Technical features, you can really do without?

[Trenchfriend]

Minutes ago, it came to my mind, that this could be a good idea for another nice thread.

Backlight on wristwatches, absolutely!!

I definitely NEVER needed that, over all the years, for real. There were always lanters or whatever, if I needed to look at my watch, on nighttime or dark mornings/evenings. So, there were never moments with the need of a backlight on the watch.

 

[vitanola]

Internet connectivity in my ice box, thermostat, range, percolator or toaster.

Oven thermostats. (Why did God give us hands?)

Automobile self-starters.



Heck, I don't even use a stem-wind watch these days.

 

[tonyb]

Ever seen "Wall-E," the Pixar film?

 

[LizzieMaine]

A car that flashes a little orange icon of a car sliding on the road when the car is sliding on the road.

"Reset to Factory Default" buttons that are easy to press accidentally because you're old and you don't see well.

Computerized telephone systems that cut off the call before you finish dialing the number because you're dialing too slow because you're trying to read the frigging number off a screen and the print is too frigging small. And the buttons on the frigging phone are too small and you can't just throw the frigging phone on the floor and smash it under foot and plug in a real rotary-dial phone and use it instead because those damnable bean-strainers in the business office took out the POTS line and replaced it with frigging VOIP to save ten bucks a month, g-d it to hell there! What was that number again?

Automated sinks in public toilets that only give you a little squirt of water to wash your hands.

Rubber security screens around ATM keypads that make you have to stand back and lean your head to see the keys.

"Print at home" ticketing systems you objected to from day one but they didn't listen to you and they flushed ten thousand frigging dollars down the hole to buy it, only to find the barcode scanners only work thirty percent of the time because they can't handle all the different kinds of printers and paper users have. And then they blame you when they get held up at the door because we can't validate their "ticket." BAH.

 

[sheeplady]

Any technology that has voice commands and therefore is always "listening." Too easy to hack.

I'm looking at you, Alexa.

 

[3fingers]

Any technology that has voice commands and therefore is always "listening." Too easy to hack.

I'm looking at you, Alexa.

Alexa and her siblings are evil things.
"Trust me" coming from Jeff Beelzebub et al. is not a place I'm willing to go. I got a new phone from work a few days ago. Google was begging me at every turn to activate the voice command system. I finally found the right setting to stop it, but why do they want us to use it so badly?

 

[sheeplady]

Alexa and her siblings are evil things.
"Trust me" coming from Jeff Beelzebub et al. is not a place I'm willing to go. I got a new phone from work a few days ago. Google was begging me at every turn to activate the voice command system. I finally found the right setting to stop it, but why do they want us to use it so badly?

It's also 3rd party apps. Ever look at what an app is allowed to access? Hmm, why does an app I use to order food need to have access to my microphone and camera, when it has no features that allows me to use my camera or microphone? (There's apps that do have such features.) Ah, because they are collecting data on me.

The first question I always ask is, does this app need permission for x-feature to work? If it technologically doesn't make sense I uninstall.

I know there's nothing such as a free lunch, but if you're going to collect data on me I better have a darned good benefit for using your service. Like I said, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

 

[dnjan]

Somewhat related - Third-party cookies.

Why do so many websites allow "third-parties" to snoop?
For fun, sometime, set your browser to request permission to allow third-party cookies.
You will be amazed at how many "allow cookie from ..." requests will show up.
(I always click on "always block cookies from this site".)

 

[3fingers]

They allow snooping because it's how they get paid. Every cookie that isn't blocked makes a sound like a cash register.
Amazon and others aren't really as much a company that sells products as much as they are a massive data collection operation.
Store loyalty cards are another similar invasion. They don't give you the coupons because they love you. There is a financial return that exceeds the cost of our "special discounts " that only "members" receive.

 

[Bugguy]

Cruise control that automatically reduces your speed to that of the car in front of you. I guess its important if you're texting or dialing with the tiny touch pad Lizzie mentioned (also my pet peeve). The guiding principle that chips are cheap so give the customer a bunch of value-added features they don't need or want. Obviously no profit in the KISS approach.

 

[3fingers]

One of our boys recently moved into a different house . He bought a new ceiling fan for the living room and realized when he got home with it that the only way to control it was with the remote control. No switches or pull chains on either fan or light. If you turn off the wall switch you need the remote to reset where you had it before. It went back before it came out of the box, but he said the selection of non remote control fans was narrower than he would have liked. Oh, and the remote was very small and used the little button batteries that cost more to replace than the device they are powering.

 

[tonyb]

Any technology that has voice commands and therefore is always "listening." Too easy to hack.

I'm looking at you, Alexa.

The dewy-eyed bride bought one. We had it a couple months, with me complaining about almost daily, until she made a gift of it to a coworker.

 

[Just Jim]

Alexa and her siblings are evil things.
"Trust me" coming from Jeff Beelzebub et al. is not a place I'm willing to go. I got a new phone from work a few days ago. Google was begging me at every turn to activate the voice command system. I finally found the right setting to stop it, but why do they want us to use it so badly?

ARGHHH!!!!!! We use cell phones for desk phones etc at work, because much of the time we're out of the office. I was riding with a colleague a couple weeks ago and she used my phone to check an address and re-set everything. I didn't realize this until I saw the text message that was being "written" automatically as I spoke. A function like that operating in rush hour traffic could get a guy in trouble.

Two hours later, I had all the settings returned, and set so it requires a password to re-set.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Minutes ago, it came to my mind, that this could be a good idea for another nice thread.

Backlight on wristwatches, absolutely!!

I definitely NEVER needed that, over all the years, for real. There were always lanters or whatever, if I needed to look at my watch, on nighttime or dark mornings/evenings. So, there were never moments with the need of a backlight on the watch.

I found this feature very helpful in the army. At night, in a tent, usually under military light discipline (no lights that might be seen more than 10 feet away) the backlight wristwatch was handy for finding out what time it was, timing guard reliefs and so forth without using a flashlight and maybe waking up your tentmates. Even now, decades later, I use mine rather than turning on a light.

 

[Edward]

Plenty of tech out there I don't have any use for. I always hated power steering when I drove: left me feeling totally out of control of the car. Far too light - I like something you have to make deliberate and determined moves with. It's a feature I'd go out of my way to avoid were I to ever own a car again.

So-called contactless pay cards. No matter how much they claim it's totally safe, I refuse to have a card from which money can be taken without my pin-code. Originally the bank refused to issue me with a non-contactless card; I threatened to take my business elsewhere and they eventually backed down. They still make it difficult, though - I can't order it from the phone, I have to go to a branch to order one. Crazy thing is, I wouldn't mind so much if they would just offer the option of setting it to require a pin number every time it is used, but no, they won't do that. I appreciate that the contactless option is cheaper for the bank as it puts less wear and tear on the cards (I rarely get the full four years out of a bank card before the chip wears out), but why they think I'm prepared to compromise my security in order to allow them to do that.....

It was suggested at one point that London Transport was going to do away with its payment cards so you could just use your bank card (contactless) instead. I really don't want all my travel movements and my spending recorded in a single place. Madness.

Any technology that has voice commands and therefore is always "listening." Too easy to hack.

I'm looking at you, Alexa.

Even beyond hacking, I simply hate anything that requires voice instead of being able to use a button or type. I even order pizza online to avoid having to make a phonecall.

Alexa and her siblings are evil things.
"Trust me" coming from Jeff Beelzebub et al. is not a place I'm willing to go. I got a new phone from work a few days ago. Google was begging me at every turn to activate the voice command system. I finally found the right setting to stop it, but why do they want us to use it so badly?

It's this absurd assumption that jut because it is new and can be used, everyone must want it.

They allow snooping because it's how they get paid. Every cookie that isn't blocked makes a sound like a cash register.
Amazon and others aren't really as much a company that sells products as much as they are a massive data collection operation.
Store loyalty cards are another similar invasion. They don't give you the coupons because they love you. There is a financial return that exceeds the cost of our "special discounts " that only "members" receive.

I don't mind my loyalty card - saves money. I also buy in different stores anyhow, so it's not a complete picture. Years ago, I lived in catered accommodation and only ever bought sweeties and drinks registered on it. I'd love to have been there when they crunched my numbers - "IT's all sugar! What, is this guy an ant?"

ARGHHH!!!!!! We use cell phones for desk phones etc at work, because much of the time we're out of the office. I was riding with a colleague a couple weeks ago and she used my phone to check an address and re-set everything. I didn't realize this until I saw the text message that was being "written" automatically as I spoke. A function like that operating in rush hour traffic could get a guy in trouble.

Two hours later, I had all the settings returned, and set so it requires a password to re-set.

Predictive text is of the devil. Never could get it to use a single correct word. First thing I do on any new handset is figure out how to turn it off.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's also 3rd party apps. Ever look at what an app is allowed to access? Hmm, why does an app I use to order food need to have access to my microphone and camera, when it has no features that allows me to use my camera or microphone? (There's apps that do have such features.) Ah, because they are collecting data on me.

The first question I always ask is, does this app need permission for x-feature to work? If it technologically doesn't make sense I uninstall.

I know there's nothing such as a free lunch, but if you're going to collect data on me I better have a darned good benefit for using your service. Like I said, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Orwell's "telescreens" are here, hundreds of millions of people are monitored by them, and nobody even noticed when they took over. The Boys didn't even have to fight to take away privacy -- it was willingly handed to them.

 

[scottyrocks]

Automatic transmissions. Pfpht!

 

[GHT]

Automobile self-starters.

For a minute I read this as meaning the starting button, thinking that you want to hand crank the car with a starting handle. I was impressed until I realised you meant starting the car from some sort of remote control.

Computerized telephone systems that cut off the call before you finish dialing the number because you're dialing too slow because you're trying to read the frigging number off a screen and the print is too frigging small. And the buttons on the frigging phone are too small and you can't just throw the frigging phone on the floor and smash it under foot and plug in a real rotary-dial phone and use it instead because those damnable bean-strainers in the business office took out the POTS line and replaced it with frigging VOIP to save ten bucks a month, g-d it to hell there! What was that number again?

Brilliant rant, how I feel your pain. I actually still have a finger dial phone but had to buy a modern touch tone so that I could see the phone number of incoming calls in order to avoid the plague of automatic dial canvassing calls.

It's also 3rd party apps. Ever look at what an app is allowed to access? Hmm, why does an app I use to order food need to have access to my microphone and camera, when it has no features that allows me to use my camera or microphone? (There's apps that do have such features.) Ah, because they are collecting data on me.

Of course they are farming your data. Why do you think stores offer you a loyalty card, or finance house throw credit and debit cards at you?

Somewhat related - Third-party cookies.
Why do so many websites allow "third-parties" to snoop?
For fun, sometime, set your browser to request permission to allow third-party cookies.
You will be amazed at how many "allow cookie from ..." requests will show up.
(I always click on "always block cookies from this site".)

Compulsory fields, have you ever noticed when buying on line that the field marked with an asterisk must be filled in. Yet more data farming.

So-called contactless pay cards. No matter how much they claim it's totally safe, I refuse to have a card from which money can be taken without my pin-code. Originally the bank refused to issue me with a non-contactless card; I threatened to take my business elsewhere and they eventually backed down. They still make it difficult, though - I can't order it from the phone, I have to go to a branch to order one. Crazy thing is, I wouldn't mind so much if they would just offer the option of setting it to require a pin number every time it is used, but no, they won't do that. I appreciate that the contactless option is cheaper for the bank as it puts less wear and tear on the cards (I rarely get the full four years out of a bank card before the chip wears out), but why they think I'm prepared to compromise my security in order to allow them to do that.....

Couldn't agree more. Fifty years I had a Barclaycard, then they sent one that was so called contactless, they refused to issue an old style card. I no longer have a credit card. Nat-West got sniffy when I threatened to pull the plug on their contactless debit card, they rescinded when they realised that I was serious.

Predictive text is of the devil. Never could get it to use a single correct word. First thing I do on any new handset is figure out how to turn it off.

Add to that the auto word change when the word that you have typed isn't in the phones lexicon, so it changes the word leaving you looking like an illiterate fool.

Orwell's "telescreens" are here, hundreds of millions of people are monitored by them, and nobody even noticed when they took over. The Boys didn't even have to fight to take away privacy -- it was willingly handed to them.

You can add Facebook and other social media sites to that list. I saw a TV program that scared the crap out of me about how fraudsters trawl social media sites garnering information on victims before scamming them with bogus emails, phone calls and even letters, making out that they are from your bank, the tax office or the lottery, all so plausible until you realise that your bank account has been emptied.

 

[vitanola]

For a minute I read this as meaning the starting button, thinking that you want to hand crank the car with a starting handle. I was impressed until I realised you meant starting the car from some sort of remote control.

No. Actually my favorite car is my '27 Flivver coupé, which I drive whenever the Better Half will let me. The machine is fitted with a self-starter, but I seldom use it as a point of pride.

Brilliant rant, how I feel your pain. I actually still have a finger dial phone but had to buy a modern touch tone so that I could see the phone number of incoming calls in order to avoid the plague of automatic dial canvassers.

I have dial subscriber sets (generally Western Electric B1 and D1 handset mountings with a few wall sets in appropriate places) throughout both houses. I've installed old AT&T Partner II Hybrid telephone systems in both places. I installed thousands of these back in the 1990s. Today these reliable and useful units are available very cheaply on the second-hand market. The system acts as a PBX (Private Branch telephone eXchange). Pick up a 'phone, get internal dial tone. Dial a two digit number to get any other extension. To call out, dial "9" for an outside line. Calls can be transferred from.room to room by flashing the hook switch and dialing the two digit extension number. The unit alsobconverts dial pulse to Touch Tone, allowing any of the old rotary dial sets to access automated attendant or bank systems.

 

[galopede]

I am Welsh and have a Welsh accent. Voice operated stuff doesn't work!

Gareth

PS Probably not safe for office or children!