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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

#161

Post by bradstewart »

pas wrote: post #111
Verdex wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it makes accountability easier as well. And this is actually the reason why I don't do online billing as much as possible. A stack of papers going back years showing that the corporate entity you're dealing with confirms that you payed them on time for years feels a lot better defense than: Me: your honor, I swear I paid them Corp: our computer thingy says you didn't. also it's a tangle of 50 different sql da…

I get digitally signed PDFs from service providers each month, similarly from various gov agencies. Sure, there are still a lot of people who simply isn't comfortable handling this, and for them send them printed versions. Auditors and reporters should audit the end-result, not look at paper baskets. We already know "oops liberty not found" happens in a lot of cases yet the powers that be does nothing. (Because it ca…

Which service providers are we talking about, if you don't mind sharing? Utilities, mortgages, that sort of thing?

I don't recall ever seeing such an option.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#162

Post by pradn »

I remember my grandfather asking me why the newspaper website went down when he pressed the up button and up when he pressed the down button. I had no answer. And it was the only thing keeping him not bored as he spent a year in American suburbs, away from the warmth of whole community he's lived with all his life. It's hard for us realize all the random things we've learned over the years to live in the digital era.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#163

Post by brewdad »

ectopod wrote: post #138
Verdex wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it makes accountability easier as well. And this is actually the reason why I don't do online billing as much as possible. A stack of papers going back years showing that the corporate entity you're dealing with confirms that you payed them on time for years feels a lot better defense than: Me: your honor, I swear I paid them Corp: our computer thingy says you didn't. also it's a tangle of 50 different sql da…

In the UK hundreds of postmasters were accused of stealing by the Post Office because their accounting system couldn't add up†. Many lost their jobs. Some were jailed. It took twenty years for the management to admit that their system was broken. I work in software and I do not trust it. Like you, I get paper bills. Where that's not an option I keep my own records. † https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon_(IT_system)

This the same idea behind why I only push my online bill payments to service providers and never allow them to pull from my bank account. I want any mistakes to be my own rather than having to claw back a double payment that drains my account after the fact.

I do allow some services to auto-bill my credit card. That's the bank's money first and credit cards offer more protection in the event of billing errors.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#164

Post by dr-detroit »

ballenf wrote: post #48

Unpopular 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…

Popular opinion: I don't want to pay the tax bill for your ubiquitous comfort.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#165

Post by soneil »

flohofwoe wrote: post #25
Farbklex wrote: post #7

In contrast, I am sure we all know some older people who were not in prisson for the past 30 years and still don't know how to write an email, what a zoom call is or when it's appropriate to double-click vs single click items on a computer. I know people in their 50s who pretend that "they don't need this technology" or "I can just go to the bank if I need something". Sure, if you're in your 80s you might want to dod…

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.

I do prefer online-first, but I do miss being able to go to the bank. Self-service is great right up until it isn't. If I walk into the bank with a question, there's a near-certain chance I'll walk out with an answer. Instead of clicking around progressively darker corners of the site, I'll just stand at the counter until the answer comes to me.

It sounds "so karen", but it's very difficult to ask for a manager online, and very difficult to refuse in-person.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#166

Post by ReadFList »

meddlepal wrote: post #27
davnn wrote: post #9

I can't imagine that prison life is so disconnected from the rest of society; it certainly isn't in Europe.

The US prison system is all about punishment not rehabilitation. Theres a very strong “lock them up and throw away the key” mentality in many Americans view of justice.

Rehabilitation works for those handful of cases where a mother had to steal food to feed a baby, and wasn't a career criminal.

I don't have any hope nor interest in try to "rehabilitate" rapists, murderers or child molesters. I don't even want them locked up for life, that's a waste of money and isn't enough punishment. I want the problem solved, I want them to get the death penalty.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#167

Post by boatsie »

ballenf wrote: post #48

Unpopular 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…

As far as your minor point, it is likely the person behind the desk will be looking at basically the same interface you would be online, then just typing things in for you. So if there is a service interruption, it’s likely they would also be saying “Sorry, our systems are down.”

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#168

Post by jimmaswell »

nickysielicki wrote: post #103
ballenf wrote: post #48

Unpopular 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…

My drivers license expires later this year, which is the first time that I have ever needed to renew it. Due to COVID, my license could be renewed online. I did it last night. The problem? I couldn’t update any of my info from when I was 16 unless I went in person. What this ultimately means is that I will be 34 when this new license expires, using a baby faced teenage photo from 18 years prior, with physical descrip…

Was it not an option to go in person?

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#169

Post by colllectorof »

Farbklex wrote: post #7

In contrast, I am sure we all know some older people who were not in prisson for the past 30 years and still don't know how to write an email, what a zoom call is or when it's appropriate to double-click vs single click items on a computer. I know people in their 50s who pretend that "they don't need this technology" or "I can just go to the bank if I need something". Sure, if you're in your 80s you might want to dod…

>You're gonna have to live with an increasing digitalization for multiple decades.

Technology exists for people, not the other way around.

Re: Out of prison after 30 years and people telling him to find forms on the web

#170

Post by FpUser »

Ccecil wrote: post #156
FpUser wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"IMHO it may just increase recidivism" Keeping people in prisons might be just what the US prison industrial complex wants.

Not sure why you got downvoted here. Private prisons are very much a thing in the US and in my state. Not to mention the Federal prison Industries https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Prison_Industries Revenue $531,453,000 (2019) "Under current law, all physically able inmates who are not a security risk or have a health exception are required to work, either for UNICOR or at some other prison job.[4][12] Inmates ea…

>"Not sure why you got downvoted here"

Some patriots probably got offended.

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