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But, again, I was surprised that this thread has become so "divisive" (and even insulting and snarky in a few cases), although I did suspect it might -- and that is why I specified, "for my fellow Luddites" in the thread title because I was interested in seeing if my fellow dinosaurs were encountering more and more problems because they had not joined the 21st century regarding smartphones or anything else. Here in rural Wisconsin, I have not yet encountered very much difficulty, but I was starting to encounter some minor problems until we moved here from Denver three years ago.
Does it count to say I think I'm turning into a semi-Luddite? For a while now, I've been getting more and more annoyed at the constant changes where you have to learn something new. If you try to follow Google's instructions, for example. The "click this next" thing isn't there, but oh yeah it's right there in the instructions!! "What wrong with you that you can't follow instructions!" (No, it is not.) Uh... because the instructions are wrong?? One site even admitted that their company needed to revise the instructions. Doubt it will ever happen. I've been called a whiner because I dare complain about the constant "upgrades." Well it's true that tech is like that. Change is the very nature of technology. Doesn't mean we have to like it when the instructions are often worthless and we waste time trying to get something done or learn something.
I still know a few people who refuse to own a smart phone or a computer. They are all over 65 years old. They don't realize that this places a burden on the people who have to assist them. For example, right now many people over 80 are refusing to use a smart phone or a computer. They barely have a cordless phone attached to the base which is attached to a plugin cord! Doctors and such will accommodate them for now, but I don't believe that practice will continue as age groups die off. Tech is a double edged sword.
Does it count to say I think I'm turning into a semi-Luddite? For a while now, I've been getting more and more annoyed at the constant changes where you have to learn something new. If you try to follow Google's instructions, for example. The "click this next" thing isn't there, but oh yeah it's right there in the instructions!! "What wrong with you that you can't follow instructions!" Uh... because the instructions are wrong?? One site even admitted that their company needed to revise the instructions. Doubt it will ever happen. I've been called a whiner because I dare complain about the constant "upgrades." Well it's true that tech is like that. Change is the very nature of technology. Doesn't mean we have to like it when the instructions are often worthless and we waste time trying to get something done or learn something.
I still know a few people who refuse to own a smart phone or a computer. They are all over 65 years old. They don't realize that this places a burden on the people who have to assist them. For example, right now many people over 80 are refusing to use a smart phone. Doctors and such will accommodate them, but I don't believe that practice will continue as age groups die off. Tech is a double edged sword.
No doubt, people refusing to learn tech will all eventually die off. The same thing happened when cars replaced the horse and buggy.
I paid my property tax last night using echeck. Kind of complicated. Now I don't have to worry about a illegal alien walking past my mailbox and stealing this big check.
Does it count to say I think I'm turning into a semi-Luddite? For a while now, I've been getting more and more annoyed at the constant changes where you have to learn something new. If you try to follow Google's instructions, for example. The "click this next" thing isn't there, but oh yeah it's right there in the instructions!! "What wrong with you that you can't follow instructions!" (No, it is not.) Uh... because the instructions are wrong?? One site even admitted that their company needed to revise the instructions. Doubt it will ever happen. I've been called a whiner because I dare complain about the constant "upgrades." Well it's true that tech is like that. Change is the very nature of technology. Doesn't mean we have to like it when the instructions are often worthless and we waste time trying to get something done or learn something.
I still know a few people who refuse to own a smart phone or a computer. They are all over 65 years old. They don't realize that this places a burden on the people who have to assist them. For example, right now many people over 80 are refusing to use a smart phone or a computer. They barely have a cordless phone attached to the base which is attached to a plugin cord! Doctors and such will accommodate them for now, but I don't believe that practice will continue as age groups die off. Tech is a double edged sword.
Well, yes, the bold IS a valid point. However, if an old person back in 1980 refused to have an answering machine, yes, they did 'force' the caller to call back, but I don't remember anyone saying that everyone HAD to have an answering machine. Even the old people knew that if they missed an important call, that was on them, but it was still their decision as to whether or not to get an answering machine. I can't now think of anything that interfered with an 80-year-old living in 1980 living their lives as if it were 1950 if that is what they chose to do.
And maybe things are different now but I can remember when I lived in Denver often having to wait a couple of extra minutes in a checkout line at the grocery store for someone to find a coupon on an app, when all I wanted was to pay cash for a gallon of milk. That rarely bothered me -- it only did if I was in a hurry -- but it seems to me that even in the past three years, more and more people are becoming very grumpy and impatient with everything.
Last edited by katharsis; 10-19-2023 at 10:01 AM..
Well, yes, the bold IS a valid point -- but to give one example, if an old person back in 1975 refused to have an answering machine, they forced the people calling to call back, but people coped. I can't think of anything right now that interfered with an 80-year-old living his or her life in 1975 if s/he refused to get an answering machine or a television.
And maybe things are different now but I can remember when I lived in Denver having to wait a couple of extra minutes in a checkout line at the grocery store for someone to find a coupon on an app, when all I wanted was to pay cash for a gallon of milk. That rarely bothered me -- it only did if I was in a hurry -- but it seems to me that even in the past three years, more and more people are becoming very grumpy and impatient with everything.
You can't live in the past as they will leave you behind.
And then so much advancement has occurred that you will be overwhelmed.
I just taught a neighbor how to use the self checkout.
And that was because she was in a store with no human checkouts.
She got so frustrated she put back her stuff and left.
So I brought her to food lion and showed her how to work the self checkout.
I showed her how she could put her CC into her iPhone wallet and use Apple Pay.
In the end..she wants none of that and said she just won't shop where there aren't human checkout people.
Well, the word is that stores want to go completely self checkout and they are rapidly heading in that direction. Walmart will force people to use self-checkout during a dinner break (i.e. 7pm) for cashiers. (Regular cashiers, not self checkout.) So instead of simply pulling even ONE person out of the self checkout area to run a register for an hour, they force customers who hate self checkout to use it. Self checkout employees often get cussed out over this, but the corporate higher ups don't care. I've seen customers walk out of the store, leaving an entire basket full of stuff that has to be put back, or tossed (perishable) - usually it's both. Very time consuming and a hassle. This creates more work for employees, but again corporate doesn't care.
When I lived rural I really didn't need any of it.
But once I moved back to the city life...it makes life so much more convenient.
My phone has become my radio, map, store weekly sales flyer, wallet, calculator, and so much more.
Membership cards are gone as they provide digital copies which I can keep in my Apple wallet.
I go into HD and use their app to find what I'm looking for..Aisle/Bin and then the self checkout
I really only need to deal with employees to cut wood/mix paint, order an appliance.
My phone plays "Submarine Games". That is, when I am driving, it is out of sight, out of mind, I am not using it. As far as my map goes, I memorize those before I go, get the ground level view, take in my land marks, even have my missed approach landmarks in my pretty head.
BUT, consider the aspects of my life. When I am navigating underwater, there is no phone to use. I am using a compass, landmarks, number of kicks, bottom contours, and knowing my depth. Is it any surprise that for how I, must, navigate in one environment is more the same and less the totally opposite to how I navigate in another?
As for the radio, no, head up, tuned into the world around me. As for the calculator, I am one of those weird people who does it in her head.
But once again, us oldsters, do we let some machine do it for us or do we keep our minds active?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TMSRetired
You can't live in the past as they will leave you behind.
And then so much advancement has occurred that you will be overwhelmed.
I just taught a neighbor how to use the self checkout.
And that was because she was in a store with no human checkouts.
She got so frustrated she put back her stuff and left.
So I brought her to food lion and showed her how to work the self checkout.
I showed her how she could put her CC into her iPhone wallet and use Apple Pay.
In the end..she wants none of that and said she just won't shop where there aren't human checkout people.
Same thing with me, not going to do it. If there isn't a human cashier, FINE, keep your stuff.
You can't live in the past as they will leave you behind.
And then so much advancement has occurred that you will be overwhelmed.
I just taught a neighbor how to use the self checkout.
And that was because she was in a store with no human checkouts.
She got so frustrated she put back her stuff and left.
So I brought her to food lion and showed her how to work the self checkout.
I showed her how she could put her CC into her iPhone wallet and use Apple Pay.
In the end..she wants none of that and said she just won't shop where there aren't human checkout people.
Just curious -- and thanks for a very good example as to how things are changing! -- but why couldn't she just pay with her credit card or cash? That is how self check-out works here, but there is always a human cashier at least available even during slow periods, as it seems that most people here prefer human cashiers by a large margin.
But once again, us oldsters, do we let some machine do it for us or do we keep our minds active? Same thing with me, not going to do it. If there isn't a human cashier, FINE, keep your stuff.
But please, don't walk away from a full shopping cart. It may feel good to you, and you may think it sends a message, and you may think they will change their m.o., but when a store ends up with 25+ full shopping carts to deal with at the end of the day, the employees suffer. And NO, corporate is NOT going to "get the message" and put traditional cashiers back on. They're NOT doing it. Period.
But please, don't walk away from a full shopping cart. It may feel good to you, and you may think it sends a message, and you may think they will change their m.o., but when a store ends up with 25+ full shopping carts to deal with at the end of the day, the employees suffer. And NO, corporate is NOT going to "get the message" and put traditional cashiers back on. They're NOT doing it. Period.
I wouldn't quite. It would be like this,
"Oh, please, I don't want to walk away and leave all these goods for you to restock.....but that is what we are looking at here. I will not use self checkout, period.".
Oh, and just by the way.....my grocery bills have often been a $300+ checkout.
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"What wrong with you that you can't follow instructions!" (No, it is not.) Uh... because the instructions are wrong?? One site even admitted that their company needed to revise the instructions. Doubt it will ever happen. I've been called a whiner because I dare complain about the constant "upgrades." Well it's true that tech is like that. Change is the very nature of technology. Doesn't mean we have to like it when the instructions are often worthless and we waste time trying to get something done or learn something. 
