New Technology Pisses Me Off Rant

[skypilot]

I bought an MP-3 player yesterday, got it home and tried to get it working. The instruction book read like it was written by someone whose English was a third or fourth language. In the box there was a notice saying that if there were any problems not to return it to the store but to contact customer service by email. I packed it all up in the box and returned it to the store for a refund, then I contacted customer service by email and told them to shove their MP-3 player.
The store I was in sells high definition tv's. If you buy one they will send someone to your house to set it up. WTF? If I buy a TV, I want to take it home, plug it in, hook up the cable and watch it. I don't want something that has to be set up by someone else.
I went to my cell phone carrier to get a new phone. Had to explain that I didn't want more minutes, even free ones, didn't want GPS, internet connection or camera or vidio camera. Left without a new phone, going to get a new carrier.
Had a problem with my laptop. Contacted microsoft support. Boy was that a mistake. Next time I will just stick a hot needle in my eye. Also got the updated Norton antivirus. It wouldn't install. Contacted their support and dealt with a nice guy named Krishna. Had to let him commandeer my computer to get the program installed.
I am really tired of this half assed new technology that doesn't work right out of the box. I am tired of instruction manuals that are in five languages but don't tell you anything.
I got a lot of pleasure returning that MP-3 player to the store when I knew the manufacturer didn't want me to.

 

[Bopper2]

Amen

I was perfectly happy with my clunky black dial phone, vinyl LPs, a transistor radio and my cutting edge Polaroid camera, not to mention my TV that was also a piece of furniture.

 

[Gentle Ben]

......, and knobs or sliders that actually adjusted or selected a function, rather than a soft touch button that scrolls through several menu options before you can make your choice.

Oh, and then there was 8 tracks

 

[james t kirk]

I bought an MP-3 player yesterday, got it home and tried to get it working. The instruction book read like it was written by someone whose English was a third or fourth language. In the box there was a notice saying that if there were any problems not to return it to the store but to contact customer service by email. I packed it all up in the box and returned it to the store for a refund, then I contacted customer service by email and told them to shove their MP-3 player.
The store I was in sells high definition tv's. If you buy one they will send someone to your house to set it up. WTF? If I buy a TV, I want to take it home, plug it in, hook up the cable and watch it. I don't want something that has to be set up by someone else.
I went to my cell phone carrier to get a new phone. Had to explain that I didn't want more minutes, even free ones, didn't want GPS, internet connection or camera or vidio camera. Left without a new phone, going to get a new carrier.
Had a problem with my laptop. Contacted microsoft support. Boy was that a mistake. Next time I will just stick a hot needle in my eye. Also got the updated Norton antivirus. It wouldn't install. Contacted their support and dealt with a nice guy named Krishna. Had to let him commandeer my computer to get the program installed.
I am really tired of this half assed new technology that doesn't work right out of the box. I am tired of instruction manuals that are in five languages but don't tell you anything.
I got a lot of pleasure returning that MP-3 player to the store when I knew the manufacturer didn't want me to.

While I don't disagree with you, I was just thinking this morning believe it or not how much better loading software onto your computer is now.

It used to be in the days of DOS (yes, who here remembers DOS so fondly, which I am told Windows is still based on) you had to copy the file from a series of disks onto your hard drive. You then had to install it and configure it through a series of usually unknown or at best unfamiliar commands.

Then, you were usually left with a series of components of the program all over the place that you may or may not have to access by shutting down the program you were working on.

It was a nightmare.

Now, you get the DVD, drop it in the DVD player on your machine and basically click next, or maybe not even that.

Slick.

 

[james t kirk]

......, and knobs or sliders that actually adjusted or selected a function, rather than a soft touch button that scrolls through several menu options before you can make your choice.

I have to agree with you there too.

Nothing beats a simple knob (no pun intended).

One of the reason I love the dash on my car so much. Even though it's a 2005, the volume control is a knob, the tempature adjust is a knob, you just turn it and you're there.

The newer model, the knob does 10 things which requires concentration, a couple of steps, etc.

Stupid idea.

But hey, it looks futuristic.

 

[canucklehead]

ipod works ... my son who was at at the time ...was able to sync and play it easily

 

[Cinema Face]

I agree with Kirk. Technology is so much better than it used to be. I know it still could be better.

Does anyone remember having to install a sound card or a modem and having to set jumpers and dip switches to configure IRQ's and such?

Does anyone remember having to free up conventional memory just to get some stupid game to run? You had to edit config.sys and load dos into high memory and run emm386 and crap like that.

Technology has really come a long way.

 

[Hangman]

For me, the real frustration is feeling like you have to do a lot of work for what you think ought to be a simple thing. When there is a large disconnect between how simple I think something should be, and how complicated it actually is, I get frustrated. A lot of that can be ignorance of a product, but some of it comes when they've gone and taken something straightforward, like a phone, and added too many features.

The demand for more and more features makes things more and more complicated. For those who just want the basic functionality, it's very difficult to find, like a cell phone that is just a phone. Then again, do I want to go back to manually dialing every number, or keep using cash instead of online banking?

I think that the challenge for engineers (ergonomic, etc) will be finding intuituve ways to make things work so that people don't feel like things are more trouble than they're worth.

 

[a 1 player]

Buttons, sliders and knobs = good
menus, sub-menus and frustration = bad

 

[JohnHenry]

Speaking of cell phones, I had one fail after it fell out of the car onto some snow, and got cold and wet.
I called Rogers, and asked for a severe service phone that would work for somebody who worked outdoors. They don't have one.

 

[The Bandit]

Yes the new stuff has more features/options, but the durability/longevity of the old electronics can't be betaen. Some types of electronics now are disposable after a few years, no durability anymore. They build them like that so you have to replace them more often.

 

[CUTTERBUCK]

Speaking of cell phones, I had one fail after it fell out of the car onto some snow, and got cold and wet.
I called Rogers, and asked for a severe service phone that would work for somebody who worked outdoors. They don't have one.

Typically, digital electronics hate cold temperatures.

 

[The Bandit]

Typically, digital electronics hate cold temperatures.

What about car stereos?

 

[canucklehead]

zune 80GB is better.

Not according to engadget ..

 

[ig-88]

Some DOS games, such as Syndicate, are irreplaceable.

 

[stang]

And you damn kids stay off my lawn !

LOL

 

[LateComer]

For me, the real frustration is feeling like you have to do a lot of work for what you think ought to be a simple thing. When there is a large disconnect between how simple I think something should be, and how complicated it actually is, I get frustrated. A lot of that can be ignorance of a product, but some of it comes when they've gone and taken something straightforward, like a phone, and added too many features.

I couldn't agree more. I tried to use a GPS provided by my employer but got fed up when I couldn't figure out how to do the simplest functions. It should have two buttons - one that says "Where am I?" and another that says "Where do you want to go?"

 

[thirdtime]

Don't bring back the nightmares of those times please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They're here.
Try getting an old DOS game to run under properly under XP!!!
The video might work, but you won't have any audio until you install something like VDMSound. Even then it's trial and error with the settings trying to get it working right.

 

[johnnyone1]

Yeh… life before New Technology, those were the days…jerking off to Playboy and Penthouse mags…trolling up and down Jarvis St. looking for a hooker…setting up the film projector for the grainy porno flick… Yeh those were the days alright.

Fuck New Technology!! Who needs it.

 

[dreamblade]

The big issue is that these new devices are marketed as easy to use, but they're not. Yes, PC's are easier to work with (my first was a Timex Sinclair 1000, phear meh!!!!!), but phones, DVD players, TV's are not.

In Cyberpunk literature, there's a concept called technoshock, which is how technology is advancing faster than humanity can come to terms with it. I think we're starting to see that happen.