TECH concerns, pet peeves, whys & why nots of TECH etc. etc.
Next computer project: Backup my files to 'IDrive' service - which Kim Kommando favors.
My near-future outgoings are currently unpredictable and may well turn out to be terrifyingly high, so I daren't commit to increasing my regular expenditure at all, but the principle looks worth considering for people in more normal circumstances. I suppose it's like buying insurance - i.e. it depends what specific devices break down and how comprehensive the service is.
Haven't used online storage so far, after a nasty experience - Microsoft locked my OneDrive account because I hadn't used it for ages, and when I tried and failed to get it unlocked, they locked my email account due to "unusual activity," and made me jump through a lot of difficult hoops to get the email back. I've also lost one Microsoft email account because I couldn't make it through their hoops, so these days I'm somewhat paranoid about touching anything that could be remotely related to such trouble - if I lose my main email account I'm in deep trouble.
I'm not aware of any non-Microsoft, terabyte-scale, free cloud storage. But I still prefer to keep all my files locally on a pair of USB drives. They're a tad laborious to update, as I don't know of any one-click method, but as long as I occasionally do the required donkey work I feel pretty safe (I use the two drives as duplicates in case one breaks down), and I don't have to worry about how to access my stuff if the internet (or the service) is unavailable. Nonetheless, a free, private and secure cloud storage space might be a useful supplement, if it didn't make the updating procedure even more laborious than it is now. I do wonder how private my files would really be on somebody else's server.
Windows is making it harder and harder to get to the original control panel settings which are superior IMO to the way settings are now. Trying to search my own PC it tries to search Bing... WHY would I want to search the internet from the task bar? I'd open a browser for that. The other day there was no internet so I figured I'd play Solitaire, but no native games on Windows anymore. It seems EVERYTHING requires internet, even games I've already paid for and downloaded on my phone, you can't play without internet.
Google search used to be much more versatile, you could use operators like minus "-" to remove terms or quotation marks "" to get exact phrases, not it just completely ignores these things. YouTube used to let you open all comments on one page (sometimes I like to CTRL + F to find a specific comment, name of the song in the video, etc) but now it's just "click to see more comments", "more comments" etc. Good like finding a specific comment when there are thousands.
Same with Facebook. It also seems like everything is designed these days to put you in a bubble. Whenever I can I try to disable cookies, NOT sign in, etc. Because the more websites and apps know about you the more they make your experience designed for you, which sounds nice but it actually makes it harder to find new content. Facebook is creepy as hell btw I think it's listening to what you say, I could have a conversation about the most obscure thing and next thing I know Facebook is showing an ad for it.
WHY am I still getting ads if I'm paying for a subscription? Why are movies constantly disappearing from streaming services? Some aren't available anywhere. I've started building a DVD collection again, it feels archaic but it's kind of nice to have your own physical collection that you know you physically own and won't disappear. Same with games, I prefer buying physical copies of games these days to save on space on my consoles.
Then you have planned obsolescence and right to repair, phone manufacturers removing the SD card slot, the headphone jack, not shipping with a charging block. Printers not shipping with a USB cable and trying to force you to sign up for something to just install the driver, etc. Being forced to use your phone to set something up on your computer (makes zero sense).
I'm starting to feel like an old man ranting about this stuff. I thought the future was supposed to be better, lol.
This is simply, because previously the customer was the physical user.
Now the customer is company paying for it, and you get stuff for "free" as if.
Meaning you are the target not the customer.
Algorithms are the same.
The algorithms and facebook, google etc. no longer work for us. They work for companies that pay big money to get our money.
The real customer who has the final say is the company. We are users who have bank accounts and companies love our money so much they make our user experience sometimes living hell.
This is true of almost everything on internet including microsoft.
Thank-you for being observant on...'TECH Concerns, Pet Peeves, Whys & Why Nots Of TECH Etc. Etc.' Keep these important insights coming!
With advances in Artifical Intelligence (AI), what about AI driven automated-support systems which help (non-TECH users) fix and maintain their PCs? Any specific, promising developments of automated-support systems?
Physical controls e.g. older-style controls, buttons in TECH. appliances must make a comeback.
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With about two-dozen responses (as of this writing) in this discussion thread - time to re-read the entire disc. thread to boost understanding of........'TECH. Concerns. Pet Peeves, Whs & Why Nots of TECH. etc. etc.'
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With about two-dozen responses (as of this writing) in this discussion thread - time to re-read the entire disc. thread to boost understanding of........'TECH. Concerns. Pet Peeves, Whs & Why Nots of TECH. etc. etc.'
Bumping-up discussion-thread.
RetroGamer87
Veteran
Joined: 30 Jul 2013
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,970
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Touch screens! I hate touch screens! I want to actually be able to feel the button when I press it. Having to rely purely on visual feedback is frustrating and unsafe when used in an environment when lives depend on precise control.
You know the new Orion capsule is going to rely on touchscreen controls? Good luck trying to use a touchscreen in a violently vibrating rocket. They should have stuck to buttons and switches.
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The days are long, but the years are short
You know the new Orion capsule is going to rely on touchscreen controls? Good luck trying to use a touchscreen in a violently vibrating rocket. They should have stuck to buttons and switches.
There might just be a growing trend towards (old-school) buttons, controls, etc. One example: A "clicky" (meaning the sounds, the tapping), and feel of mechanical PC computer keyboards: https://www.intheknow.com/post/best-cli ... keyboards/
RandoNLD
Toucan
Joined: 16 Mar 2023
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 291
Location: 90º north Lat, 90º south Late
Why do so many things nowadays need to be 'smart' devices and connected to the internet? I really don't understand it.
What benefit would it give me if my fridge or whatever can be connected to my wifi, 'Oh I can use the app to view a real-time image of my fridge when I'm out shopping'. I can just do that by taking a photograph of the inside of the fridge and writing a shopping list down.
The lack of accurate, complete, and well-written documentation for electronic equipment really miffs me off.
For example, I just learned today how to do an undocumented "Factory Reset" on one of my Amateur Radio transceivers. I learned it from another Amateur Radio operator, and not from the manufacturer. Had I not learned it, I would have been out hundreds of dollars in shipping and service fees -- enough to buy a whole new radio to replace the one that was not broken!
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For example, I just learned today how to do an undocumented "Factory Reset" on one of my Amateur Radio transceivers. I learned it from another Amateur Radio operator, and not from the manufacturer. Had I not learned it, I would have been out hundreds of dollars in shipping and service fees -- enough to buy a whole new radio to replace the one that was not broken!
I missed the golden age unfortunately. I do remember a massive coil-bound black and white technical manual for a chunky word processor with printer attached that my father bought, which for reasons unknown included everything you could ever hope to know about the beast. From 6 monthly maintenance schedules to circuit diagrams. It was such fun to read to as a child. I think your "had I not" scenario is exactly why they don't any more - it's the Apple mindset, a mixture of planned obsolescence and profiting from simple repair and maintenance.
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Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory, Farewell!
^ I have to agree. Some "Customer Service" centers are now asking for credit card numbers and home (billing) addresses, as well as the number from which you are calling.
Just to ask, "Have you tried switching it off and back on again?"
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Microsoft Windows User Account Control.
It would have been a good idea but in my experience it causes more trouble than it's worth. I'm the owner and sole user of my computer, and the only account on it is the administrator's account - I am its administrator. Yet Windows keeps telling me that I can't alter files, or it makes me jump through hoops to be allowed to do so. Putting a lock on a door has certain advantages, but when it's designed such that the owner keeps getting locked out of their own house, it's a somewhat Pyrrhic victory over the burglars.