The best type of microwave is like the one I had in college. It had exactly one big knob that you turned to turn it on and set the time.
I wish I could go back in time and kill the Babylonian jerk that invented base-60 time.
I too miss the mechanical timer with a knob. My wrist kinda "knew" how much twist to give a hot dog or two, or three, without actually knowing the number of seconds involved. And I could crank it backwards if I felt I had "input" too much time.
That was on a little 0.7 ft
3 Conaire(?) microwave I had since the divorce from Wife1, and it was still working ten-fifteen years later when it got too clogged up with residual gunk to clean any more.
Surely somebody can come up with a knob-timer with an angle-encoded disc on its shaft to interpret time? No more getting my glasses just to be able to see the numbers on the keypad.
Ah, but no.... keypads.... that's the way to go in this modern dijital age. Poke, poke, poke, poke, oh dammit, clear-poke, poke, poke poke...
:D
And I agree on that Babylonian jerk. Count me in on your away team. Set phasers to kill. With that little rotary knob on their sides.
Terry