TECH concerns, pet peeves, whys & why nots of TECH etc. etc.

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JustFoundHere
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02 Dec 2022, 7:20 pm

On all too many TECH appliances, controls are labeled with hard-to-read black print on black background layouts.

Why have on/off controls on TECH. appliances become complicated?

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

- Book: "Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/ ... igital-age

- Radio talk show - TECH expert, Kim Komando.



JustFoundHere
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08 Dec 2022, 3:39 pm

JustFoundHere wrote:
On all too many TECH appliances, controls are labeled with hard-to-read black print on black background layouts.

Why have on/off controls on TECH. appliances become complicated?

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

- Book: "Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us"
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/ ... igital-age

- Radio talk show - TECH expert, Kim Komando.


Any TECH. related concerns, complaints, etc. etc.??

Any of the 'HELPFUL RESOURCES'.........helpful, the book, 'Dignity in a Digital Age.........' the - Radio talk show - TECH expert, Kim Komando?



usagibryan
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08 Dec 2022, 4:22 pm

I mean, I could probably rant about this all day, but my grievances aren't with appliances, rather apps and software these days. It seems companies are constantly dumbing down their software and removing functionality. Apps on phones never have as much functionality as their desktop versions even though most people use their phone instead of a PC these days. What pisses me off even more is I can't find too many people complaining about this (I guess most people didn't use these extra features) and that's how they get away with it.

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.


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JustFoundHere
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10 Dec 2022, 5:28 pm

Personally, I'm old-fashiond in the whole (TECH) scheme of things. My cell phone is basically just a portable old-style telephone. I don't own a SmartPhone, and only use a desktop computer.

I view 'Artifical Intelligence' (AI) with interest - yet, I feel AI works best if humans and AI are both augmenting each other. I'm especially interested in recommendation algorithms - YouTube does a good job at making recommendations esp. considering that so much YouTube content is largely unstructured. Google's progress with Natural Language Processing (NLP) is important - that is NLP's developments to allow NLP to better understand context in language.

Data mapping (data presented in geographic-style maps) helps users understand context, and can be especially useful for data analyst's who seek to uncover important trends. Progress in data-mapping APPs is of interest.

What about AI systems which help users fix and maintain their PCs? Such systems would best be bundled and treated like anti-malware APPs. Any specific, promising developments of such systems?



Nekomonster
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10 Dec 2022, 5:56 pm

Why is it so hard to find new computers with DVD drives, when the natural upgrade should have been to build them with BD drives instead of doing away with the whole thing?

No, home video isn't dead. I can tell you this as a librarian - DVDs still have plenty of active users and occasions, especially for people overwhelmed by streaming services' algorithms and original content or people who want to watch something specific that's otherwise been shuffled behind a paywall for DisneyWalmartHBO+ or whatever. To say nothing of games and software on CD-ROM...


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JustFoundHere
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11 Dec 2022, 8:00 pm

Sometimes, TV reception presents issues:

- TV pictures come in scrambled, sometimes no picture at all, even still pictures (like a stationary snapshot).

- The audio is garbled - sometimes no audio at all.

- Sometimes - both of the above.

Does anybody's occupations involve servicing (troubleshooting) these issues?



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13 Dec 2022, 2:48 pm

usagibryan wrote:
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.

You might like the so-called "God Mode" if you want all the Windows settings in one place. Takes a little while to get used to, but it probably beats trawling through the usual mess that Microsoft seems to think was an improvement:
https://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-enable-g ... 10-and-11/

There's also a way of making the search feature just search the local drive(s), though it involves editing the registry, which can cause trouble unless you apply the fix carefully enough.

I can relate to your whinge. It seems most providers have decided to mesh their products with crafty methods that try to track the user, to force targeted ads on them, and to lock them into whatever profiteering racket they or their cronies have dreamed up. Meanwhile robust, no-nonsense products are getting rare. The days of honest goods are more or less over. There's a lot of fury and a lot of clever ways of fighting back out there, but you're correct that most people don't seem to have noticed anything is wrong. Me, I'm still using Windows 7 and I don't have a smartphone. But as time goes by I expect I'll be under increasing pressure to move with the times into dystopia.



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18 Dec 2022, 8:27 pm

Any TECH. products/services must boost 'User Experience' agendas.



JustFoundHere
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27 Dec 2022, 3:48 pm

LED displays on landline phones wear-out too quickly!



ToughDiamond
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27 Dec 2022, 3:57 pm

^
Does anybody else remember the days when stuff would last longer if it was properly looked after?



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27 Dec 2022, 4:54 pm

Sometimes when I have a problem on my phone and I need help from Google all the results (even fairly recent) are aimed at computer users, like "click on XYZ", even if I add in the search bar that I'm using a phone.

Quote:
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.

That's probably because they want to be able to bombard you with ads to make you become so frustrated that you'll end up subscribing and paying for it. Like we're all made of money.

Quote:
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.

Google search has become disappointingly crap now. It seems to have become very censored to suit extreme political correctness. And yes I do only search for results listed on the first page because after the first page the results drift away from what you were searching for (it even says so itself). YouTube has become too protective, most videos aimed at children have their comments disabled and sometimes I like to discuss old nostalgic videos with others in the comments section. And when videos are "made for kids" it pauses the video when you want to go back to the results page to search for more, even though all parental control settings are disabled.

Quote:
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.

Facebook is becoming ridiculous. My uncle got a temporary ban because part of his granddaughter's diaper was visible where she was lying on the floor in the photo. Also they put you in Facebook jail if you mention the word "shooting" anywhere, because it offends America or something. Why should the rest of the world be banned from saying certain words just because of the stupid laws of America allowing everyone to own guns? Yet the abusive bullying that goes on doesn't get taken down.

Quote:
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.

This is my number 1 complaint about technology of today. Most film industries think everyone streams online so don't release movies on DVD or box set, so those of us who don't have Disney+ or Netflix completely miss out. They take movies or TV series off the internet if they don't meet the political correct standards or if it offends someone. I much prefer owning DVDs.
Quote:
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).

Our new TV doesn't have a headphone slot, I suppose now I have to buy wireless headphones if I want to watch the TV with headphones on (because of the noisy neighbours upstairs). My laptop didn't come with a disc drive so I had to buy one, which takes up space on my desk.

Quote:
I'm starting to feel like an old man ranting about this stuff. I thought the future was supposed to be better, lol.

Me too. It's like society is becoming more and more money oriented than ever before. Back in the 90s technology was built to last, and if say your TV was getting old it would warn you first by occasionally glitching out, so it gave you enough time to buy a new TV before the old one stopped working altogether. These days I have noticed that when a TV is worn out it doesn't warn you, it just suddenly stops working. The TV could be working great one day, then the next day you switch it on and it's dead. Just dead. Won't ever turn on again. So then you're out of a TV until you can get a new one (what if you can't afford a new one instantly?)

When I upgraded to Windows 10 years ago I found I could no longer play my Sims 2 games on it. Not even after changing the compatibility settings and downloading patches. Technicians wouldn't sort it out for me because I suppose they want you to keep going forward, not backward, so luckily my cousin had a Windows 7 disc or something and reinstalled it back on to my laptop. Then I got my Sims 2 games back. When I was upgrading to Windows 10, old-fashioned me thought "oh good, this should make the Sims 2 load faster".

The new technology age makes me anxious because it's advancing too fast and I can't always keep up. I sometimes like to stay the same and don't always want to upgrade to streaming and all that but I feel like I'm forced to when they stop selling DVDs and DVD-players. I feel like DVDs hadn't really been out very long before the streaming era came about.
I have a TV in my bedroom that isn't connected to any cable or internet or anything, it's just used for watching DVDs on, and I can snuggle down in bed cosily without having to wear glasses to see the screen, as it's at just the right distance from my bed (not too far away). So I couldn't stream from the bedroom anyway, as it will cost to get it connected to the outside aerial. Also our WiFi signal doesn't seem to reach the bedroom for some weird reason, which makes it frustratingly annoying when I have to switch to my mobile data to receive internet when I'm in bed, then when my internet bill comes through it is double the amount I'm supposed to pay for each month. :roll:

I could give more bad reviews about today's technology but this post would go on for too long.


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JustFoundHere
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27 Dec 2022, 6:00 pm

I posted a reference to this discussion-thread in 'Work and Finding a Job WP Forum' - Thread 'What's the Best thing Or Job to Do?' - Eleventh response in thread:

EXCERPT: First Paragraph: 'Anybody consider TECH. careers involving 'user experiences?' All too often, user experience(s) of TECH. products, services, etc. etc. are anything but satisfactory - disappointing!'



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27 Dec 2022, 7:41 pm

Joe90 wrote:
Our new TV doesn't have a headphone slot, I suppose now I have to buy wireless headphones if I want to watch the TV with headphones on (because of the noisy neighbours upstairs). My laptop didn't come with a disc drive so I had to buy one, which takes up space on my desk.

TV headphone sockets have come full circle then. Back in the 1970s TV sets didn't commonly have them, and the internal speakers were tinny and rubbish, even though the sound quality of the electrical signal was very good. So I had to open up the TV and solder a cable onto the terminals of the volume control so that I could connect the sound to my hi-fi amp and hear it in all its glory. Then then started selling TVs with sound output sockets. And now they've taken them away again, and I'll bet the miniaturisation has made it impossible to do my trick on a modern TV. And one company (Apple?) has stopped putting standard jack sockets on its devices, and uses its own type of socket instead, which they've patented or something. It's no doubt capable of doing more, having more wires, but I'd want an adapter so I could keep using my old headphones and cables, and I don't think it would be cheap.

You can still get laptops with internal disc drives but they tend to be heavier and cost more. Those USB external drives are helpful, but as you say they need extra space, and if that USB plug gets knocked while you're burning a disc, you have to start again with a fresh blank disc.



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28 Dec 2022, 10:43 pm

Reassessing discussion-thread to boost TECH-related 'New Year's' resolutions. Any specific TECH. resolutions?



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29 Dec 2022, 12:28 am

^
Not for me - I'm already doing my best to stay as comfortable in the face of technical "progress." But I could think of a few for the captains of industry.



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29 Dec 2022, 3:20 pm

ToughDiamond wrote:
^
Not for me - I'm already doing my best to stay as comfortable in the face of technical "progress." But I could think of a few for the captains of industry.


I'm considering TECH support services offered by TECH. Radio host Kim Kommando.

Anybody receptive to paying say twenty-dollars a month for TECH. support services from a trustworthy source?

Next computer project: Backup my files to 'IDrive' service - which Kim Kommando favors.