From: blockedofcourse@foo.invalid   
      
   On 12/11/2025 1:19 PM, John R Walliker wrote:   
   >> Engineers get used to absolutes.  It's psychologically comforting   
   >> to be able to lean on some "hard numbers" to bolster your claims.   
   >> Consumers put little faith in those.  *Designing* for that market   
   >> is entirely different than for a regulated market or one where   
   >> the customer expects metrics to apply.  There, you don't want the   
   >> customer to remember any negative aspects of your product that   
   >> will discourage him from a repeat purchase.   
   >>   
   >> A "300 dB horn" just has to SOUND loud.  REALLY loud.   
   >   
   > How can companies compete fairly when their claims are so   
   > obviously made up?   
   > Why should I believe one impossible claim is better or worse than   
   > another impossible claim?   
      
   You're thinking like an engineer.  As if numbers matter.   
      
   As I said, what value to "99.44% pure"?  What if the *other* 0.56%   
   were carcinogenic substances??  Does a 47% pure bar of soap clean worse   
   than a 99%?  Are you buying a cleaning agent or a purity agent??   
      
   Consumers don't think "rationally".   
      
   Do you think an electronic thermostat is "worth" an extra $150?   
   Is it really going to save you that much over a mercury switch mounted   
   on a bimetallic strip?  (that will likely NEVER fail or need a   
   software update)   
      
   It's not uncommon, here, to spend $15K to $25K on an HVAC plant.   
   What /hard data/ is available to make an informed choice?  Sure,   
   I can believe the heating and refrigeration figures they claim.   
   And, the noise figures.   
      
   But, will a $20K plant make me feel $5K more comfortable than a   
   $15K plant?  Will a six stage unit be that much more efficient?   
      
   Yet, people make decisions regarding "investments" of that magnitude   
   every day -- knowing that they will have to live with their decision   
   for decades or more!   
      
   Ditto automobile purchases.  Beyond gas mileage, what quantitative   
   figures do drivers use to evaluate a purchase?  Is a vehicle that   
   gets 35 MPG that much better than one that gets 30?  How long for   
   the payback interval (and, under what conditions)?   
      
   Just look at the ads for cars.  All you see is the vehicle driving   
   along a road in some particular part of the country.  Rarely even a   
   shot of the interior!  And, how many would be able to evaluate a   
   photo "under the hood"?  Or, of the drivetrain?  Any hard numbers   
   as to TCO?  Rate of fatality in particular conditions?   
      
   Chances are, you look at your car in terms of how much it costs to fuel   
   and how often it is in the shop.  The leather seats and sound system   
   that were attractive at time of purchase seem to lose significance after   
   the sale.   
      
   In my current design, no one will appreciate the technology that   
   I've embedded in it.  What they will notice is:   
   - how much it costs   
   - how much it costs to maintain   
   - system availability   
   They're not going to notice the color or shapes of the parts (they   
   won't see 95% of it).  Or, what it weighs (some products use "heft"   
   to suggest quality).  Or size (is bigger better?  Or, smaller most   
   suggestive of quality??)  What they want to do is forget about it   
   and "take it for granted" -- not fuss over it.  So, THOSE are   
   the issues I need to focus on.   
      
   I drive a lot of screws as I'm working on instrumenting the house.   
   With an impact driver.  *It* doesn't get a second thought as I am   
   only aware of its battery life as a significant issue.  But, the   
   *bits* get oversized consideration as they affect how effectively I   
   can drive screws without buggering the head of the screw and having   
   to start over.   
      
   Harbor Freight bits might be dirt cheap.  But, they're shit when you   
   need to rely on them.  Ditto their tools.  Yet, they do a bang-up   
   business as folks look at price and treat tools as disposable.   
      
   Do any bits come with performance data?  Or, does it all just   
   boil down to cost??   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)