Discontinued things you still wish were made today

this_is_nascar said:

I long miss the days of a simple washing machine.

-put clothes in.
-add detergent.
-select water level.
-select mode of agitation.
-start and wait.

It was basically a full up with water, agitate to clean, drain and spin off excess water.

Click to expand...

Don't remind me...

Today it's all detergent auto dosing, automatic water usage, smart weight sensing program selection, the machine starts on its own whether it's ready or not...and you are notified through the app when something breaks, but not saying what is wrong or what to do, because the manual doesn't include a language you understand, and was written for a different washing machine model.

I really don't understand what was so wrong with dumb machines - put clothes in, select program, add detergent, turn on the water and press Start. The machine beeps 3 times when it's done 2 hours later and the clothes are actually clean (unless user error) and can be hung up to dry and ready for use the next day.

For me, add dumb TVs to the list. My current Sony Bravia infuriated me to the point where I almost sent it back moments after the first time I turned it on. 7 different screens before I even got into a meny where I could select input. And as if I want to give my WiFi-passord to a TV... As if it needs it in the first place. >-<

EDIT:
Also, on the note of said Bravia TV - I only got it connected to my computer as a dumb monitor...but after use, if I don't disable it in the Windows Display settings, it will automatically put ALL of my GPU outputs in sleep mode. With no way to activate them again without turning the TV back on, or use the reset button on the PC case.

Bravia Sync is Off, Sleep Timer is Off, all Power Save settings are Off - I turn the TV off, and unless I disable the display in the OS settings within 5 minutes, I hear a "click", and all 3 of my PC-monitors goes black. My previous Samsung TV didn't do anything like this at all.

this_is_nascar said:

I long miss the days of a simple washing machine.

-put clothes in.
-add detergent.
-select water level.
-select mode of agitation.
-start and wait.

It was basically a full up with water, agitate to clean, drain and spin off excess water.

NOW, you have all this bullsh*t where it weighs the clothes to determine water level or cycles or whatever it does. The clothes are never as clean, the cycles take forever and the cost for all the "features" that many of us don't want is ridiculous.

I have a similar feeling about the new style refrigerators. Sorry, but I don't need a monitor screen on my refrigerator, I don't need an app to tell me what's in or what's not in my refrigerator. I could go on and on, but I won't.

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I wouldn't be surprised if there was fine print like "for best results, hand wash to dislodge particulates before loading into washer", much like "cereal is an important part of a balanced breakfast" while making it seem like a whole breakfast.

PaladinNO said:

Don't remind me...

Today it's all detergent auto dosing, automatic water usage, smart weight sensing program selection, the machine starts on its own whether it's ready or not...and you are notified through the app when something breaks, but not saying what is wrong or what to do, because the manual doesn't include a language you understand, and was written for a different washing machine model.

I really don't understand what was so wrong with dumb machines - put clothes in, select program, add detergent, turn on the water and press Start. The machine beeps 3 times when it's done 2 hours later and the clothes are actually clean (unless user error) and can be hung up to dry and ready for use the next day.

For me, add dumb TVs to the list. My current Sony Bravia infuriated to the point where I almost sent it pack first time I turned it on. 7 different screens before I even got into a meny where I could select input. And as if I want to give my WiFi-passord to a TV... As if it needs it in the first place. >-<

EDIT:
Also, on the note of said Bravia TV - I only got it connected to my computer as a dumb monitor...but after use, if I don't disable it in the Windows Display settings, it will automatically put ALL of my GPU outputs in sleep mode. With no way to activate them again without turning the TV back on, or use the reset button on the PC case.

Bravia Sync is Off, Sleep Timer is Off, all Power Save settings are Off - I turn the TV off, and unless I disable the display in the OS settings within 5 minutes, I hear a "click", and all 3 of my PC-monitors goes black. My previous Samsung TV didn't do anything like this at all.

Click to expand...

Wait till you get this...I accidentally discovered a few years back that I have some level of visual IR sensitivity. In the dark with my peripheral vision, I had noticed a rather dim (but bright for dark adapted eyes) flash of "light" coming from my TV box...often enough to keep diverting my attention, but not bright enough to see head on. I thought I was going crazy until one night using my phone, I thought I saw the same intense flash, and it was like a strangely invisible laser had punched a hole in my vision (you know the purple dimming spots from super intense light). I did some digging, and some samsung devices are indeed loaded with an IR flasher that takes images while on standby or being used. I happened to check on my security cams, and lo and behold, one of the instances where it had flashed, I had asked my companion "DID YOU SEE THAT?" It was bright enough to illuminate the room, and almost washed out the exposure of the camera's IR. I need to check if there's a class action for eye damage from using samsung devices.

^not just samsung. Most all of them are 'tracking' us. Monitoring who is in the room, tracking usage/channels etc, I haven't heard of any law suits yet ...but there have been complaints.

dc38 said:

Wait till you get this...I accidentally discovered a few years back that I have some level of visual IR sensitivity..

I did some digging, and some samsung devices are indeed loaded with an IR flasher that takes images while on standby or being used." It was bright enough to illuminate the room, and almost washed out the exposure of the camera's IR.I need to check if there's a class action for eye damage from using samsung devices.

Click to expand...

A question on the first part. I got a Convoy S12 850 nm IR - is the light from that supposed to be visible? Because I think I got some IR sensitivity too.
I hadn't tried it before, but based on what you said, I brought it with me into the one completely dark room we have in the house. And I could see where the light hit an object at increasingly longer distances as my eyes got more and more adjusted to the dark.

As for the TV spying on you, that's not just Samsung. LG (and most others) is also doing it.


EDIT:
@bluflaam777 was first.

PaladinNO said:

850 nm IR - is the light from that supposed to be visible? Because I think I got some IR sensitivity too.

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It's possible, though allegedly it's supposed to be invisible to our eyeballs. For me, focused 850nm IR is visible in a room with little to no ambient light, and appears as a dull grayish red cast, almost like casting a "shadow" of light onto the darkness. As far as I'm aware, many IR lights for consumer cameras are comprised of 850nm, and I don't think I can see the diffused IR from those.

PaladinNO said:

Actually, before my rant goes too hard - how about washing machines with physical buttons? All of them - and I do mean Every. Single. Available. Model - has a touch screen now! Who thought it was a good idea to put additional electronics into something that by nature produces moisture!? And every manufacturer does it now. I wonder why I find tons of complaints about a broken control panel... And give it 7 years, and you can't even get a new panel, because that model is End Of Life.

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You mean like this?


This is my baby. 23 year old Gorenje from Slovenia. It actually has a 110v->230v step-up transformer in the back. Purely electro-mechanical. Yet surprisingly complex. The dial doesn't advance until certain steps are reached, ie: water level is correct, internal water heater reaches temperature, etc.

It cleans like nothing else. Even the stains I used in microbiology and pathology labs came right out of my labcoat with it. I was even accused of buying new labcoats, so I had the professor give me hers and just once cycle was all it took to make it new again. The 95C/200F boil wash is unmatched. It also is surprisingly economical. IIRC a full load, stuffed full of towels, every option selected, uses 14 gallons/52 Liters. Normal loads are around 7-11 gallons / 25-41 Liters. Also having an internal water heater which is individually controllable is a feature the US market never sees, but I wish it would! We just got back into town this evening and I did a load of wash without having to turn on our central water heater. I'll turn that on tomorrow when I go to shower. No use cooking a tank of water I don't need overnight. The energy savings from that alone is decent.

She is starting to show her age slightly and could use some new shock absorbers. I'm not sure if I can even get them, but I'd much rather put $1k back into this machine than buy a new one. For now, I just avoid stuffing it totally full of heavy loads and watch it closely when it goes to do the spins.

dc38 said:

Wait till you get this...I accidentally discovered a few years back that I have some level of visual IR sensitivity.

Click to expand...

It depends on the wavelength, but I also have some IR sensitivity as well. I'll pick up on IR remote senders and always see IR illuminators for security cameras. I've always tested remote controls by looking at the IR sender while pushing a button. When I was a kid, I was surprised to learn other people didn't see it. Even the trail cams which claim have invisible lights still show to my eyes if it's reasonably dark. Usually it's a deep red or sometimes gray light I'll see.

I recently had a 2026 Hyundai Palisade as a rental. Decently loaded, but it has an eye tracking sensor (creepy) and at night it bothered me as I'd see these two LEDs flashing constantly, to the point where I tossed a cloth over it, which caused the car to complain that it couldn't see my eyes.

TPA said:

You mean like this?

This is my baby. 23 year old Gorenje from Slovenia. It actually has a 110v->230v step-up transformer in the back. Purely electro-mechanical. Yet surprisingly complex. The dial doesn't advance until certain steps are reached, ie: water level is correct, internal water heater reaches temperature, etc.

Click to expand...

Yes! Where are the modern equivalents of that!?
You keep that Gorenje baby pampered. That's one of the good ones.

Ours is a Zanussi FLS 1224 C - and it's so old, Google doesn't even have an image of it.

Newer model, but this is the closest I could find. The 2 dials are Temperature (goes up to that 95°C goodness) and Program selector, which turns as the machine progresses through the cycle.



I've never actually used all of the 4 buttons in the middle. One is if the machine is only half full, and the right-most one is the On / Off button.

Our kitchen stove is a Gorenje by the way. A good oven - it has that pizza function, which our old and leaky one didn't, so I'm happy with it. :)