For example, I’m incredibly confused about how you’re supposedly to measure liquid laundry detergent with the cap. At least the kind that I have sits on it’s side, so if you measure it with the cap it just leaks everywhere and makes a mess.
Or at my parents house they have a bag of captain crunch berries that has a new design, where instead of zipping along the top of the bag like normal, it has a zipper in the front slightly beneath the top. That way when you poor it you can’t see what you’re doing cuz the bag is in the way. Like what the heck who’s idea was that?
Keyboards are the obvious one.
The standard keyboard layout is designed to slow down typing, because typing too fast lead to the arms of a typewriter hitting each other.
And why is one of the most accessible large keys fucking Capslock?
And why is there empty space around the cursor keys, so you have to use WASD as a workaround in games?
I’m not even talking about the menu key, Windows key and Copilot key.The other one are bicycles. An aerodynamic riding position is uncomfortable for most people, so is the saddle, and when you break too hard, you fly head-first into whatever you were trying to avoid. Recumbent bicycles are better in almost every way.
You could try the Dvorak layout? It’s optimized for fast typing. The most commonly used letters are on the home row. I’ve always wanted to try it
I used it for years but when I got a replace t computer just never bothered changing keys around and stopped. It was neat and I typed reasonably faster but at the time many programs wouldn’t handle the mapping and I’d have to remap controls in every game and was just kind of annoying.
The single best part was the loom on people’s faces when they used it. They’d go to type, it wouldn’t do what they expect and then they’d look at the keys and then to me like I was an alien. So good.
The standard keyboard layout is designed to slow down typing
No it’s not. It’s designed to put commonly-used letters in between rarely-used letters. You are correct that this is because of typewriters getting mangled, but a typist can type just as fast on a QWERTY or AZERTY keyboard as on an alphabetical keyboard. It stops typewriters from getting mangled by making it less likely that any given pair of adjacent keys will be pressed in succession.
And why is there empty space around the cursor keys, so you have to use WASD as a workaround in games?
To facilitate touch typing. Since the cursor keys are physically separated from the typing keys, you are very unlikely to press a cursor key when you meant to press a letter, or vice versa. In the 1970s, keyboards used to have the cursor keys on the H, J, K, and L keys, which explains a lot about vi. In the 1980s, IBM introduced the inverted T layout, which made it easier to move the cursor around and to move about in games. This layout meant you didn’t need separate editing and input modes; you could move the cursor and type letters all in one mode.
Up until the early 2000s, games were designed with the intention that the player would use the cursor keys to move about. The use of WASD began as Denis “Thresh” Frong’s custom Quake layout, which allowed him to move and look independently. As this layout proved effective, other players adopted it, and then game devs designed their games around it.
The keyboard I’m currently using has a key in the F-row that’s tied to a lock screen. I accidentally hit it several times a day, and end up having to put in the passcode to unlock the computer every time.
I wish I could disable that stupid key. I’m tempted to pop it right out. But I use a shared computer, so I’m limited in options here.
The only thing more poorly designed than a regular keyboard is a keyboard where they try to cram extra functions into the same number of keys with a FN key. Every brand does it differently, no consistency even within the same brand sometimes.
Honestly my bigges complaint with extra layers is when the manufacturer decides that nobody needs to use modifiers with them.
Recumbent bicycles are better in almost every way
No thanks. Might be nice for some long trips but for my daily use, I need something a little bit more compact and easy to load up with stuff and a kid.
Reusable bags that have handles longer than the bag itself, literally worse than the plastic bag version which can be handled properly
This is so you can put them up on your sholder. Well some that arnt jank.
Yeah, I’d say the opposite; I hate the ones with short, little handles.
Those ridiculous new caps on plastic bottles are awful. They only lead to wastage as it’s difficult for most people to reseal them properly and anything carbonated gets wasted. Tagging the lid to the bottle is not a world-saving solution for recycling.
Twist them round half a turn (after loosening) one of the two plastic straps will break off and you have more maneuvering space to screw the cap back on. Twist and tear again to get the entire cap off and fasten the old fashioned way.
My expierence is that most (european) bottles this helps.
I’ve no problem with breaking them off, I just think they’re a foolish idea that doesn’t solve a problem. They just make life more difficult (my kids and wife can’t close them tightly enough, and half of each bottle goes flat).
I agree on the dumbness of the design.
The half twist does solve the problem of getting it back on, give it a try!
Yeah it definitely took some getting used to. Very annoying. I usually always keep the cap with the bottle anyways, so it’s not helping me. But I suppose some people would just yeet those caps everywhere
Not to be annoying but I actually carry a nice steel thermos with me and pour anything I might drink into the thermos.
It only feels like a hassle the first time. You get a steel thermos with a steel straw and now you’re really cooking with gas.
Doesn’t work for my tonic i have with gin, as I don’t want to be drinking gin the majority of the time. Well, I do want to, I just can’t.
I always separate the cap completely, it makes a little easier to close the bottle.
NOT FUCKING ACCEPTABLE WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.
🚫
Most of my tongs have a metal square that slides down the length to keep them closed, is that not normal?
My parents had one where it slid down, and my grandfather had one where it slid up. They looked otherwise identical.
Some thanksgivings we’d have both at the same table and it drove me up the fucking wall.
Those are gravity operated. Point the thongs grippers downward to open, point them to the ceiling to close.
Was a while before I found out. I like them better now.
Thankfully, there are some designs that improve on this! Here’s what’s in my kitchen:
The brand is OXO, for anyone curious.
I have that and they still are still a pain (I said something else here and it got censored! LOL) to get in or out of a crowded tool jar. Then I always bump that end switch and they pop open in the jar.
Leave the one tong hanging out. Ie. Straddle the side. Assuming youre not one that cares about aesthetics.
I stick mine to the side of the fridge with old hard drive magnets when not in use.
Don’t they fit in a draw?
Sure, but my fridge is pretty much right beside the stove so it works out nicely for me.
Makes sense, i was more confused about the og pics but looks like heap of people have said the same thing i would of, I’ve never know a set of tongs that don’t have the locking tab at the back
Why the hell do i have to know which way to put the batteries in at this point ?
A bridge rectifier circuit for each battery slot would solve the issue and, at the low currents of things like remote controls, would be pretty tiny and introduce inconsequential power overhead bbbuuuuuuuuu-uuuuuu-uuuuutttt it would cost money, precious pennies per device. And it would be tricky to market it, educate users, and so on. Such things are too good for this world.
Batteries have a plus and a minus, the spring is generally the flatter end which is generally negative, they’re designed that way to be stackable, although we could probably come up with a slightly more intuitive design.
Chairs and tables. Why do I have to squeeze my thighs between the chair and the dinner table and then bend down awkwardly when I eat to not splatter all over? Why are chairs so high and tables so low? Just put the table higher so the food is closer to my mouth and why do we even need chairs anyway?
Milk cartons suck now. In the 90s, we could fold and push to open. Why do we need scissors to open them now? Oh and half of them now have a plastic lid in the middle so you can’t even pour out the last drops anymore.
Chairs and tables will always feel right for some and bad for others. My legs are long so if there are table supports I need to back away from it and I end up sitting too far from the table. Then casual restaurants all seem to be using those horrible metal chairs that feel like they are made for prisons that have these constricting backs. We need chairs to sit.
I always hated those glued and folded top milk cartons. Every other one would be a struggle to get the seam to open and sometimes I ended up taking a knife to hack it open.
No one asked for the spork
I love sporks. If you find the right model they are the ultimate eating utensil.
I dont think I’ve ever seen a spork with teeth that could actually pick up food like a fork, so it’s just a bad spoon.
I have, just weight based. Heavier item harder to pick up, needs longer teeth. If for some reason you are eating chips with a Spork instead of a fork, not a big difference really.
There are many, but my current bugbear is the wireless Apple mouse. It has a built in rechargeable battery and and a tiny little port for you to plug the recharging cable in. The port is mounted on the bottom of the mouse rendering it useless while it’s being charged. I guess it’s to make it look nicer but it’s so stupid.
Our president
Any time there’s a ready meal from the supermarket and for some reason the adhesive is way stronger than the plastic film. You end up with loads of bits of film just sort of stuck to the rim of it. Super annoying.
The glue gets weaker when it’s heated. They use the same film for oven meals as well. It comes off fine when you finished heating, but it’s a pain in the arse when cold.
is it a good idea to microwave that plastic container, though?
I’ve dropped brands for that shit
Got a local one that puffs up to like 3x height in the microwave though and that pulls off a lot of the adhesive.
Kitchen sinks. Instead of doing the dishes they just let them accumulate!
I just replaced my windshield wipers last night and it was a nightmare. The wipers I got are supposed to be universal, which means the little plastic bit that connects to the wiper arms has a bunch of little sub parts that you’re supposed to remove based on what wiper arm connection your car uses. Well, considering I’m not well versed in modern wiper arm connection standards, and I’m also stubborn and don’t think you should need to dig out your car manual just to change your fucking wipers, coupled with the fact that the instructions that came with the wipers are just 6 wordless diagrams vaguely showing you what bits to remove based on which esoteric wiper style your car uses, I struggled with those sons of bitches for like 20 minutes in below freezing weather.
I don’t believe in anything supernatural, but I’m pretty sure wiper blade attachment designs were somehow still born in the deepest fires of hell.
We went to an auto parts store a while back to get some wipers and got a plain set but couldn’t get it on somehow. Asked the staff for help, they ended up going through 4 or 5 sets of different brands and price levels just to find us a wiper that could actually fit the car. The only one that fit was the most expensive option, too. They were so frustrated they didn’t even charge us the extra and just sent us on our way. Stupid wipers, great staff.
Wordless instructions make the world a more equitable place by making everyone equally frustrated
My last wiper change was a couple years ago and the first wiper took 20 minutes. The second was like 40 seconds but that first one made me mad.
Not even just that, but modern vehicles make it a pain in the ass to just put your wipers up before a snow storm. Used to be you just lift them up and they’re done. Now you have to get in the car, hold the wiper stalk up to the manual wipe mode and let them go up before you can get back out and lift them. I know it’s for aerodynamics hiding them under the cowel but it’s still a pain in the ass. My last 2 cars have had this feature.
I get this one but I also don’t mind. It’s mostly done for aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. Tucking the wipers gives a decent bit of drag reduction so it has a real purpose at least.
Then again on some luxury cars they do it just so you don’t see them and that’s boring but those losers probably don’t change their own wipers.
Now, my gripe is: Around here ehen it’s going to ice over in winter we’ll lift wipers off the glass so you can scrape the windshield afterward without hitting frozen down wipers. But some wiper designs you can’t lift the wiper off the glass and it’ll stay off. Those suck.
I’m going to go with that horrendous, non-absorbent, 1/8th ply toilet paper that gets stocked in public and office bathrooms.
I’m on Team Bidet now, so it doesn’t bother me as much as it once did… but the stuff should not exist.
I’m guessing that one day, the people who buy the stuff will figure out that it they’re not winning if it costs one-third the price of normal TP when everyone has to use ten times more of it, but who knows when that day will happen. Because it hasn’t happened yet.
Okay Team Bidet, how are they actually supposed work?
- Spray bum
- Pat dry with TP
The tricky part with phase 1 is managing water pressure. Too little is ineffective. Too much blasts shit everywhere.
Do a test squirt into the bowl so you know what you’ve got to work with. Start with low pressure to get most of it, adjust angle of necessary, then hit it with everything.
I get that’s the principle, but how long are you supposed to spray for? How much pressure? Is there a trick to it? In my own limited experience, it doesn’t actually do much more than dampen the poo.
You know you’re supposed to use the bidet after you’re done pooping, right?
Yeah, but how long do you have to dampen your crack in order to feel the equivalent clean of two dry wipes?
Just dont try to spray up your ass, its pretty hard but you dont wanna.
But now you only use three or four squares of TP to dry off instead of fingerpainting shit all up your asscrack until the point you’ve been conditioned to believe is clean enough.
One problem though, shitting at your workplace or anywhere else will be insufferable. My LPT is to take one of the better hand towels and wet it in a sink before hitting up a stall. Thank me later.
A water bottle with a sport cap is a sufficient travel bidet.
Even with a bidet that paper sucks. Drying off you ass with it leaves so much paper crumble everywhere that you’ll need the bidet again…
When I was a kid cereal didn’t have no zippas! We rolled up the one end of the bag and watched it partially unfurl when we let go, and we were satisfied with that.
Roll the bag. Flip the box upside down. Put it in going up. Hold it in place and flip the box back over. Gravity holds the bag closed. This is a bad idea if anyone else accesses the box and isn’t on the same page as you.
The gravity-assisted bag roll is a staple for me. Cereal, bread, veggies, anything too big for a bag clip.
I just fold it up and use a clothes peg ha ha
Y’know, I bought a bag of bag clips from Ikea years ago and I’m only now realising that they’re less suited to the job than a clothes peg. Smart.
How do you hold closed the bag that holds the bag clips?
A lot of OTC meds that are in boxes have annoying packaging where you have to peel off the little paper before you can push the pill through the wrapping. The paper doesn’t always like to peel off properly and it makes it harder to get the pill out of the packaging.
In the UK it’s mandatory, ostensibly to prevent deliberate overdoses. You can’t buy a big bottle of acetaminophen.
In part because they call it paracetamol.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen packaging as described in the UK. Normally they’re packaged in individual blisters that can be pushed through the foil covering in a single step. I’m not sure about this ‘peeling’ action that’s described.
Also, for what’s it’s worth, medication in the UK is publicly known by it’s International Nonproprietary Name rather than brands, so for the most part people will ask for ‘paracetamol’ rather than Deludomex™ or whatever. ‘Acetaminophen’ is a new one to me, though.
It’s not a brand name. Two American companies picked different compound abbreviations at roughly the same time, and somehow one name spread here and the other name spread everywhere else.
I always thought this was super on purpose. Is it not intentional design for “child protection?”
I think it’s for anti-tampering purposes. Imagine the consequences if some bad actor tainted those pills with something or replaced the pills with another.