HALLIE EPHRON: Recently I’ve been traveling, and three times in 10 days I ended up with an Uber driver in a TESLA.
Have you seen one in the flesh? They’re… sleek. And inscrutable. You need a manual to figure out how to open the door. Every time the driver had to come around and let me in (or out).
Where’s “human factors” when you need them? Because, seriously folks, if you need to watch a Youtube video in order to open our car door, that's a safety issue.
It got me thinking how complicated the world has gotten. Everyone expects you to be able to interact with their PORTAL. Phone calls are answered by machines with algorithms that seem designed to get rid of you as quickly as possible.
I’ve been lucky technology-wise, having worked for computer companies for decades. We had MAIL long before it was a basic component of every laptop. Before there were laptops, and long before there were cell phones. And I’ve managed each transition.
Still, these days it seems as if they make it harder than it needs to be. You get a link to their system so you can PAY YOUR BILL. Click the link and you need to enter your password AND a security code to get in. Seems like I spend half my time online retrieving passwords and typing in security codes.
Are you just sliding happily and glitch-less-ly into an increasingly technology-driven world or going there kicking and screaming?
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I have had lots of Uber Teslas, too and I think they are incredibly cool and gorgeous and fun to ride in. I KNOW, AND I AM AWARE OF THE PROVENANCE. I’m just saying, that aside, cool.
Paying bills on line is weird to me, although when it works, it’s amazing. It always feels like a roll of the dice, though, about whether it’ll work. And I am in love with online grocery shopping.
Do not get me started, though, about “customer service” and not being able to get a person on the phone. It’s often so much more efficient to talk to a person, but that's me, the one saying “agent agent agent agent agent” over and over, in hopes the software will obey. And sometimes it does.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I find most modern technology super helpful. I love how I can have my plane ticket and boarding pass and everything else I need for my trip right on my phone. I love being able to chat, voice and video call my daughter in The Hague with just the press of a virtual button. I love washing machines that sense how big the load is and adjust the water amount without me fussing over it.
What I don’t love? AI. Not that I’ll never use it - I’ve found ChatGPT saves a lot of time in pulling together resources and suggesting itineraries. It does the same thing I could, but a lot faster, which is genuinely helpful. But for the love of all that’s holy, PLEASE STOP TRYING TO JAM “AI” INTO EVERY APP AND WEBSITE I HAVE TO DEAL WITH!!!! No, I don’t need an intrusive chatbot when I’m looking at my latest insurance bill. No, I don’t need a summary of a three sentence email. No, I don’t want it randomly popping up on my phone like an overly attentive waiter - “Can I help you now? How about now? Now?”
I’ll tell you when I want you, Clippy.
RHYS BOWEN: Hank, you should hear John shouting “Agent, agent, for God’s sake give me an agent” when he has a problem.
And I go mad when I have to get through to my doctor and there are so many hoops to jump through..If you are a patient press 1. If this is for an existing appointment press 6. If your big toe is hurting press 9 etc etc. Then The Wait time is twenty minutes…. Grrr.
There are certain aspects of technology I really do appreciate: Uber is so easy when I’m in a strange city. Having the boarding pass in my Apple Wallet is so much better than trying to find a piece of paper. Paying people who work for me with Paypal is so simple. Having a credit card I just have to touch on a pad makes it so much safer. However I refuse to do any banking or financial transactions online.
LUCY BURDETTE: totally giggling about Hank and Rhys’s John shouting ‘agent, agent!’ Sometimes I have to take the phone away from my John because he becomes so upset about something he’s trying to do.
I do love the Apple wallet however. And I’ve gotten smug about paying for things with my phone, the way our son does. He NEVER carries cash, which occasionally gets him in hot water.
About AI, did those of you on the Reds and Readers group notice that AI started posting in the group? We did not ask for this or approve of it, and it took a little hunting around to find a way to turn it off.
JENN McKINLAY: I’m torn. I love technology when it works as intended but being the sort of person who forgets to charge her phone, having to order food off a QR code at the restaurant can be problematic. And I hate putting in my credit card info constantly.
Like Lucy, I need to get hip to using my phone to pay for things but I’m also lazy and I feel as if nothing is easier than buying things with cash. It also makes you fiscally responsible – you either have the money or you don’t. Now that they’re planning to chip away at our cash-based monetary system with the Genius Act (encouraging the use of stablecoins) well, I think I’m doomed.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yes, Uber Tesla’s are very cool, but I’ve never managed to open the door, either!
But if we’re talking gripes, one of my biggest is doctor’s office portals!!! Oh my gosh, they are so annoying. Every provider uses a different system, and they all nag you. You can’t make an appointment without signing up for the portal and going through all their hoops. On the good tech side, I use a password manager, so that makes it easier to keep up with them.
I pay all our bills online, I order groceries and takeout online. I pay for almost everything with my debit card, but I do carry cash. Partly for the farmers market because there are vendors who don’t take cards, and partly for tips in the hair salon/nail salon. I know I can put the tip on the card but I also know they would rather have cash, so I make the effort.
AI is such a huge thing, but just a “love” and a “hate.” I use an AI called Perplexity which is great for answering all sorts of questions and problem solving. But I do NOT want Google’s AI telling me how to write an email!! So very annoying!
HALLIE: What about the rest of you? Are you lining up with Rhys's John and yelling “Agent, agent, for God’s sake give me an agent” into your land line phone receiver? Or are you gliding ahead, taking technology and the depersonification of our universe in stride? (But seriously, when you need a Youtube video to figure out how to open your car door....)
I'm somewhere in the middle in all this, Hallie . . . I like the convenience of PayPal; AI makes me crazy; I despair over the phone system that is determined to keep me from talking to a real person. And I've never been in a Tesla, but the idea of not being able to open a car door is rather frightening . . . .
ReplyDeleteI am terrified at the idea of not being able to open a car door myself. How is that cool?
ReplyDeleteI am also shouting, "Agent, agent! For God's sake, give me an agent." Irwin wants to dump Verizon. I have had them since 1995, when I got my first cellphone. People used to answer their calls. Now they have a system that sends you in a loop, then, with a curt "goodbye," hangs up on you.
One of the most annoying additions to WORD is an AI that volunteers to write your paper for you. Huh? I'm writing a review. Has it even read the book?
Lastly, I want paper in my hand at the airport. Have you been behind the person whose phone decides to go blank every time she tips it? Well, that won't be me.
Generally speaking, I prefer all the old fashioned ways of doing things, but if there is an online chat box or portal messaging system, I much prefer to use that than trying to telephone.
ReplyDeleteUsing a card to pay is convenient, but we will use cash whenever possible if there is a fee for paying with a card. Small businesses usually prefer cash or even a check if they don’t charge you for using a card.
We have a smart home with TV and lights hooked up to Alexa but we usually just use the wall switches and remotes. I think it is weird to be in someone’s home and they are constantly telling Alexa to do things like preheat the oven, turn on the music, dim the lights or asking her everything… what time is it, what is the temperature…..
And I still make a list on paper to go to the store.
I like using most high tech but I draw the line with using any smart home tech. No Alexa or Siri in my home. I don't like the idea that tech is monitoring what I am doing in my apt. Thank goodness all the appliances & switches are decades old.
DeleteI am with you all on not wanting AI's unasked for help everywhere. When I google something now, I add -ai to the query (when I remember). I won't use ChaptGPT. I won't have Alexa in the house. I also basically don't use Uber, but Hugh has ridden in a friend's Tesla - I'll ask him about the door. And yes, "Agent" or tapping O, plus we go to the market with a paper list.
ReplyDeleteI don't pay with my phone, although I do love tapping my credit card. I always carry cash - I can't tip the hair or nail person on the card, and we like to leave a cash tip for our housecleaner. Yesterday we wandered around the (free) Lowell Folk Festival all day, taking in a bunch of fabulous international music. Everything except parking was cash - the food stands, the beer garden, the contributions to make the festival run.
That said, paypal is great. I find my doctor's portal easy to use. Two-factor authentication annoys me, but I know it's good for security. Boarding passes on phones are great, as is online bill paying (although I don't sign up for automatic payment).
Edith, I also find most portals easy to use. However in 2022-23 I had two years of hospitalizations and appointments in medical offices in four cities in three different states. Each used a different portal system and some used yet another system for bill-paying. I made loose-leaf notebooks for all of the bills and kept in those notebooks a cheat sheet for all of the websites and passwords. It was a lot of work. I have wondered how those who are less tech-literate manage the modern medical world! (Selden)
DeleteWe have a portal system for making medical/vaccination appointments. The last time we needed blood work, I made the appointments for both of us from the computer at home. They have to be 10 mins apart and only one name can be in a slot. Fine, accomplished. On the correct day we went to the lab, where you type in your code number or something and then go to the next computer to get your ticket to sit so they call you for the bloodwork. Jack’s was before mine, so all went well. I came to the first sign-in where the machine told me I was too early come back in 10 mins. I could not even sign in. Mumble, mumble, grr, I took a chair. The girl in the registration office (part 3 in this process), watched me sitting there NO ONE ELSE in the room, went over and over-rid the machine, and saying “Mumble, mumble, grr”, called me in. People – 1, machine – 0!
DeleteOh, thank you, all of you who are mystified by Tesla doors. A black car, a black door handle, poor vision. Ever tried one when your eyes are dilated?I want to scream. The Uber drivers are so helpful and so patient. And there are some Tesla’s with contrasting colors for the handles. Suddenly, those large cab F-150 Ubers make me happier than those sleek Teslas! (Vision problems keep me from driving, so I take what Uber sends me.) Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI love certain aspects of technology but dislike others. I love my Macbook laptop. I enjoy my phone that doubles as a camera and audiobook player. I don't ever use my phone to pay bills, and have forbidden my husband to do so. In my case it's because I am absentminded and have to hunt for my phone regularly. In his case it's because he's brilliant but dyslexic and the small screen makes errors extremely likely. I've spent hours straightening out problems so it's simpler for us both to refrain.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate Facetime. Our oldest grandchild is profoundly autistic with intellectual disabilities and does not sleep. As a seven-year-old with zero danger awareness cannot be allowed to roam unattended in the night, our son does not either. We have a standing appointment at 7 AM for a Facetime so I can hear how it's going.
I must say that I hugely dislike the infiltration of Elon Musk, a sociopath, and his tech-worshipping ilk into my daily life. I won't ever ride in a Tesla after reading about the serious safety concerns the company has deliberately hidden (among them: those disappearing door handles do not open in a crash and passengers have burned to death; in Germany it is recommended that you carry a window hammer). https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/05/the-vehicle-suddenly-accelerated-with-our-baby-in-it-the-terrifying-truth-about-why-teslas-cars-keep-crashing .
I close all AI chat boxes. I have never used a QR code. But I'll give up that stand long before I'll ride in a Tesla. (Selden)
Selden, I think all of us love certain aspects of technology or we wouldn't all be greeting one another from 6:00 to noon every day on this writers blog. But I am with you and Edith and Brenda in your distaste for certain technologies. I wouldn't have a robot presence in my home for all the tea in China.
DeleteJudy, of course you are right about everyone on this blog! I may have come further than most because I lived for a while in a cabin without electricity or plumbing, carrying water from a spring, and pictured myself doing so forever. At that time, daily Facetime check-ins with my son living 250 miles away would have seemed to me like something from the Jetsons. (Selden)
DeleteThe first thing I do when I call a company is press zero and then immediately ask for an agent. I've been known to ask if the person I'm supposedly chatting with "if they are human."
ReplyDeleteI dislike doctor portals too. At airport, I take the paper ticket, I prefer to not use my phone all the time. Do you recall the person that stole another person's ticket via their cell phone?
I'm getting use to using my debit card at stores. I do carry cash when necessary - I do need them for tips especially when traveling and on vacation.
oh I forgot - I've been in a uber Tesla and freaked out when I couldn't figure out how to get out the car.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I swear I'll wait for another car before riding in one again.
DeleteI have never been in a Tesla and don't plan to. I use Lyft when traveling and love it. Not sure if there's much difference between it and Uber. I do online grocery ordering and curbside pickup quite a bit. When I go into the store, I use the Scan-and-Go option when offered. I feel smug when I can use Google Pay. And I kind of like my patient portals. I like being able to get test results so quickly.
ReplyDeleteHowever... I loathe AI and automated phone trees. And websites whose idea of customer service is a chat bot. If I can't get a real person, I stop shopping or doing business with that company.
Sidenote: How many of us writers are going to include a scene with our character stuck in a Tesla now that we've watched that video?
Annette, agree with you about similarity of Uber/Lyft. Many of my Uber drivers are also Lyft drivers. Those that I’ve chatted with say being both just gives them more chances to work. Elisabeth
Deleteha ha good idea Annette--we should all put that scene into our WIP!
DeleteHmmm, I have never been in an Uber Tesla. I am not sure if we have them in Canada yet.
ReplyDeleteI do pay all by bills online, and I like using my Google Wallet, especially when I am travelling internationally. And I also like having my plane ticket & boarding pass on my phone's airlines app.
And I think QR codes are here to stay. I used one on Tuesday night at a new restaurant. No paper menus, a continuation of an effect of pandemic times.
P.S. Yes, I noticed those AI posts on Reds and Readers. I did not reply and am glad you figured out how to stop their questions!
P.P.S. oh yeah, I also like that my Google Wallet holds most store membership card barcodes. I no longer worry about looking for the physical one before heading out.
DeleteQuestion to all - if you have to use one of those QR codes get the menu, and you can't read things on a cell phone, do you have to get a designated reader to tell you the menu, or do you just order the house special?
DeleteI definitely need Miss Gloria showing some whippersnapper how to use a QR code!
DeleteHaha! Yes, Miss Gloria would know! I just ask for a paper menu and places will accommodate us.
DeleteMARGO: I would hope one of the diners has a cell phone to read the QR code menu.
DeleteThis Spanish eatery I went to had NO paoer menus.
Luckily, the first dining QR code we were exposed to was in Nairobi, and we were with our tech-savvy daughter and son-in-law (who had by then been using them for awhile). It was during COVID, so the code menus helped keep the restaurant sanitary, along with no longer keeping salts and peppers on the tables. But you do need Wi-Fi to read them, and on that first trip we didn't have it. A major pain in the butt.
DeleteOur new furnace and ac unit are linked to a wifi thermostat. No internet, no ac. I'm not a fan.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow. While I don't have that kind of "smart" technology myself, my nephew does. While they were away--and I was going over to look in on their kitties--he texted me to ask if I would check on their HVAC because his phone was telling him the inside temperature was much warmer than he had it set. It was always fine when I was there, so I assumed a tech glitch. Now I'm wondering if his internet had gone down for a time.
DeleteI like when telephone line-ups to get through have the option “If you would like us to call you back, leave your number.” The call often comes faster than waiting on hold – did you realize the terrible loop “we really appreciate your business” cuts in every 25 secs. I timed it.
ReplyDeleteThis week I had our prescriptions renewed for the next year. The dr faxed them to the pharmacy which is Costco by mail. They don’t call me to tell me that they have renewed the prescription – you have to call them. Then they activate it – maybe. In both our cases, most of the drugs were available to reorder – within the 10 day requirement to get the prescription reordered. They sent them which means for the rest of the year, I can order on line. However, the Ozempic which is out of sync with the rest, could not be reordered – it is over 30 days. Could I activate it and then order on line in 30 days? No – I have to call back, wait in line, listen to the music and then talk to the pharmacist. Ozempic is not allowed to be mailed so I have to make sure I can get it when a family member is coming our way (Talk in Tim Horton’s parking lot – Sous voice out the side of the mouth – “got any good drugs?” Handover accomplished.)
I still don’t know how to work the stupid Iphone.
Yes, I am the one screaming "agent, agent" or "supervisor" until I get a person. I use the pharmacy at CVS rarely but when I have to CVS is the worst. If you don't have this large conglomerate pharmacy in your area you're lucky! I can't even get through to a person no matter how many times I say agent. Plus they demand your DOB and other infor before you can proceed. I have to literally get in my car and drive to the CVS to speak to a person. For most of my prescriptions I use TriCare's Express Scripts (a military Rx mail order service) which is great. But you do have to ask for an agent!
ReplyDeleteI've notice that when I type in a question or request for info into Google it is answered by AI.
Anon, my husband gets his RX from Walmart, via the mail, and I pick up my lone prescription from CVS when they remind me every three months to do so. But I use their app, which works great, and never use the drive-up window. Their pharmacies are so short-staffed. They have closed stores all over, but ours is so far hanging in there, and I'm grateful they are.
DeleteSteve's prescriptions arrive whether he needs them or not, and he has no way to turn them off. We use the same company for our Medicare supplements, but different plans, and I can't believe how oversupplied he gets with some of his meds. I have taken some to the police station for them to dispose of, he sometimes has so many extras.
In the 1980's I wrote an article for a local community paper about how all our "modern conveniences" were making our modern lives so much more complicated than our foremothers' were. And it's only gotten worse. Exponentially so. Who would have ever thought you'd need to geo-fence your house so the robo-vacuum could clean, or your yard for the robo-mower? No, thank you, as well, to Alexa or Siri or Cortana listening to every word we say in our home. Why would I ever invite that in, just so I didn't have to get up to change a station, etc.? Too Big Brother for me.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I was trying and failing repeatedly to get an email to "confirm my address" within ten minutes so I could get into a website with my password. Never could get in, by the way, after trying for over an hour. In the past a helpful travel agent would have cheerfully looked up the codes in her latest book, and booked the flight, or changed it, whichever I needed. Thank goodness we have family in the State Department who travel all the time, and a daughter who can gently guide her disgruntled mother back to sanity. Here's a great tip for finding travel connections and hotels, etc.: Rome2Rio, run by Expedia.
And don't get me started on passwords. It's impossible to keep track of them! The worst is the IRS, which requires a long one, plus two-factor security, just to PAY YOUR BILL. Do they think anyone else is going to pay it? No wonder so many people owe the IRS so much money--they just don't make it easy to send them money. Seems pretty foolish to me.
Our neighbor was an early investor in Tesla, and with his profits he has bought two of the top of the line (not Cybertruck, thank God) models over the years. His now deceased wife, every time we rode in that car, complained derisively that "Mr. Musk" refused to allow a place for cupholders or garment hangers or anything else practical. The disappearing door handles is the least of the worries. There is no way on earth I will ride in a self-driving one. That company prioritizes looks and "cool factor" over safety.
Thanks, now I feel better. LOL
Karen, the problem of the door handles is also based on Musk's prioritizing "sleek" over safety. His engineers warned him they were unsafe. (Selden)
DeleteGood points Karen!!
DeleteI use technology for some things. I've started paying more bills online (but I still mail out others and some I pay in person).
ReplyDeleteBut I don't like the way I get nagged to upgrade my phone from the flip phone I prefer to a smart phone. Look, I make and take phone calls and I text. I do not need a phone that is capable of running the nuclear defense system.
As some know, I'm out of work. Last week I got a call back from one that I applied for (don't want but can't be choosy you know). When I called back, the phone rang and rang and rang. No one picked up...NOT EVEN ANY KIND OF VOICEMAIL COMPUTER THINGAMAJIG. When I went to the same place to do some shopping, I ran into someone I knew that worked there. I asked, does anyone answer the FN phone around here?
Grocery lists are on paper. Someone better answer the phone. And get the hell off my lawn. I'm old, I'm cranky and I'm fighting tooth and nail on what I can to avoid The Rise of the Machines.
And the hell with Uber, Tesla and all the other things I want nothing to do with.
Jay, good luck on the job hunt. That's rough. What kind of business lets phones ring and ring?
DeleteYesterday I was literally holding my phone, texting back and forth with my daughter. At one point she texted that she had called me and the call WENT TO VOICEMAIL. It didn't ring, and I never got notified that she was calling, or had called.
That is literally the prime job of a phone, to take and make calls. And it cannot even do that properly.
Jay, good luck on your job search.
DeleteJay, best of luck with your hunt. I was laid off from my teaching job in the mini-crash of 2008 and vividly remember my anxiety. (Selden)
DeleteJay, best of luck with the job hunt! Have been there many times and I know the feeling. One tip my nephew gave me when I needed to update a resume: ask ChatGPT to give you an example of a resume in your field--input your current one and wow! It will use your own information and create s resume--making it look very smart and professional--and this is coming from someone whose resume used to be pages long. Nowadays, it's very very simple--but I was still amazed by how good the new version is.
DeleteAnon Flora, above comment.
DeleteHmmm... not sure if this even relates but I don't ever take Ubers (or taxis). I don't even like my husband driving me around, let alone a stranger (okay, yeah, I might have some "control issues" when it comes to driving!). As for the rest of the tech "advances", some are fine, some are completely unhelpful. Sometimes it seems like non-humans are coming up with new ideas - there is no common sense being used with some of it. But, as the saying goes, adapt or die. I'm just trying to adapt without losing my mind in the process. I prefer analog over most advances, but I do try to keep up and learn the basics/necessary things to get by in the world. At home though, I use a radio, CD player, and record player. I even still have a checkbook (that I use!). We had Alexa but it just started to weird me out. A little too Big Brother for my taste - invasive feeling. I have a friend who is very much into all-things-tech. She was over at my house looking at the garden and using her phone to identify every weed and plant in sight. When we came inside, I showed her my beautifully illustrated garden book collection that I love using, as well as my own gardening journal that I use watercolors to remember my garden from year-to-year. She was thoroughly not impressed and I got the sense she thought I was pretty old-fashioned (she is older than I am!). I guess I prefer a slower pace of life, one that is more tactile, and where I get to use all my wits and senses. I have (unsuccessfully) used GPS exactly twice in my life. A "real" map has never once let me down! I don't use social media (in today's world - yikes!), but I do love being able to order things from Etsy from around the country and world. Don't even get me started on AI. I personally like vetting my own sources, rather than something else choosing them for me. I guess I'll just continue living my happy little Hobbit life!
ReplyDeleteA friend has a Tesla and I remember being very confused about the door (she has a sticker disclaiming support for the company's owner).
ReplyDeleteSince I worked for 9-1-1, I was a bit ahead of the curve on technology. We communicated by "system message" in the '80s and basically discovered the joys and pitfalls of texting way before it was widely used. Imagine the chagrin of a young dispatcher who accidentally sends a flirtatious message she meant for position 9 (a particular co-worker) to position 99 (the whole room).
Currently, I hate the blasted phone trees--dread having to call my internet or cell phone provider. Access to my doctor, either by phone or through the on-line portal has been really easy for me. My error is that I look at my test results as soon as they come in, without waiting for the doctor's interpretation. This has produced needless anxiety a few times.
The last couple of times I traveled, I had my boarding pass on my phone. So slick. However, last September I was at Midway Airport and had some time before my flight. I went to a quiet concourse and bought a yogurt parfait and sat reading an article on my phone, which was plugged in. I got up to dump my used plastic cup, forgetting the phone on my lap and the phone came unplugged and went flying. I did not see where it went and could not find it. No one was around who could have taken it. I dug in the garbage in case I had accidentally dropped it there, looked under all the seats in my row and behind. I was panicking, wondering how I could possibly get on the plane without my boarding pass, when I finally spied the phone under the seats a couple of rows in front of me. 15 minutes of panic!
I am a "kicker and screamer" when it comes to technology. I am NOT tech savvy and trying to navigate my way through portal set-ups, bill pay systems, ordering online, etc. can be as much of a challenge as trying to remove those damn burrs that stick to your dog's coat after a walk through the woods. I also feel as if I am doing most of the work involved with getting checked in for a medical appointment. It's repetitive, involved and requires sharing everything but one's shoe size on the questionnaire. But hold on...that will eventually get added next. When making any follow-up appointments in the medical office I always ask for an appointment card that I then put in my paper calendar at home; I never use my mobile phone calendar. Also because of all the "Fort Knox password plus one-time code" security measures now locked into the systems it makes me hesitant to believe that any email that comes into my inbox is legitimate and not fraudulent. A recent form letter from my bank had me so concerned that it was a scam I showed up at the bank in person just to make sure that it wasn't someone trying to tap into my personal account information. When the dust had settled the letter was indeed from the bank and I was reminded by the bank manager that sending checks through the mail rather than using online banking was a dangerous thing to do. :-( I can also certainly relate to screaming at a recorded Virtual Assistant that I need to talk to a LIVE agent. Most of the time I just keep pressing the number zero on the phone and yelling at the same time. As for using AI to get information on a subject I did once ask it for "advice" when I inadvertently left vanilla extract out of a recipe and whether I could remedy the situation. The response from AI began with the words "By all means you can fix this situation by"...and I felt as if I was having a conversation with a human.
ReplyDeleteBut the hardest concept for me to grasp is just understanding the tech savvy jargon itself ....never mind using it. I find myself often asking out loud what the hell does that technical term even mean? I basically use my phone to make phone calls and/or text. The rest is all a mystery to me. :-)
We are all so funny! And yes, the Tesla door is different, but once someone shows you, then you know, right? Just like everything.
ReplyDeleteI have set up the system so I can pay for groceries by waving my palm over a scanner. I know I probably just gave up every biological marker, but it’s really fun and easy. And that’s how we lose our freedom and privacy , I know :-)
Oh I love my boarding pass on my phone, and agree it was really frustrating when the screen went dark, but I learned to click a screenshot of it, and then it was in my photos, and then it was easy. And there’s a record of it.
One of the problems with the Tesla doors is that they don't always unlock in a crash and in the back seat the manual release mechanism requires the passenger to remove an interior body panel, access a rip-cord, and pull.... not likely to happen in an emergency. The exterior door handles may not pop out for use by rescuers either.
DeleteOhhhhhh good to know! Yikes!
DeleteWow what a close call Gillian!! We have been using paper for air travel. I read a story in our local paper about a guy who left his phone in the Uber and was dropped off at the airport. He couldn't get his phone back and was stuck without the information for his flight. He couldn't even call home to ask someone to check. They don't even have pay phone anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest issue with AI is the massive energy demands and water use. Three Mile Island is being recommissioned for Microsoft's AI energy needs. I can only imagine the water demands in California. AI to discover new cancer treatments? I'm all for it! But for most of us, it's unnecessary. Add [-ai] to your Google searches and know you're doing your small part to save our planet. (Note: don't use the brackets, just -ai.)
ReplyDeleteWhen i have an issue that I cannot easily resolve all by myself, I need to speak to a human. None of this typing stuff into a box, only to be told "I don't understand" and "can you rephrase that?" It's enough to make me pull my hair out. So, yes indeedy, I do get constantly calling agent agent agent agent!
ReplyDeleteJudi, I have a voice tremor, and when I get nervous, tired or frustrated it gets worse. The voice "recognition" services, even in my car and on my phone are a source of intense anxiety for me.
DeleteThe voice to text translations of my Deaf accent speech has been hilarious at times.
DeleteI am probably a closet Luddite. I have a dumb phone simply because years ago when I was working, my company said it would be okay to use my personal cell as a company phone as long they had access to everything I did on my phone. That really disturbed me because I didn't think it was my employer's right to review everything I did in my private life. Yes, I understood their logic, but I'd rather they give me a company cell phone and I'd continue to pay for my own personal phone.
ReplyDeleteThat got me to thinking about how they can push out Amber alerts and such on your personal cells so what keeps them from tracking your movements as well? Watching how our world is heading politically, I'd just as soon not spew my location to the world. True, I'm just an old white lady, but you never know when that is the next category of folks who are declared anti-American and need to be removed.
I have not and do not plan to ride in a Tesla of any form. I've seen inside them and I've seen the insides of police cars (office gave me a ride home after a kid ran a very red light and totaled my car) and it didn't feel like much difference between them.
I do pay bills online and purchase medical supplies and occasional personal items online, but try to use a separate account from my main bank account so there is only a small amount of $$ in there should someone decide to break into the account and clear it out. I find it very sad that "modern" conveniences lead to more extensive defensive maneuvering on my part. And yes, I am like John and keep hitting "0" or hollering "Customer Service" until a live person shows up.
I think there is a part of me that looks at what might happen if there was an EMP bomb deployed over our country and plans accordingly. Yep, weird, but true. -- Victoria
Several years ago a friend was telling me about the EMP bomb thing, Victoria, and I thought she was paranoid. I just had to get a new car (long, annoying tale of woe reason), and along with being a hybrid, it is connected to the Internet, GPS, and who knows what all. If the car is in an accident an operator will ask if everyone is okay, and then send the appropriate assistance. I told my husband not to talk about anything controversial at all in the car!! But the ability of some powers-that-be to control the car is the most worrisome part.
DeleteI’ve worked with technology in bookstores and publishing since 1984. Some tech is great, other- not so much. I love having a good camera on my phone, I hate the password for everything, you do etc. We pay most of our bills on.one. I do not use either Apple Pay or Google Pay. I always try to tip in cash, and yesterday, at the Lowell Folk Festival I paid cash for everything. (We got free on street parking so no money at all for that!) Back in 1984 I read Edward Feigenbaum’s “The Fifth Generation” and thought artifice intelligence was going to be dangerous, as interesting as the possibilities could be. I haven’t changed my mind. And I think that so often technology has made our lives more, no less, complicated. Maybe if real, live non-tech bro people vetted systems it could be easier. 😆
ReplyDeleteWhat an idea, Suzette! Have a non-bro tech vet a system for use by ordinary people?! Give up a little of their smug superiority? Nah, not going to happen.
DeleteREPRESENTATIVE! Yep, that's me and the shouting is intentional. Especially as our menu options have changed - every five minutes. What is the deal with that? As for AI, I recently had a problem with my Amazon page - 99.9% of the reviews have disappeared - I contacted Amazon help - it's all AI and I finally gave up after it became apparent that Help could not comprehend that I wanted to know why my reviews had been removed. I did not want to remove a review. URGH. Vent over.
ReplyDeleteI do pay my bills online and it's wonderful, but only on my laptop. no banking info on my phone - don't trust it. Having lived in rural areas for the past twenty years, I'm also grateful for online shopping. It's a tradeoff, but it words. As for personal use of AI. Nope. Did anyone else see the recent NYT article about the effects of AI on the brain. Seems regular use shuts down the creativity synapses, and the effect lasts past the usage. Scary stuff.
Don't get me started on Tesla! When we had to go to the hospital, the GPS in the Tesla was not working. The driver was following the directions on the GPS, which took us two blocks away from the hospital. And the doors! Whenever LYFT sends a Tesla, we cancel.
ReplyDeleteHaven't ridden in a Tesla, don't plan to ever do so voluntarily--will not support Musk in any fashion--don't care who bought the stupid cars. And needing a video to learn how to open a door?? What disdain for the common folk! I do have smart phone, not the greatest camera on it, but I do enjoy taking photos. Would prefer a paper menu, don't like QR codes for everything. Have used my phone at the airport--but I can just see my anxiety ratcheting up--if I lost it, or it suddenly went blank and you can't access anything--need a computer to troubleshoot the issues and try to fix them to get the phone back on--this has indeed happened to me. Now imagine it happening while you are at the airport--no thanks. I do pay bills online, but thanks to Trump, all the fees are now sliding back in--a fee to pay using almost any method except paying in person with cash or sending a check--and thanks to catfishing, I hesitate to do that. I don't need or want Alexa or Siri or my washing machine to send me notices. So some things, yes, others, no way!
ReplyDelete