I saw them in the 00s in the US. People would often have them in a fancy big RV/camper trailer or on a yacht due to the fact you can have a single unit and still do laundry on the go. They're not new, you just hadn't seen them much before. It turns out maybe you don't know everything and experienced it all before. Who would have thought? > Let's see you do that in NYC. Ah, so that's what it is. You lived in and visited NY and assumed that's life for the rest of the US? Turns out the entire US isn't just NYC, for better and worse.