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: Thu, 8 May 2025 19:51:11 -0500 Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd. Lines: 89 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 02:51:11 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="d418853e6ecc9f1ee64e5b99ac1476d8"; logging-data="2417724"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19kkCh3hoXPP4qI4q7tiUwP" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:nKHi2CfDlb2karxLv5u90eOUt6U= In-Reply-To: Content-Language: en-US On 5/8/2025 7:03 PM, 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." >> > switching-back-to-buttons/> >> "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. > > 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. > Agreed that different controls ought to be different in shape, style, format. I moved this heater fan switch from one car to another over the years. It's just below the dash of my Malibu now: https://oldchevytrucks.com/pub/media/catalog/product/s/k/sku-images-el-el118_blower_switch_non_fresh.jpg?width=600&height=778&store=default&image-type=imagecamera And isolated simplicity! My shop truck has demons in the turn signal/wiper/washer/brights switch. Can't ever turn off the wipers, So I added a simple push button on top of the dash, wired through the wiper fuse. The fast/slow function in the stalk still works. I can't imagine scrolling through the menus of a touch screen trying to clear sleet/salt/crud on the windscreen in freeway traffic. -- Andrew Muzi am@yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971