Running the scanner over everything everywhere searching for research points is not fun

I get a glowing ((G)) on my screen when something important is nearby that can be scanned.

Telling people not to scan is not a solution. It isn't optional content, you have to scan for most missions and even side quests to do them. You can't just not scan. It doesn't work that way. And yes it is a bad mechanic and yes its not fun.

I like it. It's gimmicky, but for some reason I never get tired of it.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'd rather Bioware just dropped crafting entirely from its single player games.

I never quite understood the appeal of crafting. What difference does it make whether your character gets a weapon or piece of armor from crafting, loot, or a vendor? The end result is entirely the same, except looting and purchasing from a vendor don't require you to engage in time sink resource gathering. It's not like your character actually makes the item either. I could do without gathering elfroot or minerals.

The only place where crafting works IMO is in MMOs, where some time sinks are needed to prevent player markets from being flooded by crafted items, which would render them near worthless to sellers.