# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/61 "2018-05-15T19:10:25Z")
My job requires me to call a phone number every so often and the phone number is an automated phone system where you basically a given a series of Yes/No questions along with ID number requests and must answer them before being given the information you wanted. The problem with this is that they made it so that you can answer the robotic questions with your own voice, which is neat and in theory faster until you get to the part where not only is the voice recognition spotty they no longer allow you to simply hit numbers on your phones numpad instead. So now instead of quickly inputting my 15 digit ID number I have to say all 15 numbers and hope the system recognizes them all. Why they would possibly take away the system that allowed me to just input numbers manually? ---
**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 15, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/62 "2018-05-15T19:14:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > A bodykit and alloy wheels don’t solve any problems that are meaningful to the average driver either. If your definition of solving problems is “providing maximum possible utility to boring people,” you’re going to find most consumer products pointless. Actually, I do find most consumer products pointless. I don’t eschew aesthetics, not by a long shot, but I prefer function over form, and practicality over fashion. Which is why I’m one of the boring people to whom you refer, and I accept that minority status. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Peebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/63 "2018-05-15T19:22:33Z")
I just wanted to point out: the BMW “engine stops when the car stops” non-solution becomes a solution to the non-solution push button ignition killing people with CO poisoning when they leave the car running in an attached garage. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Peebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/64 "2018-05-15T19:26:13Z")
It also occured to me: what if some terroristic hackers figure out how to remotley start cars in attached garages? Another reason I won’t use mine (as a garage for my car - I have plenty of junk stored in it). ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/65 "2018-05-15T19:37:40Z")
Cars seem to have tons of these. I use a Car2Ggo Mercedes for all my driving (which isn’t much). The satellite radio tuner (on the touchscreen again) is pretty much unusable unless you have twenty minutes or so to find anything listenable. The knob, which should be intuitive, only cycles through an infinite number of choices in the same genre. Seriously, unless your Lin-Manuel Miranda, how many hip-hop choices do you need, and how do you keep track of what and where they are? (No offense to fans - I love LMM - it’s just the first style that came to mind.) I just want NPR, is that so hard? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/66 "2018-05-16T04:47:10Z")
I told my phone to text me whenever I get a direct message on Facebook so I can reply to it via text. What happened instead is that every day at 10PM my phone chirps and tells me “Hey, your friends shared 60 updates on Facebook this week”. How this helps anyone I don’t know but it’s required apparently if I still want to get my DM’s sent to my phone. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/67 "2018-05-16T14:00:24Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I love my keyless push-button ignition. Whenever I drive my wife’s car, I’m like, “_Turning a key_ to start a car? What is this, _the Middle Ages?!_” > > I don’t understand, however, how so many people can leave the car running. Mine (2015 Nissan Altima) beeps at me three times when I get out and shut the door if the engine is running. Do people just not listen? I have a keyless car, but it has three pedals. Those leaving their cars on must have automatics. ---
**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 16, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/68 "2018-05-16T15:23:29Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I told my phone to text me whenever I get a direct message on Facebook so I can reply to it via text. What happened instead is that every day at 10PM my phone chirps and tells me “Hey, your friends shared 60 updates on Facebook this week”. How this helps anyone I don’t know but it’s required apparently if I still want to get my DM’s sent to my phone. Why don’t you just reply using the Facebook Messenger app? ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/69 "2018-05-16T16:18:02Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Just after I moved into this rental flat, the oven broke. The landlord very nicely replaced it with a shiny new one, the updated model of the old one. The only significant difference is that in this one features a clock. Great, an inbuilt timer, right? Except… the oven won’t work unless the clock’s ‘set’. > > I’ll frequently go weeks without using the oven, I use the gas hob for most of my cooking, so I turn the oven off at the wall most of the time. This means I have to press ‘set clock’ 4 times to set it to 12:00 before the oven will actually turn on (normally with sticky dough covered hands). I’ve only set it to the actual time once in 6 months. Turn the oven off at the wall? It sounds like the solution to a problem that didn’t exist was putting the oven on a wall switch. Is this common in places other than the US? Why don’t you just leave the switch on? ---
**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 16, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/70 "2018-05-16T18:10:58Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > Turn the oven off at the wall? It sounds like the solution to a problem that didn’t exist was putting the oven on a wall switch. Is this common in places other than the US? Why don’t you just leave the switch on? In the UK, all outlets have wall switches. It’s frankly bizarre that US outlets _don’t_, considering that they reduce the risk of electrocution-by-electrical-socket to basically nil. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/71 "2018-05-16T18:56:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In the UK, all outlets have wall switches. It’s frankly bizarre that US outlets _don’t_, considering that they reduce the risk of electrocution-by-electrical-socket to basically nil. Well, if I’m inclined to futz around the electrical connection on my oven, which I don’t often care to do seeing as it’s a large and heavy appliance, I can go down to the basement and turn off the power there. Not seeing much other risk. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/72 "2018-05-16T19:00:34Z")
> [@ToughLife](#): > > 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. Another problem with the first ‘this’ is that many (most, I’d guess) cable systems have 200 or more channels these days. That’s a lot of channels to arrow through, one at a time, if you’re at channel 53 and the next program you want to watch is on 166. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/73 "2018-05-16T19:21:29Z")
At the office, we’ve got the version of MS Office with Word and Excel 2016. Stuff that you reach for with the mouse goes dim when you’re not using it. Not sure what problem this solves. Specifically, the icons in the Quick Access toolbar in the upper left, the minimize/maximize/close icons in the upper right, and the scroll bar on the right, all go dim. They dim to the extent that I, at least, can’t see them at all. I have to wave the cursor over to that part of the screen to make them reappear, and _then_ I can see to click or grab or whatever I need to do. Just leave the damn things on bright all the time, so I can see them when I need them. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/74 "2018-05-16T19:37:24Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Another problem with the first ‘this’ is that many (most, I’d guess) cable systems have 200 or more channels these days. That’s a lot of channels to arrow through, one at a time, if you’re at channel 53 and the next program you want to watch is on 166. I’m just a cranky old person here, but I sorta feel like “200 or more channels” is also a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. But I recognize that there’s no accounting for taste. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/75 "2018-05-17T00:07:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Why don’t you just reply using the Facebook Messenger app? Because it’s faster to reply via text I already have than use the app. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/76 "2018-05-17T00:17:39Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I’m just a cranky old person here, but I sorta feel like “200 or more channels” is also a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. > But I recognize that there’s no accounting for taste. Some of those channels, on satellite at least, are the same shows delayed for the West coast of the USA. But I regularly move from say channel 4 to channel 186 that’s 182 button presses assuming that all numbers are in use. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/77 "2018-05-17T00:20:47Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In the UK, all outlets have wall switches. It’s frankly bizarre that US outlets _don’t_, considering that they reduce the risk of electrocution-by-electrical-socket to basically nil. Do your AC powered appliances, vacuum, hand mixer etc, also have switches? Plug in the vacuum and switch on the outlet, then switch on the Hoover? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/78 "2018-05-17T01:15:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In the UK, all outlets have wall switches. It’s frankly bizarre that US outlets _don’t_, considering that they reduce the risk of electrocution-by-electrical-socket to basically nil. Some U.S. outlets have wall switches. They are situated just inside the front door, so you can turn on and off lights plugged into that socket when entering or leaving the domicile. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/79 "2018-05-17T01:25:57Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > It’s the keyless ignition I have a problem with, not the fob itself. My car has a fob I can use to unlock the doors and pop the trunk, but I also have a key that goes in the ignition. Seems to me that’s the right combination of convenience and mechanical certainty. not really. even if you have a key, modern cars all have computer controlled “tip start.” if you have a start button, pressing the button tells the PCM to operate the starter until it senses the engine is running. if you have a key, all twisting the key does is tell the PCM to operate the starter until it senses the engine is running. the days of hard-wired ignition switches and lock cylinders are long gone. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126/80 "2018-05-17T01:31:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > In the UK, all outlets have wall switches. It’s frankly bizarre that US outlets _don’t_, considering that they reduce the risk of electrocution-by-electrical-socket to basically nil. #1 I realize that the British national pastime is criticizing everything Americans do, but just because things are _different_ here doesn’t mean they’re worse. #2 electric ranges in the US are typically on 240VAC, 30 or 50 amp circuits. good luck putting a usable switch on that circuit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solutions-to-problems-that-dont-exist/814126.md?page=5)