[k310]

Agree. Simple stuff that people really need is missing. I mean really simple. I can't read product labels even with serious myopia and a magnifying lens. Only Trader Joe's makes readable shelf signage. Use-by dates take 30 seconds to even find. And there are tons more things. I made a list ...

It's getting longer. Thanks for posting this.

[gumby]

A program that parses an arbitrary shelf label and then displays a large-print normalized representation (like the nutrition label) would be valuable.

[fy20]

This is idea behind GS1 Digital Link [0], basically QR codes to replace barcodes. The QR code will contain a URL which when scanned provides product information to the consumer.

The format of the URL is defined by the standard, so it can contain the EAN for the POS as well as additional data such as expiry date. Almost all 'barcode' scanners in use today can read QR codes so it just needs a software change on the POS.

https://digital-link.com/gs1-digital-link/

[gumby]

An important part of my suggestion was the normalized output, not the advertising data the mfr provides.

The nutrition labels are pretty good (though sometimes the serving size is bogus — that should be normalized by the program). Also the unit cost (price per oz or whatever) is manipulated by the seller or mfr, and that should be usefully normalized too.

[ChrisGranger]

Like Firefox's Reader View for real life.

[93po]

can i please also have ublock for real life, i am so tired of outdoor advertising, it's basically the only place i see ads now

[adamomada]

Imho this is going to be the killer app for Vision headset type devices when they get cheap and available: An AI powered uBlock Origin that can recognize logos and advertising and blank them out.

[6510]

vandalism as a service

[93po]

i live in houston which was just hit by a hurricane - one of the upsides being most of the billboards have been shredded, which is a nice improvement over mind polluting ads

thanks hurricane beryl

[gumby]

The ban* on billboards on Interstate highways was thanks to a famous Texan, Lady Bird Johnson.

* The few you do still see today are legacy billboards that date from when the legislation was passed, around 1965.

[gumby]

Exactly.

[whynotmaybe]

The Yuka app can scan the barcode and shows whether the food or cosmetic you scanned is good for you or not.

https://yuka.io/en/

[arnonejoe]

that is an awesome idea.

[ed]

iOS has a built-in app called “magnifier” which might be more handy than a lens!

[k310]

Many product labels and prices are situated very high and very low. I end up taking a photo to capture the info.

I also like to visit thrift stores, and being practical, I snap photos of weird and wonderful items rather than buying them.

[sillysaurusx]

What else is on the list? That's interesting.

[k310]

I can share some really important things I’d like to see for seniors. I am leaving out some innovative ideas that go beyond these, because “first things first”.

Here are some.

Anything to help low vision (and that’s a giant problem) One periodical I get has some white text on a bright yellow background. Solution: I wrote them. Waiting …

Finding things, whether in the home or at local stores (whose inventory varies, as in “Stuff comes and goes at Trader Joe’s”) or even online (which is tough for many people since online stuff is largely bogus scams bolstered by SEO) Home and food and medicine inventory (data to be private and not fed to sellers, thank you.)

Exoskeletons. This technology is already old. What’s the hang-up? Other mobility?

Backpacks that have gyroscopes built in to stabilize people.

Fall mitigation. TBD

Finding real help nearby, trusted people, not “pay to get referrals” right now, as in “I’m in a jam”. Includes tech advice. And spares to loan.

Filtering email and websites for scams and malware.

Any sane noncommercial alternative to “social media”. (That’s a larger issue but very important in my mind, which is free of them)

That opens the matter of getting important, pertinent, personal and timely news and situational awareness rather than noise. (See above)

Creating secure family communications to bust AI-generated phony ransom calls (and more)

Simple robotics, of the “bring your slippers and reading glasses” sort. Cellphone, too. Seems it’s always charging when I need it.

Oh, and since I’m in the foothills, places to go when there’s an evacuation, power is out, and cool places to hang out.

I think these address major unmet needs. I would hate to see them enshittified.

Other ideas will improve quality of life, but first things first.

[k310]

Shortly, I just rode out a heat wave. Glad to share.

I'm 75 and very in tune with needs!

[czbond]

@k310 - I have to ask, is k310 your ham radio handle?

[k310]

k310 is both the Koechel number of a great Mozart piano sonata, but the office number I had at Itek Optical Systems in Lexington, MA, now something else.

When I was crazy interested in ham radio as a kid, I didn't have enough money to buy or build any gear. I'd buy schematics and build stuff in my mind, which may account for some quirks, but they're almost entirely good quirks, which is why I am posting to help others, with problems way bigger than my own. Thanks for asking!