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I don't own a smartphone. I don't see much point in a smartphone. I know that I'm in an extreme minority for my under-35 age group because I don't have a smartphone, I don't text, etc. I don't skype for personal use either although I don't have much use for that anyway.
I'm an admitted techno-phobe, but I find it hard to imagine life before my iPhone.
My first iPhone was almost revolutionary, for two reasons:
-- As a New Yorker who has to *carry* everything (we don't have car trunks that we can stash our stuff in while we're out and about), I embraced being able to carry just one device instead of two (iPhone instead of both cell phone and iPod).
-- As a freelancer and independent consultant, being able to have access to email right in my hands wherever I went revolutionized how I structured my days (no matter where I was in the city, I always had to make sure I swung by the apartment or my office before the close of business each day to check and respond to client emails).
Smartphones have also revolutionized the way families can instantly share photographs -- particularly when we live hundreds, if not thousands of miles away from each other.
That said, however, as a staunch privacy advocate, I absolutely understand and respect people's decisions NOT to embrace smartphones. God Only Knows who or what is remotely accessing my iPhone at any given time.
In spite of the above, I (and my partner, who's even younger than me) are very wary of doing EVERYTHING on line. The Russians, the Chinese and who knows who else, have cyber attacked their way into major corporations and their data bases. The current systems are not really ready for doing EVERYTHING on line, and the human element seriously lacks street smarts and training in how to operate safely in a cyber based world.
YES.
I was just talking with a tech consultant with whom I share an office -- he sets up mainframes for major banks and helps them transfer their files into the "cloud".
I jokingly told him I don't trust the "cloud".
He non-jokingly responded: "You shouldn't."
I said, "Well, I thought so. I was much more comfortable when files were right here!" (pointing to my computer hard drive).
He said, "I was more comfortable when files were right HERE."
He was pointing to a file cabinet.
I have to say I agree with him.
At least when ALL of our personal, financial, and other files were on paper, locked away in file cabinets in secure offices, the only way Russians, Chinese, or ANYONE could access them would be to try to break into the buildings IN PERSON, rather than from the convenience of their bedrooms while wearing their jammies.
I guess advancing technology has been with us a long time. I remember as a little kid being astonished at the first use of a tape recorder. My dad brought the heavy machine in 1960. He turned it on, and the two large reels of tape turned. "Speak into the microphone David." So I did. I was amazed to hear my words come out of the machine.
I laughed at my grandmother putting a towel over the television screen if she was undressing. She thought the newsreader could see her.........
I laughed with delight at my first successful recording using a VCR. Then I sort of lost interest when computers came along. Same with cell phones...... I have never owned one. My son says, "dad, get a cell phone. I can never get you if you go out......" I tell him, "what's so important it can't wait till I get home?" Yessssss, I've turned into an old geezer.
My son talked me into getting the lap top I am writing on. "It'll open the world for you dad...... you can order things on-line, look at videos of all sorts of things on you-tube. Any music you're interested in is there as well." Waaaaal, I have all the music I'm interested in on vinyl....... plus some CDs. I can't say there is any music I'm interested in from beyond the 80s anyways........
I physically pay my bills at the Post Office with cash. I go into town to do my banking, at the, well, bank..... I have bought a few things through Amazon and e-bay. Got maself a hard to find roll of wallpaper!
The greatest thing for me going online was finding city-data. I love the fact I can communicate this way with Americans. Just click the button, and there it is in print....... that I like. But, if something goes wrong with my computer, I have no idea how to sort the problem out. I went in the downloads once by accident. There were some things there I was curious about, Opened one, and the computer screen went blank. Scared me to death. My son told me what to do over the phone to fix things. "Don't mess around with things I have downloaded into the computer dad............" So I don't!!
The thing is, the technology of my youth was pretty simple to use. I watch folks walking the streets staring at their little phone screens. I know young folks can't bear the thought of being without them. But it has no interest to me, and I can do without it. I guess I have got as advanced as I care to with modern day toys. I'll try and muddle through as best I can......
The problem is that a lot of technology doesn't add anything to your life, instead it only takes away.
I feel that way as well. I like using technology very much and use as much or as little as I feel assists me in my activities of daily living. But I really dislike corporations shoving their versions of technology down my throoat because they think it saves them time/money, when it actually just serves to irritate the customer and cost US more time and effort.
A prime example are those automated systems we talk to when calling giant companies. They make me want to pull my hair out. The voice wants my account number, DOB, etc, then doesn't understand what I'm saying, wants me to repeat it, etc. Or even if it does understand, a human (eventually) comes on the line and asks me the exact same questions I just told the computer. And what about the CAPTCHA codes that say you entered the code wrong when you didn't? And don't even get me started on self checkouts. They can't ring up my groceries unless I stroke their egos exactly right. They're worse than an angry spouse. Or automatic sinks in bathrooms that give me four drops of water at a time, while I'm waving my hand in vain trying to get more so I can actually clean my hands properly. Arrgh!
I feel that way as well. I like using technology very much and use as much or as little as I feel assists me in my activities of daily living. But I really dislike corporations shoving their versions of technology down my throoat because they think it saves them time/money, when it actually just serves to irritate the customer and cost US more time and effort.
A prime example are those automated systems we talk to when calling giant companies. They make me want to pull my hair out. The voice wants my account number, DOB, etc, then doesn't understand what I'm saying, wants me to repeat it, etc. Or even if it does understand, a human (eventually) comes on the line and asks me the exact same questions I just told the computer. And what about the CAPTCHA codes that say you entered the code wrong when you didn't? And don't even get me started on self checkouts. They can't ring up my groceries unless I stroke their egos exactly right. They're worse than an angry spouse. Or automatic sinks in bathrooms that give me four drops of water at a time, while I'm waving my hand in vain trying to get more so I can actually clean my hands properly. Arrgh!
Everything you just described is technology used for the benefit of companies AT THE EXPENSE OF consumers.
Everything you just described is technology used for the benefit of companies AT THE EXPENSE OF consumers.
Well, that is the name of the game. Most of it is just a rip off.
Take your iPhone as another example. Look at how the plans are set up.
The phone companies were really bummed out that Skype and other things like that had come along. Why, there is even audio-visual-data-over-IP now. Meaning, you can completely circumvent the phone company on a real computer. A-ha! I have a the perfect solution. A non generic, carrier specific device called a smart phone. I will steal back the web access and force the consumer back onto my rate base once again.
They really hate people like me and my wife who use our CATV connection to access the web. We could fire the phone company tomorrow if we wanted to.
I feel that way as well. I like using technology very much and use as much or as little as I feel assists me in my activities of daily living. But I really dislike corporations shoving their versions of technology down my throoat because they think it saves them time/money, when it actually just serves to irritate the customer and cost US more time and effort.
A prime example are those automated systems we talk to when calling giant companies. They make me want to pull my hair out. The voice wants my account number, DOB, etc, then doesn't understand what I'm saying, wants me to repeat it, etc. Or even if it does understand, a human (eventually) comes on the line and asks me the exact same questions I just told the computer. And what about the CAPTCHA codes that say you entered the code wrong when you didn't? And don't even get me started on self checkouts. They can't ring up my groceries unless I stroke their egos exactly right. They're worse than an angry spouse. Or automatic sinks in bathrooms that give me four drops of water at a time, while I'm waving my hand in vain trying to get more so I can actually clean my hands properly. Arrgh!
The phone trees are absolutely horrible, but the little CAPTCHA things are designed to weed out bots. For that purpose, they are pretty effective.
A prime example are those automated systems we talk to when calling giant companies. They make me want to pull my hair out. The voice wants my account number, DOB, etc, then doesn't understand what I'm saying, wants me to repeat it, etc. Or even if it does understand, a human (eventually) comes on the line and asks me the exact same questions I just told the computer. And what about the CAPTCHA codes that say you entered the code wrong when you didn't? And don't even get me started on self checkouts. They can't ring up my groceries unless I stroke their egos exactly right. They're worse than an angry spouse. Or automatic sinks in bathrooms that give me four drops of water at a time, while I'm waving my hand in vain trying to get more so I can actually clean my hands properly. Arrgh!
Yes! Arrrh! I loath those automated response phone system. If I can bill the ompanies for the time I wasted on the phones, I'd be very rich.
About the automatic bathroom water dispenser, I had a hilarious encounter with the fancy toilet flusher & washer at work. One day, I had a meeting in another building with a newly refurbished wing (likely designed for the Japanese visiting scientists & work partners). I was in awe of the new plush and spacious bathroom with gleaming toilet, faucet handles. There were so many levers that I did not know which one to press to flush the toilet. I tried one and got a big squirt of water right into my face. I tried another one and got a hit from another direction. My clothes were drenched before I figure out how to turn off these attacking water guns and found the right lever to flush the toilet. It was a bit embarrassing coming back to my office but all my co-workers had a big laugh out of my fancy toilet misadventure!
I'm still pretty technotard but I got a smart phone last January for my birthday because I needed unlimited text. I had this new friend that was very chatty and he ate through all of my trac phone minutes. He's not around any more but I'm really enjoying the phone. I taught myself how to post a picture from my phone to Facebook. I was surprised how easy it was. Technology is wonderful and I hope it will make our senior years much easier. I'm looking forward to the self driving cars. Who knew cyber friends could be so much fun as well.
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