Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: AMuzi Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech Subject: Re: repairs and obsolescence ish Date: Fri, 9 May 2025 08:58:15 -0500 Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd. Lines: 85 Message-ID: References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Fri, 09 May 2025 15:58:13 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="d418853e6ecc9f1ee64e5b99ac1476d8"; logging-data="2984030"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX199dXgxUGztLXx7CoWgJ/Dy" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:pN49E2KP7tMgZg86m+zQlOCvJ6o= Content-Language: en-US In-Reply-To: On 5/8/2025 9:16 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: > On Thu, 8 May 2025 20:03:39 -0400, Frank Krygowski > wrote: > >> On 5/7/2025 12:38 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: >>> On 7 May 2025 00:17:10 GMT, Roger Merriman wrote: >>> >>>> Rather depends on the how and the why, I believe has been a push back by >>>> consumers for example with car dashboards in that while screens and so on >>>> are fun, they’d like some buttons still please and so on. >>> >>> There is hope for push buttons, in the name of safety. >>> >>> "Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again >>> Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than >>> being drunk or high - no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using >>> touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its >>> senses." >>> >>> "Automakers that nest key controls deep in touchscreen menus forcing >>> motorists to drive eyes-down rather than concentrate on the road ahead >>> may have their non-US safety ratings clipped next year." >>> >>> Sorry, but you'll need a Wired Magazine subscription to read the >>> entire article. If you don't want a subscription, you might find the >>> reader comments interesting. >>> >>> In my never humble opinion, buttons, touch screens, haptic feedback, >>> voice control, gestures, sign language and AI all have their good and >>> bad points. The trick is to attach numbers (fatality rate, accident >>> rate, cost, fashion, etc) to the various schemes and settle on the >>> least disgusting and most tolerable method. >> >> I greatly prefer physical buttons, switches, etc. while driving. >> Fortunately my EV mostly uses those for common functions; but there's >> still a problem. Many switches are flat, low profile and all in a dense >> row. Even if I did memorize that something like "Defrost" was the third >> one from the left, it would be difficult to locate it by touch. >> >> A possible solution would be switches with covers, etc. molded in >> different shapes that gave a clue about their function. I'm reminded of >> the increase in airplane safety (in WW2, IIRC) when the pilot's lever >> for "flaps" was shaped like a wing cross section. The adjacent lever for >> "landing gear" was shaped like a wheel. > > Nice idea, but there's a problem. Ralph Nader was able to identify > numerous safety hazards in the automobiles made in the late 1960's. > Among them is getting impaled or punctured by projecting knobs and > switches. Sorry, but flat and low profile are generally safer than > switches and controls with projecting levers. > >> What I eventually did was get a pack of ~5mm self adhesive hemispherical >> rubber bumpers. I stuck those on certain buttons, the ones I push most >> often, so I could find them by touch. It was a big improvement. > > Good idea, but why reinvent the wheel? You could have used > standardized Braille stickers instead. You'll also find Braille > stickers on ATM machines, elevators, roadside phones, some toys, etc. > > Also, look into ELIA Frames, a Braille alternative: > > > "ELIA Frames Font Explanation Video" > > "We have gone to great lengths testing and refining ELIA Frames to > maximize its learnability. Over 200,000 test subject responses were > collected and analyzed. The key design principle that was applied, in > order to leverage a person’s finger sensitivity, was to make each > character’s design simple but unique, and to space each letter’s > features far apart enough that they can be easily recognized." > Small clarification on the dates regarding Mr Nader. His strongest criticisms were for Volkswagen and Corvair rear swing axles. Both manufacturers had already planned their improved IRS models; Corvairs were on the road in USA from September 1964, before Mr Nader published in January 1965. (Volkswagen didn't change over until autumn 1967 for the 1968 model year) -- Andrew Muzi am@yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971