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"Convenient" is the new c-word. "Because it's convenient" is the main excuse I hear for excessive plastic packaging, disposable everything, taking a 3 hr drive

"Convenient" is the new c-word. "Because it's convenient" is the main excuse I hear for excessive plastic packaging, disposable everything, taking a 3 hr drive instead of a 4 hr train/transit ride, posting to Facebook instead of your own blog, placing voice-"activated" spy devices in your home. I'm coming to despise that word.

balladeer 7y ago
I had bought an Echo Dot sometimes back. I had decided I'll use it judiciously. After I acceded my past recording (all of it) on Alexa app and heard some of them I just packed it away. I also have a Smart TV. Of Vu brand - https://www.vutvs.com https://www.vutvs.com - quite famous in India and apparently a California company. I don't even know whether they listen in the background. I tried looking for documents related to that and talking to the customer care but they were clueless. They would get stuck at repeating "do you want to schedule a repair?".
- cbm-vic-20 7y ago
  > I tried looking for documents related to that and talking to the customer care but they were clueless. They would get stuck at repeating "do you want to schedule a repair?". No company is going to train their first-, second- or even third-line support to answer a question being asked of 0.00001% of their customers.
markosaric 7y ago
Completely agree! I do many "inconvenient" things these days. It takes more time to make better and more informed decisions about products you use/buy or organizations you support rather than simply buy by habit. It can be more expensive to buy locally produced and environmentally friendly products rather than something mass-produced or coming from the other side of the world. It is more inconvenient to carry your own bags and bottles rather than simply buying single-use items and throwing them away. And on and on. I'm happy to make these compromises but the system we've built where the better choices are more inconvenient certainly doesn't help us reach the goals we need.

balladeer 7y ago

I had bought an Echo Dot sometimes back. I had decided I'll use it judiciously. After I acceded my past recording (all of it) on Alexa app and heard some of them I just packed it away. I also have a Smart TV. Of Vu brand - https://www.vutvs.com https://www.vutvs.com - quite famous in India and apparently a California company. I don't even know whether they listen in the background. I tried looking for documents related to that and talking to the customer care but they were clueless. They would get stuck at repeating "do you want to schedule a repair?".

cbm-vic-20 7y ago
> I tried looking for documents related to that and talking to the customer care but they were clueless. They would get stuck at repeating "do you want to schedule a repair?". No company is going to train their first-, second- or even third-line support to answer a question being asked of 0.00001% of their customers.

markosaric 7y ago

Completely agree! I do many "inconvenient" things these days. It takes more time to make better and more informed decisions about products you use/buy or organizations you support rather than simply buy by habit. It can be more expensive to buy locally produced and environmentally friendly products rather than something mass-produced or coming from the other side of the world. It is more inconvenient to carry your own bags and bottles rather than simply buying single-use items and throwing them away. And on and on. I'm happy to make these compromises but the system we've built where the better choices are more inconvenient certainly doesn't help us reach the goals we need.