What did you do today?

Choidebu

"Banned"
Aug 16, 2017
1,196
1,204
Today I'm working on redoing all my branding for stationery, email signatures, and social media, including my profile pic for SFF.NETWORK

The full image has more detail, like circuitry running through the lettering, but I think it gets lost in smaller images, so I've removed it. Not sure about a plain black background vs a subtle circular gradient.

What do you think?

Slick. Definitely liked this one better than your old one. Kinda feel like razer-y though
 

AlexTSG

Master of Cramming
Jun 17, 2018
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Slick. Definitely liked this one better than your old one. Kinda feel like razer-y though

Thanks! I got this one done by a graphic designer and when I sent through some logos and branding I liked to give them some direction, Razer and Cyberpunk 2077 logos were both included, so the style was mainly influenced by the Cyberpunk logo with the Razer green.

I've tried some other colours, but my favorites are the green and a monochrome version. The monochrome version is going to be used in places that need a more professional look, like invoices.

 
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BirdofPrey

Standards Guru
Sep 3, 2015
797
493
I had to get a new microwave this weekend. Hard to find a replacement for my countertop convection microwave combination. Seems all the actual good stuff is built-in only.

It's quite the disappointment how much the quality of seemingly everything has gone down. I bought this last microwave to replace one that could very well have been bought at a Montgomery Wards only for it to break after just a couple years with no replacement parts available, and pretty much every potential replacement has a bunch of bad reviews about failing just after the mere one year warranty. A lot of other small appliances and tools like that.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
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@BirdofPrey my parents decided on splitting the microwave and oven when they bought a kitchen 10 years ago. Generally combinations don't last very long or that was their conclusion. Considering the age of both devices still working and looking like new, I can't counter that logic.

BUT why I'm even here wasting everyone's time writing a reply, I'll try to be helpful. When consumer products don't suffice I look into commercial or industrial level products. Though I don't think you'll find a combination oven in one of those categories. Example: https://www.restaurantsupply.com/commercial-ovens

It's obvious that how longer a technology is in production, cost cutting and built-in obsolescence becomes standard. Our family had a few of the first generation of consumer-available microwave ovens and they worked for decades. Now you buy one and you hope it doesn't break down after two years. That's why I gravitate towards commercial or industrial level devices for something that needs to be reliable.
 

ignsvn

By Toutatis!
SFFn Staff
Apr 4, 2016
1,706
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@BirdofPrey my parents decided on splitting the microwave and oven when they bought a kitchen 10 years ago. Generally combinations don't last very long or that was their conclusion. Considering the age of both devices still working and looking like new, I can't counter that logic.

BUT why I'm even here wasting everyone's time writing a reply, I'll try to be helpful. When consumer products don't suffice I look into commercial or industrial level products. Though I don't think you'll find a combination oven in one of those categories. Example: https://www.restaurantsupply.com/commercial-ovens

It's obvious that how longer a technology is in production, cost cutting and built-in obsolence becomes standard. Our family had a few of the first generation of consumer-available microwave ovens and they worked for decades. Now you buy one and you hope it doesn't break down after two years. That's why I gravitate towards commercial or industrial level devices for something that needs to be reliable.

My parents' Hitachi (yes, Hitachi) fluorescent lamp from around 1990 lasted for around 10 years, while the later ones lasted only 3-4 years :p
 
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BirdofPrey

Standards Guru
Sep 3, 2015
797
493
Oh I DO still have a regular oven. I just find the smaller combination device quite useful. As JUST an oven, a smaller one heats a bit more quickly, and doesn't warm the house anywhere near as much in the summer, and I just don't have the space for a microwave AND toaster oven. More than that, though, I've found the combination cooking mode to be rather nice to have. It actually DOES cook stuff a bit more quickly.

I tend to also make my own frozen meals: single-serving casseroles, lasagna, etc. so I can have something to just shove in to heat when I'm too tired to cook a meal without resorting to the "food" in the freezer section of the grocer, and the combo is really nice for those.


I definitely hear you on the planned obsolescence. Really frustrating, and it's EVERYWHERE. There also seems to be a contraction of mid range options. You can pay a couple hundred bucks or a couple thousand bucks for most any kind of home furnishing or appliance, but there's slim pickings in the middle.
 
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nightshift

Airflow Optimizer
Jul 23, 2020
268
168
Regarding the built in obsolescence, it is definetly out there. Some components are even made from weak materials that are intentionally chosen like that isntead of something durable. They are known to fatigue and crack after a certain time under continous use - upon testing, they can now roughly tell how many years it needs to wear out within a normal scenario, resulting in a possible purchase of a newer model.

Back in the day, it was the exact opposite - they sought the better quality materials and marketed the product accordingly, highlighting it's durability. Then again the whole approach was different, a product was viewed in itself, instead of the maniacal comparing that we do today. Someone made a small, reliable radio you can hang in your garage, and it was just that. A radio. A product that doesn"t want to be anything more and can stand on it's own for what it is.
Same reason why I still like the original brick gameboy for example. It delivers a certain something that doesn't need to be perfected anymore, they reached it's best implementation with the first model. Aside from some games actually being kinda long and complex, it is a whole different world, something that modern gaming cannot provide. When I play it, that means I counciously choose not to go with 4k graphics and need to scratch that other itch, that's exactly the authentic few bit goodness in a system that's a big chunk, great to hold, has weight with nice colour themes and just real cozy (installed an olive green-yellowish coloured backlit screen though). If somebody would bring colour to these cartridges, that would ruin the graphics. I honestly believe that handheld games should never be 3D and anything beyond the GBA feels too flashy to be played in that fashion.
And thank god those devices are from a time where they still built them to last, so that I can play them still.
 
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Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
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I dislike planned obsolescence due to low quality components with a passion, I always look out for devices that are made to last and I have no issue with paying (a lot) more for something that isn't designed to keep me rebuying. I regularly come to the point that I buy commercial or industrial devices, even though they cost more, they also last much longer and can be repaired. Though in regards to computers and other hobbies, this isn't easy to do. Yet well thought and designed steel cases like the Cerberus and quality components like Noctua do help in that regard.
 
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ignsvn

By Toutatis!
SFFn Staff
Apr 4, 2016
1,706
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I dislike planned obsolescence due to low quality components with a passion, I always look out for devices that are made to last and I have no issue with paying (a lot) more for something that isn't designed to keep me rebuying. I regularly come to the point that I buy commercial or industrial devices, even though they cost more, they also last much longer and can be repaired. Though in regards to computers and other hobbies, this isn't easy to do. Yet well thought and designed steel cases like the Cerberus and quality components like Noctua do help in that regard.

Yesss.. on top of the cost, buying new items means you need to do your research again. This is wasting time & not efficient.
 
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nightshift

Airflow Optimizer
Jul 23, 2020
268
168
Yep. Not all components need to be reinvented for better performance for example. That is just one approach out of many. What's with the obsession of screens in a mobile device? A phone with decent resolution still below the 4th digit is waaaay more than enough. I don't want to read articles on 5 inch screen. No need for 4k oled within a palm size ratio. Doesn't belong here. What's even the point when batteries as so far behind, it costs you to charge your evice at least once per day? The components are not in harmony, it's like a certain form of bottlenecking. A complete waste and definetly a step back in functionality. It's like installing an expensive mobile grill in your car that would always be on in case you want to grill while driving and it would continuously consume your gas of course. Why not make the phones more durable or focus on developing better batteries, so it'll consume less power allowing us the luxury of not having to charge it every day? Now that would actually make sense. Smartphones definetly got out of control.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,827
4,902
The same strategy was used with TVs in the last two decades, where the latest gimmick tries to make people buy a new model because they need for people to keep buying products. The last few technologies were LED backlighting (which allowed cheaper production) with later local dimming and active/passive 3D with glasses. Neither, in my opinion, provided a tangible benefit that warranted a replacement for a recent model that didn't have these features, but it happened anyway.

We see the same thing with phones: needlessly high resolution, AI-assisted cameras, shiny, colorful glass and aluminium bodies that need to be protected with a case. How about back to basics: a resolution that's good enough but with a variable and higher refresh rate, a singular camera with a good sensor and good lens that's just optically better without software trickery and a steel frame body with impact resistance built in.
 

thelaughingman

SFF Guru
Jul 14, 2018
1,413
1,566
Speaking of mobile, I miss my Nexus 4, such a great phone for the price. The last couple of cycles I don't upgrade due to hardware but software. Since I only use Nexus/Pixel phones, the moment Google stops giving out security update to a phone, that's when I know to buy a new one. My Pixel 2 XL is planned for early 2021 retirement :)

In my house we still have LED TV from 6-7 years ago, if it ain't broke, why bother?
 

Valantar

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 20, 2018
2,201
2,225
I only moved on from my Oneplus 3T because it broke (poorly soldered battery connector) and repairing it wasn't possible. Got a cheap-ish (read: 2010 flagship price) Moto One Zoom, which I'm very happy with (though I'd have liked a tad more RAM). Beyond that I keep anything and everything until it breaks or is functionally obsolete, i.e. no longer fits my needs within a rather lenient standard. Case in point: the TV in the picture above is 8 years old, my current GPU is 5 years old, etc. The stereo in the pic above is from the late '90s, and is being retired now for the sole reason that something has broken in the CD tray, making it make a horrible grinding noise unless it's fully open. We're planning on upgrading the TV, but that is essentially a requirement for my partner's job. The last laptop I bought was a Lenovo X201, which I kept until I sold it in ... 2017? Something like that. Still working, well cared for, though the batteries were rather worn (current laptop is work-issued). There are very, very few things that piss me off as much as planned obsolescence, especially of the "no, you can't repair your stuff, only we can, and we only offer repairs within warranty" nonsense. That is capitalism at its very worst.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,827
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My Logitech G403 Hero mouse AGAIN has started to erratically double-click. It's a common issue with the G403 and G703 Hero mice, as a few others, they often start to register a single click as a double click often well within the warranty. This increases up to a point that most clicks are registered as double clicks. Not very gamery... The problem is the switches, so I set out to replace them:


Replaced the original with these red Kailh GM 60M, the original are Omron D2FC-F-K which are supposed to last 50 million clicks.
Needed: a very fine tipped Phillips screwdriver, small pliers, a soldering iron. Patience, fine motor skills and a guide is very recommended.


I also needed to replace the pads because the screws are hidden below them. These are a set of CorePads.


The original offenders.

The new switches clicks a little louder, a little more tactile and has a lower tone. This should fix the problem permanently, as I'm not going to be sending the mouse back to the store every 4 months because Logitech can't be bothered to fix their products.
 

AlexTSG

Master of Cramming
Jun 17, 2018
599
590
www.youtube.com
Not sure if I'll add a mouse repair to my ever growing list of PC related projects. I have a G900 that has a button that won't work anymore, and strangely enough, it's one I've hardly ever used. One of the DPI adjustment ones.

Overall my Logitech mouse experiences have been really good. This last weekend I found an old MX500 that I must have bought almost 20 years ago, and that still works perfectly (I was surprised how nice it still is to use).

Maybe it's just a case of "They don't make them like they used to."
 
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