2A – Bug List

Bugs in our daily lives:

1. Many laptops are starting to have fewer ports to connect devices to.

Why: To reduce the thickness of the laptop to make it more portable.

2. Course registration websites are very slow when I am trying to register for classes.

Why: Many others are trying to register at the same time as well and the network might not be suited for this amount of traffic.

3. It is often hard to begin/start writing a large report or paper even though you know what to talk about for the rest of the paper.

Why: It is tough since one needs to connect all their thoughts in an organized fashion.

4. My headphones often disconnect from my phone in the middle of using it.

Why: They might be faulty, or they might be running out of battery.

5. While I am working, I always get notifications from others and end up stopping my important task to respond to their messages/emails.

Why: The work might not be as interesting, and the brain chooses a more fun activity (path of least resistance) over it.

6. Every time I initially connect to Skype or Zoom, either I cannot hear the other person, or they can’t hear me.

Why: Most users are new to the platform and they might not know all the instructions for a seamless call.

7. Solar energy is expensive to implement in a house, even though it is much more environmentally friendly, therefore people just stick with the cheaper option.

Why: The manufacturing cost of the solar panels are quite high due to all the weatherproof material they need to include.

8. I cannot walk into a store and buy a product for the price written because I need to account for added tax.

Why: Sales tax in the United States varies by state and therefore it is difficult to set a fixed price value.

9. It is challenging to buy computer accessories during this pandemic as many people are working from home.

Why: Many people want the same product, therefore the demand increases but the supply does not.

10. There is no universal messaging app, instead we have many different apps performing the same task.

Why: Many apps offer different and unique takes on the messaging system, for example Snapchat uses pictures for messages.

11. T-shirt sizes vary by company, even if they both say “Large” for example.

Why: The region of the development of the product varies by company and therefore the exact measurements and units vary.

12. Prices of many products have skyrocketed due to the pandemic.

Why: Some people try to take advantage of the current situation due to the high demand, low supply scenario.

13. YouTube suggesting videos from a long time ago, even though they are irrelevant to what I am interested in.

Why: The user might have clicked on one video and the YouTube algorithm must have thought that they wanted similar content.

14. Medical bills in the United States are very expensive, leading to people not going to hospitals in time, which increases unwanted mortality rates.

Why: People sometimes unknowingly prioritize money over health and that is an issue because without health, there is no money.

15. The cost of healthy foods/salads are much higher in restaurants even though the ingredients are much cheaper than alternatives.

Why: Customers generally order less healthy options and that is what the restaurant wants to sell. For example, it is unusual to order a salad at McDonald’s.

16. The media hypes the severity of many events which leads to unwanted panic from the audience.

Why: The media mostly cares about the shock factor of news. If there is a greater shock factor, more people would watch the channel and that is how they generate greater revenue.

17. People finding ways to ruin other people’s lives even during tough times, such as Zoombombing.

Why: The zoom application is vulnerable and needs to update its security features to account for unwanted behaviors.

18. Always getting spam calls throughout the day, even though I did not opt into it.

Why: The number could have been retrieved from services that I provided my number to but did not read the clause that stated the number could be shared with external companies.

19. Lovebugs during this season, happen to stick to the surface of the car and when they die, they leave a stain.

Why: The manufacturers of the paint applied on the car must have not accounted for bug stains as it is not as common in many other states.

20. Bicycle chains start to rust and make a rattling noise, even if the bicycle is used every day.

Why: The rusting occurs due to the change in weather, especially rain. The bike needs to be stored in a dry location and the chain needs to be oiled up frequently to ensure smoothness.

This assignment was quite challenging as it requires us to think outside the box and come up with problems that we generally ignore on a day-to-day basis. The list was harder to create after the 10^th bug as I started running out of ideas, but with more time, I was able to generate all 20 items.