I now know what to do if I want to torture somebody - stick them in front of a PC with a device that is trying to randomly connect.
I know that is a good torture as I was close to breaking something trying to find out what was causing the irritating noise. I finally traced it to my partners mobile phone she had plugged into a USB lead I had connected. There was nothing on the screen that was telling me it was trying to connect as the phone was off. Why did it keep bleeping for about 10min; why did it not think I have been trying to connect for 10min without anything happening so I will stop trying?
Other similar things:
Did you mean to go full screen - yes that is why I clicked the full screen icon
Did I want to close full screen or exit - yes that is why I clicked the icon
Did I want the website to use my location - no that is why I turned my location off
Every time I pug in a USB device I get “Do I want to download and sync my data with every device I have contact with” - no if I wanted to do that I would initiate it.
At work it is nearly as bad as they use the “cloud” for everything and every piece of software I use is linked to every other piece I am scared to delete anything a I delete the wrong thing.
Onenote syncing - I ended up with about 20 versions of the same thing on my PC as instead of syncing it was copying until I found a way to turn syncing off.
Buying goods - At the self service till “Have you brought your own bag?” click the yes button and scan the first item and before I can get it in the bag there is a message “unknown item on the scales” Yes that is the bag I just told you I have. Wait for the assistant to wander over and reset the error before I can proceed. People must think I am mad as I argue with the till!!!
Where I work, the cloud has resulted in more work… It’s just too top-heavy. They pitch to you that they can do all the things you want nothing to do with…and when you finally get everything there, you find that your project dates are being missed all the time because everything now takes longer to get things done due to being forced to wait on a vendor to do their stuff before you can do your things. I know the technology itself has great uses but because of how it’s been used in my world, it’s truly overrated.
And I’m with you on the grocery lines… Where I live, we have Meijer and Wal-Mart. All of these places use those irritating self-service lanes where you scan stuff and put it in your bag yourself. What I’ve found is that the longer those things are around, the less I want anything to do with them and I have found myself skipping them to instead find a checkout lane being manned by a person. To start with, where’s my commission for bagging my own groceries? And that annoying robotic voice that keeps bantering on and on about making sure you put your scanned goods in the bag… Ugh. Then you occasionally get the red light treatment forcing one of the attendants to come over and do whatever it is they need to do to get you going again… I once had an idiot come over and start pilfering through my goods because she was apparently under the impression that I had tried to steal something (not sure why). After telling me I had to re-scan an item, I did so, but only because she said that the system didn’t register it when I tried to scan it the first time. The funny thing is, once I got my receipt I saw that the item had in fact been scanned twice. Add this to the list of things that are overrated!
I won’t even start with how bloated websites are anymore due to the number of all these new-age libraries and while I know that having mobile phones that can do your taxes is great, I truly abhor what it’s done to society.
Man, I really dread the future I see in all this… It seems to me that all these technologies have only 1 goal in mind: To find new ways to prevent people from being able to do the things they once had the capabilities to do. I really hope I’m wrong about that because I worry all the time about these things.
I actually rarely use libraries, exactly for the bloat you mention. It’s a tradeoff. Sometimes I take longer to code because I have to re-invent the wheel, but in the process I learn a lot more about how things work (and of course, no library bloat).
The problem is that most developers have to deal with deadlines, and so the use of ready-made freight trains are pretty much required, rather than being able to finely craft your own wheel.
Maybe try using an eBook reader application on your Smartphone which I assume you possess?
Using eBook Readers did take a bit of learning mostly because the devices are far too sensitive. This feature causes pages to rapidly turn when a finger or thumb slips but the infuriating error is quickly learnt allowing the abundance of other features to overcome this annoyance.
The majority of excellent readers are free and most have:
bookmarks
Font styling
text sizing
searches
embedded dictionaries
abundance of layouts
backgrounds each with brightness controls
some even have a choice of voice readers
always available even without an internet connection
relatively small, most less than 1 Mb
available on all mobiles, tablets and desktops
usually slightly cheaper than hard and soft back versions
More information on the following Wiki:
There are millions of free eBooks, manuals, tutorials, etc available each takes only seconds to download. My only complaint is the slightly lower price discrepancy of the eBook version which takes virtually nothing to reproduce and store on a server.
I share with friends a library stored on Dropbox and usually read at least one book a week.
Try this technology and I think you will soon abandon your books and be more selective as to what is stored on your bookshelf
sorry i don’t think you’ll convince me to switch to ebooks. the last thing i want to do after spending the day working on a computer is pick up another device to look at. I like paper and ink.
Whilst manuals can sometimes be useful in digital as they are easy to search i still think paper is more useful for me. When i’m working on a car i’d rather have my trusty haynes manual propped up somewhere with the page open on the bit i’m working on, rather than trying to balance my mobile somewhere that it isn’t going to get broken or covered in oil. The haynes manual also doesn’t go black after X minutes and require me to type a pin in to view it again and i’ve never had to plug it in.
I’m with you, @Noppy. I love to read, but absolutely refuse to read my fiction on a screen. I want the sound of the page turning, the feel of the paper, the smell of the ink, the tactile experience. I don’t need more irradiation or anything else to make my eyes go wonky.
Nothing quite like kicking back with a trade paperback edition of Stranger In A Strange Land.
That’s exactly how I felt - until I got an e-reader. I like it for the convenience when I go away or to the dentist; it’s smaller and easier to carry than a “real” book and I don’t need to worry about getting pages screwed up. It’s great for reading in bed, especially if I’m tired or unwell, as it’s much lighter and easier to hold; it doesn’t make my wrists ache. It also means I can read without disturbing Running Bear, as the (adjustable brightness) light is bright enough to read by but not nearly as bright as having a bedside lamp on. We bought one for my dad, who has arthritis and failing vision, and he loves it. It’s easier to hold, and he can enlarge the print to the size which is comfortable for him to read.
There are some things for which I still prefer a “real” book, such as cook books, but for reading for pleasure, it’s hard to beat my Kobo.
My mom has an e-reader (not Kindle… what’s the other one… Barnes and Noble…) and I tried it and I hate it. Hurts my eyes no matter what the brightness is set to, and I just can’t get comfortable while reading it, no matter where I’m sitting/laying.
I use a Kindle Paperwhite, which is specially designed to mimic print on paper, and I actually find it easier on my eyes (which aren’t great) than an actual book. And I can adjust the font-size and brightness of the screen. So for recreational reading, I would definitely choose Kindle over books.
I have an old phone I use for emergencies and this month:
“Your battery is draining quickly; we have closed 73 apps” 73 app’s; I did not install 73 app’s and the same thing a few days later
“Installing Samsung music” I did not ask it to install Samsung music.
Some stupid screen pops up saying good morning or good evening when I am trying to enter the password.
A control for my TV comes up after the screen above again covering part of the keypad to enter the password. I didn’t ask for this to be installed either.
It also tried to install voice control.
I hope I never have to make an emergency call in a hurry.
I suppose I am getting so much crap in one go as I misplaced the phone for about a month.
Most software is really badly designed. I’m surprised there’s still such a disconnect between developers and usability specialists, but the gulf between them is still very wide.
I could rant about so many tech failings, but the one in mind right now is when streaming services I’ve paid for fail, and you just get something like “Error code: 4365”. Wow, thanks for the heads up. Seriously? That’s really the best you can do?
I hate it becase it makes some tasks even more difficult. For example, time planning was a lot easier when you could take a pen and a notebook and write all you need into it. Now people like doing notes more in their devices. I absoltely love notebooks and use them up to the present))
I hear and know what you say @Rubble. I think the same way, many many times but apparently all these notifications are necessary for the majority of the people. Maybe they should build in a option to switch it off
I saw a programme about mathematics a few years ago, which included an explanation of using an abacus. They also visited a special school in China where pupils of all ages went to learn the skillls. It was really impressive how fast they were able to perform calculations with it. Amazing stuff.
I like it for the convenience when I go away or to the dentist; it’s smaller and easier to carry than a “real” book and I don’t need to worry about getting pages screwed up. It’s great for reading in bed, especially if I’m tired or unwell, as it’s much lighter and easier to hold; it doesn’t make my wrists ache. It also means I can read without disturbing Running Bear, as the (adjustable brightness) light is bright enough to read by but not nearly as bright as having a bedside lamp on. We bought one for my dad, who has arthritis and failing vision, and he loves it. It’s easier to hold, and he can enlarge the print to the size which is comfortable for him to read.
