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Old 03-13-2015, 01:42 PM
 
5,544 posts, read 8,282,592 times
Reputation: 11141

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I am not in fear of it, just sick and tired of it.

Now my HOA is telling everyone they must get on the HOA website with login and password to be assigned so that information and infractions can be distributed that way. The info is sitting on the website and you have to do the work to find out if rules change or you are being marked for an overgrown lawn or something. No. Thank. You.

I can barely make myself deal with my doctor's website. The doc and referred doctors are all on the supporting hospital's website portal. Theoretically all records, lab tests, MRIs, etc are archived and any doctor treating me can go into the portal and review relevant information when needed. So I contain my ire as I have to go in and check labwork, etc because the intent makes some sense. Even have to schedule appointments by the website. Don't telephones work anymore?

My retirement is on a website as is social security; so lets say I get dementia that is really going to be a mess if something needed to be answered or addressed. Or if I pass away, my kids are going to know what websites to access with passwords etc?

And the smart phone. All I wanted was a flip phone to make calls and text but daughter buys me an IPhone. with all these apps. No I don't want my location tracked, no I don't want to check the weather, and I certainly don't want department stores accessing my data and following my shopping patterns with their apps. And I have a perfectly good laptop, why do I need to do emails internet searching music, etc?

I do use on line banking and bill paying and like that a lot.


getting curmudgeonly I guess but that title is taken.

ONS
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Old 03-13-2015, 05:08 PM
 
Location: South Florida
1,007 posts, read 1,121,504 times
Reputation: 1576
I know some people like this. One woman told me she was afraid to get on the internet because she worried she would be addicted to it. I guess that makes sense, but she watches TV all day so I didn't really see the difference. I told her about Netflix and how you can watch whenever you want without commercials for $8 a month. I got the deer in headlights look too. LOL

They do spend a lot of time on the phone and that would drive me nuts. I would much rather send a quick email or whatever than sit on hold waiting for a customer service rep. When you don't have the internet, bill paying and things like that are a real pain. I am too spoiled now to go back to that. On the other hand, I know people the same age who are on Facebook all day, so I would say embracing technology is more a matter of personal preference than aging.

I agree with the poster who thought the disabled cousin might be going out to do errands as a way to get out of the house and be around people. I am not disabled, but I work from home a lot and I need to get out of the house and go somewhere once in a while too. Sometimes I go to the library on my lunch break. I have a kindle and read online but I also like to read old-fashioned books. You can take them to the pool or the beach and read them in the bright sun.

Last edited by Fiona13; 03-13-2015 at 05:17 PM..
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Old 03-13-2015, 07:57 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,758 posts, read 40,857,426 times
Reputation: 62051
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowsnow View Post
This should be a feel good thread for all of us! 'We', collectively speaking, are pretty much cutting edge compared to lots of folks out there. We are lucky. Technology helps us every day. For the most part, we are still learning and growing.

I wonder if there will come a day when I suddenly become too old to be interested or change/adapt to what's new out there? I hope not and I am planning on fighting it! Still learning my new Android so I can't go over the hill yet! And I just finished extending my wired and wireless network. Works much better now!

Recently, I have mentioned the new person in my life, SO's cousin. He relocated from NYC to Vegas. He is seriously, with just a few exceptions, a throwback to the 1980's. He is in his 60's but to me he seems 'older' than my mom was in her mid 80's.
I taught two different Internet research classes to two retiree groups about 4 years ago. Some of them didn't know how to turn on a computer even though they were very intelligent people. What I discovered was that they retired before they had to use them at work so let's say they retired in the mid to late 1990s. I suspect some of them retired so they wouldn't have to learn how to use one so close to retirement age. Many of them had computers in their home because someone else used them. Interestingly, their preferred method of communication was the telephone so they were not adverse to carrying around cell phones and I suspect some could see the benefit of them if they fell or had an accident and lived alone. It's one of the 2 primary reasons why I carry mine around.

I personally do not have a smart phone. I have a not-so-smart cell phone. It needs to fit easily in my pocket and be bulky enough so I would notice if it fell out. I rarely make phone calls or send text messages.

Still have a landline on my desk but only use it for outgoing calls. The ringer is turned off. Couldn't even tell you the phone number because I never give it out. I only have it because it's easier to hear on a landline.

I use my 24 inch monitor at my desk to edit photos, primarily, which is why I don't need a laptop/iPad/notebook. A really big screen is important to me for the activity I do the most and I need it right in front of my face.

I'm not on Facebook or Twitter. I just don't like general chit chat no matter what the tool is to do it including face to face.

I still watch TV on a TV because that's where my comfy chair is and that screen is big enough for my eyesight.

It probably would pay for me to have a kindle with all of the reading I do, plus the capability to enlarge the font size but I keep thinking how easy it would be for some outside entity to make those books disappear so I don't get one.

I've had several cameras with video capability but never used the video on those cameras. I am thrilled, though, that other people do especially when I'm doing travel related research. I really watch those homemade travel videos people put on YouTube. Speaking of cameras, I cannot use an LCD screen to take photos, I need a viewfinder, so I missed the whole pocket camera trend and it's yet another reason why I don't need a smartphone.

I do have an iTunes account and use it.

My next car to be purchased soon will have GPS. I'm a little late to that party.
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Old 03-13-2015, 08:17 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,758 posts, read 40,857,426 times
Reputation: 62051
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover View Post

My foot will remain on the brake pedal when it comes to succumbing to the temptation of delving into that!
But, but what will you do when you have a self-driving car?
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Old 03-14-2015, 09:41 PM
 
Location: Tucson/Nogales
23,132 posts, read 28,869,286 times
Reputation: 32478
I'm less than a year of retirement and relocating to Tucson. There, I'm abandoning my car, going car-less, with a bicycle, monthly bus pass, and a moped/scooter! Going to stay away from the 21st Century as long as I can!
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Old 03-14-2015, 09:52 PM
 
8,495 posts, read 4,134,026 times
Reputation: 7043
I think some people have a lifelong curiosity and are not afraid to learn new things - that love of learning never ages out. I remember going to a free computer class (after you purchase a new one, you get to attend a training session of some kind) a few years ago, and there were only about four of us that day and one of them was an 88 year old lady and at first I thought that I would probably have to help her and she'll be asking me questions, etc. since we were sitting next to each other. Well, she could have taught me a thing or two - I was very surprised! She knew all these technical terms and she knew how to Skype. I was just blown away by how computer savvy she was. The questions she had were so detailed and technical, I think even the trainer was shocked. She was 88 years old!
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Old 03-14-2015, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Hiding from Antifa!
7,783 posts, read 6,054,297 times
Reputation: 7099
Having started out with a VIC20 and progressing through PCJR on up to what is available now, and getting older, I am getting very tired of trying to keep up with the changes in tech. The worst thing is that with my job, we are becoming more and more dependent on technology and it all too often fails us.

I work field service where, as late as the 80's we used to have pagers, and we would call dispatch to get our jobs, and then call them to debrief the calls. We have "progressed" through Blackberries and are now using iPhones, using software to get the calls and debrief them. Problem is, the software is always changing and has been buggy over time, getting a little better, but still always having problems, both on the handhelds and the servers at the home office. It doesn't help that BBs and iPhones were/are always changing, and new employees have newer models presenting different problems depending on which model you carry.

I wish I had access to the data that would probably show that we spent way more on the hardware, software and people to keep the hardware/software working, than they ever would have to employ enough dispatchers, and just reimburse the field service engineers for using their own simple cell phones with texting capabilities.

I enjoy high tech, but I am beginning to hate being dependent on it. It is to the point that when I retire I may do away with cell phones altogether. Probably not, but I know I will limit how much it impacts my life.
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Old 03-14-2015, 10:32 PM
 
1,844 posts, read 2,417,578 times
Reputation: 4501
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowsnow View Post
This should be a feel good thread for all of us! 'We', collectively speaking, are pretty much cutting edge compared to lots of folks out there. We are lucky. Technology helps us every day. For the most part, we are still learning and growing.

I wonder if there will come a day when I suddenly become too old to be interested or change/adapt to what's new out there? I hope not and I am planning on fighting it! Still learning my new Android so I can't go over the hill yet! And I just finished extending my wired and wireless network. Works much better now!

Recently, I have mentioned the new person in my life, SO's cousin. He relocated from NYC to Vegas. He is seriously, with just a few exceptions, a throwback to the 1980's. He is in his 60's but to me he seems 'older' than my mom was in her mid 80's.

...
Clearly, when it comes to enmeshing yourself in technology, Mark Zuckerberg does not share your sentiments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/te...ies-below&_r=0

I reiterate my previous sentiment. Your coz has his head screwed on right.
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Old 03-14-2015, 10:47 PM
 
Location: Hiding from Antifa!
7,783 posts, read 6,054,297 times
Reputation: 7099
Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaDL View Post
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!
My first experience with an automatic flusher was on a cruise ship. We were in the front of the ship, watching a show in the theater. Nature called and I went to the men's room. The seas were rough that night. As I stood there doing what I had to do, rocking back and forth with the waves, the urinal kept flushing over and over.
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Old 03-15-2015, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas
14,229 posts, read 29,948,042 times
Reputation: 27685
He used Netflix all by himself last night and I am stoked. Progress!
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