The digital world is its own prison with various wardens and cell blocks and so many rules that you will be kept in prison for breaking them without knowing.
Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
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Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm a software engineer yet I don't do online banking (I literally "just go to the bank if I need something"). I don't consider myself a "luddite", I just don't see the advantage over traditional "offline banking". Same with shopping and all the other little nuisances of daily life.
What country do you live in? Here in the UK, the only time I've needed to step into a bank in the last 10 years is to have a meeting about my mortgage. Our online banking services are so good there's literally no reason to have brick-and-mortor banks for day-to-day tasks. For me, not having to travel to a bank and wait in a queue to do basic tasks such as transferring money is such an advantage.
Also on the flip side, our in person banking services are rather poor. I dread when there's something I need in person in the bank, because the branch only opens 10-4 M-F with a large break for lunch, meaning I need to take off work time to do it, and it's full of people who somehow apparently still manage to do their banking primarily in branch despite that.
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Easier to keep track of the outgoing money. It definitely is not. How is keeping track of random cash purchases in your head easier than a computer doing it for you automatically and instantly?
Ok, technically I don't keep track of it in my head, but in my pocket. I start with a given amount of Euros in my pocket. Each purchase reduces that amount. If I want to check my current balance I reach into my pocket and see how much money is left. Checking this against the current date gives me a rough idea if I'm over- or under-budget.
But how do you sell your purchase data for a 1% discount this way?
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I make an error, I eat it. If the banker makes an error, they eat it, or at least you have some ground to stand on.
The app for my bank account lets me view balances (and some other info), transfer funds between my subaccounts (for free), and deposit checks. There's not functionality in there to shoot myself in the foot.
I mean, you could transfer too much money out of the subaccount that rent/mortgage/etc. is paid out of
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#95As a society we're just not being real about our digital divides. Your digital ability goes up and down in life, and the web HAS to be accessible to you at those lower points of ability:
While caring for (or just carrying) a child. After an injury or stroke that limits your mobility. Living with chronic conditions. Changing technology or losing access to your go-to tools. Traveling to areas with a digital divide in some way. And many more...
We've made the case for the for some sets differently abled people-- I'm hard pressed to find a developer who doesn't consider keyboard navigability for those who can't use a mouse-- but you need to rethink interactions at a base level and we're just getting started with that. There's a lot of work to do here.
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#96My first thought is how the prison system failed him. Computer literacy is a fundamental job skill in the 21st century, one that's relatively easily and inexpensively taught. I'd expect computer literacy programs in any prison system built around rehabilitation.
If the goal for the prison system is to rehabilitate the inmates, then indeed it failed him. But if the goal of the prison system is to punish the inmates, then it has achieved its goal and even continue to punish him long after he served his time.
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would imagine you do understand the advantage of 30 seconds of time from anywhere in the world versus a 20-60min round trip to the bank. I imagine there are other reasons you value than time and space convenience. Why do you feel the physical trip is more valuable?
I have to interact with my bank maybe twice in a year, and rarely do I have to show up in person. Speaking over the phone works just fine ;) In contrast I have to show up at dentist or hairdresser appointments in person, and I don't consider this "wasted time" either.
I switched to cutting my own hair (and modifying my hairstyle slightly to make that easier) exactly because of the time wasted sitting in the lobby. I don't mind the value-added time (when the hair is actually being cut/styled), but the non-value-added time was too high for me.
I switched dentists for a similar reason; prior dentist kept a buffer of patients waiting to optimize their throughput. I had a dental appointment yesterday [at the newer place] and I was annoyed that I arrived 15 minutes early, because I know they make it a point to bring patients in exactly on time. Sure enough, 2:00 hits and I get called back.
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#9830 years, so he would have went into prison in 1991. Wow, yeah, I can imagine getting out would have been a surreal experience.
I remember that one of Spider Robinson's Callahan's crosstime saloon stories ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callahan%27s_Crosstime_Saloon ) had a similar situation with a guy getting back from being a prisoner of war or in prison in solitary for a couple of decades and being in effect a stranded time traveler (somewhat fuzzy on the details as I read it probably about 40 years ago - ironically enough) I also recall t…
Somebody please identify this story!
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#99Unpopular opinion: I think government services and offices should remain offline-first forever. They should offer online equivalents, but they should never assume or require digital adoption. I think this has two big benefits: - Minor point: Greater resilience to downtime, interruptions to service - Major point: a check on becoming a faceless entity with no exposure to the public. Think Google or FB if you get flagge…
Government services are available offline or via phone as well. The government has some of the strictest accessibility requirements for everything they do. It’s one of the reasons that it’s so expensive to roll out new government services. People are directed to the online versions first because it’s fastest for everyone involved. We should be pushing everyone toward efficient online self-service first, while leaving…
> We should be pushing everyone toward efficient online self-service first
I was with you until that statement.
If we push online, self-service first, then the offline, in person services will languish. This is what OP was driving at.
Establish effective offline services _first_, with the intention of online, self-service, and you will end up in a place that better serves everyone.
Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web
#100Unpopular opinion: I think government services and offices should remain offline-first forever. They should offer online equivalents, but they should never assume or require digital adoption. I think this has two big benefits: - Minor point: Greater resilience to downtime, interruptions to service - Major point: a check on becoming a faceless entity with no exposure to the public. Think Google or FB if you get flagge…
Government services are available offline or via phone as well. The government has some of the strictest accessibility requirements for everything they do. It’s one of the reasons that it’s so expensive to roll out new government services. People are directed to the online versions first because it’s fastest for everyone involved. We should be pushing everyone toward efficient online self-service first, while leaving…
Online-first and even online-only services seem to be happening more often this year while in-person offices are shut down or restricted.
I tried to get a form at the DMV a few months ago and when I got to the counter they sent me away with a printed slip of their web address. (They are currently only handling licensing and renewals in person; all title and registration processing forms are apparently supposed to be done online.) I tried calling their central office and they told me I needed to print the form from their website and mail it in.
I suppose if I had asked them really, really nicely they might have mailed me a printed form, but it was never presented as an option (and that wasn't my issue anyway). It's also worth noting that this is state government and not federal, so compliance to accessibility requirements may not be as regulated or well-enforced.