Everything you say is true. Good luck to you and to all of us with technology battles!
Off topic, but as a Canadian I thank you for your terminology: ‘invading’. Calling it ‘annexing’ is the equivalent of referring to rape as ‘seduction’.
Amen, brother!!!! I follow my mom’s “Victor Newman Rule”. For those who aren’t familiar with the charismatic head of Newman Enterprises and head of the Newman family on “The Young and the Restless “ well, you’re really missing something. Mom LOVED that show and in particular adored Victor. When VCRs were out, we took her to buy one. Of course the video king at the store wanted to sell her one that not only sliced bread but toasted your Philly cheesesteak. Mom would have NONE of it. She declined his offers stating “LOOK- all I want to do is record my stories and see Victor when I get home from my bridge game. I don’t need all that baloney.” So mote it be. We got her a solid standard one . And thus the Victor Newman standard was born. It’s become family legend and a comment on stuff that’s just too much.
I feel your pain; I wanted to add that my mom and I settled on a solution to technology aggravation (or as my child once said please make my sister stop activating me). Laughter and the path of least resistance, My best friend and I have followed this path through social media and digital times. I love cranky comedians like Denis Leary, Louis Black, George Carlin (ironically cranky). And I put on my dvd of The Original Kings of Comedy to ease the pain. But the best of the most recent is Bill Maher’s take on techno nerds making simple things WAY to complex. (Valet parking via app is hysterical)
OMG, I can so relate to this. This past Saturday, I tried to use Zelle to pay for tickets to my 50th high school reunion in July. Since we live in Spain, for some reason my IP address triggered a fraud alert with my bank and also triggered one on the woman’s account I was trying to send the money to in MA. I kept getting a message “try again later” until I got an email telling me that my Zelle account had been suspended by the fraud Dept. of the bank that I suddenly discovered on Sunday morning. With the time difference I waited until early afternoon to call to sort this out. It always takes at least 20 minutes until you actually get to speak to a human. When I finally got through, I explained my situation to the CSR and he looked up my account, only to tell me that my on-line banking privileges had been suspended and I had no access to my money until I physically went into a branch of the bank. I told him that I am in Spain and won’t be back in the USA until July and that was unacceptable. He said he would put in a “ticket” to the fraud Dept. and I should hear back by Tuesday. Finally after a second call directly to the fraud Dept. and 2 more hours, I spoke to someone who said that my account would be unlocked after 48 hours and they just had to verify my identity first, which they already had done because they have a voice recognition system. It ended up being fixed overnight so I finally had on-line access again and was able to generate a paper check to be mailed to my classmate for the tickets. Since my pension and social security are deposited into this account, for a period of hours I was terrified that my money in my accounts would be frozen and I would have to fly back to the US to straighten it all out. And all this because I wanted to attend my high school reunion. Oy vey, thank you to America’s most convenient bank. It’s no coincidence that “Zelle” rhymes with “hell.”
I cut my teeth in uni on card reader mainframes, fortran, commodore Pet. I watched the whole IT industry turn exploitative and get their let-out-cause from normal fit-for-purpose consumer protection. Then I stared in horror at the march of the algorithm and the rise of the call centre. Cowboys have made billions comeback free whilst Governments turn a blind eye. If it is not fit for purpose or is harmful, the provider should pay, simple.
Don't get me started on people and their conveniences.
My mom, using a plastic cup for an Airborne: " I know you don't think this is green or whatever -- but I can't get the residue off the bottom of a glass without using my finger before I put it in the dishwasher."
Yes, using your finger to get residue off a glass for 10 seconds is a real chore.
Tech is awful; gadgets are awful. I'm always stunned on the rare occasions when something works exactly the way it's supposed to, the first time.
I wouldn't even say that things are convenient. I dread having to get any new device or account, no matter how much it will supposedly help me, because I know I'll have to set it up, maintain it, update it, recharge it, all constantly worrying about its vulnerability to hacking and scams, and whatever legally-allowed data harvesting it is doing.
And it's becoming less a matter of convenience and more a basic requirement to participate in society, to have a bank account and a job, and file taxes, and see a doctor, and use practically any mode of transportation. Fewer and fewer things can be accomplished offline, even those that were actually quicker, easier, safer and cheaper to do offline. It's like everything has to be done digitally now Just Because.
Yes! I didn't even mention the hacks and scams but that's a MASSIVE part of modern life too -- avoiding and preventing them. Oh man!
Yes, I think we're in a place where you NEED this technology to participate in society. Which is why it's all getting so bad. They have us over a barrel.
I agree with your broader points, but as you anticipated I disagree about identifying with 'queer' being a messaging problem.
'Normal' isn't really a great thing to identify with: it's usually a pretty fake concept that doesn't really apply to most people that gets used as a tool of control.
At the end of the day, for a lot of people, our queer lives and experiences *are* different – normal too in their specifics, yes – but I'm more in favour of acknowledging and celebrating difference than trying an approach that I think probably ends up in conformity.
'We're just the same as you except for who we love' seems to me to usually end up throwing all the weirdos and oddballs and anyone whose life doesn't map to a cishet normative ideal under the bus.
Great points all round, though, I just figured I'd be that guy in order to give the counterpoint on this one!
Thanks. Yeah, we just disagree. It's not about throwing anyone under the bus -- it's about winning over, or least not alienating, the 10% of persuadable people. I think political movements need to be about political successes, not self-expression. Certain things might be emotionally satisfying, but they make political wins that much harder. When we win politically, ALL our lives are better (and vice-versa when we lose). Basically, marketing and PR work.
But yeah, I've been privy to this exact debate my entire life (and part of it is that I think the two sides truly don't understand the others' position). Anyway, I know plenty of folks disagree with me, and it is what it is.
Your take is totally valid too, and I fully get where you're coming from on it. I'll take any means through which successes can be got at present, honestly!
There was a post on Reddit, something along the lines of "Which credit bureau is the worst, and why is it Equifax?" I dread the day I ever have to deal with them beyond just trying to freeze my credit on their terrible website. I was going to suggest applying for the USBank Altitude Reserve (effective 4.5% cash back on travel and phone tap purchases), but apparently they stopped offering it last year! Let us know if you pick a new CC, though.
But yeah, on a more serious note, those of us working in tech are really feeling the brunt of all this right now. Most companies either seem to be either the last phase of value extraction, or figuring out the implications of advancements in AI that are even surprising researchers in the field. I'm somewhere in the latter category, and it's something keeping me up at night, more so than the political situation in the US or whatever is going on in my personal life. Have you ever seen Cunk on Earth? It's a bit like that scene where Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk has a breakdown over learning that nukes are still in service, ready to fire whenever...
But, until then, the beach is beautiful, tacos are delicious, and I can still move around and do what I want (enough of the time, anyway). Hope you're both still enjoying PV!
Amen. And all this crazy has me cutting the worst of it out of my life. Because life is too precious.
(Regarding Chase, do you think the rejection was because the VPN wasn't set to USA? Or because Chase has set limits on how many Chase cards one can have at the same time? If it's too detailed to share here, I'll patiently wait for the blog post. lol)
We did finally track down a reason: we need to wait another year before applying to the SAME card. We can get different cards, and of course we can get cards with different companies, which is what we did.
Other nomads will know better, but I wonder if Chase bank has an issue with you guys being nomads? They can't chase after you if you're non-residents, so it creates risk for them.
All electrical devices go haywire around me. Sometimes my phone won’t even charge when I plug it in. And there’s nothing wrong with the outlet or cable when someone else uses it. Technology and I just don’t get along.
"Enshittification" really is a perfect word to capture all of it. I'd definitely give the beach a try. And if we ever find a way to connect that up to technology, then we're properly screwed.
I'd like to skip my phone into the ocean at the beach. As a construction worker, this technology does nothing but tell me where to be for the day. -Although I do realize that if technology were to take a dump, the corporate office would fall to pieces and (the least of their worries, I'm sure) be unable to send me my paycheck. So there's that.
But like you experienced, dealing with technology at home where online is inevitable (even my coach is online because he is in Australia) for the most part the benefits outweigh the bad.
I think we've reached a point where you CAN'T not exist without the technology -- which is also the point where the bad is starting to outweigh the benefits LOL
Everything you say is true. Good luck to you and to all of us with technology battles!
Off topic, but as a Canadian I thank you for your terminology: ‘invading’. Calling it ‘annexing’ is the equivalent of referring to rape as ‘seduction’.
Good comparison. Yes, what's going on is absolutely outrageous. Just beyond the pale.
Amen, brother!!!! I follow my mom’s “Victor Newman Rule”. For those who aren’t familiar with the charismatic head of Newman Enterprises and head of the Newman family on “The Young and the Restless “ well, you’re really missing something. Mom LOVED that show and in particular adored Victor. When VCRs were out, we took her to buy one. Of course the video king at the store wanted to sell her one that not only sliced bread but toasted your Philly cheesesteak. Mom would have NONE of it. She declined his offers stating “LOOK- all I want to do is record my stories and see Victor when I get home from my bridge game. I don’t need all that baloney.” So mote it be. We got her a solid standard one . And thus the Victor Newman standard was born. It’s become family legend and a comment on stuff that’s just too much.
haha, LOVE IT. Wisdom!
I feel your pain; I wanted to add that my mom and I settled on a solution to technology aggravation (or as my child once said please make my sister stop activating me). Laughter and the path of least resistance, My best friend and I have followed this path through social media and digital times. I love cranky comedians like Denis Leary, Louis Black, George Carlin (ironically cranky). And I put on my dvd of The Original Kings of Comedy to ease the pain. But the best of the most recent is Bill Maher’s take on techno nerds making simple things WAY to complex. (Valet parking via app is hysterical)
OMG, I can so relate to this. This past Saturday, I tried to use Zelle to pay for tickets to my 50th high school reunion in July. Since we live in Spain, for some reason my IP address triggered a fraud alert with my bank and also triggered one on the woman’s account I was trying to send the money to in MA. I kept getting a message “try again later” until I got an email telling me that my Zelle account had been suspended by the fraud Dept. of the bank that I suddenly discovered on Sunday morning. With the time difference I waited until early afternoon to call to sort this out. It always takes at least 20 minutes until you actually get to speak to a human. When I finally got through, I explained my situation to the CSR and he looked up my account, only to tell me that my on-line banking privileges had been suspended and I had no access to my money until I physically went into a branch of the bank. I told him that I am in Spain and won’t be back in the USA until July and that was unacceptable. He said he would put in a “ticket” to the fraud Dept. and I should hear back by Tuesday. Finally after a second call directly to the fraud Dept. and 2 more hours, I spoke to someone who said that my account would be unlocked after 48 hours and they just had to verify my identity first, which they already had done because they have a voice recognition system. It ended up being fixed overnight so I finally had on-line access again and was able to generate a paper check to be mailed to my classmate for the tickets. Since my pension and social security are deposited into this account, for a period of hours I was terrified that my money in my accounts would be frozen and I would have to fly back to the US to straighten it all out. And all this because I wanted to attend my high school reunion. Oy vey, thank you to America’s most convenient bank. It’s no coincidence that “Zelle” rhymes with “hell.”
Hahaha, yes, exactly. They truly don't care, and we often have no choice anyway -- all companies are the same.
I don't know how we all ended up here so quickly.
I cut my teeth in uni on card reader mainframes, fortran, commodore Pet. I watched the whole IT industry turn exploitative and get their let-out-cause from normal fit-for-purpose consumer protection. Then I stared in horror at the march of the algorithm and the rise of the call centre. Cowboys have made billions comeback free whilst Governments turn a blind eye. If it is not fit for purpose or is harmful, the provider should pay, simple.
It all feels so hostile, and I don't see how we ended up here so quickly.
Speaking of Jurassic Park, I think about this scene a lot these days:
https://youtu.be/_oNgyUAEv0Q?si=XbDHg5iGb5bxYcVc
He's completely spot-on. This is the point of EVERY movie about technology. But we've all been seduced by the conveniences.
Don't get me started on people and their conveniences.
My mom, using a plastic cup for an Airborne: " I know you don't think this is green or whatever -- but I can't get the residue off the bottom of a glass without using my finger before I put it in the dishwasher."
Yes, using your finger to get residue off a glass for 10 seconds is a real chore.
Tech is awful; gadgets are awful. I'm always stunned on the rare occasions when something works exactly the way it's supposed to, the first time.
I wouldn't even say that things are convenient. I dread having to get any new device or account, no matter how much it will supposedly help me, because I know I'll have to set it up, maintain it, update it, recharge it, all constantly worrying about its vulnerability to hacking and scams, and whatever legally-allowed data harvesting it is doing.
And it's becoming less a matter of convenience and more a basic requirement to participate in society, to have a bank account and a job, and file taxes, and see a doctor, and use practically any mode of transportation. Fewer and fewer things can be accomplished offline, even those that were actually quicker, easier, safer and cheaper to do offline. It's like everything has to be done digitally now Just Because.
Yes! I didn't even mention the hacks and scams but that's a MASSIVE part of modern life too -- avoiding and preventing them. Oh man!
Yes, I think we're in a place where you NEED this technology to participate in society. Which is why it's all getting so bad. They have us over a barrel.
I agree with your broader points, but as you anticipated I disagree about identifying with 'queer' being a messaging problem.
'Normal' isn't really a great thing to identify with: it's usually a pretty fake concept that doesn't really apply to most people that gets used as a tool of control.
At the end of the day, for a lot of people, our queer lives and experiences *are* different – normal too in their specifics, yes – but I'm more in favour of acknowledging and celebrating difference than trying an approach that I think probably ends up in conformity.
'We're just the same as you except for who we love' seems to me to usually end up throwing all the weirdos and oddballs and anyone whose life doesn't map to a cishet normative ideal under the bus.
Great points all round, though, I just figured I'd be that guy in order to give the counterpoint on this one!
Thanks. Yeah, we just disagree. It's not about throwing anyone under the bus -- it's about winning over, or least not alienating, the 10% of persuadable people. I think political movements need to be about political successes, not self-expression. Certain things might be emotionally satisfying, but they make political wins that much harder. When we win politically, ALL our lives are better (and vice-versa when we lose). Basically, marketing and PR work.
But yeah, I've been privy to this exact debate my entire life (and part of it is that I think the two sides truly don't understand the others' position). Anyway, I know plenty of folks disagree with me, and it is what it is.
Your take is totally valid too, and I fully get where you're coming from on it. I'll take any means through which successes can be got at present, honestly!
The struggle continues!
(BOY, does the struggle continue these days...)
In the immortal words of Oysterband, 'work like you are living in the early days of a better nation'.
Be safe, you two.
There was a post on Reddit, something along the lines of "Which credit bureau is the worst, and why is it Equifax?" I dread the day I ever have to deal with them beyond just trying to freeze my credit on their terrible website. I was going to suggest applying for the USBank Altitude Reserve (effective 4.5% cash back on travel and phone tap purchases), but apparently they stopped offering it last year! Let us know if you pick a new CC, though.
But yeah, on a more serious note, those of us working in tech are really feeling the brunt of all this right now. Most companies either seem to be either the last phase of value extraction, or figuring out the implications of advancements in AI that are even surprising researchers in the field. I'm somewhere in the latter category, and it's something keeping me up at night, more so than the political situation in the US or whatever is going on in my personal life. Have you ever seen Cunk on Earth? It's a bit like that scene where Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk has a breakdown over learning that nukes are still in service, ready to fire whenever...
But, until then, the beach is beautiful, tacos are delicious, and I can still move around and do what I want (enough of the time, anyway). Hope you're both still enjoying PV!
You can't help but ask the question: Where do we go from here? Because it seems like a dark place (even apart from the political considerations).
Interesting note about the folks working in tech.
We are devolving as a society. It’s all about how many likes you have and not how much you care about Anything!
It does sometimes feel like that. 🥺
Totally agree. Definitely the best solution is a walk along the beach, always my go to if possible.
Indeed! Coincidental, leaving for a beach walk right now. 😂
Amen. And all this crazy has me cutting the worst of it out of my life. Because life is too precious.
(Regarding Chase, do you think the rejection was because the VPN wasn't set to USA? Or because Chase has set limits on how many Chase cards one can have at the same time? If it's too detailed to share here, I'll patiently wait for the blog post. lol)
Yup! On the same page.
We did finally track down a reason: we need to wait another year before applying to the SAME card. We can get different cards, and of course we can get cards with different companies, which is what we did.
Other nomads will know better, but I wonder if Chase bank has an issue with you guys being nomads? They can't chase after you if you're non-residents, so it creates risk for them.
It could definitely be an out-of-America issue!
All electrical devices go haywire around me. Sometimes my phone won’t even charge when I plug it in. And there’s nothing wrong with the outlet or cable when someone else uses it. Technology and I just don’t get along.
Same!
"Enshittification" really is a perfect word to capture all of it. I'd definitely give the beach a try. And if we ever find a way to connect that up to technology, then we're properly screwed.
I suppose it's inevitable. 😳😳🥺😞
I'd like to skip my phone into the ocean at the beach. As a construction worker, this technology does nothing but tell me where to be for the day. -Although I do realize that if technology were to take a dump, the corporate office would fall to pieces and (the least of their worries, I'm sure) be unable to send me my paycheck. So there's that.
But like you experienced, dealing with technology at home where online is inevitable (even my coach is online because he is in Australia) for the most part the benefits outweigh the bad.
I think we've reached a point where you CAN'T not exist without the technology -- which is also the point where the bad is starting to outweigh the benefits LOL
Ugghhhhh. I totally feel you.
Thank you.