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At 65 I try to avoid tech frustration by only using exactly what I need. I'm still running my appraisal business for the next few years and I know how to get on the MLS, public records, etc. I have 2005 & 2012 cars with 6 CD changers, so I don't "stream" music in the cars. I have an old Note 3 phone, but all I do is answer the phone or text. I begrudgingly opened a Facebook account, but I only follow my son who is traveling the country. Nice to know what he's up to. I have to admit that there are a lot of benefits to technology, like checking bank & brokerage statements online, bill pay and other things. I just try to use tech without allowing it to use ME. Oh, and I know when I'm out of milk.
I don't have a smartphone, a flat screen TV or a laptop/iPad. I listen to music (buy songs on iTunes) on my desktop. I still read paper books. I have never been on Facebook or Twitter. When I go on vacation, the Internet doesn't come with me even though I can spend 8 or more hours on it when I'm home. Surprisingly, I don't miss it when I travel. I have GPS but I've murdered the GPS lady several times over in my mind for trying to send me on obvious wild goose chases. Recalculate this!!! So, I also bring paper directions with me from Google Maps as I travel alone.
I used to have two websites in the 1990's and early 2000s and used every kind of software imaginable both at work and at home. I used to be active in newsgroups. I've had computers since the Commodore 64. When I first retired 10+ years ago and relocated, I actually made a PowerPoint presentation with photos to mail to friends in other states. I laugh at that, now. I taught 2 computer research classes to retirees.
I would say 95% my new software now is photography related and I usually have the latest DSLR camera in the series that I buy. I teach myself or watch YouTube videos if I can't figure it out.
Not afraid of technology and I can afford to have all of the latest technology but I'm one of those kind of people that doesn't buy something until the old stuff breaks if I don't need it. Yes, every advertisers nightmare. I don't want to spend time on my phone. I don't even usually answer my not-too-smart cell phone unless I recognize the number. I don't like small talk. Facebook is not for me for the same reason.
Do you know my TV is 27 years old and it still works just fine. When it breaks, I'll get whatever is the latest in TVs.
I have had satellite. It's OK for streaming, but with data caps you can't stream much. The speed of light kills your ping, adding half a second plus latency to every handshake. You can die of old age waiting for web sites to load. Slow DSL is comparable at less than half the cost.
I only offered that as an option because it was claimed DSL is the only option. Never would have thought that the speed of light would be a limiting factor.
Agreed. Very few hacks are achieved by cracking a password. Most are achieved by exploiting holes or tricking you to give them the password (phishing). All this lowercase, uppercase, numbers, special characters and blood sacrifice nonsense just means you are going to write it down and/or use the same password for every site. And the sites that make you change the password periodically and you can't use a previous password make it even worse.
And then there are the sites that are non-critical that act like they are Ft. Knox. I understand the need for a secure password for bank accounts, credit cards, etc. where I can spend money. But things like stock quotes, forums, etc. don't need hypersecurity.
I know! I have a ride service that takes me to my medical appointments. It's the hardest site to access! They make you jump through hoops, changing your password every few months, has to be upper, lower, numbers, a certain combination of hieroglyphics, smiley faces or sad faces (kidding) etc! I said to myself, 'self, the worst that could happen if someone got the top-secret code to access my account would be that a guy would show up to my house from the next town when I wasn't going to the doctor." And I know, the poor guy would be losing money and so would the company and all that. But when I DO call them (you can't cancel the appointment on-line) and let them know I won't be going (always in plenty of time - usually days before), they show up anyway! I feel so bad. I ask the operator next time for a confirmation # that I'm cancelling and they don't have them. They just say, 'well I'm calling the driver as soon as we hang up". SMDH
Yes - I am frustrated. I code in SQL every day... and while I don't like hardware I've had a smartphone forever and use tons of apps. But security?! Never in line with the type of account that's being safeguarded. Why do I need super security to guard the recipes I clip on a recipe site? Does it REALLY need to be the same as for banking? Everyone's trying to show how conscious they are of security and half the time it is massive overkill...except for the sites really requiring security and those get hacked. Does my recipe website ever get hacked?!?!?!?!? Then let me use a damn 6 character password that doesn't have to be constantly updated with something new each time.
I'm not frustrated at all. I enjoy being able to change the type of music, the volume, room lighting, etc, with my voice. I love being able to ask random questions as they occur to me and get an answer (Alexa, who played the father in "A Christmas Story"?). We have several WEMO devices and smart cameras and when we're away we can turn lights on and off, on schedule or at the touch of a button, and we can check things out via the cameras, even check on the cat while we're gone. My tablet sends out an alarm for weather emergencies which I can hear from anywhere in the vicinity of the device. My GearFit watch tells me who's calling on my cell when it's upstairs and I'm downstairs, and it tells me to get off the couch when I've been on City-Data for too long...LOL. My brother closed on a re-fi on his home in CA from our place in TN via E-docs. I love having access to an infinite number of books, movies, TV shows, etc while traveling, or just when there's nothing on broadcast TV (which is pretty much always). I like being able to order stuff, schedule deliveries, and check my front porch to see if it's arrived all remotely. So much more I can't even begin to list it all.... Love it.
Oh thanks, I forgot about Alexa! I'd never shell out the money to pay for something like that but it came with my new Amazon Fire tablet. I was doing bills this morning and thought I'd ask her to add up a few numbers. It works but you have to be careful. If you ask her to 'add' something she'll put it in your cart. I hope I don't get box full of numbers from UPS in the next couple of days
But anyway, I used to consider myself a Jeopardy wiz but some days now I can't think of names, dates, actors, etc. and it drives me crazy. So I'll get on Google and type in, "who was that guy who played in the movie about ...." and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But with Alexa it will be so much easier (I think!) I mean I'm sure I can't say, "Alexa who was that guy in the movie where they, you know, they're driving across country and then they pick up a hitch hiker and then um, they kill a guy in a bar and then they drive off a cliff?" I don't think she'll come up with Brad Pitt.
***UPDATE***** In the interest of science I tried it. Alexa couldn't be bothered with my stupidity but Amazon did transfer me to the Bing site where the first two entries were "The Hitchhiker" and "The Hitcher" and the third was ----ta da-----Thelma and Louise!!!!! Yay!
I don't have a smartphone, a flat screen TV or a laptop/iPad. I listen to music (buy songs on iTunes) on my desktop. I still read paper books. I have never been on Facebook or Twitter. When I go on vacation, the Internet doesn't come with me even though I can spend 8 or more hours on it when I'm home. Surprisingly, I don't miss it when I travel. I have GPS but I've murdered the GPS lady several times over in my mind for trying to send me on obvious wild goose chases. Recalculate this!!! So, I also bring paper directions with me from Google Maps as I travel alone.
Laura, I wish I'd written that paragraph.....it sums up my feelings exactly.
I'll tell you what frustrates me about new technology -- the lack of thought that gets put into the USER Interface.
I'm old school, and my car is 18 years old. I recently rented a new car for a long trip and I was appalled at the touch-screen with the indecipherable symbols. I needed the rear defroster -- it was 3 screens deep into this thing !! Try finding that button in the dark. I wanted to adjust the treble on the radio.....I never did find out how to do that in 700 miles !!
Just when you figure it out, they change the cursed thing.
Passwords are a disease. I carefully write it down and they tell me it is wrong.
This password and sign in thing has gotten out of hand.
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So, I also bring paper directions with me from Google Maps as I travel alone.
