Is the microwave the perfect model for audio marketting?

Recently I was one of three adults, combined age over 200, looking after grandkids under 4 in a new house with new appliances.

None of us could change the TV volume. The remote looked pretty normal, with volume and channel buttons. With random pokings we could get it to mute, but it always came back with an anemic volume level. Turned out that rather than just press the buttons, you had to push them forward or pull them back.

Naturally this called for coffee. The coffee machine was fully automatic (in principle), grinding beans and making a dozen beverage types. We could switch it on, select a coffee type, heat it up, make it rinse itself and repeat ad nauseum. But it refused to produce anything except flashing red lights and beeps.

The fridge was more cooperative, and did not even have an internet connection. The wine inside had screw tops so no searching for a corkscrew or need to break the necks off.

Turns out the coffee machine grounds bin was full. Intuitive!

I love the typical description of how microwaves make things hot!  It goes along the lines that the microwaves make molecules vibrate, the vibration between the molecules causes friction, and the friction creates heat.

Fortunately, most readers here know that temperature is a direct measure of molecular vibration.  Microwaves excite vibration in water molecules - no other magic required.

Come to think of it, the analogy is better than first apparent!

Microwaves bouncing around inside the metal oven are much like soundwaves bouncing round the listening room. There is reinforcement and cancellation throughout the volume. That is why microwave ovens have turntables, to even out the radiation hitting the food! The amazing thing is that these turntables can’t do 45 or 78 rpm.