General design stupidity

[Tks]

Because these are full of unproductive people convincing other unproductive people otherwise.

That makes sense for a few weeks, or a quarter at most. Where are the managers, or slightly higher folks to weed out some of these clowns after a little while?

 

[Sokel]

I can't stand touchscreen remotes. Despite the name, they can't be operated by touch alone.

The day logitech will come again with something like the Harmony 880 I'll buy 4 or 5 of them.
Moving sensor,buttons,device sequence,easy to use,learning by transmission or by list,etc.
Too bad they stopped those kind of remotes.

 

[rdenney]

The day logitech will come again with something like the Harmony 880 I'll buy 4 or 5 of them.
Moving sensor,buttons,device sequence,easy to use,learning by transmission or by list,etc.
Too bad they stopped those kind of remotes.

Mine still works after 15 years. It's the only reason my wife can work our TV/HT system without me being there.

Rick "takes good care of it" Denney

 

[Sokel]

Mine still works after 15 years. It's the only reason my wife can work our TV/HT system without me being there.

Rick "takes good care of it" Denney

Mine works too,I have every possible protection applied on it.
I hope it will appreciate it!

 

[dasdoing]

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I'm sure you'll like this one, if it ever comes to pass:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/12/16880978/gm-autonomous-car-2019-detroit-auto-show-2018

"GM will make an autonomous car without steering wheel or pedals"

Of course, it seems odd that they couldn't figure out how to integrate the Climate Control


View attachment 107787


I wonder what it does if you press the red triangle?

Ejection seat activator for when the guidance system goes haywire?

 

[Tks]

So companies are actually morons then? It's as simple as that? Scared to take risks, while also being stupid and making things uglier and less enticing than their previous stuff?

Interesting, very interesting how shareholders are also morons that don't kick some sense into the companies they invest in..

 

[Blumlein 88]

I actually think the example is way off the mark. The suppositions of what caused the Aztek is off and a couple decades late at least.

In 1970 or so GM had a worldwide market share of 63% of all cars sold. The head of the company decided that engineering and manufacturing knowledge was a commodity. There was also fear that growing larger would result in anti-trust issues with the US gov't. Along with the belief being so large they didn't need to make better cars, they just needed to squeeze the most profit out of them. Marketing was more important than what they were building to such people. As a result MBA's began to fill positions that once were filled with engineers or new positions to run things were put over engineers. Don Hackworth was one of those guys earning an MBA at Ohio State and then hiring on with GM. His management style was intentionally confrontational as that was his stated philosophy on management. Hard to make a good car when your confrontational boss doesn't understand engineering and darn well won't have you telling him about problems with a design.

The shame of it is GM had some of the best engineers and the most funds to work with of anybody in the car business those years. Another shame is GM's current CEO was mentored by Don Hackworth. He wasn't the only such guy of course much of GM was like that for a long time.

 

[dasdoing]

I actually think the example is way off the mark. The suppositions of what caused the Aztek is off and a couple decades late at least.

In 1970 or so GM had a worldwide market share of 63% of all cars sold. The head of the company decided that engineering and manufacturing knowledge was a commodity. There was also fear that growing larger would result in anti-trust issues with the US gov't. Along with the belief being so large they didn't need to make better cars, they just needed to squeeze the most profit out of them. Marketing was more important than what they were building to such people. As a result MBA's began to fill positions that once were filled with engineers or new positions to run things were put over engineers. Don Hackworth was one of those guys earning an MBA at Ohio State and then hiring on with GM. His management style was intentionally confrontational as that was his stated philosophy on management. Hard to make a good car when your confrontational boss doesn't understand engineering and darn well won't have you telling him about problems with a design.

The shame of it is GM had some of the best engineers and the most funds to work with of anybody in the car business those years. Another shame is GM's current CEO was mentored by Don Hackworth. He wasn't the only such guy of course much of GM was like that for a long time.

I do believe the Aztek is not a good example, since it's fame of beeing ugly is exagerated as f_ck, and it actually was only a fail because it was too early (kind of).
the arguments in the video are still valid

 

[IPunchCholla]

I actually think the example is way off the mark. The suppositions of what caused the Aztek is off and a couple decades late at least.

In 1970 or so GM had a worldwide market share of 63% of all cars sold. The head of the company decided that engineering and manufacturing knowledge was a commodity. There was also fear that growing larger would result in anti-trust issues with the US gov't. Along with the belief being so large they didn't need to make better cars, they just needed to squeeze the most profit out of them. Marketing was more important than what they were building to such people. As a result MBA's began to fill positions that once were filled with engineers or new positions to run things were put over engineers. Don Hackworth was one of those guys earning an MBA at Ohio State and then hiring on with GM. His management style was intentionally confrontational as that was his stated philosophy on management. Hard to make a good car when your confrontational boss doesn't understand engineering and darn well won't have you telling him about problems with a design.

The shame of it is GM had some of the best engineers and the most funds to work with of anybody in the car business those years. Another shame is GM's current CEO was mentored by Don Hackworth. He wasn't the only such guy of course much of GM was like that for a long time.

I was at Boeing when they payed McDonald Douglas to acquire them. The 30 year trajectory of being engineer led to MBA led and its tragic consequences has been interesting to watch from afar.