# Solutions to problems that don't exist **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126 "2018-05-14T12:31:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/21 "2018-05-14T19:10:55Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Sure, they work well - if you are used to them. There is nothing intuitive about them. If anything, it makes more sense to have park in between drive and reverse, to keep people from shifting into reverse while the car is still moving. > > But in any event, there is no way to tell what gear a column mount shifter is in unless there is a display on the dashboard, whereas with a dial shift you have both a dashboard indicator _and_ the pointy thing on the dial. Park is a ‘take the key out and walk away from car’ gear, that’s it’s only purpose and function and that the car is in the same place as where you left it. It has nothing to do with the driving gears needed of the forward gear(s), reverse and neutral. And they have no business with each other. Park is totally separate from the others. Sure people shift into D or R while still moving slightly in the opposite direction, but throwing a parking sprag in the way will only cause more ‘clicking’ and eventually a part that allows this anyway. Also it may be needed while moving, if the engine stalls, to place the car in neutral to restart while rolling, to reengage the forward drive gears. Yes it happens if you care to keep a car past 150,000 miles you can expect it at some time. Also disagree with the column shifter as I grew up driving one, one gets to know where it is, and this is within the visual range. Perhaps the column shifter should be in reverse order with park being at the bottom and the drive gears near the top would be more intuitive, but that’s another hamburger. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/22 "2018-05-14T19:16:44Z")
Right - you get to know where it is. People who drive cars with dials or buttons get to know where those are. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/23 "2018-05-14T20:01:23Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You’ll have to pry the fob for my wife’s keyless ignition system from her hands, but you’ll never be able to do so because it stays in her pocket book all day. It’s actually a very elegant system that provides security and convenience. You may not desire to use it, but it’s a must have feature for any car we get, along with heated seats. Endorsed. All of this. I also like car doors that unlock when I approach with the key in my pocket and grab the handle. This makes my life so much easier. > [@Jim\_Peebles](#): > > My car has a keyed ignition (albeit an optical fob instead of a metal key). Nevertheless, I don’t care what mechanism starts my car: I would never use my attached garage for precisely the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. I guess if a hailstorm with hail that could actually damage my car was occuring, I would use it. But I would leave the garage door open and windows open, and make extra sure the car was off. And I have a carbon monoxide detector: I am just not sure it works properly. I think the real non-solution is the attached garage. Do you consider me paranoid? I personally do think you are paranoid, but we all have things that we find risky that others don’t. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/24 "2018-05-14T20:49:27Z")
Bird scooters. Last time I was in SF I nearly got knocked over, twice in ten minutes, by tech bros whizzing by on these. They also took up a great deal of sidewalk space in some areas, especially around Mission Bay. You know, sidewalks, for walking on. The “last mile” issue of public transit isn’t going to be solved by flimsy, dangerous and unregulated electric scooters piled up on city sidewalks. If you want a scooter, get a scooter. Otherwise, just walk. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/25 "2018-05-14T21:08:24Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > See, now, I can’t lock my doors with the car running and the key outside the car. We had a big thread about that a while ago. I know it’s possible on some cars, but for my Honda, if I get out of it, it’s either locked with the engine off or unlocked with the engine on. And therein lies the problem. For five months of the year, I park my car inside the locked garage, but do not lock the car itself. If I had a keyless car, I could easily leave the car on and asphyxiate the two of us. Of course, I could do it anyway, by failing to remove the key, but somehow, pulling the key is just part of getting out of the car. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/26 "2018-05-14T21:55:43Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > By far, the most widespread “problem that does not exist” is food past its best-by date. The solution: Eat it. > > The best-by date is the last date on which the seller of a product will stand behind a guarantee that it meets all freshness criteria. That date has absolutely no other meaning, implications or significance. On the contrary - I find best-by dates very useful. Food isn’t binary, in that it can just be “good” or bad". Instead, it’s usually “better” or “worse”. All food starts going bad the moment it leaves the packaging plant, and the process in which it becomes inedible is gradual rather than sudden, with quality dropping over time. A yogurt two weeks before its best-by date tastes unarguably better than a product one week before its best-by-date, which in turn tastes better than one one day before, and so on. Thus, the best-by date is a useful tool for searching the supermarket refrigerator for the freshest, and thus best-tasting, food. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/27 "2018-05-14T22:08:46Z")
I think the Windows 8 user interface is a major example of this. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/28 "2018-05-14T22:15:11Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > When you touch the brightness meter, it _dims the screen while you make the adjustment_. How else would you expect it to work? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/29 "2018-05-14T22:21:45Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > How else would you expect it to work? I’ll clarify - it dims the screen immediately, before you’ve actually made any adjustment. Then you move the slider to select a brightness level. Only when you let go does it actually implement the level you set. This means you never actually see the brightness level you are setting. I frequently have to do it twice - once as an estimate, another time to correct. In my most charitable moments, I have a hard time imagining what the software people could possibly have been thinking when they built that aspect of the interface. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/30 "2018-05-14T22:28:12Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > I’ll clarify - it dims the screen immediately, before you’ve actually made any adjustment. Then you move the slider to select a brightness level. Only when you let go does it actually implement the level you set. This means you never actually see the brightness level you are setting. I frequently have to do it twice - once as an estimate, another time to correct. > > In my most charitable moments, I have a hard time imagining what the software people could possibly have been thinking when they built that aspect of the interface. OK, that’s not what happens on my iPad. When you bring up the “dock,” the overall screen dims to highlight the dock. As soon as you touch the brightness slider, the screen brightness goes back to it’s original value, and then it dims in response to the slider. As soon as you release the slider, it dims back to it’s “unhighlighted” value, and when the dock is closed, it goes back to it’s new brightness. But, as long as you have your finger on the brightness slider, the screen brightness reflects the final setting. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/31 "2018-05-14T22:35:25Z")
Paddle shifters on (most) cars. They started out on race cars, and are very good in that application. I can even see it in racy street cars [like the Dodge Challenger Hellcat](http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/04/why-should-you-use-paddle-shifters-.html). But not so long ago, I was in a rental Camry that had paddle shifters. A Camry?! (I loved my 2001 Camry, and finally got rid of it when it had just under 284,000 miles on it. But a race car it wasn’t.) There’s no reason a run-of-the-mill road car should have paddle shifters, in spite of article writers saying they’re good for towing, or driving in snow. The vast (as in _vast_) majority of drivers aren’t going to need something like a paddle shifter. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/32 "2018-05-14T22:45:21Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > And therein lies the problem. For five months of the year, I park my car inside the locked garage, but do not lock the car itself. If I had a keyless car, I could easily leave the car on and asphyxiate the two of us. Of course, I could do it anyway, by failing to remove the key, but somehow, pulling the key is just part of getting out of the car. To be fair, you could just as easily leave a keyed car on without realizing it either. Especially for those of us with attached garages that can walk into the house without needing keys because the door from the garage to the house isn’t locked. For you, pulling the key is part of getting out of the car, for me, pushing the stop button is part of getting out of the car. The main difference that I see is that you lock car doors so you wouldn’t me able to do that with my car if it was running. I don’t lock my car doors so it wouldn’t be a problem to do that with it running. Also, if I get out of my car and walkaway with it running it beeps a bunch of times. And, at least in my situation, a running car in a garage would be heard. No matter how quiet the car, it’s going to echo around on all those hard surfaces. For full disclosure, there have been a handful of times that I’ve gotten out of my car with it still running, but I heard the beeps or the engine running or saw the ‘wrong’ lights on and never made it more than 2 or 3 steps before going back to turn it off. It’s been a while, but since my car key is really the only key I carry, I probably did it with my keyed cars as well. TL;DR, what works for you works for you and what works for me works for me. In the end, I think a lot of this stuff just comes down to habit. ---
**Author:** ![ToughLife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@ToughLife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToughLife)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/33 "2018-05-14T22:48:02Z")
Most seem to miss this: > [@](#): > > I’m less interested in debating the merits of this or that device > than simply hearing instances of what people find useless or pointless in the technology they use. My contribution: 1. TV remote I’d prefer [this](https://www.alzproducts.co.uk/alzheimers-simple-remote-controls/flipper-big-button-remote-control)to [this](http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Wg62zHJE&id=2FBD2B3D4A29205E9A2FB80BF9551C3A16CB1DE1&thid=OIP.Wg62zHJEKajgyKfSh5kuagHaEO&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.digitallanding.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2013%2f09%2fXFINITY-Remote-Codes.jpg&exph=360&expw=630&q=most+complex+remote+tv&simid=607991346477076018&selectedIndex=139&ajaxhist=0) any time. 2. Microwaves [this](http://www.pacific-access.com/photos/300_AP-MO-24_1.jpg) rather than [this](https://cdn.wallpapersafari.com/44/4/Jn7Ehj.jpg) 3. Who needs [this?](http://cdn.wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Vacheron-Constantin-Reference-57260-Is-The-World%E2%80%99s-Most-Complicated-Watch.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/34 "2018-05-14T22:56:01Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > I think the Windows 8 user interface is a major example of this. I think Windows usability peaked at Windows XP. Every “upgrade” since then has been a step backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/35 "2018-05-14T23:09:10Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > OK, that’s not what happens on my iPad. > > When you bring up the “dock,” the overall screen dims to highlight the dock. As soon as you touch the brightness slider, the screen brightness goes back to it’s original value, and then it dims in response to the slider. As soon as you release the slider, it dims back to it’s “unhighlighted” value, and when the dock is closed, it goes back to it’s new brightness. But, as long as you have your finger on the brightness slider, the screen brightness reflects the final setting. The one I’m using now (I have two, one of which is on a different IOS version) does this blur effect similar to what you’re describing, but I’m not sure it’s the same thing. Either way, it would be much simpler to have no effects occurring other than the adjustment one is trying to make. There should be a slider which does nothing until the user commands a change, that’s it. I can’t recall any other computer system introducing this sort of unneeded complication to the simple adjustment of screen brightness. Except… Windows, which linked screen brightness to your “power scheme” or whatever they called it a version or two of Windows ago. Rather than simply adjusting your screen brightness, it took multiple steps and established settings that were harder to change. Similar situation with changing the time - it used to be one or two clicks. Now it takes at least three (on the older Windows version on my laptop) to reach the point of entering a new time. It was suggested in some other thread that software engineers need these kinds of pointless changes to justify their jobs. I could live with that if we had a way of reverting back to what actually worked without all the nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/36 "2018-05-14T23:30:35Z")
> [@ToughLife](#): > > Most seem to miss this: > My contribution: > > 1. TV remote > I’d prefer [this](https://www.alzproducts.co.uk/alzheimers-simple-remote-controls/flipper-big-button-remote-control)to [this](http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Wg62zHJE&id=2FBD2B3D4A29205E9A2FB80BF9551C3A16CB1DE1&thid=OIP.Wg62zHJEKajgyKfSh5kuagHaEO&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.digitallanding.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2013%2f09%2fXFINITY-Remote-Codes.jpg&exph=360&expw=630&q=most+complex+remote+tv&simid=607991346477076018&selectedIndex=139&ajaxhist=0) any time. Then you end up in a situation where you need a bunch of remotes. If you have the first one, you probably don’t have a bunch of devices, but the other one can control your TV, Cable box, DVD player and probably at least one more item (receiver). It’s kind of a toss up though. Tell grandpa he needs to turn on the TV with this remote, and the cable box with the other one. If he wants to use DVD player he gets a third remote and at some point you’re going to be over there because the sound doesn’t work and you’ll find that he turned the sound all the way down on the TV but he’s trying to turn it back up on the cable box. The other one solves a bunch of those issues, however, I watch people like my mom (in her 50’s, perfectly capable of working remotes) get confused about the second one. I’ve explained to her a number of times that the top buttons tell the remote what it’s controlling so you need to hit TV then power, then Cable then power etc. She’s given up and just pushes buttons until everything is on. I like my current setup. Granted, things have to be turned on one by one, but because of the HDMI connections, turning off the TV, shuts down everything connected to it (TV, receiver, DVD player etc). Something similar that gets me is streaming apps don’t all do the same thing with the same remote presses. That is, what up or down or FF or RW work with Tivo have nothing to do with what those buttons do when I stream Netflix of HBO through the TiVo. One of my big reasons for not liking streaming media is that if you’re going to do anything other than play it from the beginning to end, non stop, it can be a PITA. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/37 "2018-05-14T23:32:11Z")
Tim R. Mortiss: > [@](#): > > I think Windows usability peaked at Windows XP. Every “upgrade” since then has been a step backwards. Until Windows 8, the UI differences were extremely minor. Every version of Windows from Windows 95 through Windows 7 had the Start button, the Start menu, the taskbar for keeping track of open applications, and a clear desktop where icons could be displayed. People could move between versions with zero adjustment period. I know what the point of the Windows 8 interface was - better usability for touch-screen devices like Windows Phone and Surface. But forcing it on the desktop was very much a solution to a non-existent problem. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/38 "2018-05-14T23:41:10Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > There’s no reason a run-of-the-mill road car should have paddle shifters, in spite of article writers saying they’re good for towing, or driving in snow. The vast (as in _vast_) majority of drivers aren’t going to need something like a paddle shifter. The majority (not vast) of drivers may not need them, but the majority of cars do. Anyone who lives or drives in the mountains should be downshifting an automatic transmission. I used to do it all the time in rental cars by downshifting on the tree or the shifter (my regular cars were all standards). Now that I own an automatic I frequently use it in the mountains or snow. No, everyone doesn’t need it but any car can find itself in the mountains or snow and needs some way to do so. Certainly, using the paddle shifters or shift ± on the stick is better than shifting from gear to gear using the shifter. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/39 "2018-05-14T23:49:50Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The majority (not vast) of drivers may not need them, but the majority of cars do. Anyone who lives or drives in the mountains should be downshifting an automatic transmission. I used to do it all the time in rental cars by downshifting on the tree or the shifter (my regular cars were all standards). Now that I own an automatic I frequently use it in the mountains or snow. No, everyone doesn’t need it but any car can find itself in the mountains or snow and needs some way to do so. Certainly, using the paddle shifters or shift ± on the stick is better than shifting from gear to gear using the shifter. Gah I hate paddle shifters (and I drive stick). Far too often I’d bump one of them and I never knew how to get it back to normal without switching the car into neutral and back to drive. I’ve never seen a use for them, if you want to downshift to slow down on a mountain rd in snow or keep the car in a lower gear for towing, every car I’ve ever been gives you the ability to downshift with some combination of 1, 2 or L or Drive (as opposed to overdrive), 2,1 etc. They work fine for downshifting as well. Paddle shifters, at least IMO, are just for fun and I’ve never seen anyone use them, just bump them by accident. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/40 "2018-05-14T23:54:08Z")
I love the keyless thing on my car. i love not having to take the keys out of my pocket. my car will not let me lock it if i forget to turn it off or if the key is still in the car when i try to lock it. That’s also a nice feature. Yeah, I figured this out by trying to lock my car while it was still “on.” Because it didn’t sound like it was on. But agree that Windows finally got it right at XP and has not really been adding functionality since then. Maybe for some. Not for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126.md?page=3)