I think one of the consequences of getting older is finding out that your parents were kind of right when they complained about technology? At least you can see they weren’t entirely wrong.
I’ve been hearing from friends that it’s getting harder to find quality refrigerators that don’t connect to the internet. Why exactly does my refrigerator need wifi? Or even a computer, at that? Older fridges can last decades because they have so few failure points. They have one job and they do it well.
I tend not to use my smart TV very often because the damn thing glitches and it’s laggy and too much of a hassle unless I am really committed to watching a movie in my living room. And the worse thing is…can you even buy a non-smart TV these days that isn’t secondhand? Are they even making ordinary…yanno…televisions that don’t need software updates and internet connections, anymore?
Someone in the comments of this post asked how bluetooth earbuds are forced and everyone pointed out that a lot of phones (especially iphones) simply do not have the ports to plug in wired headphones anymore. You must get the apple wireless headphones - and I think that’s the crux of the problem. I am glad I have an android phone because I can use the old wired earbuds I’ve had for over 12 years. If I wanted to, I could buy wireless earbuds and use them instead, because my model of phone gives me that option.
And that’s the kicker: the problem is that as things are “advancing,” more and more, options are being taken away. It has nothing to do with consumer demand - obviously there are a lot of people that are not happy with these developments. But as we’re seeing, the products being made don’t reflect customer preference or choice. It’s always about is best for the companies making and selling those products.
Every day we’re hearing about new apps and tech startups and really…does anyone really want this shit? Is the nth attempt to make crypto work, the billions spent on the Metaverse, doorbell cameras; is a fridge with an IP address really allow it to do its job better? Is that actually going to improve the lives of anyone who aren’t the developers of that product? Just the other day I was reading about a tech startup that wants to be able to beam ads into your car’s GPS screen. Video ads! On a screen! To tell drivers what’s nearby when they can just…continue to look out the window because they’re supposed to be driving a goddamn car.
The problem of a world run by tech companies is that the tech isn’t being made to accommodate us, we are being forced to accommodate the tech.
i had to use a loaner car for a few days recently while my car was at the dealership for work. i drive a 2012 model, and they gave me a 2023 model to use. i have never been more frustrated while driving a vehicle. a huge touch screen lights up when you start the car, reminding me to NOT LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT’S DISTRACTING. all the knobs, buttons, levers that I’m used to - you know, the things i need to find by physical touch alone so i don’t have to look away from the road? - they’re all touch screen buttons now. all of them!! even the parking brake. and you KNOW when any of those elements break (and they will) its gonna mean replacing the entire computer and not one physical component. not the mention software updates. I’m so stressed about whenever i will have to buy my next car because all new vehicles are being built this way. disposability as a function.
I have been on the hunt for wired headphones for a long time but the thing I’ve also noticed is that they break a lot easier.
They thin out the wires as much as possible and they don’t invest in the durability of the casing either.
When I was a kid with headphones they snagged on things all the time. Popped right out of my walkman or tore my ears near clean off, very jarring, I was a bit clumsy as a kid.
The thing is I rarely had to get new headphones because the old ones cord broke. Sure, the ear pads would wear away into nothingness, or eventually the headpiece snapped at the extender because it had to be thinner than the rest and thus ended up being more fragile, so I absolutely would have to replace them…eventually.
But now? I have gone through maybe seven cords for my current headset after having it for a little over a year. 2 USB cords and 5 3.5mmAux cables.
One or two snags and they are toast, if not broken entirely frayed to the point where only one speaker works. Even normal use, plugging and unplugging, tears off the head of the cable before too long.
Like when I was a kid I used to snag my headphones so hard that once my mp3 player flew violently out of my hand and landed four feet away on concrete. Both the mp3 player and the headphones worked perfectly fine afterwards.
But now you breathe on them wrong and the cords just unravel themselves.
So even when you can find alternative solutions, they are cheap and make to break. It’s so fucking frustrating.
I actually hate using smartphones and their touchscreens because I can’t feel the buttons to type anymore. I still make many typos because of this. 😭 I want the OPTION of using TVs that are just TVs and phones that are just phones. I absolutely hate the fact that we don’t get these options anymore because “we are advancing”. “Better tech” doesn’t always mean better… for us.
UPS drivers making more money will help all workers make more money.
Labor united helps all labor. Rising wages is not zero sum.
Don’t fall for ‘divide and conquer’ rhetoric from the Establishment. They fear the power and influence of worker solidarity.
Not only that but a Class A CDL can take thousands of dollars to get, and road experience comes as HARD LESSONS.
And it is freekin HARD to get on at UPS. I’ve been on the road as a driver for 2 years and I got ghosted by them. Plus they work in all (hot, storming, freezing) weather and all traffic conditions. GIVE THEM THE FREEKING $42 AN HOUR.
I had a company offer me $16 an hour for Class A CDL work. They would not have had the AUDACITY to lowball me like that if the going rate in the industry was where it should be. I’m making more than that frying chicken.
Wanna know why some store shelves are empty and there are still supply chain problems? Truckers don’t want to put up with your stupid ass in traffic to bring your “stuff” to the stores for $16 an hour.
