Funny math, microwaves, and user interface
November 22nd, 2009
I’ve been contemplating the math that my microwave uses. It’s kinda weird. If you forget that it works on time values instead of regular integers, you can get some surprising responses.
My microwave oven is digital, so I enter a set of numbers to indicate the cooking time. I’m not sure if all microwaves are like mine, but mine will accept integer values that are not logical clock values. I can enter, for example, 75, and it will run for 75 seconds. If you forget, for an instant, that you’re dealing with clock values, the inputs and outputs (what you type and how long it runs) can seem pretty weird. Read more…
Now, if you look at our profiles, Roy and I live in the same time zone. Normally this would never happen. But, I happen to be in the UK when this happened. I think I replied a couple hours after his message, but at you’ll see, it’s essentially impossible to know, given what I see. 