What's the deal with the popcorn button?

Try it. You know you want to.
Referenced Videos:

The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours

And the follow-up to that one

The Clapper

Technology Connextras (the second channel where I put stuff sometimes)

Technology Connections on Mastodon:

(I'm also trying out BlueSky on the same handle, if you've managed to get invited there)

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[colinboice]

My two cents was that there was a lawsuit regarding a popcorn button fire and the popcorn companies wanted no part of the liability that comes with popcorn buttons

[barrybrown]

About 30 years ago there was a microwave that did one thing: make popcorn. It had two buttons: start and stop. It used a sound sensor to determine when to stop. We discovered we could make the microwave stay on indefinitely as long as we clapped quickly, thus expanding its heating repertoire to include soups, leftovers, frozen meals, and so forth. Kind of silly watching us applaud the microwave doing its thing, but at least it worked. Presumably, this sound sensor technology was patented because we couldn't find another microwave with this feature until fairly recently.

[terrytowells]

I used to have a microwave with only one working button - the potato button. So I had to time everything in potatoes.

[Overdrive-]

"Do NOT use the popcorn button."
George Orville, 1984

[voidmayonnaise]

What I’m hearing is that the most expensive microwaves have a built-in Clapper.

[BillyMcBillface]

When you said “use the popcorn button”, I was about to reheat Thanksgiving leftovers. I said “Why not” and used it to reheat. It somehow made them the perfect temperature. Thanks for telling me to use the popcorn button.

[fireblade]

Someone should create a website ranking every microwave’s popcorn button so people can look online to see if theirs is good.

[gcajones]

Love your channel! One question I have about your microwaves. Why is it always 4:20pm? Is it always 4:20 in the afternoon at technology connections?

[Eleison]

So my college friends had a lovely anecdote about my friend who somehow ended up in her dorm with a microwave oven that had nothing but a popcorn button. That's right, it was a popcorn-centric machine, and so the story goes, she discovered she could cook anything, as long as she stood close by, clapping and stomping to satisfy the microphone-based sensor and keep the cook cycle running until she decided that the food was done.

[MadMovieMakers]

"Why do we even HAVE that lever?!"

[lemurkat]

I've never felt more inspired to microwave popcorn in my life. Sadly my microwave does not even have a pppcorn button.

[TheBlackBrickStudios]

So I love me some microwave popcorn, and I have tested all major brands on my own microwave. For whatever reason, my particular microwave just sets a time and heat level that is PERFECT for properly popping a bag of specifically Act II movie theater butter at 2 minutes exactly. Every other type of popcorn I either have to manually listen for popping or set a longer time myself, but so long as I only buy THAT specific brand and flavor, I can leave my microwave unattended and it will come out perfect every time without fail.

[GreatGamerspheanx]

Impressive to know that at least ONE popcorn company wants you to experiment with the popcorn button

[AlwaysSullied]

Finally someone talks about it. I've clung to my 8 year old microwave simply because of its perfect ability to cook popcorn right every single time with the popcorn button.

[chioj]

The alliteration from 1:19 to 1:24 is phenomenal. Well done.

[icarosantos]

This feels like a pro microwave's popcorn's button propaganda. Im here for it

[willythewyno]

I love how your "low effort" content is still so informative and polished.

[Coblasteus]

This guy can really make me watch a 12 minute video about a button on a microwave

[Chibiknux]

1:24 lmao try to say that 3 times in a row fast

[shadesoftime]

I appreciate the dedication to have the clock at exactly 4:20pm in every shot involving a microwave