The headline is click bait, nothing about it is misunderstood. I generally enjoy esoterica, but can’t believe I just read a whole article that amounts to “those buttons are buttons”.
They’re not, though. They’re button-activated valves with a fairly complicated flow path, integrated screen, extremely high lifecycle, and pressure regulation to deal with a wide range (one spec I saw said 30-90 psig) of water pressure, all while being contained in a single cartridge for easy replacement.
While we're complaining, does anyone else think the button mechanism is too complicated? That diagram has 50 annotations, which seems like too many for a button.
I know nothing about fabrication or physical engineering, but surely it can't be that hard to make it simpler, like a safety pin or a <second thing>.
The details of everyday items are fascinating.