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Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

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Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#31

Post by the_snooze »

yoyohello13 wrote: post #8

I recently won a water bottle in a raffle. It looked nice, stainless steel, big (probably 2 liters). When I unwrapped it, I saw a QR code that said "Instructions." Weird, why would I need instructions for a water bottle? Then I saw a large rubber plug in the bottom. I realized with horror, it's a bluetooth enabled heating/cooling element controlled by an app I'm supposed to download. The heating element is huge, take…

>1. Needs power. 2. Needs an app. 3. Has less water capacity.

It's like someone looked at The Homer [1] and thought "that's solid engineering sensibility."

[1] https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/The_Homer

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#32

Post by bdcravens »

danielbln wrote: post #12
bell-cot wrote: post #11

> ...visit a friend in Washington DC ... an apartment complex could never be occupied by an Orthodox Jew like me (since I cannot use my phone on Shabbat and the holidays), because at every turn the most essential tasks are accomplished with a smartphone. IANAL, but that sounds like some sort of lawsuit and/or PR disaster just waiting to happen.

While I agree with the general sentiment of over-use of smartphones and useless apps, someone who won't use their phone because someone scribbled something about not doing work on certain days on some parchment six thousand years ago is not someone we should cater to. To each their own delusions.

Additionally, varying interpretations would say you shouldn't use the lights, elevators, etc, so modern living in any manner may be incompatible with orthodoxy.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#33

Post by david422 »

ryandrake wrote: post #3

Maybe this is a privileged outlook, but I've decided that each piece of technology needs to earn its place in my life, and I'm going to use it deliberately for a specific purpose, if I deem it to be worthy. The smartphone has not earned it yet. Im not going to live in an apartment that requires a smartphone to get into the door. That may involve me making sacrifices, I don't care. You have to draw a line somewhere. I…

> If parking somewhere requires an app

I mean... it is pretty handy to just add more time from your phone instead of running out to the meter to feed more quarters in.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#34

Post by encom »

ryandrake wrote: post #3

Maybe this is a privileged outlook, but I've decided that each piece of technology needs to earn its place in my life, and I'm going to use it deliberately for a specific purpose, if I deem it to be worthy. The smartphone has not earned it yet. Im not going to live in an apartment that requires a smartphone to get into the door. That may involve me making sacrifices, I don't care. You have to draw a line somewhere. I…

>If parking somewhere requires an app

That battle has been largely lost in my city.

Last year I had to attend a work related course. I'm running a little late, and I get to the place with just a few minutes to spare. Usually I can just tap my debit card and enter my license plate at the terminal, an operation that takes 15 seconds. But this parking garage was app-only. So I spend 15 minutes instead on this bullshit. The first app I tried wasn't supported on the old 1G iPhone SE I had at the time, because I guess parking technology is just too advanced for that neolithic device. Next app works, but of course I have to go through the whole rigmarole of making an account, confirming my email, adding my payment card and then confirming THAT, and so on and so forth. How is this any easier than the old method? My mom would never have figured this shit out. Not that she'd be able to park there anyway probably, because she's inherited my iPhone SE now.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#35

Post by aeblyve »

mrweasel wrote: post #24
aeblyve wrote: post #14

I feel that this is a basically reactionary perspective, despite the author's assertion that it is not. Doomscrolling, like drug addiction, is largely the product of the holistic social-biological environment of the actor. People generally do not intentionally throw away stimulating, happy, healthy lives to become destitute drug addicts, and a comparison of opening a parking payment application to being offered alcoh…

> The ability to hide behind aliases to publish whatever you want without any "skin in the game" seems to have decreased the level of coherence overall and permitted for neurotic anti-reality perspectives to proliferate. While I do agree with the need for regulation, I don't agree that anonymity is the issue. Today many/most people post under their real name on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X, and still that…

I suppose you're right about that not being enough. Ultimately there needs to be an increased level of social consciousness for real names to even inspire critique or ridicule. When the reader doesn't think they have any "skin in the game" either, someone's earnest endorsement of ignorance has no felt impact.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#36

Post by bongodongobob »

ninetyninenine wrote: post #2

I don't have a problem with technology. I have a problem with technology trends that are irrational. For example the smart phone. A physical button or even alexa is easier to turn off the lights. A smart phone menu is just stupid. I want to decouple stupidity away from technology. That's not possible though. Most places where I worked... just a exploring the code for a couple minutes I encounter something stupid. So…

I can still use light switches to turn off my lights. I can also turn them all on or off at once, change the brightness, color, and temperature. Smart light are great, I'm sorry they confuse you.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#37

Post by encom »

david422 wrote: post #33
ryandrake wrote: post #3

Maybe this is a privileged outlook, but I've decided that each piece of technology needs to earn its place in my life, and I'm going to use it deliberately for a specific purpose, if I deem it to be worthy. The smartphone has not earned it yet. Im not going to live in an apartment that requires a smartphone to get into the door. That may involve me making sacrifices, I don't care. You have to draw a line somewhere. I…

> If parking somewhere requires an app I mean... it is pretty handy to just add more time from your phone instead of running out to the meter to feed more quarters in.

Before this app-madness, you would usually just check out with your debit card and pay for the time you used (common in Denmark anyway). No need to guess in advance how long you need to park for.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#39

Post by bluGill »

aeblyve wrote: post #14

I feel that this is a basically reactionary perspective, despite the author's assertion that it is not. Doomscrolling, like drug addiction, is largely the product of the holistic social-biological environment of the actor. People generally do not intentionally throw away stimulating, happy, healthy lives to become destitute drug addicts, and a comparison of opening a parking payment application to being offered alcoh…

Smart phones are much better than stacks of paper for many purposes I'll agree. However a key is better than a phone for unlocking my door. The switch on the wall next to the door is much better than my phone for turning on the light (note that switch placement matters, if the switch was on the other side of the room it would be worse - but we have figured out where to put switches so this doesn't matter.

Technology should all the advantage of owning a personal slave without all human rights costs.

Re: Should We Decouple Technology from Everyday Life?

#40

Post by ToucanLoucan »

sejje wrote: post #20
ToucanLoucan wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just clean the microwave? Your coworkers would probably appreciate it.

That's gotta be someone else's job! --everyone

I mean yeah but if you clean it, they won't think that. And if you mention you cleaned it, they'd be more inclined to do it in the future.

And, worse case scenario, you spend like 5 minutes occasionally doing it and now have access to a clean microwave, without needing to buy more e-waste and encouraging the production of cheap, stupid things like a water bottle with a heater in it.

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