My Honda Civic doesn't have a snow plow (a rant) - Page 2

kovidgoyal · 04-28-2010, 11:47 PM

I love my Honda civic, let me tell you why:

My Honda Civic drives only on roads manufactured by Honda, with fuel sold only by Honda and is legal to operate only if I get a driver's license from Honda. This is absolutely great, because it means that my Civic just works! It never gives me any trouble, except that one time I tried to drive it with non Honda fuel and it started making scary noises, but that's my own fault.

Not only that, Honda has designed it so that I cannot get it in the color I want, or change the seat covers, because Honda, quite rightly, feels that they know better than I do what makes a Civic look good. Who knows what an ungodly mess I would have made if I had free choice!

My Civic's tires have special valves that don't work with the air pumps in any non Honda gas stations. Which is perfectly fine, after all the pumps in Honda stations are so much prettier. And I can always buy a adapter from Honda if I really, really need to go to a non Honda gas station.

Honda decided to make the engine cover sealed so that it can only be opened by a Honda mechanic, because they really don't want me messing with its innards. Those Honda mechanics are such *nice* guys!

Almost all accessories for my Civic are sold by Honda and are more expensive than equivalent accessories for other cars. But that's only natural, after all, Honda makes accessories so much better than any one else.

My Civic doesn't have a GPS, because Honda decided it doesn't like GPS technology and instead they've equipped it with NGPS, the next generation GPS technology. As soon as enough NGPS satellites are launched, I am so going to enjoy navigating with NGPS! In the meantime I'll just stick to going to places I already know the route for.

The other day, some pesky blogger stole Honda's amazing new windshield wiper design and posted it on the internet. He was never heard from again. Serves him right! I bet he's rotting in a jail somewhere.

In fact, I love my Civic so much that I feel the irresistible urge to go out and buy whatever new car Honda will announce next.

ashwincr · 04-29-2010, 09:22 AM

^^^ hope that stops these honda posts :-)
kovid, you forgot the fact that honda has an adaptive speed control technology built into all their cars that will control your speed to the optimum value. If you would like to control your car's speed yourself or drive on non-honda roads you will have to jail-break your honda. Jail-breaking is really not encouraged because it makes the cars insecure according to honda.

John F · 04-29-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Oh, OK. How about;

I won't be getting a Honda Civic. I have just found out that it won't turn left. Approximately 75% of the routes I regularly drive involve a left turn. Also, they appear to have forgotten to put a filler cap in. There's no way of putting fuel in it without some kind of wireless fuel transfer device. As if that wasn't annoying enough, every time I turn the headlights on the radio turns off. It's almost like it can't do two things at once. And this from something advertised as the "Ultimate driving experience"!

dmaul1114 · 04-29-2010, 04:57 PM

Silly analogy as there's no reason to expect a snow plow on a two-wheel drive compact car.

It is reasonable to expect a tablet to have things like Flash support, an accessible file system, drag and drop file transfers native to the OS, having all apps able to access the file system so you never have to load files into individual apps, SD slots, USB ports, etc. etc. that people have been complaining about.

Now, some go to far as the iPad is still great as a media consumption tablet with those shortcomings IMO. But it is reasonable for those of us looking for a more productivity oriented tablet (that's not a full tablet PC) to lament the absence of such features.

They're not akin to wishing your civic had a snow plow. It's akin to wishing it had AC, a CD player or satellite radio, power locks and windows, key less entry etc.--you know pretty standard features for nice compact cars.

scottjl · 04-29-2010, 05:34 PM

Given that neither the iPod Touch, nor the iPhone, both of which have been available for almost 4 years now, have never had Flash support, why would one expect the iPad to be any different?

dmaul1114 · 04-29-2010, 05:40 PM

It's not a matter of what one expects from the company. It's what a person expects/needs from the type of device in question.

Especially in the case of things like Flash which aren't needed nearly as much on MP3 players and smart phones where people know they can't get a full web experience on the tiny screen. Where as people can reasonably expect a tablet device with a 10" screen to have full browsing capabilities.

I knew it was unlikely to have Flash, unlikely to have a file system and that it would be unlikely to be a device I'd ever buy from the second it was announced.

That didn't mean I wasn't hoping they'd surprise me. And maybe they will still surprise me down the road by adding some of the stuff I need in a tablet. After all it took 5 generations of Nanos (not to mention how many gens in the main line, shuffle etc.) before the iPod finally got a model with an FM tuner built in!

pilotbob · 04-29-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

It is reasonable to expect a tablet to have things like Flash support, an accessible file system, drag and drop file transfers native to the OS, having all apps able to access the file system so you never have to load files into individual apps, SD slots, USB ports, etc. etc. that people have been complaining about.

Isn't it also reasonable that if you don't like it you don't get it. What gets me is people that buy the Honda Civic without the snow plow and then complain it doesn't have a snow plow. They hem and haw about when the heck is Honda gonna release the snow plow...

Then there are all the people that have no intention of getting a Honda Civic that complain all day long that it doesn't have a snow plow. They are going to get the 2012 Ford Fusion because it will not only have a snow plow but a back hoe and will get 350 miles per gallon of water. So, no way they would buy a Honda Civic a car that is available now because that soon to come out car will be so much better.

BOb

dmaul1114 · 04-29-2010, 05:52 PM

To the first definitely.

To the second, not so much. People can go to0 far and too long and complaining about what features are missing etc. But as long as it's limited to threads about the pros and cons of the device--be it general threads discussing them as a whole or threads on specific ones about things like Flash--I don't see the problem.

A main purpose of the device specific forums if for people curious about a device to come and read up on it and get a clear sense of the pros and cons of a device, of what it can or can't do. So it's healthy to have these pro and con threads.

If someone is getting out of hand to the point of trolling every thread to post the negatives, then that's on you mods to step in and limit it, put rules about it in place etc. And I'd support that.

pshrynk · 04-29-2010, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leebase

I wasn't aiming for originality. I'm continuing in the fine tradition of lampooning the RIDICULOUS posts some people put out.

I foresee a continuiing series of "My Honda Civic" threads. This particular one lampoons those who want to bitch that their iPad doesn't do what they KNEW it wasn't going to do when they bought it.

Or that the were truly clueless as to not do ANY sort of research before buying something.

Lee

Oh, please, let's not. I would rather see the lampooning remain in the one thread. This sort of thing is usually reserved for the Lounge, but the other thread was left here because of the topicality. So, please keep that thread alive, if you will, but don't start new ones.

Thanks

pshrynk (moderator)

nikkie · 04-30-2010, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwincr

^^^ hope that stops these honda posts :-)
kovid, you forgot the fact that honda has an adaptive speed control technology built into all their cars that will control your speed to the optimum value. If you would like to control your car's speed yourself or drive on non-honda roads you will have to jail-break your honda. Jail-breaking is really not encouraged because it makes the cars insecure according to honda.

Don't forget that once you've jailbroken your car, you'll have voided your warranty. And since your car engine is sealed, if anything ever goes wrong with it, you'll have to buy special tools to remove the cover and hope you don't break it worse trying to fix it.

Oh wait. That last one is just like real cars nowadays for many component systems. Dang.

leebase · 04-30-2010, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Isn't it also reasonable that if you don't like it you don't get it. What gets me is people that buy the Honda Civic without the snow plow and then complain it doesn't have a snow plow. They hem and haw about when the heck is Honda gonna release the snow plow...

Exactly

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Then there are all the people that have no intention of getting a Honda Civic that complain all day long that it doesn't have a snow plow. They are going to get the 2012 Ford Fusion because it will not only have a snow plow but a back hoe and will get 350 miles per gallon of water. So, no way they would buy a Honda Civic a car that is available now because that soon to come out car will be so much better.

BOb

You got it.

Lee

dmaul1114 · 04-30-2010, 12:46 PM

I do think one way the problem could be solved is for the mods to crack down and keep discussions here to the iPad as an eBook reader as that's the purpose of the site.

Do that and bitching about Flash and other features would be cut down as most of the arguments going on have nothing to do with the iPad as an eReader--which is the point of Mobileread.

People wanting to discuss the iPad in general should be on iPad sites probably. And they would have to worry less about hearing cons and negatives on most of those sites.

I realize I talk about it more as an eReader as I'm just not that interested in eReaders anymore. Kindle was a silly impulse buy and I really don't use it much, and reading eBooks would be a small part of a tablets use for me--more of my reading would be work related (PDFS, word docs) and news papers etc.

I do like the discussions about the iPad more generally here--when they are civil and mature. But that's been far from the case the past couple of weeks.

rock · 04-30-2010, 12:49 PM

I think people are taking iPad criticisms (although if you bought an iPad expecting flash, it is your fault) too personally. It reminds me of the "Console Wars" going on right now. Why do you take it so personally if someone says criticism about a device, that you obviously have no stake in (unless your name is Steve Jobs). People are getting so bent out of shape about a tech device that they start personally attacking people. It is a shame.

dmaul1114 · 04-30-2010, 12:52 PM

That's exactly what it reminds me of.

The nerdy fanboys on videogame sites arguing whether the Xbox is better than the Playstation or Wii etc.

The sad thing is most of those are kids and teenagers! We're all adults here as far as I know and the behavior is the same. Personal attacks over people's opinions on a tech gadget!

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04-28-2010, 11:47 PM	#16
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,229 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	I love my Honda civic, let me tell you why: My Honda Civic drives only on roads manufactured by Honda, with fuel sold only by Honda and is legal to operate only if I get a driver's license from Honda. This is absolutely great, because it means that my Civic just works! It never gives me any trouble, except that one time I tried to drive it with non Honda fuel and it started making scary noises, but that's my own fault. Not only that, Honda has designed it so that I cannot get it in the color I want, or change the seat covers, because Honda, quite rightly, feels that they know better than I do what makes a Civic look good. Who knows what an ungodly mess I would have made if I had free choice! My Civic's tires have special valves that don't work with the air pumps in any non Honda gas stations. Which is perfectly fine, after all the pumps in Honda stations are so much prettier. And I can always buy a adapter from Honda if I really, really need to go to a non Honda gas station. Honda decided to make the engine cover sealed so that it can only be opened by a Honda mechanic, because they really don't want me messing with its innards. Those Honda mechanics are such nice guys! Almost all accessories for my Civic are sold by Honda and are more expensive than equivalent accessories for other cars. But that's only natural, after all, Honda makes accessories so much better than any one else. My Civic doesn't have a GPS, because Honda decided it doesn't like GPS technology and instead they've equipped it with NGPS, the next generation GPS technology. As soon as enough NGPS satellites are launched, I am so going to enjoy navigating with NGPS! In the meantime I'll just stick to going to places I already know the route for. The other day, some pesky blogger stole Honda's amazing new windshield wiper design and posted it on the internet. He was never heard from again. Serves him right! I bet he's rotting in a jail somewhere. In fact, I love my Civic so much that I feel the irresistible urge to go out and buy whatever new car Honda will announce next.

04-29-2010, 09:22 AM	#17
ashwincr Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: prs-505	^^^ hope that stops these honda posts :-) kovid, you forgot the fact that honda has an adaptive speed control technology built into all their cars that will control your speed to the optimum value. If you would like to control your car's speed yourself or drive on non-honda roads you will have to jail-break your honda. Jail-breaking is really not encouraged because it makes the cars insecure according to honda.

04-29-2010, 04:57 PM	#19
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	Silly analogy as there's no reason to expect a snow plow on a two-wheel drive compact car. It is reasonable to expect a tablet to have things like Flash support, an accessible file system, drag and drop file transfers native to the OS, having all apps able to access the file system so you never have to load files into individual apps, SD slots, USB ports, etc. etc. that people have been complaining about. Now, some go to far as the iPad is still great as a media consumption tablet with those shortcomings IMO. But it is reasonable for those of us looking for a more productivity oriented tablet (that's not a full tablet PC) to lament the absence of such features. They're not akin to wishing your civic had a snow plow. It's akin to wishing it had AC, a CD player or satellite radio, power locks and windows, key less entry etc.--you know pretty standard features for nice compact cars.

04-29-2010, 05:34 PM	#20
scottjl Reader of Books Posts: 1,632 Karma: 2697 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: none	Given that neither the iPod Touch, nor the iPhone, both of which have been available for almost 4 years now, have never had Flash support, why would one expect the iPad to be any different?

04-29-2010, 05:40 PM	#21
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	It's not a matter of what one expects from the company. It's what a person expects/needs from the type of device in question. Especially in the case of things like Flash which aren't needed nearly as much on MP3 players and smart phones where people know they can't get a full web experience on the tiny screen. Where as people can reasonably expect a tablet device with a 10" screen to have full browsing capabilities. I knew it was unlikely to have Flash, unlikely to have a file system and that it would be unlikely to be a device I'd ever buy from the second it was announced. That didn't mean I wasn't hoping they'd surprise me. And maybe they will still surprise me down the road by adding some of the stuff I need in a tablet. After all it took 5 generations of Nanos (not to mention how many gens in the main line, shuffle etc.) before the iPod finally got a model with an FM tuner built in!

04-29-2010, 05:52 PM	#23
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	To the first definitely. To the second, not so much. People can go to0 far and too long and complaining about what features are missing etc. But as long as it's limited to threads about the pros and cons of the device--be it general threads discussing them as a whole or threads on specific ones about things like Flash--I don't see the problem. A main purpose of the device specific forums if for people curious about a device to come and read up on it and get a clear sense of the pros and cons of a device, of what it can or can't do. So it's healthy to have these pro and con threads. If someone is getting out of hand to the point of trolling every thread to post the negatives, then that's on you mods to step in and limit it, put rules about it in place etc. And I'd support that.

04-30-2010, 12:46 PM	#27
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	I do think one way the problem could be solved is for the mods to crack down and keep discussions here to the iPad as an eBook reader as that's the purpose of the site. Do that and bitching about Flash and other features would be cut down as most of the arguments going on have nothing to do with the iPad as an eReader--which is the point of Mobileread. People wanting to discuss the iPad in general should be on iPad sites probably. And they would have to worry less about hearing cons and negatives on most of those sites. I realize I talk about it more as an eReader as I'm just not that interested in eReaders anymore. Kindle was a silly impulse buy and I really don't use it much, and reading eBooks would be a small part of a tablets use for me--more of my reading would be work related (PDFS, word docs) and news papers etc. I do like the discussions about the iPad more generally here--when they are civil and mature. But that's been far from the case the past couple of weeks.

04-30-2010, 12:49 PM	#28
rock Addict Posts: 240 Karma: 18772 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Nook, Astak EZ Reader Pocket, iPhone 3g, Droid	I think people are taking iPad criticisms (although if you bought an iPad expecting flash, it is your fault) too personally. It reminds me of the "Console Wars" going on right now. Why do you take it so personally if someone says criticism about a device, that you obviously have no stake in (unless your name is Steve Jobs). People are getting so bent out of shape about a tech device that they start personally attacking people. It is a shame.

04-30-2010, 12:52 PM	#29
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	That's exactly what it reminds me of. The nerdy fanboys on videogame sites arguing whether the Xbox is better than the Playstation or Wii etc. The sad thing is most of those are kids and teenagers! We're all adults here as far as I know and the behavior is the same. Personal attacks over people's opinions on a tech gadget!

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