you know what grinds my gears - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: sony mavica
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:19:35 am
content: people who spend like 1000's of $$$ on phones watches ipad ectwhen they are getting ripped off and just paying for the brand namelike my mate brought a G-Shock watch for $260nzd i bought one that looks and works 100% the same also feels the same as his one for only $7.53usd free shipping just without the brand name on it i even knocked it out a 2 story window and its still work fine without any damagei could care less for the brand name i would rather just buy the cheap fake one then spend $100's of dollars on something that im really just spending money on for the brand name

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:26:52 am
content: Er ... Ok!Does it really matter if it's their money? There are probably much worse things they could be spending that money on.

author: sony mavica
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:32:50 am
content: Quote from: Andy Watson on February 11, 2016, 12:26:52 ambut i hate how people act when they own something that cost a lot of money when you tell them you got basically the same item for much much cheaper they seem to be really rude they act like snobs

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:37:01 am
content: Quote from: sony mavica on February 11, 2016, 12:19:35 amThere are tons of examples where buying premium products not only makes sense because the products work better, but also is cheaper in a long run.For instance my Aeron office chair. I paid $900 for it. I've had it for 10 years, in the past, cheap $100-200 office chairs never lasted more than a few years. This Aeron is still as good as new. Not only that, it also doesn't give me back aches.The old adage "buy cheap, buy twice is true more often than not", but there are always exceptions.

author: sony mavica
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:39:59 am
content: Quote from: Muxr on February 11, 2016, 12:37:01 amjust did a google my office chair that i got new for $55nzd has a similar style to a Aeron office chair ive had my chair for 7years

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:54:04 am
content: Quote from: sony mavica on February 11, 2016, 12:39:59 amI have worked in office environments for the past 30 years. Most chairs fall apart in a few years. Something brakes on them. The back, the gas piston, they start developing weird noises and creaks over time. Aerons have tight tolerances and the carbon fiber makes them incredibly strong. I am also not a small dude (pretty tall) and while not fat I am not exactly skinny either, so perhaps I abuse chairs more than others do.One company I worked for in particular ordered a batch of about 30 aerons. About 400 other chairs at the company were non Aerons. Those who got the Aerons put our names on them and used them for like 8 years I was there, I've never seen one break, they are probably still around. Whereas every other chair type at the company had plenty of them broken laying around. 10 years ago I quit that company and I decided to work from home. I missed my Aeron so much I bought me one.I thought of all the chairs I owned in my home office before then, and when I did the math, combined they were more expensive than the Aeron. 10 years later the Aeron is still as good as new. Not only that. It is the most comfortable chair I ever sat in.

author: sony mavica
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 12:58:30 am
content: Quote from: Muxr on February 11, 2016, 12:54:04 amthat might be why mine lasted so long ive only used the gas piston like 4 or 5 times in my chair

author: suicidaleggroll
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 01:18:21 am
content: So you hate it when people spend money on well-engineered products, and think that everybody should just buy the bottom of the barrel and replace it if and when it breaks? You, sir, and people who think like you, are what is ruining the industry IMO. You're perpetuating a race to the bottom, in which everybody loses. Sound engineering principles, good design, and enough R&D to ensure your device will perform to specification, is getting pushed out of the market and replaced by people who are not qualified, or even interested in designing a product that works. If their product fails and injures or kills somebody, they don't give a shit. If they get investigated, they just shut down and change names. How anybody could support and encourage that behavior just blows my mind.Enjoy your cheap, shitty, knockoff Chinese products. I hope they don't injure somebody you love.

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 01:20:49 am
content: I tend to not buy those shiny little trendy distractions.I don't have a smartphone (yet) I don't see a reason to have the internet wherever I go.I have a try-band handy talkie, that is about as trendy as I get.I have four TV sets in my adult life (more than four decades) and now I have to replace the nineteen year old one because the cable is going all digital.I don't watch that much TV in the first place so that is low on my priority list.It doesn't seem to make any sense to me to waste all that money when I can spend it on amateur radio gear and test equipment.

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 01:22:29 am
content: Quote from: suicidaleggroll on February 11, 2016, 01:18:21 amAnd this Sports Fans is why I don't buy cheap tools...

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 01:50:13 am
content: People can waste their $ if they want, its when they try to convince me that I need to waste mine. My son kept coming home from school wanting an ipad because the teacher would show him some Apple exclusive game. I kept having to show him the cost and go over the "we can buy one $499 ipad to share between the four of us or keep our two $99 Kindles, and two $150 Dells so each person can have their own and not have to share".Or the ones that tell me I should but the new 19mpg Toyota to replace my 10 year old 21mpg Chevy because Toyota gets better fuel economy.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 02:13:50 am
content: Quote from: Muxr on February 11, 2016, 12:37:01 amMy friend had an Aeron chair. Some part of the support broke after over 10 years. He called them up and it was out of warranty. They said no problem and sent him a WHOLE NEW CHAIR for free. BAM. Get what you pay for sometimes.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 02:43:12 am
content: Quote from: Smokey on February 11, 2016, 02:13:50 amNice, yup!

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 02:53:41 am
content: Quote from: AF6LJ on February 11, 2016, 01:22:29 amI will occasionally skimp on something I don't use often and just need it to do the job once or twice. But if it's an indispensible part of my kit. I don't mind spending top dollar for the quality products, within reason of course.There are exception to everything. Sometimes a cheap product is well engineered too. And an expensive product might have flaws. But usually I would say in 95% of cases. It's expensive or cheap for a reason.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 04:12:39 am
content: "Buy cheap, buy twice." It's a fair enough philosophy that is often quite relevant, however there is room to qualify that - especially with today's manufacturing capabilities.Consider a 2m HDMI cable. You can get them for $3 or $30. I got a couple for less than $2 each a while back - and they've never caused me any problems whatsoever. The mechanical demands are minimal and the electrical side is adequate - because it works. Any higher standard electrical qualities add nothing to the performance (unless you're a member of the 'golden eyed' fraternity - an associate of the 'golden eared' brigade)Something like an office chair is rather different. With significant mechanical demands you will want a better quality product that will function more reliably and for a long time. This requires better design and build quality, which naturally leads to higher prices.Then you can have the surprises. As an example, many years ago I did some work for a mechanic - helping install LPG conversions. This required a lot of cutting of rubber hose. Because neat cuts made life so much easier, when passing by a $2 shop, I dropped in and found a cheap hose cutter - wondering how it would go. Today, it still works perfectly - and it still has the original blade. Admittedly, if I had been planning on buying a proper tool, I would have been starting at $30.Sometimes I will buy a cheap example of a product to find out if that type of product will prove useful to me - and to gain experience in the features and problems associated with such products. This allows me to better understand what is important and to look for those attributes in a more serious purchase. Example: Many moons ago, I bought a dozen or so cheap router bits with various profiles as I had some woodwork projects in mind. I found some that I never used, others that were used occasionally and a few of them were used all the time. As each bit failed (or fell below par) I replaced it with a high quality bit - that would last far longer. Also, when I added a new bit to my collection that I knew would be given a good workout, I bought a quality one. Today, two thirds of my router bits are quality items and one third is the cheapies.The point is this - if someone chooses to buy cheap on one type of product, it doesn't mean they will buy cheap oneverything.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 05:47:21 am
content: All I can say is, $900 for a chair? I wish I made that kind of money, holy hell.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 05:54:48 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on February 11, 2016, 05:47:21 amWeren't you on your mid teens just a couple of years ago? Well, finish up school and go to college.Then $900 for a chair won't be that bad, unless you marry and have kids before being able to purchase the chair

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 05:58:04 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on February 11, 2016, 05:47:21 amAnd it still uses a gas lift! WTF?

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 06:29:12 am
content: It's all about value. A $900 chair may be a good value or a poor value - just as a $50 chair may be. The trick is figuring out which is which. In most cases, price alone tells you little about value.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 10:32:44 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on February 11, 2016, 05:47:21 amIt's all about perspective. Chiropractor is way more expensive. And so is replacing chairs every few years.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2016, 11:17:28 am
content: Quote from: Muxr on February 11, 2016, 10:32:44 amChiropractors are a great example of value. They're expensive but worthless.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 02:43:44 am
content: Quote from: timb on February 11, 2016, 11:17:28 amIf I want to hear my back crack I'll just try and dead lift an anvil again. (kidding, that never happened)Quote from: miguelvp on February 11, 2016, 05:54:48 amStill, that's ridiculous, I'd rather find a comfortable $100 chair and stockpile a couple of them. Then again, I'm not sure picky on chairs, but it still seems pretty insane to spend that much on one. I guess if you sat in it 12 hours a day you might want to spend a bit more though.And 21 now, having crap luck finding another job (worked at a parts counter in an auto supply place, one of the other employees sprayed me in the face and eye with brake cleaner when he was fooling around like a retard, had to drive to emergency to get my eye flushed, and he was fired right away, they waited until the last day of probation to call me in and fire me then, and haven't had any luck since)Anyways, even if I had a good paying job, I couldn't justify that much for a chair lol

author: sarepairman2
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 03:18:46 am
content: i think i will buy a good quality thread to annoy the people in this chairWe gotta install microwave ovens custom chairs deliveriesWe gotta move these refrigerators we gotta move these color T.V.'s.of course people here would rather sit on a stack of lecroy oscilloscopes

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 03:23:03 am
content: We got to install reflow ovens, custom lab deliveries.....We gotta move these oscilloscopesGet your voltage for nothing, ohms for free....

author: sarepairman2
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 03:28:09 am
content: LOL that is really fucking funny

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 03:59:43 am
content: Given enough time I might be able to come up with a replacement for the whole song. I am only mildly creative. Some friend of mine could do it in no time - the one they did for Bowie's Space Oddity is awesome - though it's an inside joke for the forum we're all on because it refers to one specific member.In college we did one for one of our EE professors. The guy all the upperclassmen warned us was such a horrible professor - he ended up being my favorite and I took every class of his I could, even though I was mostly leaning digital I took his op amp course, which was awesome - one of the few notebooks I've saved from all those years ago even though the last time I designed something with op amps was probably that class. He was tough, but very fair - if you blew off work and failed tests, you got what you deserved, if you put forth effort and showed up and sough out help when you needed it, he made every effort to make sure you could pass. So one night, we're all in a study lounge studying for the final, just before winter break. And we came up with this whole parody of Santa Claus is Coming to Town. = "Uncle Karl is Teaching Today" (his name was karl, duh!). 3 whole verses and chorus. So we got the idea to anonymously distribute it in class. We knew he hung out a lot with one of our other professors, so we put a copy of the song and a note telling the other prof what we intended and for him to just mention it in class one day if he thought Prof Holzinger would take it as a joke, or if he would be pissed. If he would be offended, we would simply drop it and nothing more would be done. We slipped it into his mailbox with no names or anything. A week or so went by and nothing out of the second prof. We thought either they knew it was us and were really pissed, or something of that sort. Then one day as everyone was packing up and leaving the lecture hall, the second prof called out that he had one more thing - he said he got something in his mailbox the other week and that it should be ok to do what it said! So we had a few hundred copies printed up, and Prof Holzinger had a tendency to have some assistant bring in a stack of handouts and put them up front and expected us to just take them, so we recruited a freshman we knew to carry the stack in one morning. But for some reason, no one was taking them - so my friend goes down and gets one, and that started the flood. The lecture hall is buzzing as people are reading this. Prof Holzinger walks in, sees the pile of papers and looks questionably at it, picks one up, looks it over, and stuff it in his briefcase. His expression never changed, he never said a word - we were thinking we were now dead, that they DID know it was us, and he's pissed off about this song. Never heard a word about it, that was sophomore year, one of our first EE classes. After finals senior year, I happened to be walking past his office and he asked me to stop in if I had a minute. We mostly chatted about my opinions on the EE department, and the education experience there and so forth. Somehow the topic of the song came up, and he said "I knew it was you guys all along. That was pretty funny." So much for putting one over on this guy. Next time I'll tell you about the sign in sheet and camera...

author: rickselectricalprojects
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 06:36:05 am
content: The most popular kids in my year grade are the ones who have the latest iphone's and apple watch's and other crap like that. I really don't understand why having an expensive phone makes you popular.

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 07:05:48 am
content: What grinds my gears is not when they buy a new $800 phone every few years, but when they don't:1) Own a PC, so you can't send them something they need to print.2) Own a decent car, instead driving some shitbox.3) Look after their phone so it looks like something out of a Fallout game.4) Read their email and actually reply. Most annoyingly of all.Mobile phones have made people lazy, no need to plan their day, remember things, actually learn things. Just use your phone as a portable brain.It's a joke how much some of this stuff sells for, especially when you know what the parts actually cost.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 11:27:04 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on February 12, 2016, 02:43:44 amIn a few more years, once you've got a job sitting at a desk on the computer all day, and your back isn't 21 anymore, you'll really wish you had invested in ergonomics much earlier. Trust me. I thought the exact same thing you did 10 years ago.Since I'm dolling out ergonomic life lessons, invest in a good mattress too. Memory foam is where it's at, son. You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, don't skimp on what you sleep on.Sure, you may think that waterbed is cool, but it's awful support. Plus, the first time you get drunk and bring a fat chick home, it's going to burst, she'll be flopping around like a white whale in a tuna net while you keep stabbin' at her like Captain Ahab. Next thing you know, she drowns! And fat girls aren't like skinny coked up hookers, you can't just wrap them in a tarp and carry them to the trunk of your car. So either you've got to phone a friend to help, or Dexter her in the bathtub yourself. That's a problem because it's messy and leaves trace evidence everywhere. So, you take the third option: Make a body suit out of her skin and pretend to be her. Now you're leading a double life, you by day and her by night. As time goes on, the lines between your personalities blur, you drink more to num the all consuming guilt. You never sleep; staying awake through Red Bull and Bath Salts. Increasingly paranoid, you think your co-workers are plotting to steal your organs for science, so you decide to strike first. But something goes wrong and you're killed by a security guard! All because you didn't buy the right mattress. (True story.)

author: Robert Karl
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 01:33:08 pm
content: Quote from: timb on February 12, 2016, 11:27:04 amWell, uh okay then. You learn something new everyday on eevblogMaybe Dave should cover this on Life Lessons Tuesday?

author: AlxDroidDev
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 02:09:25 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on February 12, 2016, 07:11:01 amThat depends on the market. While it may be true for the US, it may not be on other countries. The Dell XPS is a good example, since I have one. It has very high specs, but around here it costs a fraction of the price of a MacBook Pro of similar spec, because the XPS is assembled locally, so there are no import duties and taxes on it, while "everything Apple" is imported and subject to a lot of taxes.Another thing is the difference between value and price. Value is perceived, while price is absolute. I don't see $40k value on a SUV, but someone with 5 children might. I do, however, see value on a Nikon D810 + $20k on high end Nikkor lenses, while someone else might be just as glad (value perceived) with a super-zoom or even using only their cellphone cameras.While for me an iphone just seems silly, because I don't perceive its value (specially when compared to the price), I don't condemn those who have one, it doesn't grind my gears.Now, what REALLY grinds my gears are people who buy $100k+ luxury cars and skimp on bluetooth. Then they drive like assholes because they are on the phone all the time, and holding their phones to their ears. Even worse are people with $100k+ cars with bluetooth, BT enabled phones but don't even know how to use them together because they never bothered to RTFM.

author: os40la
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 03:29:33 pm
content: Perhaps they have installed this iPhone app to make them better drivers

author: sarepairman2
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 04:28:24 pm
content: Quote from: timb on February 12, 2016, 11:27:04 am

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2016, 10:03:45 pm
content: Quote from: timb on February 12, 2016, 11:27:04 am^^^ This x1000.Seriously. It took less than two years of a desk job with suboptimal (not evenbad, just not great) ergonomics to cause me problems that are going to take years of physical therapy and avoiding desk work to reverse. Trust me, when you're facing a career change because of it, spending $300 on a keyboard, $1500 on an adjustable desk, etc. all seem cheap compared to not being able to work at all. (Not speaking hypothetically here: I've spent upwards of $2000 on ergonomics for my home office, which is basically just rounding error compared to the year+ of lost income this issue has caused me.)

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 14, 2016, 05:36:56 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on February 12, 2016, 10:03:45 pmOh, I already spent $300 on a keyboard, closer to $350 I think actually, though it wasn't ergonomic lol

author: jeroen74
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2016, 12:31:57 pm
content: Yesterday I wanted to watch some Youtube on my smart TV. I recently changed my password so I expected an error. Which indeed came up... And then, the utterly stupidly designed Youtube app simply gave me no option to change my account details so I can enter my new passwordI have a lot of patience, really lots, but that kind of basic UI mistakes make me looser my temperreal quick.At first I tried clearing all data from the app, which means diving into several somewhat obscure menus and scrolling through dozens and dozens of app, most of which are not even applicable to my TV (really, a phone app?). Didn't work. According to Youtube help I should remove the last update, which indeed worked.Come on!

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2016, 01:47:50 pm
content: You know what grinds *my* gears? My girlfriend trying to drive my six speed.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2016, 02:26:22 pm
content: Quote from: timb on February 12, 2016, 11:27:04 amI was about 2 meters tall at 12* and used to think it was stupid when certain teachers made me use their chairs instead of the standard students ones. Before I'd started my GCSEs I stopped thinking it was stupid. By the time I'd started my A levels i had ££££s in my computer desk, chair, mouse, keyboard, and adjustable monitor stand. Over 15 years later all of that stuff is still being used between me and my little brother and there's nothing wrong with it. I've also managed to keep half decent posture and avoid the level of back pain my tall friends have gone through. I count my self very lucky I learned that lesson before I developed serious problems and am pretty certain the investment in a couple of pieces of good office furniture over the years has made me money avoiding replacing it more often than I'd have to and due to missed days of work etc.A "standing desk" at the right height for you is also a cheap way to avoid having to sit all the time. Yes you won't be writing a novel stood at it and may get funny looks from some people but sod 'em.*Luckily haven't grown much since.