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I'm ready to go back to 2003 era technology at this point. If I need to take photos, I'll buy a digital camera. If I need directions, I'll get a GPS. If I want

I'm ready to go back to 2003 era technology at this point. If I need to take photos, I'll buy a digital camera. If I need directions, I'll get a GPS. If I want to talk to someone, I'll call them on my Nokia or email them from an anonymously registered address. If I want music, I'll download it and use an MP3 player. There's not a single piece of consumer tech in the last 20 years that has made our lives tangibly better in any way.

bwship 5y ago
I wouldn't say none. But I'm with you. I am back to CD's and vinyl for music, flip phone for communication, I drive cars from the early 2000's, we keep our wifi off at the house almost all the time. It is on one hand a shame that tech has become so soured, but on the other hand, the ability to pick and choose technology from any era, and be content with it because of the fact that newer technology is not better, and in some ways is way worse because it is intrusive. On the other points about slippery slopes, we don't even know the full extent of how the powers that be are surveilling us, it could quite possibly be 100x worse than we even realize. Certain cities, like Santa Monica, CA for instance, are almost completely under camera control. I have seen the camera room at the promenade mall, and the camera stations near some of the intersections. The illusion of privacy is evaporating before our eyes.
mwcampbell 5y ago
> There's not a single piece of consumer tech in the last 20 years that has made our lives tangibly better in any way. Tell that to blind people who, for the past decade or so, have had screen readers built into our mainstream smartphones at no extra cost, giving us access to a wide variety of functionality all in one device. And that functionality includes access to on-demand transportation through Uber or the like. Yes, we have to pay for that last part, but for those of us who can, it's still liberating. Edit: And I'm sure there are other counter-examples; I hope others will add their own. I just wrote about the one that has affected me and my friends.
fsflover 5y ago
Actually you can use free software instead and enjoy trusted devices which do everything.

bwship 5y ago

I wouldn't say none. But I'm with you. I am back to CD's and vinyl for music, flip phone for communication, I drive cars from the early 2000's, we keep our wifi off at the house almost all the time. It is on one hand a shame that tech has become so soured, but on the other hand, the ability to pick and choose technology from any era, and be content with it because of the fact that newer technology is not better, and in some ways is way worse because it is intrusive. On the other points about slippery slopes, we don't even know the full extent of how the powers that be are surveilling us, it could quite possibly be 100x worse than we even realize. Certain cities, like Santa Monica, CA for instance, are almost completely under camera control. I have seen the camera room at the promenade mall, and the camera stations near some of the intersections. The illusion of privacy is evaporating before our eyes.

mwcampbell 5y ago

> There's not a single piece of consumer tech in the last 20 years that has made our lives tangibly better in any way. Tell that to blind people who, for the past decade or so, have had screen readers built into our mainstream smartphones at no extra cost, giving us access to a wide variety of functionality all in one device. And that functionality includes access to on-demand transportation through Uber or the like. Yes, we have to pay for that last part, but for those of us who can, it's still liberating. Edit: And I'm sure there are other counter-examples; I hope others will add their own. I just wrote about the one that has affected me and my friends.

fsflover 5y ago

Actually you can use free software instead and enjoy trusted devices which do everything.