Just Putting It Out There
Hmmm, no need to thank me for doing mycivic duty unless, of course, you really want to.
I tried to log into my bank recently todo some online banking. The following notice appeared.
Online banking currently unavailable . Online banking is unavailable at this time. Please use mobile banking while we work to return services.
No, I am not going to launch intoanother rant about the unreliability of digital technology. I have pounded thatdrum enough times. A glitch here and there is no big deal. Caveat: No rant thistime. I reserve the right to do so at a future date. I have to blow offsteam occasionally or I will develop a nervous tic the likes of which you havenever seen.
An Aside: I went into my local bank branch recently to use the ATM. I love ATMs! They are a great application of technology. However, the touchscreen was clearly not working properly. Simply touching the icons on the screen did not work. I had to hammer them with my knuckles, bruising them in the process, to complete the transaction.
I do not recall this ever happening whenATMs had actual buttons to push. Touchscreens are not particularly useful ifthey do not readily respond to my touch. Not a rant, you understand –just putting it out there.
A Second Aside: I bought a new(er) car recently aftermy reliable, 14 year-old Accent finally gave up the ghost. My new(er) car haspush-button start. No more keys. Yeah! But there is an electronic fob that hasto be in the car in order to start it. The fob is noticeably larger than a key.So what did we really gain? Not a rant, you understand – just putting it outthere.
An Aside to the Above Aside: l learned that there are now devicesthat bandits can use to intercept the RF signal from my fob and steal my car. Ihad to buy something called a Faraday Bag to keep the fob in to guardagainst this risk. The Faraday Bag is the size of a dozen or more keys. So whatdid we really gain? Not a rant, you understand – just putting it out there.
A Third Aside: Our Smart TV has a function that candetect if the batteries in the remote are wearing out. A message appears on theTV screen advising that the remote batteries need to be replaced. Now that isuseful technology!
Buuuuut, that message now appears on thescreen every time I turn the TV on. I replaced the batteries in the remotetwice but the message keeps appearing. I have ignored the message for the lastmonth and the remote continues to function properly.
So it is very useful technology thatbecomes an annoyance because it does not work. So what did we really gain? Nota rant, you understand – just putting it out there.
Now do not go accusing me of slylyslipping in several rants! I just noted, calmly and objectively, a few technologyapplications that do not seem to be living up to their promise. Just putting itout there for your consideration and edification for the good of all.
No need to thank me. Just doing my civicduty.
~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Untilthe Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner inthe Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That MakeMe Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.
