The worst technology in current use? (1 Viewer)

[Jack Briggs]

"All we are saying is give peas a chance."

 

[Eric_E]

Seth:

Be careful in your recommendation of Cingular in any thread where Vince is around ... I don't think he's too happy with the level of service he's received...

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=123705

 

[Richard Gilmore]

Voice recognition - they keep on bringing out new generations and they still don't work.

 

[Moe Maishlish]

Any internal-combustion technology... i.e. engines that rely on natural gas or a some other crude-oil derivative.

They are one of the highest causes of pollution on the planet, are INCREDIBLY inefficient in terms of their energy conversion ratio, and consume a non-renewable resource. It's price is highly dependent on the whim of a few oil companies and groups that can literally have us by the balls by cutting production or any other action they wish to take. We won't even go into the whole political/regional/conflict that surrounds the issue (as we'd be seriously violating forum rules here).

It's amazing how computer technology has advanced to the stage that it has. I mean we've doubled the speed of the common CPU in months, and have done the same with Memory space, all the while making these technologies smaller, and smaller, and smaller. Yet look at the modern engine - same rough design as its original inception with few actual changes. You've gotta wonder if this is something that's been supressed by the oil or car companies....

It's HIGH time to start looking into alternative fuel sources that won't have all the drawbacks of the internal combustion engine.

Moe.

 

[Scott Strang]

Vinny sez..

Cell phones- i have yet to see a service i would consider "good" in terms of quality signal and good customer service...

I'd like to modify that statement for my local area. Digital cellular whether 800 or 1900 mhz seems to be the problem in this area. With analog cellular at least it can usually be useable in a weak area. Sure the compansion on the audio makes noise louder during weak signal areas and attempting to overcome the weak signal my talking louder maginifies the problem. But hey at least the signal doesn't "cliff off" like digital.

From my experience analog cellular seemed to always work very well.

 

[Rachael B]

The worst technology stille in use today is the anal thermometer.

 

[JasenP]

Rachael,

Actually they do have a digital anal thermometer now, it's just as hard to read the temperature though.

 

[Dean Cooper]

Voicemail...just answer your fucking phone already!

Dean

 

[John Watson]

Mash them!!! But I like to squish the peas with my teeth, and taste the jet of pea, whatever, so yeah, where is the upscale spork?

Seems to me my original post has not been upstaged yet, tho cell-phones are bad, and the PMV (Personal gas guzzling polluting Motor Vehicle) actually does harm more children and living beings

 

[Joe Szott]

Worst technology in widespread use today?

Easy, the darn machines that allow Telemarketers to call 5 people at once and then switch to one of them when they pick up. So the other 3-4 people stop eating dinner, pick up the phone, and hear 'click'. I don't hate the poor folks that work as telemarketers, but whoever owns those businesses must have a whole new wing being built for them in Hell.

 

[David Von Pein]

But I like to squish the peas with my teeth, ....where is the upscale spork?

Why can't you just use a spoon? Why are the "tines" required to pick up the dreaded green veggies?

 

[BrianW]

Ask 'im to get a shovel, and he brings you a rake...

 

[John Watson]

QUED. The spork obviates the need for the fork.

Peas, corn niblets, rice, all would benefit from a spork.

I still would use a spoon, for soup, and jello, but what the heck do we eat that needs to be stabbed with 1" long tines anyway?

Maybe the fork can just go the way of the 8 track?

And don't get me started about round plates

 

[Peter Kline]

And don't get me started about round plates

I personally love round plates. There, I've got you started.

 

[John Watson]

They can't be stacked efficiently in rectangular boxes, cupboards, etc.

You lean a butter knife against 'em, and it slides away and leaves butter on the table cloth.

Wheels should be round, not plates.

I warned you

 

[JoshF]

I still would use a spoon, for soup, and jello, but what the heck do we eat that needs to be stabbed with 1" long tines anyway?

Salad!

 

[Yee-Ming]

Yet look at the modern engine - same rough design as its original inception with few actual changes.

it wouldn't be the only thing. when I was into cycling during college, I remember reading Eugene Sloan's book on cycling, and he commented that there had not been any major new advancements in the technology in a while, e.g. the derailleur was invented in the late 19th century.

of course, since that edition of the book, they've improved derailleurs to include indexed shifting. whether that's "merely" a refinement or a quantum leap is a matter of opinion, I guess.

I leave aside of course the issue of materials technology, which obviously has improved a great deal and shaved a lot of weight off racing bikes. but the way the materials are used remains substantially the same, i.e. a racing bike frame is still more-or-less one main quadrilateral and a smaller triangle for the rear wheel.

perhaps certain technologies hit certain limits, and the internal combustion engine is one such?

if you think about it, the improvements in computing are really refinements of the technology, i.e. the ability to squeeze more transistors onto one chip is really an engineering and refinement trick, but the basic transistor and the way it works remains the same. the next "quantum leap", pardon the pun, would probably be quantum computing.

 

[Jon_Are]

You must buy Chrysler products.

Come to think of it, they've all been Chryslers and Hondas.

(My '98 Ford Ranger A/C is still kickin', though)

Jon

 

[Moe Maishlish]

but what the heck do we eat that needs to be stabbed with 1" long tines anyway?

Go ahead and try to eat a nice, juicy, 14oz New York Steak with a spoon. I dare ya.

Moe.

 

[Philip_G]

Go ahead and try to eat a nice, juicy, 14oz New York Steak with a spoon. I dare ya.

or a nice thick slice of prime rib