I think it is time for more KISS-ing in our lives. This is a whimsical article to highlight how easy it is to be old and grumpy when our world changes at an incredibly fast pace.
According to my recent internet search, the acronym KISS, “Keep It Simple Stupid”, was coined by the lead engineer designing fighter jets. He instructed the design team to make them easy to operate and fix with basic tools, especially in combat zones. I sure wish that was the case with all the equipment and devices I use every day on my farm and in my life.
My newest tractor sometimes refuses to crank over. I wiggle the shifter, play with all the switches and depress the clutch pedal repeatedly until, voila, it fires up. Since the problem is sporadic, I guess it will not be easy to address until it becomes a constant problem. Another tractor recently needed a new starter. Not only was one bolt hidden from sight where you cannot see and barely feel it, it required a special wrench. At the dealership I was informed the wrench was no longer available; it was out of production.
My wife bought a new car almost 2 years ago. I have yet to understand most of the creature comfort controls. Instead of rotary knobs to increase or decrease fan speed or temperature, I must tap the console repeatedly and avert my eyes from the road. I still cannot master the rear window wiper and several times I drove it in uncomfortable heat or cold because I deemed it too unsafe to try adjusting while driving and did not want to take the time to pull over and read through the 257-page instruction book. Speaking of which, my new noise cancelling radio headset has 16 pages of instructions. I will never master the autotune or easily change mode and stations, so I hope it at least gets “stuck” on something acceptable.
My refrigerator has wifi, why? I could have lived all my life without it. The oven and microwave have many features I will never use; they complicate the basic functions I want them to perform. Do you like the phone doing overnight updates and making you relearn some of the functions? Or how about when an app moves and now the whole menu on your screen has changed. Everyone wants me to download their app. I can barely manage the few I have and I usually have no idea what my username or password is when I try to login.
The August storm blew the electronics on 4 appliances that were overly complicated in design and construction. The design team did not follow KISS; this is costing me and my insurance company a lot of money. Appliances in perfect shape except for a faulty control board that costs over half of a new item had to be replaced. I probably shouldn’t go on about the problems with diesel engine technology, struggling to operate the television remote, my computer, and programming the garage door keypad.
My wife will be home from work in an hour. I will make a simple dinner for her on the stove and ask her for more KISS-ing in our life. But first I must save this document and email it to the editor before the power blinks and it disappears into oblivion.
The struggle is real, too real some days!
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