Just for grins, I thought about spelling right, write, which would be wrong. Because I have a horible time with spelling, especially homophones (used to be homonym in my youth). Ironically, rite, wright, right and write are especially easy to get wrong as they are a group of 4. Most are groups of 2 or 3. Naturally they all have similar spelling. The English language would suddenly become easier if they were all spelled the same. Much better if true for all homophones.

However, instead, someone way back when decided to complicate my spelling life and came up with 4 spellings, each with its own meaning(s).

Now why am I speaking of spelling when my intention is to speak on fridges and washers. Well, I guess there is oddly a similarity. I promise.

In 1972, a long time ago, before the age of personnal computers, I purchased a 14 cubic foot coldspot fridge that, as far as I know still works. About 2005, I made a mistake. I wanted a bigger, better fridge…with an ice dispenser. It barely outlasted its 1 yr warrentee. I had it repaired. It broke again.

I bought another. It lasted 2 years and broke. Anyone notice a pattern here? Is there something wrong that they they can’t build them right?

When our washer broke, we bought another. Now that was a bad idea. I should have had the other one repaired. It was just a belt. I don’t have any memory of the old one dancing around the kitchen during the spin cycle. Thought about figuring a way to nail the new thing to floor.

The problem was, it works just the way it is supposed to. I can’t expect them to fix it on warrantee. It is simply a design defect. They didn’t design it right.

Guess I’ll be forced to buy a front loader. All the top loaders seem to like to dance. It is the result of an effort to decrease water usage. Well, I guess I could go back to the old wash tubs. It is just the two of us. It isn’t that hard. Fortunately, I still have a good gas dryer. If it breaks, I will get it fixed. I really might not like a new one.

Now. As for the new fridges. They have 3 things wrong. The old ones used a grate on the back of the unit as a condenser. No moving parts and easy to get at. The old ones used simple mechanical timers, which were simple, realiable, inexpensive and easy to replace. Modern ones use computers, complex, expesive, difficult and nearly impossibie to get to. You’d think such parts would have an easy access panel.

Then there is the coup de grace. Instead of using a heating element for defrosting, they use lights, which must be replaced on a regular basis. With us, it was about yearly.

Now, here’s the connection I promised you between the spelling and engineering. In general, people do expect me, an amateur, to get it right, though, I must admit I am prone to mess up now and then. These characters, engineers go to college four years and they are paid a bunch to get it right. They don’t and they still get paid.

As a short word in the defense of the engineers. They are under a lot of pressure to go green. (you know, Environmental, Social, Governmental, ESG)

You see, just as they decided to make English more difficilt, they have also decided to make appliances more difficult.

Okay. It is a stretch, a big one. Stll you get my point.

Incidentally, I wonder if it ever comes up in board rooms that they can make more profit off units that they can advertise as computer controlled instead of the old mechanical ones.