@niko my microwave is smart. i can turn it on from my phone.

like i still have to put shit inside first or else i’m just ionizing air

but then i can just close the door, sit down, and THEN decide how long i want to microwave for. so very convenience

@sodiboo @niko aside from the interface maybe being a bit nicer i don’t get that. you’re already at the microwave and unless you’re reheating or heating things you shouldn’t the box probably even comes with microwaving instructions?

@sodiboo @niko @tthbaltazar Truly a modern marvel!

@charlotte @sodiboo @niko One of my hot takes is that a microwave's interface should only consist of two knobs: one for power and one for time

@jmopp @charlotte @sodiboo @niko I just need Minute Plus. Maybe cancel, but honestly just clear the time when I open the door and I’ll be set. One singular button is all I ever use (unless I have to cancel because I grabbed something early).

@charlotte @sodiboo @niko 'nicer interface'? No doubt enabled by minimising/enshitifying the physical controls on the microwave.
It seems they are finally getting the message and moving away from this with the controls on cars:

https://t2online.in/goodlife/wheels-1/buttons-are-back--car-makers-are-moving-controls-back-from-the-touchscreen-to-physial-switches/2006951

@sodiboo @niko

You are using it wrong.
The point of this is that you can now "butt-dial" your microwave to burn down your house for you.

@sodiboo @niko

normal microwave workflow: load microwave, turn dial or press keypad on microwave, press start button

smart microwave workflow: load microwave, possibly go and find your smart phone unless you already have it on you (which you probably don't because you are at home), unlock phone, go to microwave app, set time, press start on phone

how is this better?

@0x6e6174 @sodiboo @niko

The selling point for connected ovens was that it sometimes takes a while to preheat (which is the same reason that they often have timers, so you can set them to come on and preheat at a specific time). If you’ve not done this and have prepared some food that just needs to go in a preheated oven, you can tell your oven to turn on when you leave work and just pop things in when you get home.

I bet someone said ‘well, if it makes sense for an oven, microwave ovens are a kind of oven so it must make sense for them too’.

@sodiboo @niko I do not understand these purportedly intelligent devices

@david_chisnall @0x6e6174 @niko oh . actually? in this case, it kinda makes sense then. my microwave is ALSO an oven.

i didn’t think to consider that preheating is a legit use case for this.

@sodiboo @niko sodi, ionizing air? isn't the microwave radio spectrum non-ionizing??

@fries @sodiboo @niko It just jiggles the water molecules really hard. Speaking of which - when you put metal stuff in, can it make arc discharges? That would be ionized air. I've only accidentally put thin metal films (aluminium in paper, gold in ceramic), and the damage was thermal, not arcing. There's probably YouTube videos of people goofing around, making electric and fire hazards...

@jmopp @charlotte @niko my microwave mainly does have those two knobs. except the power is one of 5 options instead of a knob i can fine tune.

@jmopp @charlotte @sodiboo @niko

The classic Amanda Radarange UI!!! My uncle had one of those for 50 years.

@sodiboo @david_chisnall @niko you don'n preh heat a microwave????

@0x6e6174 @david_chisnall @niko no? that’s not how microwaves work? they directly heat the food. you can’t “pre-heat” with a microwave without putting your food in ahead of time but that’s just Normal Heating But Earlier.

pre-heating only makes sense in an oven, which actually heats the air around the food.

you also can’t pre-heat an induction stove, without first placing a cooking utensil on it (in which case you’re moreso pre-heating the pan or the water in a pot, not the stove itself)

@0x6e6174 @sodiboo @david_chisnall @niko you what??

@sodiboo @david_chisnall @niko yes exactly. this is what I am saying. thus it makes no senso to have this feature in a microwave

@0x6e6174 @david_chisnall @niko yes . but perhaps the feature is not mainly for the microwave. perhaps it is for the oven. the Internet-Connected Warm Cuboid in my home can heat in multiple ways. it has both the “blast the food water directly and shake its insides up real good” AND the “golden crusty heated from the surface of the food, hot air balloon style”

@david_chisnall @0x6e6174 @niko thus, the device that i nominally described as a “microwave” (because it is), actually DOES have a mode of operation where pre-heating makes sense! hallelujah!

@jmopp @charlotte @sodiboo @niko I got one of those commercial models that just have a single knob, and it is almost ideal. I love my interactions with my microwave.
I sometimes want the second knob so I can defrost things, but I'd settle for a cook/defrost switch instead of a knob.

@sodiboo @niko You just need to pair it with smart Fridge, Freezer, plates, & bowls.

@sodiboo @niko i mean i can see it for like, prepare stuff and put in microwave, go to meeting that you arent sure how long it lasts, and when the end is in sight you start the microwave
but thats like, a nice usecase i guess
with something that takes longer like an airfryer or such that would make much more sense

@4censord
the usecase i can see is broadcasting the "done" signal beyond the reach of its buzzer/speaker. that's the same usecase i see for washing machines and such
@sodiboo @niko