Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[Circlotron]

Anything requiring a mobile app to function is by nature planned obsolescence.

Disagree. It's just simplifying the number of products they need to support, in much the same way that a web UI removes the need to program for Mac, Windows, Linux one version, Linux another distro, etc. So while it may well cause premature obsolescence, it's not planned per se.

If that app goes via a remote website rather than communicate directly with the target device, then if that website goes dark, or worse still, they intentionally make things incompatible after a period of time so you have to buy a newer one...

[PlainName]

Yes, but that's because it's cheap and quick to do it like that. I really doubt they're  thinking, "Hey, if we take the cheap and quick route we can obsolete the product sooner!" No, abandoning isn't intentional at the design stage, which was my point. It's something that will surely result but as collateral damage to other aims.

[mendip_discovery]

Yes, but that's because it's cheap and quick to do it like that. I really doubt they're  thinking, "Hey, if we take the cheap and quick route we can obsolete the product sooner!" No, abandoning isn't intentional at the design stage, which was my point. It's something that will surely result but as collateral damage to other aims.

I would argue that. I am sure some are aware that without a obsolescence plan they may loose out on revenue. There are tales of games developers not caring so much about the story or playability, they just want to know what extras they can add as a extra to make more. This week I was asked to look at a viscosity meter that is in ok condition, but the manufacturer has removed support for it, including calibration as its obsolete.

I will agree its quicker and easier and I suspect the sales team keep bleating an about it being the way that customers want to interact with the product, as they refresh thier x account screen on the latest buzzwords.

[PlainName]

Yes, but that's because it's cheap and quick to do it like that. I really doubt they're  thinking, "Hey, if we take the cheap and quick route we can obsolete the product sooner!" No, abandoning isn't intentional at the design stage, which was my point. It's something that will surely result but as collateral damage to other aims.

I would argue that.

No doubt

There are tales of games developers not caring so much about the story or playability, they just want to know what extras they can add as a extra to make more.

Not the same thing. In fact, they don't want the game to become obsolete because if it does they won't be able to sell more addons for it. The extras don't make it obsolete - they extend the life!

This week I was asked to look at a viscosity meter that is in ok condition, but the manufacturer has removed support for it, including calibration as its obsolete.

That would kind of match if there is no need for calibration or, if there is a need, only the manufacturer can calibrate it. But I would still be unsurprised if the design aim in that case is to provide ongoing revenue stream, and obsolescence being collateral after the fact.

[RJSV]

   The 'asymmetrical blob of white beard' that seems so popular, with men younger than fully grey...   So due to the whole COVID masking thing the lazy folks got used to just...pop on a mask, instead of regular hygiene.
I've done that.   But somewhere along the line, I've realized, after repeated encounters, that the sloppy habit has taken hold, and it's the age 25-30 crowd that looks a bit tacky and dated.
  Petty thing, but I'd advise; Go full out: shave the sucker, or dye that little patch, at age 27 or whatever...(slobs!)

[PlainName]

The 'asymmetrical blob of white beard' that seems so popular

Do you have an example image of that? Can't say it rings any bells with me.

[RJSV]

   (I've been attempting to avoid political comments, partially because other readers here expressed that wish, as comments can be annoying or even offensive)

   Attorney Jack Smith, appears on the news occasionally.   He has that brown beard, with uneven white chin hair.   (That's a US political person).

   Various relatives have that 'sloppy' uneven white slash on the chin, can't show you that.   But generally it's a younger person, having an 'almost' uniform brown or black beard,...but image gets disrupted by lazy care issue (hair dye).
   A petty thing, comparatively, but perhaps (yet another) fallout from the whole COVID scene, a couple years ago).   Thanks.

[PlainName]

OK, I found a decent photo of him (his Wikipedia page). Have to say I think they just go like that - nothing to do with care or dyeing, just beards can be like that.

[themadhippy]

just beards can be like that.

indeed they do,mine starts of brown  fades through grey and is ends up white

[mwb1100]

OK, I found a decent photo of him (his Wikipedia page). Have to say I think they just go like that - nothing to do with care or dyeing, just beards can be like that.

Smith's wikipedia page also has a photo of him from 2017,  clean shaven.  I must say I think he looks much better with the beard, streaked with gray or not.

[RJSV]

   Actually, I should have been more clear, as it's only the 'younger' folks that just have the beginnings of greying happening, on front of chin, (so my reference to Jack Smith was a lazy semi-similar picture, to illustrate that 'irregular patch' look.)
I'd say I'm talking more about, say, those born 1994 or sooner, and 30 years old or less.   That isolated and very irregular patch, on front of chin, looking like some milk dribbled while also eating cookies.  The older picture, you might notice (Jack Smith) has grey also up along the side temples (symmetrical, yay).

   Yeah, it's the younger look, when the person looks 22, but with the little, irregular start, of white hairs.   With older men, everything actually matches;...that being older skin, and grey / white that is visible more distributed around the face.
   Part of my point is, that I've gotten LAZY myself, after couple years masking in public, to just pop on a mask....instead of spending time at the sink shaving proper!

   All in fun, here, as it's mainly a 'fashion peeve'.
Thanks for interest!

[Ranayna]

White hair starting at 22?
I am nearing 44, and only my eyebrows of all things start getting the occasional white hair

[rsjsouza]

Genetics. To me the first steaks of grey hair started appearing at 18... But I don't wear a beard, so I can't relate to the whole white/grey/sloppy looks...

[RJSV]

   I have to apologize;  'creative genious' types like myself often have personal quirks / spacing out on some quantum theory details and meanwhile steering car off into a ditch, (etc.).
   Meaning that I left out perhaps the main point I wished to express:   That, post-covid trends include MORE BEARDS, due to people getting lazy about shaving, daily!   That's the real take-away regarding how my particular peeve angle lies.

[rsjsouza]

That, post-covid trends include MORE BEARDS, due to people getting lazy about shaving, daily!   That's the real take-away regarding how my particular peeve angle lies.

That or the idiotic Gillette ad that turned away zillions of men from a razor blade... or the hipster fashion trend... or simply the pendulum of history... 😁

[rdl]

Yeah, to be honest I did mostly stop shaving during Covid. Why? I never went out much for months. I couldn't get a haircut so I bought a Wahl clipper on amazon and started buzz cutting my own hair. Maybe that makes up for more of it on the face? And the clipper actual does good enough for me as an electric razor. One tool does both, very efficient.

Also, I had my first gray hairs at age 14. By time I was 50 it was almost totally white.

[Psi]

I just came across this today in some Sparkfun code.
Worse than a pet peeve, it made me want to shoot myself.

[vk6zgo]

My current pet peeve is W10/Microsoft Edge.

When I first got my current laptop, I set up Google Chrome as an alternative browser, & checking regularly over time, it had remained  functional.

SWMBO & I are old codgers, she is semi-disabled, so we have taken to buying a weeks worth of pre-prepared meals from a company called "Lite 'n Easy".
After initially battling their disorganised website, we used to order on line with no problems, until we discovered that thanks to the Federal govt, because of her condition, Steffi was eligible for a discount on their products.

This only applied to her, & I had to keep paying the full amount for mine.

Steffi was duly issued with a special number after her name on our account, being assured all would be well.
It wasn't-----The company kept charging us the "full whack", & after umpteen attempts on line, we reverted to ordering by phone.

After a while, this became tiresome, so we would try online every now & then.
Eventually, either they fixed a problem at that end or one of the W10 updates did it, but we could now order on line, with the charging working properly.

Duly "chuffed" we settled in to the new routine, until, suddenly, Lite 'n Easy refused to recognise my password.
Having tried everything else, I tried "forgotten your password" & they sent me a temporary one.
Rang them, talked to the lady who said that "Yes, that happens sometimes, & the best way around it is to use a different browser!"

"Magic!", thought I, "I'll just go on Chrome!".
Clicking on the icon, nothing happened!

I finished the phone call, then spent most of the day Googling for a reason why suddenly, Chrome wouldn't work with W10, all to no avail.
I even uninstalled the old version of Chrome & tried to download a new one, but W10/Edge didn't let me.

Eventually, I did what I should have done at the start, tried accessing the website with my mobile phone.
That worked perfectly, & I put in an order, but I hate using a phone for such things.

After we finished our evening meal, I had another look at the laptop & downloaded Firefox with no problems.
That browser worked perfectly with Lite 'n Easy's website, too.

All is "sort of" well, but I now have to change browsers to use a website, when I was formerly reasonably happy with Edge.

[bookaboo]

Electronic component websites that have crap parameter search:

(a) Have multiple options I want to select for example
- IP66
- IP67
- IP68
But once you click on IP66 it refreshes the page (slowly) and takes away the other options.

(b) Parameters not in sequence in "+/-" search.
Want to search for example parameter max current >100mA?
No problem sir, I've arranged it so that the values ignore the unit of measurement, so 100A = 100mA = 100uA.

[Circlotron]

Electronic component websites that have crap parameter search:

A related issue. The website shows you a list of components to choose from and you sort by price, only to find that the sorted prices are for one off quantities that make no sense at all seeing you want to buy hundreds.

[Circlotron]

Another one...
You go to calibrate your multimeter against a reference voltage and you find the meter has only one pot for all DC voltage ranges. So you might be able to adjust it dead on for the 20V range but it's anyone's guess for the other ranges.

[vk6zgo]

Another one...
You go to calibrate your multimeter against a reference voltage and you find the meter has only one pot for all DC voltage ranges. So you might be able to adjust it dead on for the 20V range but it's anyone's guess for the other ranges.

Fluke 77?
Mine seems to hold up pretty well, for a' that!

[Zeyneb]

Haven't we all experienced the following?

Ok, you want to purchase something and you're emailing with a customer service person of some company.

You have some questions. But no matter how you phrase the questions. They never answer it properly. You get some response on the topic that you introduce that nowhere addresses the real thing you're looking for and they add another irrelevant thing like that they have 100,000 parts in their warehouse. So frustrating! 

[mendip_discovery]

Companies that put software based alerts that calibration is due. But the manual just says to send it to one of thier representatives.

For me it's a Milwaukee M12 digital torque wrench. That is giving a warning becuase it's been used more than 5k times. But there is no way to reset the counter. If you were a company running your own internal calibration this would be sooo annoying.

[BILLPOD]

Haven't we all experienced the following?

Ok, you want to purchase something and you're emailing with a customer service person of some company.

You have some questions. But no matter how you phrase the questions. They never answer it properly. You get some response on the topic that you introduce that nowhere addresses the real thing you're looking for and they add another irrelevant thing like that they have 100,000 parts in their warehouse. So frustrating! 

I'm pretty sure it is something like a 'Chat-Bot' that you are communicating with.