the bane of my existence
'ya know what gets my goat? Minor yet recurring annoyances such as
- leaky batteries. I scrub the corrosion out of something every week. Happily, alkaline batteries do not corrode the contacts and nearby metal as horribly as zinc-acid.
- items missing one of the rubber feet.
- items missing the remote control
- "value engineered" devices with no buttons, or perhaps a POWER button, so it's useless unless the missing remote is found
- the way "universal remotes" aren't. They lack most of the important functions for new devices, such as menu.
- the way OLD plastic bottles spring leaks. I keep all my cleaners in a bucket because they leak over time. Right now I'm scrubbing out a bucket where something leaked and slimed all the nearby containers
- the way NEW plastic bottles crack and break, often IN THE STORE! It's laudable to use minimal materials for packaging, but I've suffered beanut butter with a cracked lid, drinks with cracked caps, etc. Many plastic totes and storage things are chipped and severely cracked IN THE STORE! That's my indicator of "do not buy, the plastic is too brittle".
- the way most manufacturers IGNORE the attempted standardization of the "barrel connector" for power supplies. The outer diameter was supposed to be voltage specific, the inner pin diameter to indicate current required. I salvage many items so the power supply (and remote control) are often missing. Some devices have the courtesy of listing the required voltage and current, but too many do not bother. I still have devices waiting for me to find a power supply with the required connector.