Posted on 06/14/2008 12:15:52 PM PDT by Mike Acker
the plug on the left has been in common use for years. there is nothing wrong with it except we have lots and lots of them in bushel baskets. so some goon make the one on the right. not that it is better in any way: it isn't
this is done for one reason only and that is to force us customers to buy their part.
this is a PITA, as well as a waste of money and also bad for the environment as it is a waste of resources
generally I'm a free market guy but this? sheesh! we need UL to just tel these guys "forget it. use the existing design we ain't certifying a different cord to facilitate your greed
ya like this one? check the catalog for lawn mover blades ( tee hee )
society consists of three main elements: we the people, corporations and government
the government is supposed to reflect the collective will of the people . theorectically free market economics keeps corporate greed under control. but sometime it needs a little help. which is why we have anti-trust laws, epa, cafe, etc
Whoever designed the triple circle atrocity needs to be pegged in the backside with a taze unit while being gnawed upon by fire ants and piranha.
Rotate it 225 degrees to the right and see why we call it the “Mickey Mouse” plug.
oooohhhh look! A hidden Mickey!
I also did a quick search on Monoprice and found a nice deal on them.
Plugs stay plugged because of friction, the surface area of the plug parts surrounding the metal just needs a certain amount of force, and it comes free. When you've got something that might be constantly moving, like a laptop computer, you need to increase the surface area of that surrounding material, and you get more resistance to the thing coming unplugged. Also, you get less strain on the metal parts INSIDE the laptop, when you've got a more complex structure on the nonconductive parts of the plug.
I used to fix laptops, and that's the way it looks from my experience...
UL won’t do anything...it’s run by the manufacturers.
Are you sure the one on the right is for 110/120 AC volts?
That is not true. there once was a business ethic that did so, but no more.
What keeps corporate greed under control is the competitive greed of other corporations.
This is much more dependable than “ethics.”
Utter nonsense. Greed begets greed. Do what is right.
Nonsense. When company A becomes too greedy and abusive of customers, it creates an opening for company B, which gives company A a major incentive to not get too greedy.
I might suggest you check out the “invisible hand” as described so well by Adam Smith in 1776. We don’t depend on the benevolence or ethics of businessmen to protect customers, we depend on their greed. Or enlightened self-interest, if you prefer that term. Either way, it means the same thing.
“You can find those cords for cheap at many computer shows.”
After you pay $5 parking and $6 entrance fee.
Suuure. That's why a toaster made in the 50's worked for 50 years, and even then, could be repaired to last another 50... whereas the toaster today lasts 5 years and then must be thrown away. Planned obsolescence, just one of the many advantages one receives when relying upon greed rather than principle.
Okay.
What did a toaster cost in the 50s?
A Sunbeam T-20 cost $22.50 in 1949.
In 2007, $22.50 from 1949 is worth:
$195.61 using the Consumer Price Index
$164.54 using the GDP deflator
$319.17 using the value of consumer bundle
$325.27 using the unskilled wage
$575.39 using the nominal GDP per capita
$1,165.09 using the relative share of GDP
http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare/result.php
Meanwhile, I can trot down to Big Lots and buy a new toaster when mine breaks for $10. Or I can probably pick one up next Saturday at a garage sale for one or two bucks.
Are the people producing cheap toasters being unethical, or are they giving people what they want?
If they produce a fine quality, highly durable toaster that sells for $100+, are they being ethical or foolish? How many people are willing to pay that much more for a durable toaster? Are you? I know I’m not.
If people don’t buy their toaster, they won’t be in business long. Is that ethically meeting their responsibilities towards their investors and employees?
If you can find somebody to repair your old toaster today, which I doubt, he will charge you at least $25 to $50 for his time, plus parts, assuming he can get parts, which again is doubtful.
Meanwhile, you can buy a new toaster, a quite nice one, at WalMart for $15 to $25.
Are you really going to pay the extra money to repair the old toaster? If you do, it's because you like it for reasons other than functionality, as you can get equivalent functionality for much less money and hassle.
That's fine. Just don't confuse your personal preference for high quality but expensive products with moral issues. Many other people prefer inexpensive products that they replace when they break. Nothing wrong with that either.
Yes, they are being unethical. The buyer doesn't know the difference.
If they produce a fine quality, highly durable toaster that sells for $100+, are they being ethical or foolish?
We won't know, because a fine quality toaster no longer exists.
If people don’t buy their toaster, they won’t be in business long. Is that ethically meeting their responsibilities towards their investors and employees?
Their responsibility is not to their investors, nor to their employees. Their responsibility is to their work. To their craft. Worry about the work and the money will come.
I like the functionality of a 1950's toaster just fine... It does what it says it does. It makes toast, and it makes it for fifty years without a hitch... That IS less money, and less hassle... and look at all the friggin' toast!
Sure I would pay the money to have it fixed, if I never had to buy anther toaster in my life. Cheap at any price.
(actually I just wanted to try the macro focus feature on my new Canon A570. it worked pretty good don't ya think)
thanks guys I feel better now
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