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Comment by JoshTriplett | Hacker News Reader

Yes, please. I don't want a clock on my microwave, or my oven. If I'm not interacting with it, it should produce zero light.

(Some people use oven features that involve knowing an absolute time, such as "turn on at this time". That seems to be the uncommon case, and meanwhile everyone has to deal with a clock that's rarely right.)

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> "turn on at this time"

This is a oddly important feature for Asian market rice cookers, which have a backup battery to retain the time and is not user-replaceable.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Zojirushi+Rice+Cooker+Model+NS-...

My microwave defaults to no clock after a power outage. I prefer it that way.

I used to have a range, then microwave, then toaster oven, then coffee maker, all with different times. I tried so hard to get them in sync, but it was just not possible. Plus, the coffee maker clock would drift over time. Since that point in my life the microwave, toaster oven, and coffee maker have been replaced and only the microwave has an optional clock.

Oddly enough, the newer appliances are all higher quality than the ones they replaced. I guess clocks are added to things to give them more perceived value.

I think these guys have a clock for logging and warranty purpose.

Eh, if you only have a clock on only the microwave or oven then you lose access to the current time when you're cooking something or convert it over to timer mode. Having some redundancy isn't a bad thing in this instance.

Or simply have a dedicated clock in there and turn off the display on all of the appliances.

There should be two kinds of devices in my home: those allowed to connect to the Internet and keep their time up to date, and those that are not allowed to care what time it is. My microwave and my oven are in the latter category.

> such as "turn on at this time". That seems to be the uncommon case

Indeed. "Please create fire hazard exactly at this hour when I'll not have time to do it personally".

Many Jewish people use the feature while home. There are prohibitions on lighting fire on the sabbath, which has been interpreted more broadly as a prohibition on "turning stuff on". That's why you can set your oven to be on all day on Saturdays, for example, but they are usually home while it's happening. You can't turn the oven on, but you can use it while it's on. Similarly, some elevators are configured to stop on every floor on the way up and down on Saturdays.

Do "many" Jewish people do this? It sounds like something only religious nutters would do, wasting energy etc. (Doesn't the bible/torah say people should take care of the earth?)

I don't have any stakes or interest in a debate about the validity of religious beliefs or the prevalence of believers. Suffice it to say it is a practice that exists, and technology exists to facilitate it. My oven has a sabbath mode, so it's not something you necessarily need to go out of your way to have either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath_mode and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat_elevator

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