I despise the modern phones and internet  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 am
content: I’ve said this many times over the years and I mean it. I’d go back to 1998-2003 era phones and BASIC internet in a heartbeat.The modern “smart” phone is nothing more than an attention span-destroying, addiction-forming, relationship-damaging piece of junk. Before all this idiotic junk was foisted upon us, we didn’t know we “needed” it until the marketing LIARS (all marketing is) came along and sold us the BS that it’s “an improvement” in various aspects of life. It’s not.Having camera is better than one where we take meaningless photos of EVERY SINGLE THING we do and force it on others, overwhelming them and then getting downhearted when we feel they’re not interested in our latest trip to Tesco. No one cares, it’s a load of junk. Oh and whoever thought “selfie” front-facing cameras were a good idea… they’ve made young people SO SO SO VAIN, but sadly SO insecure.I’ll take a Nokia 3310 and a compact digital camera, or better still a film camera, and the fact that photos and and texts cost ACTUAL MONEY, and you were therefore more restrained with what and whom you squandered them on. You had 36 exposures on a roll of 35mm film, and then you had to pay to wait between 1 hour and a few days to a week to see your photos. That wait forced you to be patient, and the cost made you APPRECIATE them more.Texts cost between 10-15p roughy, and because they had an IMMEDIATE cash debit on your mobile balance (which you also had to spend on calls), you didn’t fritter them away on mindless junk. You had one way to send textual info - SMS - or email if you had WAP (which also cost you money).To send PROPER photos, and if your dialup internet could handle it, videos, you’d have to just wait until you got home to your PC, and then your modem would charge you a per minute fee for internet access - so you used it WISELY and didn’t spend all day every day on ShitTok or other life-sucking junk.We valued one another’s company more as there was less to distract us. There’s only so many texts you could send at the pub before your credit ran out, and then it’s hard cheese matey, so you’d send the basic necessary info and get on with ACTUALLY TALKING to those who gave up their time to be with you.Yeah I’d go back to primitive phones and computers. We don’t need all this shite - the “conveniences” you’re going to anecdotally reply with, no doubt, could ALL be sacrificed and lived without. Your “Ring” doorbell is a recent fad - who cares if you can see who walked up your drive @ 08:56? Your neighbours can see them too (you know, those people who care about you and you go round for a cuppa with?)It’s all a huge crock, and many of you spend THIRTY POUNDS ORMORE PER MONTH on this idiotic addiction. £1,200 slabs that in NO WAY WHATSOEVER improve your life over those who don’t use them - in fact those people have A BETTER life than you, as theirs isn’t being sucked away from them.PS: we didn’t need to “upgrade” every single year either, for fear that mothership Apple would render our phones “obsolete”. Nokias were built by Finns 😃 and built to last. No extra fluff just calls and texts and maybe basic internet.It’s garbage. We’ve been sold up the river. Stuff that. Take me back please.If you loved your Nokia, and we almost all did, maybe you’d like to know where they went? Here you go:

author: Traceless
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:30:56 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 amThere you go, or alternativelyhere.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:35:32 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 amFor those who want a TL;DR: “I’m a whiny curmudgeon who doesn’t accept that other people have different priorities than me, so I’ve started yet another rant thread even after beingofficially warned to stop doing so.”

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:38:53 am
content: Quote from: Traceless on December 14, 2022, 10:30:56 amI have many, many old Nokias including the venerable ORIGINAL 3310, loads of blackberries, all working. I got the <ahem> “3310” you kindly linked to, and also the “8110”, a few years ago; they are garbage - “HMD Global” who now make these, are clueless. Gave the “3310” to my Dad who loves it. It’s shite.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:40:17 am
content: Quote from: tooki on December 14, 2022, 10:35:32 amHush, busybody. Go about your business and wind your neck in.To the thread: this is NOT “a rant”, this is an expressive disdain for modern phones. Mr “tooki” is EEVblog equivalent of the class goody two shoes and teachers pet. He has a persona dislike for me. Meh. My thread is to express disdain for these modern “smartphone” ways and for others to express similar sentimental memories of times long gone.Ignore the provocative little chap, he always does this.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:40:58 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:40:17 amNope. I’m gonna keep calling you out on your disruptive BS.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:44:59 am
content: Quote from: tooki on December 14, 2022, 10:40:58 amYou can’t have much of a life if you concern yourself SO much with one single person. You’re very immature kiddo.

author: Traceless
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:46:13 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:38:53 amCare to elaborate what is wrong with the new 3310? Since your dad seems to love it, I guess you can make phone calls and/or send texts? Battery life seems to be pretty good, so where did the phone fail your expectations?

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 am
content: Here's the fun thing eti: you don't have to use one of these phones. You don't have to spend £1,200 on a phone. Nobody is compelling you to do so. If you want the bare minimum phone, a £20 or so phone can be acquired from most good online websites, which will ONLY do phone calls and texts. Other people clearly enjoy and appreciate these devices, so why not let them live their lives? It would be very authoritarian - something you have rallied against - to tell people what they can do with their devices, when that behaviour really hurts no one.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:48:15 am
content: Quote from: Traceless on December 14, 2022, 10:46:13 amIt’s wrong to call it “3310” - it’s only VAGUELY the same form factor. Takes ages to boot, the menus are NOTHING LIKE the original.Okay I fear you may be missing the overall spirit of this topic - and it’s not about the finer details of the 3310.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:49:41 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:44:59 amNo, you’re the immature brat who cannot adhere to the rules and thinks your mental state entitles you to do so. (I don’t know, or care, how old you are. One can be an immature brat at any age.)And don’t presume to know how much I do or don’t “concern” myself with you. I came across your dumb thread by chance, so I called you out on it.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:51:32 am
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amAnother one …. <whoooooosh!>It’s not accusational. Try reading it from a perspective from where it was written; the modern net and phones have brainwashed the masses into thinking they can’t be without them for anything, ever.As long as people wilfully take this is a personal accusation is as long as they’ll miss the point.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:54:49 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:40:17 amThat isliterallywhat a rant is: OED defines ranting as to “speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way”. Your post is a textbook example of a rant.Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:40:17 amIts 100% areaction. You are the one posting provocative things out of the blue, repeatedly.Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:51:32 amNo, he didn’t miss the point, he disagrees with it. But you certainly missed his.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 10:57:07 am
content: Quote from: tooki on December 14, 2022, 10:54:49 amWhere did you get your internet police badge and uniform?😏

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:11:36 am
content: Regarding the second most active poster in this thread:He is an American in disguise, possible even a Californian at that, and he used to work at Apple. Just so you knowQuote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amNo, the point was that countless hours of countless people's lives are dumped down the drain on fundamentally stupid, unproductive and mentally unhealthy activities. Obviously the sheep made their own choices, but you can't ignore the other side of the coin, which is basically a bunch of fat Americans profiting from self-destructive stupidity, and proud of it.It's also not entirely fair to say that no one forces you to use these phones. Alarmingly increasing amount of business these days demands that you install their "apps" to work.That being said, I will surely keep using my Nokia 3310 till it kicks the bucket or THEY shut down 2G.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:14:41 am
content: It’s strange that I’ve posted this same thing on a couple of my social media outlets, all of which have received likes and positive feedback and INTELLIGENT discussion (and not a single sniff of “you’re ranting”)I feel EEVblog has an infestation of toxic, angry, insular loners with no outlet except to attack people with whom they don’t agree.Sorry you don’t agree “tooki”. No one expects or asks you to. Now if you have nothing better to do, then at least for your own self worth and dignity, drop out and find a better use for your time. If you prefer to stay and talk piffle, please, be my guest.

author: Karel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:18:46 am
content: For me, the only reason I bought a smartphone is for GPS & navigation.I like to hike in the mountains and I use an app called OsmAnd with maps preloaded,so no need for internet connection in the mountains.If not, I would switch immediately to a dumbphone.What makes me angry is that more and more bank and state services require some app for authentication.I hate that. So far I could escape using a physical token and sms authentication but I fear the day will comethat every citizen will need a smartphone. It's really crazy when you think about it.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:19:35 am
content: It's funny, I have the exact opposite opinion. A great deal of people on this forum, who shall remain unnamed, have strong views reminiscent of the Luddites. If we were listening to these people we'd still be using horses to pull carts. It's really odd to me that engineers would be so critical of the very field they are often involved in, you don't hear too many medical doctors arguing for leeches and trepanning still.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:28:36 am
content: Eti, you and Tooki should just add each other to your ignore list.Cut it out.If this continues the thread gets locked.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:48:43 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 14, 2022, 11:28:36 amThanks. How do I do that?

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 11:51:07 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 11:14:41 amYes, and it's you. A large number of your posts are whiny rants on something being bad because "muh muh", whether its smart TVs, open source as a concept, Android, popular youtube channels or whatever else enters your radar at the moment. Some of those posts sound like foaming at the mouth hate spitting vitriol, the rest are trolling with a smug attitude of "Oh you silly little fools who use android for reasons apparent only to your cute little brains, I've got it all figured out, now excuse me, I've got to burn an Android phone as an offering on my Steve Jobs shrine whilst I inhale the fumes.".

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:35:54 pm
content: Cheap prepaid plans are available even now, and they do work on smartphones.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:37:53 pm
content: Quote from: magic on December 14, 2022, 11:11:36 am”Disguise” suggests it’s something I attempt to hide. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’m an American living in Switzerland, and I’ve said this many times. (Even in real life, despite me being fluent in the local language and having Swiss citizenship as well, I self-identify as American.) The forum doesn’t have separate fields for nationality and location, so I put my correct location.Quote from: magic on December 14, 2022, 11:11:36 amNope. I’ve actually only been to California a couple of times. Maryland is what I consider to be my home state.Quote from: magic on December 14, 2022, 11:11:36 amCorrect, though not for that long, and mostly in the pre-iPhone era. Before that I did work as a Mac consultant. For independent dealers mostly, a little bit freelance. But I haven’t been involved with the Apple world professionally in any capacity since 2008.

author: Sherlock Holmes
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:38:04 pm
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 amWell said, there's a lot of truth in your post.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:40:44 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 14, 2022, 11:28:36 amHe already is. Unfortunately ignoring someone doesn’t suppress threads they start in any way.

author: Sherlock Holmes
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:44:40 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on December 14, 2022, 10:35:32 amAs soon as you publicly label someone like that, someone you disagree with, then rational discourse ends. If you disagree with something the disagree without making personal insults and insinuations.Is the post controversial to you? well good, we need controversy, all this tunnel vision, herd mentality these days is destroying us, I don't agree with everything he said, but there is a great deal of truth to much of what he said.

author: Sherlock Holmes
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:47:41 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amReplace "modern phone" with assault rifle, and you might notice something about your post.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:53:20 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 11:19:35 amTo some extend true, but not about the leeches. These are still widely used to resolve problems with bleeding after a surgery. There is no good working modern substitute, for as far as I know, to drain the blood like these little suckers do.I myself like modern technology, but don't like the way it dumb down the general public. Everything pushed on the smartphone is often taken for granted and to be true, whilst often it is not. I certainly dislike the "thinking" it does for you. Like for instance that your IP address originates from France and that this triggers a lot of websites to switch to French no matter how you try to set it to English. And I know, one can setup a VPN for this, but that is the world upside down.But enough of a rant from me

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:58:25 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on December 14, 2022, 10:40:58 amThe case against doing that is it is the space it takes up in the list of new posts which I, and I believe, many others use to get a feel for what is going on, on the forum.I'm not saying you shouldn't respond but I think you'd be better off if you didn't.

author: Sherlock Holmes
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 12:58:52 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 11:19:35 amFew people seem to understand the history behind the Luddites, huge numbers of people lost the ability to feed their families, pay their rent, clothe their children. Wealth and capital exercised power, there were no unions, those changing society did so for their own gain not society's.The luddites resisted the only way they could, they were crushed by violence, murder even execution, the term is poorly used to depict a simple disapproval of technology, but it was never that, it was much more than that.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 01:02:43 pm
content: Quote from: Sherlock Holmes on December 14, 2022, 12:47:41 pmVery incendiary -- smartphones generally don't hurt anyone. Even if you throw them at people.

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 01:04:43 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 11:19:35 amI was thinking I was the only one with that perception...

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 01:23:20 pm
content: Quote from: Black Phoenix on December 14, 2022, 01:04:43 pmDefinitely not!

author: Sherlock Holmes
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 01:35:22 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 01:02:43 pmI don't see it as incendiary, its a rather reasonable analogy, not perfect but reasonable.Guns don't hurt anyone, it is people who hurt people. The point I'm trying to convey is simply that modern phone addiction brings with it many problems. Modern phone ubiquity increases the risk of violence and desensitizing violence. Children can easily use their phone or comparable gadget to watch violence, rape and torture. Look at what the masses do now when someone is hurt or attacked, they gather around in dozens filming, trying to get a "good" shot of someone dying or bleeding to death.There are victims too in bathtubs, people have died, families have lost loved one because of the addictive nature these devices have for many people.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 02:08:42 pm
content: Quote from: Sherlock Holmes on December 14, 2022, 01:35:22 pmThat long predates smartphones, let alone smartphones cheap enough for children. I think it's insane how we should protect children from women showing a bit too much skin yet it's OK for cartoons to show violence and to let them play with toy guns.I suppose in your view, those buying up all the cheap phones for crypto mining are doing a favor for all the children.QuoteThose stupid enough to try charging a phone in the bathtub deserve the Darwin Award.

author: pardo-bsso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 02:45:27 pm
content: I miss my Ericsson R300.I still have it but somehow the carrier locked it.Good AM and FM radio.

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 02:55:00 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 01:02:43 pmDidn't some fashion model go to court over doing exactly that ?

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 03:05:29 pm
content: What I strongly dislike about smartphones is platform tethering and data collection, i.e. you're required to have an account to use your phone, and Android's lack of long term security fixes (expensive phones get about 4 years while many don't see any at all). iPhones aren't any better, just different problems. Regarding internet, it's up to you how to use it. You can stay away from Twitter, WhatsApp and so on if you're not interested in wasting your time that way.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 03:13:09 pm
content: One of the best days of my life was the day i dumped the mobile,call me a ludite if you like,however after nearly 30 years of owning one i call it freedom

author: Karel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 04:15:17 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amIt's becoming more and more difficult to use online banking and access some governmental services (taxes, etc.) without the use of an app for authentication.Even some public transport companies push me to use an "app" to buy a ticket on the bus...

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 04:26:50 pm
content: I still use a Nokia GSM phone from 2005. I replaced the battery once, somewhere around 2010, and that battery is still going... can't say strong, but acceptably.And don't get me wrong, this is not excellent technology. The firmware is buggy, for such a simple thing. Everything was rushed to market back then, just like today. One of the funnier ones is, the alarm clock feature sometimes fails to alarm. People have hard time believing that "excuse" when being late in the morning, and I had hard time believing it myself, but once I caught it red-handed blinking the "wake up" alarm without the sound, and then as a side effect (bugs often come with those things), losing all icons from the menu until restart.But it works, I can call and reply to SMS messages. It has some rudimentary web browsing stuff, but it did not realistically work even when brand new.I have not looked at buying a smartphone. I first said I'll do it in 2015, then 2020, now let's say... 2030? And despite the fear mongering, the 2G network is not actually going anywhere, given all the legacy internet-connected things like security alarms etc. Numerous times there have been "definite" dates when it's going down, never happened.And whenever some bullshit company or service requires me to install an "app", I simply take my business elsewhere.Modern-day internet went crap already around 2006-2007, Youtube and blogs killed web pages. Discussion forums survived a bit longer but Facebook killed them a few years later, EEVblog is one of the rare beasts that still lives strong.

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 04:40:55 pm
content: Quote from: Siwastaja on December 14, 2022, 04:26:50 pmMore like Reddit being the (bad) replacement for bulletin boards IMHO.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 06:30:57 pm
content: I'll start by saying I'm responding to this thread on a smart phone 38000 feet above Texas which I think is kinda cool. Anyway, ETIs rants often make me feel better knowing that I have moved through my life successfully keeping myself safely out of reach of many of those problems. At the point I feel offended I'll just stop reading his posts. Pretty simple really.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 06:56:31 pm
content: I like my smartphone, it's like an electronic Swiss Army knife. It's my communications device, my GPS navigator, my still camera, my video camera, my music/podcast player, home automation controller, portable video player, calculator, compass, pocket flashlight and many other things. It's not the best at any single one of those tasks but it does a good job and it's always right there in my pocket. Use a basic phone if you want but like most people I would never want to go back. On top of offering so many more features, it's also cheaper than my first mobile phone which was a basic feature phone. It only costs me $50/mo for unlimited everything. I don't really get what the problem is, they still sell basic feature phones for old people that don't like new technology.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 07:09:23 pm
content: Many of the features in your list are only good as long as you are within a cell tower coverage, and the rest are labor intensive (too many menus/button push) compare to their classic counterparts.Ecit: home automation controllers- you put yourself in the mercy of the vendor in the cloud as to when you are going to lose the service. GPS - eats the battery like there is no tomorrow. Good luck getting out of the woods before the battery is dead.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 07:31:16 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amWhich is, unfortunately, and increasingly, a wrong statement. More and more services now are requiring a smartphone, and this is just the beginning. Living without one will soon mean living completely outside of society. If you call that having a choice, I don't think it's a fair one.Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amThat is quite right. A $100 to $200 device these days is all you need.Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amAs I mentioned, this is getting increasingly limiting even to access basic services these days.Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 10:47:27 amSurely preventing people from using such devices would be stupid and counter-productive. OTOH, making those devices almost mandatory for using basic services, as I mentioned, is more than questionable, and it's where we are heading, so that part I despise.And do those devices help many people become more stupid, more dependent, more emotional, waste their time, yes, absolutely.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 07:31:45 pm
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 11:14:41 amIf you've posted the same thing on your 'social media outlets' and received a more positive result, it's probably a good indication that you should restrict these sort of topics to those, rather than eevblog, which is primarily an education / design / development / repair / production focussed place.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 08:08:37 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on December 14, 2022, 07:09:23 pmI don't remember the last time I was somewhere without cell tower coverage, I do keep a classic GPS navigator in my car in case I do find myself in that situation but I haven't used it in years. I normally keep a power bank in my pack that I take with me most places so I can always recharge my phone if I need to. I also have a very old Garmin GPS that runs for weeks on 4 AA batteries that I keep in my hiking pack but again I haven't used it in years, I tend to stay on the trail. I don't think most people find themselves lost in the woods. I have no idea what you're talking about by the other stuff being labor intensive, it's literally pick up phone, tap the home button to wake it up, tap the icon for camera, music, etc as all of the frequently used stuff is right there on the home screen. I don't understand the problem you're describing, it works for me.No, I don't. I use Home Assistant which is open source, my setup is entirely self contained, the app simply connects to a dynamic DNS address that points to my own network. I have a mix of probably 8 different vendors hardware that all works seemlessly together with HA running on a RPi 3b, I set it up a couple years ago and once running it has just worked.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 08:10:38 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on December 14, 2022, 07:31:45 pmSocial media nudges people into curated echo chambers of like-minded folks, it amplifies the positive responses only and leads people to believe that whatever their view on something represents the vast majority of the population. I see it as a huge problem that has resulted in increasingly extreme polarization we see today.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 08:15:17 pm
content: Quote from: SiliconWizard on December 14, 2022, 07:31:16 pmBut that's mostly because the vast majority of the population prefers to operate this way. I don't want to walk into my bank and talk to a teller, I want to pull out my smartphone, open my banking app and manage my money that way.I suspect this same debate occurred back when cars first started to gain mass adoption, or electricity, or landline telephones or radio, or pretty much anything else. The majority of the population flocked to these things, making it increasingly difficult to get by without them, and a small portion of the population clinging desperately to the old ways of doing things complained bitterly, but progress marches on. If you insist on marching to the beat of a different drum, life is more difficult and complicated. It's swimming against the current.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 08:18:21 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on December 14, 2022, 07:31:45 pmI think you put into words a reason I hadn’t realized why I find his rants so irritating: I largely quit using social media, in part to avoid such rants. I don’t come to eevblog to socialize, I come to learn.

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2022, 08:54:45 pm
content: The OP can be summed up as "symptom treatment".I don't even deny that technology has enabled a host of personal vices. But don't conflate the tools with the product.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 12:24:43 am
content: I agree. I also hate how everything seems to revolve around needing a smartphone now too. I see a lot of basic things like security cameras and even internet routers that require an app just to configure it. Of course you also need to setup an account and all that BS. Pisses me off so much, it doesn't have to be that way at all. It would be possible to have smart phones without all the strings attached but then they couldn't sell our info! It's all about spying on us at the end of the day. That, and planned obsolescence. They can render your product obsolete by simply ceasing to update the app. You'll own nothing and you'll be happy.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 12:43:49 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 amOh no, someone is spending $30/month for their cell phone. Instead of.... spending $30/month for their landline as they used to. The horror.Quote from: SiliconWizard on December 14, 2022, 07:31:16 pmI don't see how this is any different than saying "more and more services are requiring a PC, not having a PC is not a fair choice".If you really want to get crazy you can use an android emulator on the PC.Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 15, 2022, 12:24:43 amOld school wired cameras still exist, and they can be set up on the device themselves (hikvision, dahua, etc.).Routers, maybe some cheap ones? Any major brand should have a standard web interface.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 12:48:07 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 15, 2022, 12:43:49 amAs regards the price, I suppose being from USA or maybe Canada (I don’t want to get that wrong he he!) you’re used to being blatantly ripped off by carriers, and it’s not a shock to you. I often chuckle when I hearUS radio ads on TWiT.tv crowing about “A huuuuuuge 10GB of data for only $30 per month”THIRTY DOLLARS?!!!!! LmfaoSo yeah I’m unsurprised that you don’t see these ripoffs as so bad any more.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 01:16:23 am
content: $30/month is something like 2-3% of the minimum wage in the UK. Its not exactly a massive expense.I get that any required costs when you aren't working is incredibly frustrating. AND that if you are like me, being out of work for months is very depressing. But, wouldn't that energy be better spent on working on skills and job searching over shitposting?I pay £5.33/month for the meager amount of data and minutes that I use (basically just google maps and strava). I'm sure UK has some discount providers as well.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 02:24:20 am
content: IMHO, the problem isn’t with the devices or technology, it’s the rampant greed and capitalism of the companies behind the hw and sw.Progress is inevitable, but a lot of it has no interest in making things work better, but exist just to extract a fee or subscription until ‘the next big thing’ comes along.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 03:30:35 am
content: Eti, is this thread the result of you trying to interact with someone who chose to pay attention to their phone instead of you?Were you trying to tell them about something you don't like?If you want more postive interactions, try talking about things you like. Try to improve their mood instead of trying to bring then down.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 03:36:11 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 15, 2022, 12:24:43 amYes, I recently went to a concert, paid through Ticketmaster. The ONLY way to get in is with a smartphone, has to be either Ios or Android. Last time I was able to print tickets from my computer, but no longer allowed. I don't have either of these types of phones, so I had to use my wife's phone, download their app and use it to display the barcode at the door. Massive annoyance to have to type in username and password at the door, too.Jon

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 04:26:51 pm
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 am

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 04:51:41 pm
content: QuoteIt made me laugh, but as eti, I believe, is in his early forties, it makes me feel very old being in my late fiftiesBut I agree with bigfoot22, that you can't really blame the technology. It is indeed just a tool, and people that abuse it, and go along with it.QuoteVery true. People should do that more.QuoteI hate to brake it for you, but what is this site? It is on the internet, there is some social interaction and you have an account here

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 04:57:37 pm
content: Quote from: jmelson on December 15, 2022, 03:36:11 pmI hope that this is included in evidence in the antitrust investigation into the results of the Live Nation/Ticketmaster mergerhttps://www.reuters.com/world/us/live-nation-ticketmaster-may-need-breakup-some-senators-say-2022-11-22/Printing a barcoded ticket at home is a perfectly reasonable modern process, but requiring a smartphone for entry is not.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 05:10:58 pm
content: it's a mentality problem. "look at what i am doing now, how interesting i am ... weeee look at meee...."That's why ll thise pintwitfacewhatsstokmessenger thingies are popular.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 05:29:09 pm
content: When cell phones first appeared, whenever I rode public transportation I would always hear other people's calls that inevitably started "Hi, I'm on the train."Now, I seem to be the only person onboard not looking at a phone, but almost nobody is talking on theirs.When "Apple picking" (stealing phones) was common, clueless young people would sit immediately next to a door and be shocked when a malefactor would snatch the phone from their hands and exit just before the door closed.(I carry one in an interior pocket in case I need to call ahead or am running late.)

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 06:40:33 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 15, 2022, 12:21:49 pmGosh, what a superb post. I agree wholeheartedly with absolutely every point you took time to make. Considered and wise. I’d often considered having six months with the Amish, having huge respect for most of their lifestyle (not the shunning part) and finding them to be everything you’ve said.Also re “ Ring random people up cold call them and introduce yourself politely. Say that you just felt like talking to someone like people used to do ” - THIS IS ME! I’ll call up the eBayer I purchased from and thank them very much, ask them how they are and I always get a good response. I don’t use eBay much, but the last time I called a seller, he said “Gosh how nice, it’s so nice to know my customer is a human and to actually talk to you”I’ll also go out and talk to my milk lady at 5-6am when she turns up. A very similar story with her - she says “it’s refreshing because I never see most of my customers” - mind you - most “normal” (?!) people are asleep then.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 06:46:47 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 15, 2022, 01:16:23 amAdjusted for inflation, I paid more than that for my landline back in the day, and it cost extra to get called ID and I had to wait around at home if I was expecting a call. My mobile phone service is only $50/mo for unlimited voice/text and some amount of data that I have never come close to exceeding, it seems like a bargain.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 06:49:11 pm
content: Quote from: jmelson on December 15, 2022, 03:36:11 pmThat really is obnoxious, it's nice to have as an option, but whenever I've gone to events I've always printed out the paper ticket, I don't want to rely on my phone in case the battery dies or my phone breaks.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 07:25:02 pm
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 11:14:41 amPosting a rant against the woes of always-on devices and always-distracted users on multiple "social media outlets"? That's strange indeed.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 07:30:12 pm
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 11:14:41 amBecause the only people interacting with you in those places are those who share your views. It's called an echo chamber, and it's a perfect way to destroy any mental health you have remaining.Quote.. looked in a mirror lately?

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 07:43:54 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 14, 2022, 11:19:35 amDouglas Adams had figured that one out in 1999:Quote

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 07:59:35 pm
content: Quote from: TimFox on December 15, 2022, 04:57:37 pmEven Tim Hortons has an app now and even Tim Hortons has used it to breach their users' privacy.QuoteMany of us have a lot of personal info on our phones and it is maddening when companies will not do business with you without getting access.When I buy concert tickets, I go to the box office. Sit there for 1 hour and then get to purchase the best tickets in the venue, which they reserve for box office, without racing against bots. I save about $10 a ticket in website fees.Then I have physical tickets, not an app, not a printout, a real ticket.Before smart phones, sitting for 1 hour would be painfully boring. Now, it is very easy to sit for 1 hour and entertain myself, thanks to the wonders of smart phones.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 08:18:32 pm
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 15, 2022, 07:59:35 pmWhy, you could read a book to pass the time.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 08:27:02 pm
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on December 15, 2022, 08:18:32 pmI've never liked books.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 08:51:03 pm
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 15, 2022, 08:27:02 pmWere I snarky, I would quote the (spurious) statement of Mark Twain: "He who will not read has no advantage over he who cannot read."I always carry a paperback whenever I expect to need time passing. Recently, I'm working through the new translations of Simenon's Maigret novels.My acquaintance with modern and classical Japanese literature stems from a reasonable bookstore at Narita airport, and a dread of 13 hours with nothing but the airline magazine and bad movies.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 09:08:29 pm
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 15, 2022, 08:27:02 pmThat is so sad...

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 09:11:31 pm
content: Quote from: TimFox on December 15, 2022, 08:51:03 pmIf you were really snarky, you'd say, 'it shows', or 'I can tell'.Then I'd reply, I'm actually allergic to books. Eventually it'd come out that reading gives me headaches. Particularly from books where I must pick out a word from a large block of words. On a screen, I can dim the background and words are usually more spread out.This is part of why I opted for college before I eventually ended up in uni and why I opt for PCB/mech drafting over writing code.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 09:17:00 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on December 15, 2022, 09:08:29 pmA lifetime of headaches is sad. I've missed out in some things because of it but over the decades I have been finding the causes and solving them and that is um... what's the word for the opposite of sad? Hm.. if only I read books, I might know it. lol.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 10:35:19 pm
content: Quote from: jmelson on December 15, 2022, 03:36:11 pmI get that ticketmaster is terrible.But, if the purpose of the app was to display a barcode, you could have screenshot the barcode then print that out, no? Or would it not show you the barcode ahead of time.Quote from: Kasper on December 15, 2022, 09:11:31 pmInteresting, I assume you've had eye exams and nothing is unusual there?

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2022, 11:14:26 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 15, 2022, 10:35:19 pmI'm guessing the purpose of the app was to stop people from printing out and selling 20 copies of 1 ticket. Not sure how they stop people from doing a similar crime with screenshots in their phones. This is of course aside from the bunch of other reasons big business wants their app in your phone.Yes, I've had eye exams, probably should have had more attention or at least requested more attention to sort this out decades ago but my attempts never seemed to yield any results. I've found getting fresh air, exercise and eating healthy help more than any healthcare professional have. An office career was probably not the smartest choice for me.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 12:02:30 am
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on December 15, 2022, 08:18:32 pmExactly. And it’s a calming experience.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 12:15:21 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 15, 2022, 11:14:26 pmI'm guessing the purpose of the app was to stop people from printing out and selling 20 copies of 1 ticket. Not sure how they stop people from doing a similar crime with screenshots in their phones. This is of course aside from the bunch of other reasons big business wants their app in your phone.Printed from home tickets: at venues here in Chicago, they scan the QR code when you enter. Due to a mixup once, I got scanned twice and the scanning app was smart enough to report that it had already been scanned.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 12:30:03 am
content: Quote from: TimFox on December 16, 2022, 12:15:21 amThat doesn't stop someone from selling 20 copies of 1 ticket. Just stops their victims from getting to use their fake tickets.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 12:32:42 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 16, 2022, 12:30:03 amIt doesn't stop anything. Print at home tickets are already uniquely coded, once it has been scanned any other copies of the same code are void.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 12:57:07 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 15, 2022, 10:35:19 pmNo, apparently they regenerate the bar codes every 5 minutes, and only the freshest ones will be accepted at the door. Somehow, this defeats counterfeiting of tickets. I guess the problem was that the person who copied a ticket would get to the door before the legitimate purchaser.It just mekes everything more complicated.Jon

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 01:09:22 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 15, 2022, 11:14:26 pmOK and if you get fresh air, exercise, eat healthy, THEN read a book for 30min, you'd still get the same headache?Quote from: jmelson on December 16, 2022, 12:57:07 amYeah completely agreed that is dumb then. Although if cell phones didn't exist they'd probably find some equally stupid solution to the "problem" that they don't get a cut of ticket resales.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 02:45:00 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 15, 2022, 12:43:49 am

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 02:49:02 am
content: (my first quote messed up and it reverts back when I edit, trying again here)Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 amSure but they are getting harder and harder to find so when you search 90% of results are now is this app/cloud stuff you have to filter through, and often you don't find out you need an app until after you already bought it. I was looking at a Trendnet one that looked promising and was available here in Canada, only to read the doc and find out you need an app. I'm in Canada so it's even harder to get stuff here as we just don't have as good of an online retail selection as the states does so it's slim pickings for everything. Have not been able to find a place that sells Hikvision for example as they do have good reviews. I know there's Amazon but lot of fakes/hacked ones on there so I tend to avoid Amazon for stuff like that.Routers are a new one to me but I did run into that and I fear it will become a trend too, was setting up internet for someone and that ISP's setup was super proprietary and you had to download and use an app just to configure the modem/router. I run a custom rom on my phone so couldn't do it so had to use the customer's phone. Super annoying that they just assume everyone has a regular phone. Not to mention how you're stuck relying on highly proprietary software/environment and your whole setup could be rendered obsolete if they stop updating it when you get a new phone.Drones, action cameras etc are bad too. It seems to be a trend with so many devices now.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 03:57:13 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 16, 2022, 01:09:22 amIf I do all that, I treat myself with beer not booksAside from a few migraines, it's not boolean. The more healthy choices I make, the better I feel and vica versa. Generally, as soon as I look at a page full of words, I start feeling it.I guess I developed a distaste for books in school and I've never found a reason to challenge it. Datasheets, forums and news is enough reading for me and I prefer to read all 3 on my phone.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 04:23:03 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 16, 2022, 03:57:13 amYou realise that staring at abacklit screenfor hours, causes significantly greater eye strain than a piece of paper lit with ambient or directed, front light? You are literally shining white LEDs into your eyes; no wonder you get headaches!

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 04:38:01 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 16, 2022, 04:23:03 amI've had headaches since before phones had screens. For me, the most bothersome part of reading is picking words out from a large block of text. Books have that, phones, not so much.I adjust the backlight often. Usually between dim and very dim, unless there is bright ambient light.Funny coincidence, I just saw an article about people shining green lights into eyes to reduce chronic pain, including headaches. Seems counter intuitive to me.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 04:44:35 am
content: Besides that, it's pretty tough to get datasheets, forums or news on paper. So the choice is between phone and computer monitor. Both of which have dimmed backlights.

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 08:26:53 am
content: I really don't mind technology. I would gladly buy a pocketable computer myself, if such things actually were available that weren't a hopeless pile of disposable consumer stinking rubbish.Pic below is where it all went downhill. In retrospect, it was probably predictable

author: Kalvin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 09:46:18 am
content: Straight from ChatGPT, when I asked it towrite a comforting reply to a person who says "I despise the modern phones and internet":Quote

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 10:00:06 am
content: Quote from: Kalvin on December 16, 2022, 09:46:18 amThat proves it, the internet is very wise.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 10:09:00 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 16, 2022, 04:23:03 amA photon is a photon, regardless of its source. (At least in the context of incoherent light, that is, not lasers.)There is no evidence to support a backlight per se being a source of eye strain. What we know does cause issues is poor contrast, flicker, blurriness, and slow refresh rates. A well designed screen with non-flickering backlight and very high resolution solve those issues.In contrast, people frequently read books with far too little light, and that is known to cause eye strain because it makes focusing difficult.I think a problem is that people don’t adjust screen brightness appropriately, so that it’s not blindingly bright in a dim room.What we do know is that when reading on screens, people tend to blink less frequently than when reading on paper. That is something one can try to actively counteract, of course.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 10:16:17 am
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 16, 2022, 04:27:23 amThat doesn’t make sense, at least as a blanket statement.LEDs vary in design and quality, both regarding color quality (color rendering index), where most CFLs are quite bad, cheap LEDs are bad, and good LEDs are excellent, though not exactly as good as incandescent; flicker; diffusion; etc.Some LED bulbs produce flickery light (at 50/60 or 100/120Hz), and that could cause issues, but most do not.Some LEDs are closer to point light sources, which can be annoying if pointed at you, or produce lots of sharp shadows. Fluorescent inherently produces a much more diffused light. But you can also get LED lighting that is just as diffuse.In short: you may want to give LED more chances. Cause the best out there now can easily be mistaken for incandescent, they’re that good.

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 10:40:59 am
content: Quote from: tooki on December 16, 2022, 10:16:17 amTotally agree, got some Phillips LED light fixtures for my home this 11/11. 6500K type, 11W for corridors and a 24W for the living room and as cool daylight they have absolutely no whiteish blue hue as normal 6500K white bulbs have (and I hate).

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 11:02:01 am
content: I was given a Samsung J5 with an old copy of Android Marshmallow where I disabled most of the animations that would irritate and annoy me.I don't use it for the browsers, only for making calls, taking pictures, writing a few notes (with some tools I found that were free and not ad paid for)Now the for pictures I found this tool but had to patch the bootloader to make it work,https://apkfab.com/samba-filesharing-for-android/com.funkyfresh.sambaIt was built for phones with extra buttons but the J5 only has 3. I found by depressing the two excluding the middle brings up the menu but have to keep holding down then use another finger to select then it will open the settings but after letting go it will go to a screen to select open programs and I'd just reselect.So I when I take pictures, turn on the wifi, open a shortcut and copy it over but on a newer Sony phone with Lineage missing those buttons no chance to access the menu but I got it working in a way that it is useful without many of the animations, suggestions and predictive word stuff. I do see a few dimming overlays that I can't turn off like when adjusting the brightness which I find stupid because it darkens background more that I am trying to get the measure of behind the brightness slider.There was thistouch overflowoverscroll thing I can't remember the setting name of it now that I was able to turn off in Android Marshmallow but still appears in Android 9:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/dodgy-technology/dimming-madness-with-chrome-and-mobiles/msg3580326/#msg3580326and an increase with these things but darker that hurt my eyes when most of the screen/background flips from light to dark to light excessively:That's some of the reasons I despise them when animations/decoration(excessive dimming/flashing) that interfere causes me discomfort to my eyes that I can' turn off. Before I installed Linageos on this Sony phone the stock firmware had this screen that use to suddenly appear with gestures I couldn't turn off and a version of Microsoft swiftkey that had no setting to turn off suggestions, spell checker, predictive stuff and in settings just something about collecting the words I type and sending it to Microsoft labs for analysis... what an insult and they won't allow me to free up room on the keyboard with things I don't want or need. I found I couldn't install the original Android keyboard that I know have settings to disable that stuff so that's when I found Lineage but still many animations I find I can't turn off.I have seen someone's new Android phone some months ago just setting up the wifi details and noticed the brightness adjust no longer dims as I was adjusting it to low.Still seems to be an issue:https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/132936922/how-to-turn-of-android-12-overscrollQuoteQuoteQuoteI wonder about the amount of work that may into this sort of stuff:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39277258/overscroll-glow-not-working-on-scrollable-div-in-webviewQuoteYes, what good does that do to the user?NothingWhat benefit does it to provide to them?NoneHow does this make the content any clearer?Interferes and obscures whatever it is covering upWhat if the user doesn't want to see this crap?What about those with light sensitivity?Tough luck*"He's having issues" implementing it but what about those it annoys and suffer from it.**"The first problem" was not a problem before where when it could be switched off pretty much everywhere but now developers like this one are looking to override it and force everyone to see their effect in everything they can for the sake of it like that is more important than everything else.It seems to me like they are create to make work for themselves by creating problems that were not problems before.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 02:13:10 pm
content: QuoteI used to get headaches quite often when using my PC a lot. It wasn't the screen but me: as I tired I'd lean forward on the desk and get eyestrain from trying to focus too close. Once I figured that out I took care not to try and read things I can't really focus on (particularly my phone - damn, my glasses are in my pocket but just answering this text quickly won't hurt), and now it's rare that I get headaches.I wonder if the high resolution screens make things worse, in that they tempt you to look at smaller things that you should be comfortable with. They sure look good, but you have to focus better. A book tends to be lower resolution (even though it's printed at 600dpi or whatever, the text is low-res), whereas a computer screen has many tiny things to attract your eye.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 06:05:24 pm
content: I get headaches from flicker, I've never had a problem with high res or small things though. Some monitors have PWM backlighting that flickers.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 06:18:09 pm
content: Quote from: PlainName on December 16, 2022, 02:13:10 pmWhile I understand what you mean about the risk of making things too small and then struggling to focus on them, that is far outweighed by the improved readability of text at high resolution. One shouldn’t be aiming to fit more on the screen, but to use scaling to use more (smaller) pixels to draw the same thing.At work I now have two 28” 4K displays, with Windows configured to 150% scaling. And it’s gorgeous. Text is just plain easier to read.Quote from: PlainName on December 16, 2022, 02:13:10 pmOur eyes always seek to optimize focus. Blurry low-resolution images cause eye strain precisely because our eyes are working hard attempting to find focus thatcannotbe found because the image itself is blurry.A sharp image (or sharp text) has high contrast and thus makes focusing easier, reducing eye strain.Low light reduces contrast, which is why reading with insufficient light is tiring. (To the point that there are workplace regulations regarding minimum light levels.) Wildly excessive light is also tiring, but this is rarely a problem, since indoor lighting tends to be insufficient, not excessive.Quote from: PlainName on December 16, 2022, 02:13:10 pmThis is the diametrical opposite of how it is. Maybe you’re using “low-res” to mean something other than what it actually means.(Talking about traditional offset lithography printing and direct digital press.)Books are printed at very high resolutions: either 1270dpi or 2450dpi. Especially on good, smooth paper, text is exceedingly sharp. And because of how offset printing works, any microscopic jaggies that theoretically could be present get smoothed out by the time the ink is transferred to the paper.Laser and inkjet, which are sometimes used for small-scale book printing (especially on-demand), while varying substantially in sharpness, are never quite as good as offset or digital presses — for text. (For photos, inkjet beats every other surviving technology that prints using ink or toner onto paper. Only silver halide is really superior, and dye-sub is no longer made in larger print sizes. But I digress.)Quote from: PlainName on December 16, 2022, 02:13:10 pmAre you referring to pixels, subpixels, or GUI widgets?

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 07:40:49 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 14, 2022, 08:15:17 pmTrue, but you have to separate the two cases:(1) helpful digitalization,(2) harmful digitalization.Former is done to reduce the mental or concrete load of tasks. Latter is toincreaseit, by either making existing things more difficult, or introducing completely new tasks. Highly confusing, because on surface, it can be hard to say whichever it is!For example, filling in tax forms online is obviously helpful, compared to filling in paper forms, especially when you also have the paper form option available. On the other hand, having to install an app on your phone so you can go to LIDL and then instead of simply paying, you are now playing with your phone, wasting everybody's time, just to get areductionin the price increase that was associated with the introduction of said bullshit app. It was total 180 deg, before that LIDL was actually proud of their concept of having no such bullshit, but selling to everyone for decent price.The day they introduced it, the public reaction was almost 100% rejection, everybody hated it. They realized it and had to make long and cringeworthy TV ad series where they made fun of the situation, basically their argument was "we know you hate it, but it's nottoobad, and youdon'thave to use it if you don't want, just pay more for your shit, PS. **** you".But such public rejection was never seen with online banking. Everyone was so relieved they save a lot of time and effort.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 08:11:29 pm
content: QuoteYes, couldn't think how to describe it better. Text tends to lack tiny detail, so although it's high DPI it's could also be much lower and still be readable. And, in fact, we can even read it when we can't really see it perfectly enough to distinguish the letters.QuoteYes, that's part of my problem. I have long focus, so something close than arm's length needs glasses. I can normally manage a phone screen by deliberately not focusing, but sometimes I relax and my eyes try to focus on something that's too close, so I get eye strain and the next day it's all headache. So a high DPI screen looks great but that greatness encourages focusing on the tiny detail you really don't want to.QuoteEr, by GUI widgets do you mean anything that isn't text? The window furniture, single-pixel wide lines, etc. That kind of thing which you don't find in books.

author: AndyBeez
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 08:32:35 pm
content: Well here's a real world example of why the internet is becoming sh** : A delivery supply company of ours is ceasing their tried and tested mobile text and email tracking notifications in favour of push notifications on WhatsApp. So no more texts and no more emails. Instead we need to load WhatsApp oncompatibledevices and then join their WhatsApp group to receive information about our deliveries. For compatible devices read not a PC, not a laptop, not older mobile that can receive text messages, and certainly no other device on the network that's been popping emails since 1992. Their rationale is customers only ever use WhatsApp on iPhones these days.Did you know WhatsApp was a messaging service conceived to be ad free? And that now, owned by Zuckernerd's Meta [data for sale] company, it has replaced Facebook Messenger? Which is why WhatsApp is now the most prolific push advertising platform on the web? So why the change from our soon to be ex-delivery supplier? That old excuse; the IT supplier is, "doing an upgrade." They are, we're not.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 08:57:50 pm
content: Quote from: AndyBeez on December 16, 2022, 08:32:35 pmThat really is ridiculous. I've never used WhatsApp and don't intend to start now. SMS is universal, all mobile phones support it.

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 10:12:29 pm
content: it takes time to realize the time we are in.when money becomes non-fungible tokens & or part of a phone.when science fiction finally becomes science factwith all the horror of a bad 1950s sci fi moviedolly the 2.0 sheep may well have two heads & one all seeing eye with imbedded wifi.with a newly discovered financial black hole is a country in Eastern Europe.when the doomsday clock times out. & nobody noticed it!it takes time to finally realize the time we are in.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 11:14:19 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 16, 2022, 02:49:02 amSure, most of the results are cheap crap which should be avoided, start by not sorting by price.If you read the user manual for this Trendnet camera, they show how to log in to the web interface directly:https://www.trendnet.com/support/support-detail.asp?prod=210_TV-IP1314PIMost standalone cameras are going to have an app, because it IS a pain for the average person to set them up, find the IP, etc.Costco has Swann (some are rebranded hikvision parts) and others, anything with a HDD would generally run standalone without needing an app. If you can't spend the time to find a genuine hikvision elsewhere.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 11:32:54 pm
content: Quote from: AndyBeez on December 16, 2022, 08:32:35 pmIt still is.Quote from: AndyBeez on December 16, 2022, 08:32:35 pmIt has not. Both still exist and are completely separate. You can’t even send messages between them.Quote from: AndyBeez on December 16, 2022, 08:32:35 pmIs it? I’ve never seen that, unlike sms spam.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2022, 11:34:49 pm
content: Quote from: Siwastaja on December 16, 2022, 07:40:49 pmTry printing the barcode out and sticking on your phone.It won't work for ticketmaster, but surely it would work for a grocery store.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 01:49:16 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on December 16, 2022, 11:34:49 pmI'm not a fan of stores that give you a discounted price if you give them your phone number. Fortunately I have found a workaround years ago, in this region at least just use the phone number for Microsoft headquarters, 425-882-8080. So many people have worked there and used their work phone number to sign up for things that I have yet to encounter a place that didn't have that number on file. In most cases they don't even list the name, in one case a confused clerk at a shoe store looked at me skeptically and asked if I was Alfonzo Finch. Um, sure.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 02:10:43 am
content: It is true that we rely on our "smart" phones more than ever every shop seems to have their own "App" which lets you scan barcodes to get deals or whatever, banking can still thankfully be done on the computer, MFA which requires an authenticator "app", etc.The list is long and plentiful as to what uses our pocket computers these days, even needed one to book a desk using the "hotdesk app" in my previous place of employment, ludicrous.I don't upgrade every year I am still rocking my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, with a £10 a month Voxi plan, I don't need the latest 20 core quantum computing chip to make and receive calls or texts.If I dropped £1200 on a phone i'd treat it like i'd just dropped £300k on a Ferrari, i'd never take it out!Apparently (don't have it so don't have the issue) there is a way to allow your phone to make payments without authorising them which has caused great delight for pickpockets / thieves / scummies with a "widget" to take payment without you knowing just by hovering near you, I saw a post on Facebook advising people to turn that feature off.I mainly use my "smart" features for Geocaching and showing online collection emails to the folks behind the counter.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 03:15:51 am
content: I'm on my second smartphone ever. My first iPhone 4 I bought on sale after the new model came out and I used it for around 4 years. Eventually it got hopelessly slow and I upgraded to a 2016 iPhone SE around 2018 when it too was on sale after a new model came out. I've had them in a protective shell since day 1 and both phones still look like new.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 04:05:19 am
content: Quote from: james_s on December 17, 2022, 03:15:51 amMy phone history is very similar, I used to have Nokia's my first was a 3210, then I got a 3G Flip phone which was absolute abysmal to use, I also had a Sony Ericsson K800i for my work phone, I got rid of the flip phone and got a Nokia n95 then I "upgraded" to my first smart phone a HTC Desire, then I got the Samsung Galaxy S3, I used both of those phones till they didn't boot up any more, then I got the S6 Edge which I still have, got a wanky iPhone8 for a work phone, no idea how to use it, just bings and bongs at me so I turn it away and ignore it till it rings or I have to do MFA.I've done some Android development and ran the apps on the S6 and my old Samsung A6 work phone which I no longer have. I did some J2ME dev on the K800i back in the day, never got into Symbian development on the Nokias though.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 03:34:55 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 17, 2022, 07:02:48 amFrom a network security and operations point of view it's a good idea to goup all devices you don't trust into separate VLANs or SSIDs, each with its own network and firewall zone. At first it takes a bit more effort to set everything up. But later on with more devices it will pay off.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 04:21:57 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 17, 2022, 01:49:16 amI often tell businesses I dont like giving out my phone number and they always promise to protect it as if they have any idea what that means.I recently got a new phone number for my business and it got so many junk calls and texts that I changed it. Repeated that a few times and had similar results each time.Makes me glad I've resisted peoples attempts to take my personal phone number over the years. It doesn't get nearly as much of that garbage.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 07:27:02 pm
content: Robocalls have completely ruined the telephone as a means of communication. I finally set my phone so that if a number is not in my contact list it doesn't even ring.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 07:36:34 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 17, 2022, 07:27:02 pmYep.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 07:46:31 pm
content: I use call control. When people phone me, they are told to press a number before the call gets through. Works well.It comes with a webform to enter safe numbers that bypass it.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 09:23:15 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 17, 2022, 07:27:02 pmI never get any of that on my cell but when I had a landline it was bad. I wonder if the DNCL system just works better on the cell network here. I do get the odd telemarketing call but it's from companies I do business with, trying to sell me more stuff so those don't get blocked, and I can't actually block them because they could potentially call for a legit reason. Telus is bad for that. I have my alarm system through them because they bought out ADT so now they keep calling me to switch my cell plan over.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 09:24:39 pm
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 17, 2022, 04:21:57 pmI noticed some places often ask for a postal code, so I always give them a fake one that ends in 1A1. Funny thing is, I've seen it on web forms etc where it prefills that postal code for me because the systems think that's my real postal code. Shows how much our data really gets shared around - even false data!

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2022, 09:28:02 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 17, 2022, 09:24:39 pmYou know your browser does that, right?

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 12:03:07 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 17, 2022, 09:24:39 pmWhy bother with a fake postal code? Seems like that's too broad to disclose much about you anyway.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 12:17:50 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on December 17, 2022, 09:28:02 pmI always hated how browsers are so leaky and seem to disclose lot of private info. Though as far as location goes it seems to at least prompt me, so I always say no. Most sites seem to think I live in the GTA, and I've had some think I live in the maritimes.Phone is a whole other issue, they leak even more info and they usually have me right down to the city, even with location service turned off. I doubt that setting does much other than disable active location data usage such as GPS related apps. Background location checks are probably still let through. I use a custom rom so it might be a tad better but I noticed if I open some sites I will see adds that know what city I'm in. Creepy how much of our data just gets leaked to 3rd parties all the time.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 01:40:55 am
content: Most IP Addresses are geolocated these days, but mine tells me i'm nowhere near my home town, so it's not accurate.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 01:44:02 am
content: QuoteDepending on where you are, the post code may identify a single house. But it's like most data: on its own it's not so hot, but combine it with other data and the you might as well drop your pants and bend over.QuoteChappy over here rented a premium rate number and hands that out. Apparently robocalls and the like more than pay for it.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 03:06:08 am
content: Quote from: PlainName on December 18, 2022, 01:44:02 amThat'd have to be somewhere seriously rural I'd think. My postal code has over 22,000 residents.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 03:49:29 am
content: Comment to 'magic', thanks for your recent posts, I've similar thoughts, about state of smart phones:The radio station offers an APP, but I just (try) connecting for 'podcast' listening. But, HECK, compared to old-school radio...where you would just flip the radio on, maybe adjust the portable's antenna sometimes...that was it!But these days, on my (Android, Alcatel), using direct, without downloading 'APP', it's very crappy performing, and just choking on ADs.Sometimes, show (finally) gets on-air, for less than 90 seconds...then whoops...back to the whole series of ADs, (..."I'm Doctor Sanjay...Gru...."..) with more health tips advertisements...etc etc.Technically, of course it's frustrating, with all the drop-outs and flat out signal and web site loss...forcing manual reload. But I suppose it's as a consumer that I notice...plus you cannot get / buy a traditional radio, at least not like before, in local drugstore.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 03:51:43 am
content: Quote from: james_s on December 18, 2022, 03:06:08 amThe five-digit US ZIP code may include 22,000 residents, but the full nine-digit ZIP code is much more local (although not necessarily one mail drop).

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 04:19:56 am
content: Quote from: james_s on December 18, 2022, 03:06:08 amThat's like half my city. Pretty sure it's typically only a few houses or we'd literally have like 2 postal codes for the whole city lol.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2022, 04:25:45 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 18, 2022, 04:19:56 amSmall cities do typically have only one or two postal codes. Now they have a 4 digit extension but most people still just use the original 5 digit codes.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2022, 05:53:18 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 18, 2022, 03:06:08 amJust for kicks, look at how UK postcodes work: the first half identifies a broader area, but the second half identifies a small group of addresses (about 15) within it. When you order pizza delivery in the UK, they simply ask for your postcode and house number, because that is enough to positively identify your home!The ZIP+4 extension in USA is similar: the +4 extension identifies a much smaller area within the 5-digit ZIP code.(Amusingly, I won my pub quiz team a point literally last night by knowing that the “I” in ZIP code stands for “improvement”.)

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 20, 2022, 07:43:25 pm
content: The same applies for the Dutch postal codes. Four digits, two letters and your house number does it for most of the homes.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 01:49:51 am
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 21, 2022, 01:13:49 amI hate how people rant and rage and destroy phones because they don't go into the settings and turn notifications off.Some people just shouldn't be allowed to use technology, I guess.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 01:55:31 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on December 21, 2022, 01:49:51 amVery few apps are allowed to notify me and the ones that do, each make different sounds.I even have different sounds for different contacts.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 02:00:07 am
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 21, 2022, 01:13:49 amI hated CRT, so glad I don't encounter them anymore. They made a high pitch sound I could here from the other side of the house.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 03:10:37 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 21, 2022, 02:00:07 amMost of them only did that when they weren't getting a valid signal, I did have a CGA monitor on my first PC that made an awful whine though, it comes from the horizontal deflection. Once you are around 35 years old it is irrelevant because you can't hear it anymore.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 06:24:01 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 21, 2022, 02:00:07 amThis has been replaced by buck / boost converters with to low frequencies or other resonances.Adjust the brightness on a FNIRSI 1013D and you get a beeping sound because the PWM carrier frequency is ~833Hz.My >10 old Dell 24 inch monitor also makes a humming sound due to this.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 06:27:31 am
content: Quote from: Monkeh on December 21, 2022, 01:49:51 amIt looks like there is a new whiner in town. Check out some of bigfoot22 his posts.He even thinks airplanes should never have been made.P.S. I know I can whine too

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 07:31:46 am
content: Quote from: james_s on December 21, 2022, 03:10:37 amMost CRTs bothered me. It was the same frequency as the ringing in my ears and I still 'hear' that despite being over 35.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 07:43:18 am
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on December 21, 2022, 06:24:01 amI've had a few converters that made noise. The worst was a boost module from one of those maker shops. When I exceeded its limits, it would squeel. Still not as annoying as CRT though.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 08:39:49 am
content: Quote from: james_s on December 21, 2022, 03:10:37 amHuh? I don’t think I ever encountered a CRT that only did it without a good signal. I remember it, especially on TV sets (much less so on computer displays) regardless of input signal.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 03:03:22 pm
content: Let's rant about Android.Recently we had our nationwide alert day for testing sirens and other ways of alerting the public. This time the test included cell broadcast which is an old standard in the mobile network specs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_Broadcast), and also used in some countries for years. Simply put, it's a text message to all phones sent by the base station. If you have an Android phone you need to check several settings hidden below several layers of menus to make sure that your phone will accept cell broadcast messages - not every phone has sensible default settings (fail #1). Now something bad happens and you receive a public alert via cell broadcast. Your phone is supposed to play a loud alarm sound to get your attention and to show you the alert. In reality some phones stay silent for whatever reason (fail #2). In case your phone plays the loud sound it's quite likely that you'll confirm the alarm sound to shut it off - something most users are trained to do by apps. Oops, after confirming the alarm sound the alert message is gone too (fail #3). Where can I retrieve the alert to read it? Again, down the rabbit hole through several layers of menus in the settings app you'll find a history of alert messages. Very intuitive, especially if you're in a hurry! Fail #4.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 03:32:59 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 21, 2022, 08:49:35 amThanks for the explanation and apology.Parkinson, that for sure is a bitch, and I sympathize with you.I know someone with Parkinson's but he is in his seventies and has a not so aggressive form of it, but still shit, like any other chronic disease. I myself suffer from Fibromyalgia which also sucks.Hang in there and try to keep up the good spirit.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 04:21:18 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 21, 2022, 08:49:35 amThanks for sharing and I'm sorry to hear that. I bet that long response time made it difficult to determine gluten was a problem. I'd count that as a win against a tough problem.If your upcomming testing involves electronics, I think people here would be interested to hear about it. I will be.This has been implied already but I'll reitterate, you can turn off notifications or atleast change their sounds. I recently dialed mine back and set up more custom sounds and I wish I did it sooner. It's much less annoying now.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2022, 06:24:34 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on December 21, 2022, 08:39:49 amWe had a lot of composite video monitors in my school, I could walk into a room and always tell when one hadn't been shut off. When they have a signal the frequency seems to shift a bit so it's less audible. I have quite a few CRT monitors around here so next time I pull one out I'll do some testing with the audio spectrum app on my phone.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2022, 05:46:26 am
content: Shi sdvik ans ai cysezt va smet va kansi zvrik!

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2022, 06:29:41 am
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 22, 2022, 06:18:38 amtranslate and find out.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2022, 06:24:37 pm
content: tldr... once you all have kids grown up in smartphone and youtube age, tell us where they are now...https://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/news-and-media-releases/articles/kids-and-smartphones-a-warning-for-parents-about-harmful-impactshttps://bangalore.globalindianschool.org/blog-details/harmful-effects-of-mobile-phones-on-studentshttps://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/child-brain-development-and-cell-phones/https://www.edutopia.org/video/theres-cell-phone-your-students-head/like drinking beer, you think its good.. but its not.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 05:24:44 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on December 21, 2022, 07:31:46 amI had a CRT that would randomly start making a high pitched sound too, I'd tap the side and it would stop for a bit lol. I would also hear 60hz in it if the dimmer switch in the dining room was dimmed.Sometimes it's easy to feel nostalgic about certain tech, but CRTs are actually one thing I don't really miss at all. I do have a few I keep in storage for old time sake but I would not even want to use them unless I decide to build a retro PC setup for fun or something. CRT TVs are also good if you want to break out the NES and play duck hunt.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 08:32:08 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on December 22, 2022, 06:24:37 pmSays who?I enjoy drinking beer in moderation, it tastes good, it's an enjoyable social activity, there are certainly worse things I could be doing with my time.Just like with smartphones, moderation is key.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 09:07:26 am
content: Quote from: james_s on December 29, 2022, 08:32:08 amBeer is vastly overrated. Abstinence from it is underrated to a far greater degree. It does nothing to help except addle one’s mind. I used to drink my fair share - nothing good comes from it. I’d rather drink water, orange, milk or coffee.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 02:49:22 pm
content: Quoteit stopped people getting cholera,and kickstarted forensic science

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 03:39:30 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 29, 2022, 08:32:08 amnot everybody can control it wisely as you did... much like gun (in the hand of police/army vs in the hand of normal/random people).. although its debatable if society can tolerate some random killing, we dont, and we are happy that random killing using gun is almost unheard of around here. i would not like deeper into this off topic... because this is a "choice"... we can always choose any other "X" to drink as enjoyable social activity, but its a tradition choosen by the people before.. continued by people of today... says who? says (i mean "proven" by) google/statistics... "moderation" as you said is quite an optimistic solution in some society groups/classes. around here, i see nothing better out of people who drink beer (90% people i heard will go drunk and bad things happened) it started as "enjoyable social activity", but when somethings went bad, having a bad day, lose job etc, beer is the solution (in the end... not)..

author: AndyBeez
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 04:13:34 pm
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 29, 2022, 05:24:44 amAgreed. As a young I.T. Guy, I ranked monitors only second in the silicon hell of tech torment to 1990s laser printers. The worse lumps were Ilyama monitors which, for some reason of CRT purity, had extra magnetic shielding. The business had dozens of these, all for DTP and Photo-crapping. At least these were 10 kilos lighter than the offerings from IBM, which were used to access the then Mainframe.I too retain one CRT in the guise of a 14 inch Philips TV for thatreal Atari console gaming experience. I guess for the young generation it must feel like playing pinball on a real pinball machine?

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2022, 06:44:35 pm
content: I still have and use lots of CRT displays, I've always liked them and still do. We had some Llyama monitors at a place I worked in the early 2000's and they were superb, nicer than anything I had at home until much later. I finally retired the Trinitron monitor from my desktop PC in 2015 because the new PC I built had poor support for analog VGA. I still have a Trinitron XBR TV downstairs that is mostly used with classic console games and a collection of classic arcade machines that are all CRT. There's also a handful of vintage computers with CRT monitors, I find that LCD just looks weird on a vintage machine. CRTs look better to me than LCD, the only thing LCD offers is compact size and perfect geometry, which are big features but if I could have a good quality CRT without the bulk I'd choose it in most applications.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2022, 12:23:57 am
content: Quote from: AndyBeez on December 29, 2022, 04:13:34 pmQuote from: james_s on December 29, 2022, 06:44:35 pmThat company’s name contains exactly zero “L”s: the name is iiyama, formerly capitalized as Iiyama, but now officially all-lowercase.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2022, 01:55:45 am
content: Quote from: tooki on December 30, 2022, 12:23:57 amThat's just too many vowels for my brain to handle in one word.

author: AndyBeez
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2022, 12:03:20 pm
content: Funny that, you could buy budget 'Lyama' monitors in London's Tottenham Court Road. Which for those who know, is the epicenter of discount grey import tech. Spent a fortune in TCR. Also, shout out to the adjacent New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. £££££££££

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2022, 07:49:46 pm
content: Quote from: AndyBeez on December 30, 2022, 12:03:20 pmI'm not too surprised. I remember seeing some stuff branded 'Solny' somewhere too. Seems like there were a few other Japanese-sounding brands out of China back in the early 2000's.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2022, 01:55:55 am
content: Next to the Miokey Mouse throw pillows? (I swear I saw that in a Korean market once, unfortunately before cellphones had cameras.)

author: mendip_discovery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2022, 10:10:26 pm
content: I must say I am a little tired of some of the trappings of modern life. Feeling things back yonder were much better than now. But I know it's an age thing.I remember the old phones and did enjoy them and the modern mobile doesnt make my life better, just different.I have over the past year or so walked away from most social media due to the aggressive behaviour of people online these days, trolls and jokers have always been an part of the internet but the bile and hate that comes up at times has meant I have struggled mentally to cope, especially as work is always rather stressful due to me being the one person that has to work out all the fun stuff that the sales team says we can do.See ya all next year, if you are not already there.

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2022, 10:58:40 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on December 29, 2022, 08:32:08 amPhrase of the week.Exactly, both beer and specially smartphones can both be useful or terrible, even damaging. Moderation is REALLY the key.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2022, 11:36:02 pm
content: I think that whole “in moderation” attitude is ridiculous. It’s a phone. It’s a tool, not a vice. The things you do ON it may be vices, but there are so many things the devices can do that it’s absurd to condemn the device as a vice.

author: Geoff-AU
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 01:17:32 am
content: Everything these days is geared towards giving you that little dopamine hit on shorter and shorter timescales. It's your own choice whether to use it or not. Sadly, many people become addicted and don't realise until they've gone past the point at which their level of self control allows them to stop. It's very much the same as people who get addicted to feeding their pension into a poker machine.Gotta just put the phone down, or get off the internet, and do something in real life.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 05:09:43 am
content: Quote from: Geoff-AU on January 01, 2023, 01:17:32 amlucky you during childhood only had the good old nokia brick... the problem today are kids, parents nowadays have to do heavier moderation than ever... if there is still old nokia like brick manufactured today using newer GSM phone line, i think i would like to get them for kids, minus the App Store, the games and shits... or if the is a way to block shits in youtube and chrome in smartphone, only educational materials allowed... too much shits in youtube, internet and social chat media nowadays. i remember back then we call it "ting tong", because thats what arcade games sound like, only available at the shop, we have to go walking and put 20 cents to get 3 rounds game, when we get back home, father is waiting with the "belt", thats the moderation we got back then... when mIRC came later, CGPA started to went down...games back then also can enhance our (kids) motor and brain function and coordination, like Pac-Man, Raiden etc (i think thats why i'm "quite" a faster driver than the rest).. games today more shits, you only hit enter button and hero starts doing somersault combo automatically killing beast from 4th dimension look alike and then you get half naked she-warrior prize in return...

author: mendip_discovery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 01:33:03 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on January 01, 2023, 06:22:24 amBigoot22, its not just the poor that are suffering but it is a big factor, though I think its more about not feeling like you have enough which isn't helped by the person down the road who posts about his latest expensive item they bought. I do get how it is for you its a right crap game and its very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel I hope it works out for you and you can get back into it all and start making your life better.I have an ok paying job but social pressures that I should be more successful, in a relationship with kids, own a house, be healthy etc have put me into a hole. I work harder than I should because I never feel I have done enough, my employer knows this and takes advantage of it. My current thinking is I will burn out at some point so I am trying to earn what I can and save what I can to pass it on to the next generation (Nieces and Nephews). I am getting to an age where correcting my faults won't happen quickly enough for them to stick and I have traits that just make me the kind of person who isn't as quick as others so I put in more time to make up for it. I know I have a dopamine issue as I rarely take much pleasure in completing a task but it is hard for me to get help as every time I speak to a doctor about issues they go for the easy "have you tried losing some weight".With regards to FB etc I became aware that I was being manipulated to look at notifications that were not there, lots of red then you look at it and its just "xy posted something" which I had already seen and replied to. If you ignored the app then it would start sending more stuff to bring you back in. So I removed the app, and just log in on the home PC every now and then but last year in a fit of annoyance at the amount of hate on FB, I removed 428 of my FB friends and just kept a few family members (FB would always get all upset if I tried to delete it). Since then I have also walked away from Twitter and Reddit as the same echo chambers of hate exist there as well. This has freed up my phone to just be a phone again and other than using it for news and some web browsing its now back to basics again. Thinking of getting rid of youtube at the moment as that does have a tendency to send me into a loop of just one more video.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 02:39:01 pm
content: QuoteDefine poor?According to our governments definition im supposedly living well below the poverty line,but guess what,im much happier and have a better quality of life than i did when i was earning almost double the national averageQuotenonsense,almost everybody given the choice would chuck there job instantly as long as there income wasn't affected.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 07:09:28 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on January 01, 2023, 06:22:24 amfrom one perspective it is true, usually when one is born with it.. from another perspective, it is a choice, though usually an indirect one... at one time a person have money and throw it all to gambling, the original intention is to get rich, but in the end.. poverty.. its an (indirect) choice... a fully able person but choosed to do crazy things, bungee jump, cliff climb, dive, or whatever... drive recklessly while selfie or drunk just because its fun, enjoyable and because we can, things went wrong, then they get Physical disability, Mental Trauma, Unemployment etc... its an (indirect) choice... parents send kids to school but choose to not pay attention, always play smartphone, do enjoyable social activities etc, got dropped out or fail in exam.. bad education, Unemployment ... its an (indirect) choice...the problem with most people, including the many that can afford to pay internet bill to chat in forums, or even with some professional knowledge and skill set... is they only activate their 1st level thinking skill, 2nd and higher level thinking is either sleeping or dead... ok if we do this, its fun.. so lets do it! if later on, something go wrong, after few days later, months or years later... they cant relate or find reason what was happening why bad things happened today... sometime there are long chain and reactions of cause and effect... there are many people came from poor people climb up the ladder become better and better even one step for each generation... and there are people came from the rich/well educated/healthy family ended up in mental trauma, anxiety, desperation etc... its a choice, whether a direct or indirect one, whether we know it or we dont, and sometime the effect will happened to somebody else, other society groups or even family etc.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 08:02:22 pm
content: Quote from: bigfoot22 on January 01, 2023, 06:22:24 amI'd agree with the mental trauma and physical disability part but the rest is not so straightforward. Nobody wants to be poor, however an individual's choices will have a great deal of impact on whether they remain poor or not. Unemployment, again, people can choose the career path they want and they can make choices that greatly increase their odds of being (and staying) employed. I've known quite a few people that don't really want to be employed, I mean almost everyone likes paychecks but many don't want to work or put in the minimum effort. Bad education is absolutely a choice, lots of people don't care about education and don't put in the effort required. Citizens in every developed nation have access to at least 12 years of free schooling and there are other resources out there to obtain additional education that anyone has access to, if they make the choice to use them.I think far too many people use "I didn't have a choice" as an excuse for not really trying or putting forth any real effort.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 08:07:00 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on December 31, 2022, 11:36:02 pmThe phone itself is a tool, but many of the things one can do on it could legitimately be called vices. Social media and many games are engineered to be addictive, there are people that spend every waking moment absorbed in their phone, or rather the apps that are on their phone. It's not the same sort of tool as something like a screwdriver or a wrench, you don't see many people fired from their job, failing out of school or crashing their car because they can't stop playing with one of those.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2023, 08:32:49 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on January 01, 2023, 08:07:00 pmUhhhh… yeah, I said that.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2023, 07:10:31 pm
content: btw i didnt know they still produce it for 4G...https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_au/nokia-225-4g?sku=16QENB21A17since 2G is going to be phased out, this should be a good candidate esp for kids who cant control the habit... its $50..

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2023, 10:09:12 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on January 02, 2023, 07:10:31 pmI wish people would stop acting as though it was just kids/young folks who are glued to their phones. In my experience, younger people are actuallybetterabout putting down their phones, with older adults still reacting to cellphones the way you had to react to a landline (i.e. drop everything and answer).And yesterday on the tram, I saw an elderly woman playing a game (something where you battle two creatures against each other) — the same game, on two phones at the same time, moving her hand so as to tap each phone with one finger!

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2023, 10:51:46 am
content: Quote from: tooki on January 03, 2023, 10:09:12 ami'm talking my situation here, esp my 3rd kid in boarding school.. moderating and educating about SP usage wisely to 5 kids is extra work (new tech meant to solve problem, but introduced new problems). i know there are many worse adults out there, i always facepalm in my head when looking at them playing with their SP to kill time. but what can i say? they are adult, they think they are clever enough to take care of themselves, if i give advice, i'm the one who's labelled as stupid and luddite.. so let them kill themselves if they want to... good riddance..

author: MarkS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 05, 2023, 06:04:04 pm
content: Quote from: eti on December 14, 2022, 10:13:38 am*glances up from my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra* You said something? 🤔🤷‍♂️

author: Infraviolet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2023, 07:46:48 pm
content: The only reason older people drop everything to react to a phone, but young people don't is because young people were holding the phone already, and have sunken in to a domain far beyond mere phone calls, infact I suspect many have never made or received one.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2023, 08:43:06 pm
content: Quote from: Infraviolet on January 05, 2023, 07:46:48 pmThat is absolutely not true.