Oddbean new post about | logout
 We don't need apps for kitchen appliances, cars, coffee machines, or mugs.

https://image.nostr.build/78a6383c9afc36e1936d457ea193a940d02782a0efb5481963423ba100660b17.png #memestr
 
 Here here, Lisa is the only one with a brain.  
 Lisa is the best. 
 we need to purge the earth of these atrocities 😤 
 For real!! It's unbelievable. I really don't care on the potential cost savings; I don't want some spyware app to know when I'm making a cup of coffee gfdm 
 Speaking of "potential cost savings". I can't ever see how this could go wrong:

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 Yano what’s even worse? Making those apps require two factor authentication to use.

Ugh. 
 Hey kid you wanna cook something? Sorry that’s your mom’s stove, and she’s in a meeting right now or on a plane and can’t give you the two factor code so, how about you just go hungry for a bit…. 
 💀 could you imagine... 
 Depends what it is tbh. But if it's like a non-money related app; I could care less for mandatory 2FA 
 My dishwasher said it missed me via app notification. Kind of sweet, hella creepy. 
 kinda sexy? 
 I’m personally not into appliances 🤷🏻‍♂️ 
 appliancist 
 Some people are! And vibrators don't need apps. 
 "Require" 
 There’s an app for that  
 Me and @TheRupertDamnit found a digital thermometer on clearance, but when the kid got sick we found out it only works through the app.  So this company will always know my kid's temperature.   No thanks.  It became e-waste.  
 100% agreed. Maybe there is a large body of people who do want this; but if one knows the full story, and is actually an informed consumer, perhaps they would also dodge spyware 🙃  
 Why do you think that started with your cars?
It's not like no one was warned. 
 Yeah :( it's unfortunate. I'm wondering when a "dumb car" company is going to come out. It's a no-so-secret dream of mine to start one. 
 Sadly, most people will crave the moron features. 
Same reason they want the flagship personal device with the cutting edge technologies they never use.

It's Conspicuous Consumption generationally ingrained as a malignancy. 
 Well said. I do think there is a market for people who don't want their lives invaded by technology. Not in a Luddite way; though in a "I enjoy being in the present moment, and don't need to distract myself from it" way. There are companies out there getting to that market and seems that it is doing pretty well. 

I believe you are right, some type of hedonic treadmill keeps certain people hooked for life. I wonder if they will ever ask themselves "Does this actually solve my problems"? 
 Doubt it. Most people will just enjoy the shadows on the cave wall.
The regular dopamine squirts of their constant, gamed experiences please them just enough to remain hooked and thoughtless. 
(Just walk around the slot machines at a casino. Same mechanism at work.)

That's not to say that there isn't a market for stripped out or minimalist electronic device design in automotive. (Just look at the "Locost" movement)
It's far enough off the bell-curve to be quite an outlier.
Worth it with the right business model.

Tangent warning-
Luddites were primarily concerned with reduced pay, decreasing product quality, and worsening work environments than the technology itself.

 
 Didn't know that about luddites; thanks for that info

What is the Locost movement?  
 Diy sports cars on student budgets. 
Early Lotus design principals
( "simplify, then add in lightness.") applied to easily obtainable components.

Some of that approach can be applied to invasive/unnecessary technologies
In modern consumer grade vehicles. 
 I agree 🤔 this makes me think 
 But i do like your thinking.