[rauhl]

A door. No Internet-connected camera. No doorbell. Not even a knocker. Just a door. No batteries. No hype cycle. No upgrades. No WiFi. Just a door. When someone is at the door, he knocks with his knuckles. It works. We’ll probably get a knocker at some point, but we don’t need one.

Mechanical watches. I came very close to getting into so-called ‘smart’ watches awhile back, but decided that would have been a pretty foolish waste of my money. Quartz would be more accurate, of course, but I like the sweeping hands and the clockwork.

[ghusto]

Automatic mechanical watches don't get enough hype. They're examples of incredible engineering. Somebody shrunk a grandfather clock down so it could fit in a pocket, then someone else not only shrunk it down further, but made it so _the damn thing wound itself!_

[wilsonnb3]

They are examples of understandable engineering. A modern smartwatch is orders of magnitude more complicated and impressive but people can’t intuitively grok how they work like you can with a mechanical watch.

Even a basic digital watch like a Casio F91W is a much more impressive feat of engineering than the most expensive mechanical watches.

[ghusto]

There may be some truth in this. I have basic understanding software and hardware. I was (and still am!) impressed at how my Amstrad drew graphics on the screen, but am considerably less impressed by the much more complicated graphics we have today.

Though this is likely partially as you said — a degree of separation by understanding — it's also because it's not all "one piece". Many different people in many different teams, departments, countries, are necessary to create something like a smartwatch. None of them can do it alone, and that has something to do with it for me.

[retrocryptid]

But how will a VC make money off your "door" ?? Isn't that the purpose of modern technology: lock-in, enshittification and subscription fees? I would go so far as to say your stingy insistence of not giving money to one of my portfolio firms brands you as decidedly anti-american.

</snark>

Though there are times I think my co-workers do think like that.