Page 8 | What modern invention is meant to be helpful but is the opposite?

HippyDays · 2025-01-29T07:05:54+00:00

Snooze button… I’m so used to it now I sleep through for ages hitting snooze. So today when I really had to get up early I didn’t. And missed my train. I am blaming the invention of snooze rather than admit my own imperfection 😁

NoCarbsForMe · 30/01/2025 21:27

If you search on YouTube for the brand, model number and 'stop beeping', there are often kind people with the niche knowledge who will give you the specific sequence of buttons to press to change the settings and stop the beeping altogether.

This is very useful information @DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe thank you!

bigkahunaburger · 30/01/2025 21:33

Dishwashers. Never clean properly, always breaking down, and save no time at all in my view. I gave up years and prefer washing old school.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 30/01/2025 21:44

NoCarbsForMe · 30/01/2025 20:04

Check your own shopping out tills at the supermarket 🙄🙄🙄

Yup, they take longer than a staffed till.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 30/01/2025 21:47

Abracadabra12345 · 30/01/2025 20:45

Yes and when you can see a full toilet roll inside, taunting you, but can't access it

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The "SmartOne" centrefeed loo roll dispensers are anything but smart. The loo roll breaks off behind that tiny centre hole and you can't reach it.

selffellatingouroborosofhate · 30/01/2025 21:49

bigkahunaburger · 30/01/2025 21:33

Dishwashers. Never clean properly, always breaking down, and save no time at all in my view. I gave up years and prefer washing old school.

They bypass my grip and dexterity problems. A lot of kitchen stuff that seems pointless to other people is a big help for me.

100PercentFaithful · 30/01/2025 21:51

The little flicky handbrakes on cars.
I MUCH prefer a proper chunky pull-up-handle handbrake. One that you can feel and see is properly.

mathanxiety · 31/01/2025 00:03

Arseynal · 29/01/2025 08:59

Endless passwords and 2 factor authentication nonsense. Fair enough for banks etc but why does everything need a complicated password that needs endless changes. I’ve got about 15 for different systems at work. Some must have a special character, some can’t have a special character, some last for months and others only a few weeks, some constantly have errors so IT have to get me back in, some you can’t reuse old passwords, but you mustn’t write them down like I’m going to remember them all forever.
Apps for everything. I can’t get on a bus where I live without an app so have to have a relatively modern smart phone with enough battery and data for your return journey even if you are 6 years old or poor or have cognitive impairment or don’t want a bloody smartphone .
Love my heated airer though

Yes to this.

Chuchoter · 31/01/2025 07:51

Online banking. All good until you have to pay a cheque in and find that all the bank branches have closed down except for one which is in an inner city shit hole.

BeyondMyWits · 31/01/2025 08:56

NoCarbsForMe · 30/01/2025 20:04

Check your own shopping out tills at the supermarket 🙄🙄🙄

Yep! Again it seems to be - let's stop the person who is an expert in this, someone quick, who doesn't make errors, who is able to correct problems, age check, keep things moving really quickly - and give that job to people who don't really know what they are doing and can't fix any problems that come up. Saves money I guess.

But in some shops I now spend less money. Because if I'm scanning, I'm not buying a trolley full, I'm not buying medication, I'm not buying alcohol or energy drinks.

Newgreensofa · 31/01/2025 09:04

Calmhappyandhealthy · 29/01/2025 07:25

Electric/battery salt and pepper grinders!

Just - why? Are both your wrists broken? 😁

My (now ex) husband got these! The children burst out laughing - especially because they light up underneath 😂. Come to think of it, they disappeared very quickly in the divorce... he must've taken them. Good.

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 31/01/2025 12:17

Chuchoter · 31/01/2025 07:51

Online banking. All good until you have to pay a cheque in and find that all the bank branches have closed down except for one which is in an inner city shit hole.

I agree that widespread bank branch closure is a disgrace - and appalling treatment of a great many elderly and vulnerable people who aren't online; however, if you are able and happy doing online banking, most banks have the facility for you to take a photo of the cheque and 'pay it in' via online banking.

HereBeWormholes · 31/01/2025 13:28

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 30/01/2025 03:47

Cars used to come as standard with a dedicated knob on the dashboard for you to hang your handbag - but if you left it there for any length of time, it flooded the engine

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Ooh, you've taken me back! I'd forgotten the existence of the choke... 👵

PrimitivePerson · 31/01/2025 13:29

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 31/01/2025 12:17

I agree that widespread bank branch closure is a disgrace - and appalling treatment of a great many elderly and vulnerable people who aren't online; however, if you are able and happy doing online banking, most banks have the facility for you to take a photo of the cheque and 'pay it in' via online banking.

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Except it never works properly. My app (Santander) insists on photos of the front and back of cheques, even if the back is blank. It always rejects the photo of the back.

HereBeWormholes · 31/01/2025 13:29

Sammysquiz · 30/01/2025 06:42

My new Volvo tells me off if I yawn - it has a little sensor behind the wheel which can spot a wide open mouth. It mutes the radio, beeps at me, flashes up a picture of a cup of tea and displays a message telling me to take a break. All fine in theory, but unfortunately I like to sing along to the radio and it keeps mistaking my mouth shape when I’m hitting the high notes for me having a big old yawn. So it mutes the music at the worst possible moment as suddenly all I can hear is beeping and the sound of my own voice wailing to Total Eclipse of the Heart.

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For that to be any good, it would have to MAKE you that cup of tea... ☕️

EdithStourton · 31/01/2025 13:32

I would have said dishwashers, as our last one was an idle little git that couldn't do its one job properly.

Our new one, OTOH...😍

HereBeWormholes · 31/01/2025 13:32

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 30/01/2025 09:20

Wow, what new wizardry will they think of next?! I wonder why more cars don't?

On my old Volvo, there was a little plastic clip attached to the edge of the windscreen for car park tickets, so they don't blow on to the floor when you close the door. It must have cost pennies but such a great, useful idea. I always wondered why all cars didn't have this.

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Yes, this! Especially as all cars now seem to have a curvy modern design to feed the things down into your air con the moment you open your door to get out...

HereBeWormholes · 31/01/2025 13:36

Abracadabra12345 · 30/01/2025 20:45

Yes and when you can see a full toilet roll inside, taunting you, but can't access it

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Yes, it may as well be online... 🧻

Changingname1988 · 31/01/2025 13:37

Exhausteddog · 29/01/2025 08:03

I would say touch screens on cars. So they look much slicker and do more stuff, but I think you have avert your eyes longer to eg adjust the heating or aircon, de-mist the windscreen or swap radio station than when it was dials and knobs that you could turn one notch to the right etc, without looking.

And agree all the beeping and dinging, I reversed into my drive, perfectly, using my eyes and the mirrors, for about 15 years. Got a new car, now I find it more distracting and probably takes longer because theres a series of beeps telling me I'm 6" away from a leaf. I know - I can see it!

Also I bought some de-icer the other day and the only options were fancy scented ones. I think I ended up getting a berry one. It's to de-ice the outside of your car, what does it matter what it smells like? I felt like it was fixing a problem that wasn't there!

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I came on to say exactly the same. I have muscle memory for the climate control knobs in my car, I don’t need to look at all to change temp, level of blowiness or which bit of me I want the air to be blown at. When I need a new car non-touch-screen climate control will be at the top of the list of requirements!

And as for the bloody beeping…

BeyondMyWits · 31/01/2025 13:47

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 31/01/2025 12:17

I agree that widespread bank branch closure is a disgrace - and appalling treatment of a great many elderly and vulnerable people who aren't online; however, if you are able and happy doing online banking, most banks have the facility for you to take a photo of the cheque and 'pay it in' via online banking.

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Yep, but only up to a certain value (my bank is £5000) and if the sender writes clearly with no crossing out.

DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe · 31/01/2025 16:53

BeyondMyWits · 31/01/2025 13:47

Yep, but only up to a certain value (my bank is £5000) and if the sender writes clearly with no crossing out.

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Ah, OK - I didn't know there was a limit or other issues. Sorry, not that, then.