There is probably one of those books, “Microwaves for Dummies,” already written. If not, someone needs to quickly put it together, and perhaps add a caveat – “Microwaves for Seniors.” Or, “Microwaves for Seniors Who Can’t Read the Fine Print of the Instructions.”
These is a problem for those of us heading down the Old Codgerville path. Appliances which should be simple, isn’t.
Why isn’t it? For one, whoever develops microwaves makes their use non-intuitive. While this applies to a lot of newer electronic technologies, the microwave developers seem to hold a special place in their heart for coming up with ways to confuse you in terms of how to operate the machine.
For example, shouldn’t there be a quick turn on/off function.?This button starts it. This button turns it off. This button allows you to set the timing.
No, this does not seem to be the case with many microwaves. If you happen to travel and encounter a hotel microwave in the breakfast area, one in the room, or one in the kitchen of your VRBO home, trying to put 40 seconds on the timer to warm your coffee can turn into a disaster. This shouldn’t be the case.
Instead, you should see an icon that says, “if you press this button, it will allow you to determine the number of seconds you want to warm your dish.” I guess the problem is that’s too much language. Forget I wrote that.
I can remember many, many times going up to a foreign microwave and turning a button or tapping the screen in seven, eight, nine or more places and in different combinations and only getting the the word “bacon” to show up on the screen. Does everyone want bacon? Is bacon a default cookie cutter item that can also encompass asparagus, green beans, peas, corn and leftover hash? I doubt it.
You can, of course, keep hitting that bacon button until it warms your coffee (something I’ve done on more than one frustrated occasion). But that drives me crazy, too.
Complicated appliance directions written in small print is not limited to microwaves. I have a good friend who is baffled by his washing machine and wants a top loader with a warm/cold, on/off switch. No beeping allowed. No little singsong noise that tells you the door is either shut or still open. No blinking lights. Click, crank, start.
Yeah, he is on the Old Codgerville path, too, and a bit of a curmudgeon. He, like me, would like to eliminate the bells and whistles. We’d both probably go back to hand rolling the windows in our cars if the automobile manufacturers would oblige our age set with that nostalgia factor.
Sigh, but no, that’s not going to happen. We must embrace the future. We must battle and absorb technological innovation, to a certain degree at a minimum if we are to function in our current world.
That means reading the small print in directions, making sure your reading glasses are nearby so you’re always prepared for those situations. It means experimentation – playing with all the dials like a scientist to see what results. This works. Sometimes.
More often than not, we’re left frustrated, looking like dummies, which is why they write those books. Maybe the next round of those best sellers if to change “dummy” to “curmudgeon.” Might be a best seller.
These is a problem for those of us heading down the Old Codgerville path. Appliances which should be simple, isn’t.
Why isn’t it? For one, whoever develops microwaves makes their use non-intuitive. While this applies to a lot of newer electronic technologies, the microwave developers seem to hold a special place in their heart for coming up with ways to confuse you in terms of how to operate the machine.
For example, shouldn’t there be a quick turn on/off function.?This button starts it. This button turns it off. This button allows you to set the timing.
No, this does not seem to be the case with many microwaves. If you happen to travel and encounter a hotel microwave in the breakfast area, one in the room, or one in the kitchen of your VRBO home, trying to put 40 seconds on the timer to warm your coffee can turn into a disaster. This shouldn’t be the case.
Instead, you should see an icon that says, “if you press this button, it will allow you to determine the number of seconds you want to warm your dish.” I guess the problem is that’s too much language. Forget I wrote that.
I can remember many, many times going up to a foreign microwave and turning a button or tapping the screen in seven, eight, nine or more places and in different combinations and only getting the the word “bacon” to show up on the screen. Does everyone want bacon? Is bacon a default cookie cutter item that can also encompass asparagus, green beans, peas, corn and leftover hash? I doubt it.
You can, of course, keep hitting that bacon button until it warms your coffee (something I’ve done on more than one frustrated occasion). But that drives me crazy, too.
Complicated appliance directions written in small print is not limited to microwaves. I have a good friend who is baffled by his washing machine and wants a top loader with a warm/cold, on/off switch. No beeping allowed. No little singsong noise that tells you the door is either shut or still open. No blinking lights. Click, crank, start.
Yeah, he is on the Old Codgerville path, too, and a bit of a curmudgeon. He, like me, would like to eliminate the bells and whistles. We’d both probably go back to hand rolling the windows in our cars if the automobile manufacturers would oblige our age set with that nostalgia factor.
Sigh, but no, that’s not going to happen. We must embrace the future. We must battle and absorb technological innovation, to a certain degree at a minimum if we are to function in our current world.
That means reading the small print in directions, making sure your reading glasses are nearby so you’re always prepared for those situations. It means experimentation – playing with all the dials like a scientist to see what results. This works. Sometimes.
More often than not, we’re left frustrated, looking like dummies, which is why they write those books. Maybe the next round of those best sellers if to change “dummy” to “curmudgeon.” Might be a best seller.
