The other day, my computer’s wireless mouse stopped working. Not because it ran out of charge but because it wasn’t “connecting” – so said the pop up on my screen. I plugged in a new/old mouse I had laying around and it worked. I figured the problem was just the wireless mouse that came with the computer, which annoyed me because the computer isn’t even six months old and isn’t even paid for yet. (It’s a nearly new iMac I bought to replace my old iMac, which was getting unbearably slow in its old age but the thing was always at least reliable.)
Well, this morning – not three days later – the keyboard stopped working. It is not wireless. It is physically plugged in to the back of the iMac. But all of a sudden the keys stopped working and I got the “connected and “not connected” pop-ups. The six-month old iMac also began shutting itself down randomly.
I plugged in an old keyboard and now I can type again but I suspect there is some underlying issue with the computer, which is just great given the whole goddamn point of buying a new one was to be free of “issues.” My old iMac and all the prior Macs I have owned never had “issues.” Now I already have them and this damn thing isn’t even paid off yet.
The best part is that if there are more/worse “issues” to come that cannot be gimped by using old keyboards and mouses, I will probably just have to buy (finance) a new computer since I can’t work without a computer and so sending the damn thing to “Apple Care” – ha! – would likely mean weeks without a computer and I can’t not work for weeks or even days. So I’d have to buy a new piece of shit to replace this piece of shit just in order to be able to work. There’s no one (human) to call. Just “apps” and phone trees with AI voices. Press one for this. Press two to smash the god-damn phone underfoot like a cockroach.
I have experienced similar glitchiness in dozens of brand-new cars, too. Regulars here will be familiar with the experience of a regular here, who bought a brand new nearly $100k Cadillac Escalade that “glitched” – catastrophic engine failure – just weeks after she bought it.
Everything new is shit. Brand-new airplanes fall apart. Brand-new furniture lasts maybe three years before the glued-together particle board begins to delaminate. Washers and dryers and ‘fridges used to last 30-40 years. Now you’re lucky if they last five years.
If it weren’t for the gout, I’d be having a drink.
. . .
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Hmmmm,
Presently sitting in my parents basement typing …..over the rug I used to play on with toy soldiers when I was 6 ???
……Oh yeah…
The preface,
QUALITY.
Father WW2 Ostfront survivor, scores an Architectural Engineering degree from Esslingen
U in Krautland …emigrates to USA….
And, hand crafts THE MOST PERFECT 1960 SUBURBAN RANCH HOUSE….NO SHIT!
This place is amazing!!
The house actually has a central steel I beam / Girder….he had delivered when they were building the local high school 1959..SOLID.
The place requires NO INTERNAL STRUCTURAL SUPPORTING WALLS…….
I would call it “Built like a Brick Shithouse”……..But Quite Frankly, That would be an Understatement……
Welcome to Earth.
30 Skylark Ct 06053…..
Youse Guys tell me….
Looks like a kick-ass house & a more-than-fine place to grow up in. I couldn’t find any inside photos for details. However; mang, detached garage? …I would dream of making a tunnel/roof/walkway/adjoinment.
PSHFT! Am I seeing this right? $more than $6,500 per year in tribute taxes to the true owners of the land?
Wow. …Bastards.
Well Spartan kid,
I’ll have to upload some pics of the abode. Love the place, however…I’ve outgrown it…so to speak.
I’ve tricked out the basement with illuminated globes….Earth, Moon and Mars… 20in diameter, Moon 12inch and Mars 9.5 in…..
I feel as though I’m on the bridge of the Enterprise…..
“Warp factor 2 Mr. Sulu”
I even downloaded the cool bridge computer noises AND that kool vacuum door opening sucking noise….
Stay tuned…
Also, always LOVED the spiral staircase to the basement!
Just so elegant? Avant Garde?…just looks bitchin kool.
Eric, as a shooter of 50+ years, I have long known that the most elegant and reliable hangun is a Smith & Wesson revolver. A K or L frame in 357 mag will not fail you. You can shoot 38’s out of it recreationally and only use the 357 magnum cartridges for hunting/defense.
Jonney Reb,
I’m a “dyed in the wool” wheel gun Dude….Numerous reasons BUT, Totally dependable and
If you can’t hit what you are shooting at with 5 or 6 rounds…..
Hmmmmm…..maybe you shouldn’t own a handgun?
Semper Fi Mac
Hmm, RE: “If you can’t hit what you are shooting at with 5 or 6 rounds…..”
There’s this fella, goes by the name of FerFal, he wrote about Surviving in Argentina in 2001. I think, he disagrees with ya. YMMV, of course. And, what happened there, may be nothing like, here. …Probably.
Oh yeah….
“Fort Liberty” …NC is BACK TO FT BRAGG …Yesiree…
BTW… “The Cornpone South” has Beaucoup Scenic splendor!
TN is SWEET! I-40 is nuts driving into NC…AND lots more.
Eric, my ten year old iMac ran fine until recently when it suddenly decided to refuse to boot up any more. Replacement is a new iMac which, so far, has given me none of the troubles you describe. If these things have turned into a crapshoot, well, that’s not good. All in all, my Macs over the years have given me far fewer headaches than my PC based machines.
Morning, ft –
That had been my experience as well – until now. It’s very disappointing. The computer still seems to be working ok but I’m now using a clunky old keyboard – the one I used with my old Mac – and a cheap generic mouse – because the keyboard and mouse that came with my new Mac no longer work. The cost to replace both is bout $150.Which means Apple gypped me for that much because they’re not paying for it. I suppose I could attempt to get “service” under “warranty”. but it’s too god-damned much hassle and I just don’t have the time or energy to deal with it. I figure that’s exactly what Apple’s counting on, too.
For the record ep, That is exactly what “they” are actuarially betting on….
Honest Injin.
I had an out of warranty apple mouse die too young. I did make the trek to the Apple Store. And to their credit they did replace it for free no questions asked.
But yeah, it was a hassle, since the Apple store is 50 miles away. Unfortunately an apple dealer like Best Buy won’t do something like that. Unfortunately Apple puts its stores in rather inconvenient locations IMHO.
Hi Rich,
I’m glad they replaced it. I just don’t have the time to waste dealing with it – something I’m sure these corporations count on. So I just eat the loss or (in this case) go back to using the crappy. old keyboard and mouse I was using with my old computer. The worse this sort of stuff gets, the more the balance tips. It used to be that living a “modern” life was on the whole better than living an Amish kind of life. I think it is increasingly less so.
Twice, I swooped or clicked mistakenly and my comment went poof.
SOmething about how, it’s amazing how mice & keyboards were once considered high society.
Now, they are Luddite, ‘er whatevah? Psft.
Everything
NewOrange Is ShitAs rumours about the president’s declining health go into overdrive, President Trump has responded to the claims online in his signature all-caps style, which only seems to have inflamed the rumours further.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.” It comes after a doctor issued a chilling amputation warning that Trump’s leg may need to be cut off.
In a thread posted Sunday on X with a string of over 30 posts, Alex Cochran said, “I believe … that the White House is covering up the fact that Donald Trump has been dealing with TIA strokes. AND that he likely had a more significant ischemic stroke this week.”
While admitting he felt “very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people,” JD Vance also said, “And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/trumps-attempt-dismiss-health-concerns-35826562
If Trump does lose his swollen leg and bruised hand, he’ll turn up with a peg leg and a hook on his arm:
‘Avast and forsooth, mateys! America won! Now watch, as I make the Fake News walk the plank! INTO THE DEEP, ye pestiferous vermin!!’
Yeah, I laffed. But when JD Vance — a CIA test-tube baby — speaks between the lines, we’d better listen up. His Langley spooks play for keeps. :-0
“Always something “new”
Or more “convenient”
The new God of purpose
Whoa Missoura!
Shrinkflation………Same “old price”…..
New “convenient size”……Hmmmmm??
Is the SIG 320 on this list too? Asking for a friend!! 😀
Morning, Rob!
I have one and so far it hasn’t shot me…
So far. Maybe it never will. I think the problem is similar to the infamous Remington Walker trigger on the 700s, the design makes it possible for an uncommanded discharge to occur in the right circumstances. Millions of 700s never had an issue. But enough did to make the trigger inherently unsafe, and there were a number of fatalities over the years before Remington changed the design.
It is really hard to beat a Glock for a reliable, simple, pistol today.
Hi X,
Maybe so, but a Sig is (quoting Obi Wan) a more elegant weapon. I have a .45 Sig that is – by far – the most accurate pistol I’ve ever owned. I just wish I could afford to shoot it more!
Even the once vaunted SIG is turning to shit.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/sig-m17-m18-pistols/
https://stateline.org/2025/03/10/more-law-enforcement-agencies-reconsider-use-of-popular-sig-sauer-p320-handgun/
The less things work, the more they cost. Welcome to jeworld. No accountability. No honesty. No integrity. No future.
Yes. Everything is shit because everything is a racket — education, medicine, government, industry, telecom. Everything manufactured is either maned in Chyna, or materials are sourced to Chyna.
I am all for free enterprise, but the global “capitalist” system we have now is an oligarchy where the capitalist swine partner with the government to fleece the rubes. If you “need” something, you will get ripped off.
“Need” a computer to be a writer with a bling in the 21st century? We’ll sell ya one, sucka… built by Chinese coolie labor paid a fraction of American labor costs, and sold to you for the highest markup possible. Got a problem with it? Call our “customer service” in India…
Within your comprehensive list, Big Gov is the ultimate steaming heap of toxic manure. Next month, Deity willing, maybe its lights will go out:
‘The most urgent task for Congress is to avoid a government shutdown on Sept. 30, when federal funding runs out. And it’s so far unclear if Republicans and Democrats will be able to agree on how to do that.
‘Congress will have to pass a short-term spending measure to keep the government funded for a few weeks or months while they try to finish the full-year package. But Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass an extension, and Democrats will want significant concessions. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s vote with Republicans to avoid a shutdown in March prompted furious backlash within his party.
‘Trump notified Congress again on Friday that he will block $4.9 billion in Congressionally approved foreign aid. Democrats have warned that such efforts could tank the broader negotiations. “Trump is rooting for a shutdown,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on social media Friday.’
https://apnews.com/article/congress-recess-shutdown-senate-house-c273344880d3b5e5bc71a4305f34cba2
Internet rumors say Trump is dead. But with Hofjude Stephen Miller running the show (as before), nothing has changed. So it’s time for some legislative fisticuffs and chair throwing. Are we not entertained?
Jeebus.. sorry about all the typos. Eric, can you put one of those five-minute windows of opportunity to edit one’s own comments on the site? I’m not as stupid as my typos make me look… just not much of a typist…
It’s true, X –
I am for free enterprise but thatis not what we have. What we have is corporatism, which is to say fascism – economically speaking. The “partnering” of Big Business and Big Government. I am. not sure what the solution is but decentralized and local systems are surely a big part of it.
count Logitech wireless keyboards as the newest items to fail. Out of the box. 3 in last 5 years. Intermittent non responses to key inputs. Pick up and let fall to the desk or slam on it with a fist to get connectivity.
Hi Eric, et al,
I am a longtime Apple customer…..my first computer was an Apple II+ that I bought in 1980……I have owned Macs for many years and I still have iMacs (old ones). Apple started going downhill rapidly when Jobs died and Cook took over. I used to go to the “Genius” bar at Apple stores but inevitably I knew much more about the hardware and software than the Apple employees…..Apple, like all of these corporate behemoths does not want you have much control over your own property……my solution is to migrate over time to Linux both for security/privacy concerns and to not reward the mediocrity that Apple and its ilk have become. The parallel to the automotive environment is that the companies do not want the customer to understand or control their own property……Apple and others have designed their devices so that it’s almost impossible for a non-approved customer to do so much as change a battery…..as to keyboards…..my personal preference is wired mechanical keyboards….noisy and great tactile feedback….I also prefer a wired trackball…….remember that when you use Bluetooth devices it’s more radiation….Call me a Luddite if you wish, but I like to at least conceptually understand the tools I own and use.
P.S. – Eric, next time I come through let me see if I can revive your old iMac…..dollars to donuts I can……..been there done that
“…my solution is to migrate over time to Linux both for security/privacy concerns and to not reward the mediocrity that Apple and its ilk have become.”
Yep, just so.
Apart from the security and privacy issues, Linux also allows one to continue using old hardware for much longer than what would otherwise be the case.
Eric, you may well find that if you get your IT guy to load a Linux distro on your old iMac, it will once again be acceptably fast.
And you’ll save yourself a ton of money, too, because the fruit brand, even the modern rotten variety of it, ain’t cheap.
Thanks, John –
It annoys me, though, that I am forced to deal with this shit – having just bought a new computer to not have to deal with such shit. I want to go back to 1995.
Me too, Eric. It seems that the more the years go by the worse the quality of just about everything.
Thanks, Giuseppe!
I am hoping today the glue and toothpicks gold together…
RE: “my first computer was an Apple II+ that I bought in 1980”
THAT, is saying something. Wow. The best I did then, was play Atari. …But, I was ~12.
I think, you know stuff.
Another is ranges/cooktops. All new units have some safety/energy saving “feature” that turns the burners of and on. They won’t stay on constantly. This might not be a big deal to some but, just try canning. Getting your product to hold and maintain a boil is impossible. It takes about 15 minutes longer per batch.
I know, natural gas is better but, you have to have access and propane is very expensive.
RE: “and propane is very expensive.”
…Really? Here in Iowa it’s what many of us use to heat our homes & fuel our ovens. …Is it really, “expensive’?
I mean, farmers use it to dry their corn. So I imagine, it can’t be all that expensive. That said, I’ve never run the numbers.
There still is a very small minority of nich products made by craftsman and engineers that can and do last a relative liftime. You just have to find them, and pay 2-4x what the crap costs (and you would probably still be ahead in the long run).
For example, we designed and make an industrial equipment controller that’s all high-end relay logic (avail anywhere) vs circuit boards or little plc’s that will be out of production in a few years, that cost 2-4x the junk, and we sell them to people that get it. They can’t believe it and love them.
Another example is my brother can ‘make’ a computer to whatever spec you want. But again though, big bucks.
Furniture can be bought made by craftsmen.
Etc……
Hi ChrisIN,
I have built machines to multiboot Linux/Windows for years…..the trouble is that in my experience the quality of motherboards and components has also deteriorated…..all these business depend on churn….keep buying the latest thing every year because don’t you know, the 3D AI generated virtual porn just requires a $2000 GPU….my last homebuilt rig crapped out after only seven years…..color me disgusted.
RE: “crapped out after only seven years”
Almost +/- as good as a 12 volt battery.
Fancy, that.
Morning, Helot!
I’m sitting here typing this on a POS old spare keyboard because the less-than-six-months-old one that came with my new Mac failed. Everything is shit now.
This is what AI says about how Apple’s products are made:
“Almost all of Apple’s products are assembled overseas, predominantly in China, with increasing diversification into India and Vietnam. While many components are sourced globally, final assembly is heavily concentrated in Asia.”
Besides that, they are the effing most wokest company on the planet and dare think themselves as living gods.
Not saying American products are the only source of quality however we are only source which drives quality demand via consumption for the world or at times we let crap in on the cheap. When Japan listened to the American Edward Demming, we got 300,000-mile Corollas. This shocked the American Auto industry into following that lead.
Then we got the Harvard business class tied with the political class which shipped our manufacturing jobs overseas and we were supposed to benefit by getting cheap products in exchange for our advanced technology to sell. (We were all supposed to *learn to code*) What we got was what was once working-class Americans morphed into government dependency (part of the Marxist plan), and the technology we were to benefit from was easily transferred or stolen by China. America became fat, dumb, happy, drugged and vaccineed, while we bought Chinese slave labor products from Walmart that were cheap but fell apart, and an American Auto industry following suit that sells high price crap Escalades that detonate after a few miles.
I’d first blame ourselves as Shakespear once wrote: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings” but I have some special scorn for guys like Tim Cook who gladly sold us out and pretend they are Gods.
I agree, Hans. Fuck Apple. They’ve become the most overrated, arrogant, elitist, disparaging, underhanded corporation there is, and a model for the other assholes out there. But people lap it up, paying thousands extra for their garbage. Usually it is cited, like Eric has said, that their products “just work” and are easily used, especially by the computer-retarded. But to me, that’s just more motivation to understand things a little so that I’m not beholden to pricks with a god-complex.
Also, I did *learn to code*, all on my lonesome. Unfortunately, that did fuck-all for my getting a better job, but it did help me solve problems much more easily at the job I do have, and it will help me launch my own business. It’s pretty hard digging out of the hole that was dug for us, however.
Hey BadnOn,
Amen brother.
I worked on an Apple project at one point in my career, what a bunch of sophomoric-insufferable-prick-pudknockers. One of them demanded we label his own parking slot with “Reserved for Master of the Universe” Casey GFY.”
Also, didn’t Tim Cook (now-CEO of Apple) give China all the back door code keys to all Apple devices when he moved his operations there? Even more of a reason to never own one if it is true.
Morning, Shadow –
I expect that the “back door” thing is generally true. We’re stuck. At least, those of us who are not able to build a computer or pay to gave it built. I just need to be able to work. I don’t have the time to deal with computer crap. That’s why I have bought Macs to date. They used to just work….
The old KISS acronym worked. It still works. That is, Keep It Simple Stupid. Instead governments and companies (and corporations) decided to fix what was never broken. Wish we could go back in time and leave the rest behind who think this crap is a great idea.
Amen, Shadow –
It’s make-work, basically. Always something “new” – but not necessarily improved. Change for the sake of change is what “updates” generally are.
“Always something “new”
Or more “convenient”
The new God of purpose
Contrived Complexity for Job Security.
THIS! -> “Also, I did *learn to code*, all on my lonesome. Unfortunately, that did fuck-all for my getting a better job,”
Thanks for the validation, I told those guys then, I got a stack of sheet for saying so. …Actually, caught on to it all from a friend who worked in a HON office furniture factory after getting his degree in crap so’s he could do B.s.
…YaddA yadda,
Similar problems with my newish Mac desk top. When I got it a year or so ago the wireless mouse went weeks without a charge, now, it seems to require recharging every few days, rendering my keyboard useless while charging. I’m afraid to replace my almost twenty year old laptop, since I no longer trust that Apple manufactures at the level of quality they used to.
One of the more annoying examples of new shit are integrated LED light fixtures. Couple years ago I re-modeled our bathrooms, new floor, wall, and backsplash tile, toilets, vanities, plumbing fixtures, and at the insistence of the Mrs, new lights, even though there was nothing wrong with the old ones that took regular bulbs. A month ago, after only two years, the one in the spare bathroom crapped out. I thought it would be an easy fix, finding and putting in some tiny new LED ‘bulbs,’ NOT. Had to replace the whole fixture, PITA, especially considering the local hardware store had a poor selection of the old style, so only other choice, Home Depot. Few old style choices there as well. Kind of sneaky that you end up having to replace the whole fixture. They say these LEDs last 7-1O years, or more. They also said the vaccines were safe and effective, Big Mikes a gurl, and Ukraine was going to obliterate Russia in a matter of months.
Heads up: besides being crap, the LED’s are very bad for your eyes.
…But, all the kewl kids have them, better than Nikes, or, Air-whatever.
The packing, shipping and handling is also going south. Daughter ordered a refrigerated display case for her shop in town, not real large basically 2x2x4 ft, lots of glass of course. First one arrives with two dents in the stainless trim on the front, and one end “sprung”. Well, it functioned and with product on hand we had to press it into service. Shipping box was reasonably intact.
She called suppler for a repair “we’ll send you another!” ? It arrived and worse than the first. They send a third. Finally, third unit survived the truck shipment. Now what? Two damaged but brand new refrigerated 150 pound display cases. They don’t want them back due to shipping costs. Off to the county dump collection site!
As we took them apart for easy transfer to the dump turns out the framework is all plastic to hold the heavy glass panels. Thin plastic. A couple good shipping shocks they’re toast.
So, design/build it frail then expect it to survive individual unit shipment inside a cardboard box. Those boxes work for palletized containers not one unit, should have been crated in wood for final destination shipping.
And as Eric points out, as a business you cannot wait days or weeks for a replacement that functions – you’re bleeding money from lost business.
Hi Sparkey.
If possible I would have found space for the damaged units and kept them as spares. Usually the vendor only wants the ID tag and maybe a picture of the cord cut off, carefully remove the ID tag and cut the cord off in a way that it’s easy to add a new plug to the unit. The way things are going as bad is stuff is now it’s sure to get worse.
We looked at that but the compressor, fans, lines and controller were integrated into the base and not readily disassembled. No wonder they just “send another” instead of a repair guy. The glass came out easily once we removed the end retainers, that’s when we found the entire framework made of really thin plastic.
That’s the Internet/eBay/Amazon effect. Build junk to be as cheap and light as possible to save shipping costs. More often than not if you report a defective item on Amazon the response is keep it, we’ll send you a new one. It’s the cheapest option.
The price of things is built for this. So those who win the UPS/FedEx/USPS lottery and get a defect-free, functioning gadget are paying 2x to cover the ones who threw craps on the table with a defect. This has been true for a while. They still need to build things light to save shipping, though, so durability is done and gone regardless.
There once was a time when parallel supply and manufacturing chains existed, so the brick-n-mortar options sold higher quality items. You’d find what Amazon (and sometimes big boxes like Home Depot) sold might look similar but going to an independent local will be the same part number with an appended letter. I first noticed it with Makita, where my local outlet had the same tools. Some even still made in Japan instead of China.
The economy squeezes those better lines and higher priced options weren’t sustainable, the whole system now favors fast and cheap. If you’re lucky enough to still have a non-corporate retailer they don’t have access to anything you can’t get online so any price difference goes to mostly feel good support for a local shop. It’s all the same Harbor Freight level junk with different colored plastic.
Buying used stuff is a temporary solution but as replacement parts dry up to keep them running they will either have to be retired or rigged with next best solutions. Or if they are offering repair parts they’re coming from the same places making the new junk so you’re putting a shitty part into your once good thing, thus undercutting it’s once superior quality.
“ will be the same part number with an appended letter “
Yep found this out decades ago with a Maytag washing machine from a mass market discount house. It failed in about 5 years, what once was a bulletproof gearbox was redesigned with many internal plastics instead of metal parts. Talked to a repair guy & that’s when this was disclosed to me “that model number is for discount places, you can get the real old school quality unit only from a normal retail dealer “. Which was a dumb move from Maytag, that was end of them for my family.
My wife and I purchased new refrigerator, washer, and dryer in 1998. All three analog. Replaced the heater element in the dryer twice, belt in washer also maybe twice, the old refrigerator keeps chugging along. Few years ago, the washer didn’t clean as it used to. The appliance guy lopked at our new detergent: that’s the problem, don’t buy anything that has “eco” on the label. Bought a newly-built brand-new home in 2020. Dishwasher wouldn’t wash dishes worth a damn. Cycle took four hours. ran it overnight. Next morning the interior and dishes were covered in green mold. On his second visit, the warranty tech told us, nothing wrong, it is what it is. Obama-Biden water-use restrictions. Have hand-washed our dishes for five years.
Hi Antoine.
My neighbor bought all new appliances years ago. Within seven years all but one were broken and deemed unrepairable by the tech. And yes they were all higher end models, my lower end, low feature appliances still work after twenty years.
This, needs pinned, on every thread on The Internet:
“My neighbor bought all new appliances years ago. Within seven years all but one were broken and deemed unrepairable by the tech. And yes they were all higher end models, my lower end, low feature appliances still work after twenty years.”
The only thing worth a damn is that Reardon Steel. But good luck getting him to sell it to you. And who the hell is that Galt dude?
By any chance, do you happen to run a transcontinental railroad? If so, you should consider connecting with the guy who posts under the name John Galt.
👍👍👍
I’d always owned made in America vehicles, then just happened to get a used 99 Corolla with a manual tranny and 125,000 miles back in 2008 (due to the price of gas getting high). Fell in love with that made in Japan car, the quality was amazing! Got a new made in Japan Mazda 3 in 2014, only problem so far has been the touchscreen going crazy. Found a way to just disable the touching part of it, didn’t use it anyway, still works fine to show what radio station is on. Went to buy a new vehicle last year, discovered they no longer make a new vehicle I would have. Just spent a few thousand in fiat cash doing maintenance on the Mazda (tires, shocks, struts, belts, tranny fluid, brake fluid) since it looks like I’ll be keeping it forever.
I feel your pain with everything being crap nowadays. Almost every reproduction car part from turn signal light assemblies, body panels, trim and weather stripping fails to fit like the originals did. These were all name brands like Metro Moulded Parts, Soft Seal etc. As for electronics the only problems I’m having is with Logitech wireless mice but as they’ve been dropped often I can live with it but why would the switch stop working but it still clicks? And let’s not forget those titanium coated drill bits than can’t drill through mild steel without burning out in seconds.
Luckily I can still drink.
I can’t argue with this. Everything new is crap. The quality, care, and pride has disappeared. Some people no longer are concerned if the service or product that they provide is one of value. My cars come from used auto lots or private sellers and my furniture from antique stores and estate sales. My clothes I do buy new, but I have to wait for them to go on sale for 70-80% off, because it so freaking expensive to find actual silk, wool, and cotton anymore that isn’t shoddily made and so thin you can see through it.
It really is depressing to see how little consideration is put into the production of something.
Natural fabrics for the win!
Clothes are really an issue with me. The “New England Catalog Place” had men’s comfort mocs for years and years. Leather upper, slip on that actually fit my foot reasonably well, comfortable all day at work. Now, no longer available and no replacement. Thanks.
Their all cotton shirts are still a go to as the sizing hasn’t changed and the fabric quality is still the same. A large tall actually fits just like the old ones I keep around for yard and car work. The issue is the price now nearly $60 so I wear ill fitting Wranger XLT size cotton poly blend (hang off my shoulder, fits everywhere else) for way less money during the fall and winter. Gotta have that all cotton come summertime though!
Technological advancements were supposed to make life better. In reality, they seem to make people more cogs in the machine.
Things can be made cheaper and easier, but that often results in lack of durability.
Computers can answer the phone, but can’t answer questions or provide help beyond the most basic of issues.
I can understand the complaints lodged by Uncle Ted K. Society itself has become a series of input, outputs, and spreadsheets. We have no cohesion as a group of “Americans”. Everything has become sterile interactions and a cost-benefit analysis.
‘Everything new is shit.’ — eric
Yesterday at a picnic for local volunteers, my colleague H*** described having owned dozens of cars. For 20 years he was a field sales rep, driving 50,000 miles a year and replacing his work car every two years at company expense. At the same time, he cycled through a long list of personal vehicles, including over a dozen Mustangs.
H***’s comment: ‘It was great for awhile. Then around 2015, all the new vehicles turned to shit.’
As ol’ Lightning Jim Farley would say, ‘When life gives you shit, make a shit sandwich.’ This EeeVee’s for you. 🙂
Then P**** chimed in: his 1990s window A/C failed. He had a new one installed last week. It is both noisier and less powerful than the old 1990s unit.
‘Well of course,’ I observed. ‘They’ve been messing with the refrigerants. It’s a flammable gas now, that might set your house on fire if there’s a leak.’
Thanks, Big Gov!
It seems that practically everything that’s brand new anymore is crap that doesn’t last long. For example, I heard of a mobile home park in my neck of the woods that rebuilt after it was destroyed by a large fire 5 years ago and had brand new manufactured homes put in, but the manufactured homes had mold. And then of course we’ve probably all heard the stories of Boeing airplanes that fell apart while flying in the air.
Send an email to Tim Cook. Seriously. Like most large corporations Apple has a staff of people who monitor and respond to [email protected]. Explain your frustration and they should get back to you fairly quickly.
Thanks, RK –
I just emailed; I doubt anything will come of it… but we’ll see.
Hi Eric
Hopefully you pointed out in your email that you are a journalist that gets air time. Mentioning those problems on the air might well get you better service.
But why should it have to? This means you’ll only get good service if you have the power to reach an audience. If not, it’s just “screw you”? businesses with that attitude usually aren’t around very long.
He ( Cook)will likely want your phone number, the ass bandit that he is.
Fuck the gout, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. As Jackie Gleason said about his drinking “it works for me”.
Hi Nova,
I wrote an email (and provided my number). I doubt I will hear anything, much less get the at least $150 so far that I’ve been gypped out of (that is the cost of a replacement “magic” mouse and keyboard). I think this will be my last Mac product.
I recently got a CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 to try out.
https://www.canakit.com/canakit-raspberry-pi-5-starter-kit-turbine-black.html
The 4GB or 8GB versions should work well for simple tasks (web browsing, emailing, writing, etc.). Unbeatable for under $200. Plug in your monitor, keyboard, mouse & external storage drive, you’re good to go. And you’re free of Apple & Microsoft.
I used it a few years ago after a software update bricked my iPad that was just outside the warranty period. I got the run around from tech support and after a very frustrating chat exchange, fired off an email. The company sent me a replacement and packaging to send the old one back. They also offered me the option of retroactively getting Apple Care after the normal grace period had expired. Still felt like I was being jerked around, but at least I was made whole. Of course it shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but they do love their lockdowns.
Just another tile in the mosaic entitled The Decline and Fall of a Once Great Civilization.
We had a good thing going until the parasitic, authoritarian, psychopathic neo-Druids took over.