Why does using a standard $20 WalMart alarm clock remind programmers of toggling data into a PDP-4 one bit at at time? Because that's what they're doing. So why do alarm clocks still have one-bit user interfaces after all these years? And why do they have an array of buttons on top, which you're likely to hit while fumbling half asleep?

Why do alarm clock programmers often have doubts about what the state of the clock is? Eg: after you hit snooze 10 times, will you keep getting your alarm? 30 times? There's no indication on the front panel that says what the state is. Classic user interface problem: hte user doesn't know the state because it's not shown.

And why do most alarm clocks have that damn sliding switch that breaks after N cycles. They know you'll use that switch twice a day every work day.

The original alarm clock chips from National and Intersil and so on had lines for each button and slide switch. They designed the interface. In the 1970s. They wanted to minimize the number of switches and wires to connect to them because those things are labor intensive and even then they had profit margins. Everyone keeps using the same basic chip interface or even the same chips, just putting a fancier plastic case on the same electronics. Good for them, economy of scale.

Okay, so that's where the inscrutible user interface came from. So why don't we get a new one after 30 years?

What would a well designed alarm clock interface look like? Voice recognition?
me: "Clock, get me up for my Smith appointment."
clock: "Okay." ...
clock: "Wake up time. Wake up time. It's seven."
me: "Gimme another hour."
clock: "Your appointment is for eight. You have to get up now."

Are they now? Mmmm.....no. The new one lasted much less. Warranty? Just out, natch.

The shaver's popup trimmer has a set of linearly reciprocating blades (think hedge trimmer) mounted on a popout panel. There are three moving parts: one moving metal blade, a vibrating motor nub, and a toggle arm which transfers the nub movements to the blades.

The blades are metal. That's it. The nub, the lever arm, the panel they're mounted on, and especially the stationary pivot pin are all plastic.

What do you suppose fails when there is any resistance, such as hair, reduced lubrication, , or whatever placed on the blades? The blades stop, the motor keeps going, and all the force of the motor goes into shearing the plastic pivot pin, disabling the razor.

Machines designed to fail early in life, under normal, expected, operating conditions, are a part of Western consumer society. It's not great but we all expect it. This is not the limit of the crime in this case, however.

I believe Norelco has taken extra advantage of the consumer in this case for two reasons. First, their previous quality hardware would lead a loyal customer to buy another. Only this time, it' the plastic self-destructing kind. Second, a customer liking the rotary style of shaving is not likely to move to another style easily, so that customer, although pissed, just might buy another destructo again.

Even darker circumstantial evidence would say that Norelco most likely knows exactly how long the factory lubrication lasts; it's their business to know. Then they could have designed that pivot pin to shear when the blade friction rose to a high enough point. If the razor had simply jammed and stopped, that would be fine: the user could disassemble, clean, lubricate, and keep going. No, they designed the pin to shear to relieve the motor stress.

If we assume their engineers must know the lubrication life and that they must know the pivot pin shear force, we can only conclude the razor was designed to fail at a certain time, preferably after warranty.

Crap.

Life grid calendar - Displays a zoomable display of one square for every day in user's past and anticipated future life. Allows one to place in perspective the important things.

May be part of some calendar program maybe, or separately. Options include user's life expectancy and grid aspect ratio. Squares can be colored specially. LE=100 => 365,000 cells or about 604 per axis. Display in scroll box, print options.