Google Lens results

[Chrius56000]

. . .Why is it, even when I include a brand name/type is or what I think an item might be from, Google Lens only comes up with stupid rotten stinking car parts?!

. . .I often find some small plastic or metal item around the house that obviously looks like it belonged something, but no matter whatever I think it might be, that's all I get!

. . .Doesn't whoever programmed Google Lens understand there's other things besides rotten stinking cars, SUVs and tractors in the world?

. . .I am trying to identify a 1950's/1960's plastic toilet cistern for my friend so I can get a secondhand flushing handle for it – how does a toilet cistern remotely resemble a car, SUV or tractor??!!

 

[davews]

It is not just Google. Yesterday I needed to find a replacement relay for an audio amp. When I searched on eBay for '12V relay' the first two pages were just automobile relays!

 

[GusB]

The first time I used Google Lens was when I was sitting outdoors at my local pub and thought a particular flower looked nice; it identified said flower right away.

Since then I've used it a few times to "read" text from images, which it seems to be quite capable of doing.

. . .I often find some small plastic or metal item around the house that obviously looks like it belonged something, but no matter whatever I think it might be, that's all I get!

The system is only as good as the information that it has been fed. In my flower case, there will be multiple sources of information referring to that particular plant and it'll provide results accordingly.

If you're asking it to provide information about a random part that it has never seen before you're going to struggle to find anything, unless someone has photographed said item and written something about it online.

. . .I am trying to identify a 1950's/1960's plastic toilet cistern for my friend so I can get a secondhand flushing handle for it – how does a toilet cistern remotely resemble a car, SUV or tractor??!!

Employing the "don't overlook the obvious" principle, have you actually searched for "1950s toilet handle"?

 

[najaB]

If you're asking it to provide information about a random part that it has never seen before you're going to struggle to find anything, unless someone has photographed said item and written something about it online.

This, exactly. Systems like Google Lens don't actually "know" what it is that they're looking at. They just try to match against images that they've seen before, specifically shape and colour. There are almost certainly more images of car parts online than 1950s toilet parts.

 

[AlterEgo]

A big challenge of the AI age is going to be in people understsnding its limitations and what it can be reliably used for.

 

[LYradial]

. . .Why is it, even when I include a brand name/type is or what I think an item might be from, Google Lens only comes up with stupid rotten stinking car parts?!

. . .I often find some small plastic or metal item around the house that obviously looks like it belonged something, but no matter whatever I think it might be, that's all I get!

. . .Doesn't whoever programmed Google Lens understand there's other things besides rotten stinking cars, SUVs and tractors in the world?

. . .I am trying to identify a 1950's/1960's plastic toilet cistern for my friend so I can get a secondhand flushing handle for it – how does a toilet cistern remotely resemble a car, SUV or tractor??!!

Search that well known high street diy for toilet flushing handle, choice of several for a tenner

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Search that well known high street diy for toilet flushing handle, choice of several for a tenner

It would help to name the chain* as not everyone will know which one you mean ( I assume Robert Dyas? )


*See what I did there...?!

 

[LYradial]

It would help to name the chain* as not everyone will know which one you mean ( I assume Robert Dyas? )


*See what I did there...?!

They actually do one with a miniature chain, something for everyone.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Oct 2025 ==

I’ve never heard of Robert Dyas, ah must learn to write Wi my lancashere accent

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I’ve never heard of Robert Dyas, ah must learn to write Wi my lancashere accent

In that case - which chain is it? Robert Dyas is the only high street DIY store I can think of these days, with everything else being out of town places.

 

[LYradial]

If we ever get a bypass then we might have out of town shopping areas, till then everywhere is the ” high street”,
but in this case I will advertise B. Q.

one day we might get street lights and mains drainage and even gas in our village, till then we will dwell in blissful ignorance