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....)
