Isn't part of the point of the fan (other than the venting sewer gases) to cover the noise of people using the restroom? I find the idea of a very quiet fan counter intuitive for that room.
I'm pretty sure marco is trolling at this point. Reviewing lightbulbs? Bathroom fans? Wtf?
Marco is just posting stuff on his own blog. Its not Marco trolling, its aaronbrethorst karmawhoring by posting irrelevant-to-HN-links by highprofile HN celebrities…
Look at it from a usability perspective. I see a pretty direct parallel to software. Especially in terms of making the most common operations simple to execute, and in reducing the "number of clicks" to make a timer change happen (although admittedly we know enjoyment > number of clicks).