Pogues' Imponderable Tech Industry "Huhs?"

The New York Times tech troubadour David Pogue has published a list of questions to which he has no answers. In part with answers:

* Do shareware programmers pay taxes on all those $20 contributions? They're supposed to.
* Why don't public sinks have foot pedals? Because it adds extra expense and maintenance costs yet little additional cleanliness.
* Five billion dollars a year spent on ringtones? What the? Convenience > *
* Why doesn't everyone have lights that turn off automatically when the room is empty? Motion sensors are imperfect and lightbulbs can't count.
* What's the deal with Palm?

Doomed.

Pogue's Imponderables [NYTimes.com]

[#1 posted by pork musket , October 19, 2007 11:19 AM]

And what's the deal with airplane food?

Seriously, this guy sucks.

[#2 posted by PetroleumJelliffe , October 19, 2007 12:54 PM]

Most of Europe makes effective use of motion detectors in hallways and stairwells, which I'd love to see more of here in the States.

[#3 posted by jsoroko , October 19, 2007 2:43 PM]

Re shareware programmers and $20 contributions Also - there's a document trail; so this question might have been upgraded to "How often do the self-employed get audited?
* Why don't public sinks have foot pedals? My understanding is that the same underlying principle - keeping septic/potentially septic hands off of public bathroom surfaces - is now being dealt with by - motion detector technology - and in larger spaces, "door-less" bathroom (using turns to maintain privacy)
* Why doesn't everyone have lights that turn off automatically when the room is empty? They work fine in big organizations, which are beginning to use them a lot. The consumer model switches are often pricey and hard to install

Having said this much - I like Pogue quite a bit and look forward to reading his column(s).

[#4 posted by Anonymous , October 19, 2007 4:17 PM]

I always report my shareware revenues and I'd be surprised if others didn't. I'm sure the IRS knows how much my Paypal or Registrar accounts receive.

[#5 posted by CountD , October 20, 2007 8:05 PM]

Here's one: Why is this guy trying to be David Feldman?
(Even stealing the term "Imponderables".)

[#6 posted by insomma , October 21, 2007 5:05 AM]

I have to snicker at the fact that half of these *imponderables* are questions that were answered ages ago in Europe. Foot pedals? Timers on lights? Recycling??

Maybe the questions should have been phrased *why have these examples not been followed in the United States?*

I laughed the hardest at: Why aren't laptops allowed to be used during take offs?... you've got to be kidding me. Why don't they let you hand-cuff yourself to the armrests?

What an idiot.

[#7 posted by Bruce Cohen, SpeakerToManagers , October 21, 2007 5:35 AM]

Motion sensors are imperfect and lightbulbs can't count

How many lightbulbs does it take to notice a change in a room?