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The most interesting part of the linked article is this: Online, ad-riddled, search-engine-optimized webpages offer folk solutions: disconnect Bluetooth; recon

The most interesting part of the linked article is this: Online, ad-riddled, search-engine-optimized webpages offer folk solutions: disconnect Bluetooth; reconnect Bluetooth; factory-reset the earbuds; reboot the phone; and so on. Like a finger trap, these desires for remedy plunge the user only further into the technological murk and its associated despair. How did this happen? It’s really bizarre and weird that it’s vastly easier to get basic usage and troubleshooting information through googling for stuff that very few people use (linux command line utilities!) than for stuff that basically everyone uses. Is it just SEO wars? Is it because conversations about sed or something select for much higher skill levels and commitment than conversations about AirPods?

actually_a_dog 4y ago
I don't really know, but it seems like you could just short circuit all of that by just answering the fucking phone and not bothering with Bluetootha nd stuff.
- paultopia 4y ago
  I guess, but the whole rest of the way technology and galloping capitalism have transformed work makes that harder. For example, lots and lots of us have to take calls on the move (walking somewhere, driving somewhere, etc.) just because our schedules are so crammed. Try doing that without some kind of hands-free device.
  - actually_a_dog 4y ago
    Phone mounts for the car have been around for years and allow for hands free talking. And if you can't answer the phone and walk, I'd say that's a bigger problem than something technology can solve.
    - paultopia 4y ago
      That's right. I'm a defective human who isn't as good as you evidently are at somehow participating in a phone conversation on a cellphone speaker over freeway noise, or walking around with my head pressed against a tiny little device pressed against my shoulder for hours. And the millions of people who also find these tasks physically uncomfortable or difficult are just not as fine physical specimens as a robust and fit as yourself. Condescending much?

actually_a_dog 4y ago

I don't really know, but it seems like you could just short circuit all of that by just answering the fucking phone and not bothering with Bluetootha nd stuff.

paultopia 4y ago
I guess, but the whole rest of the way technology and galloping capitalism have transformed work makes that harder. For example, lots and lots of us have to take calls on the move (walking somewhere, driving somewhere, etc.) just because our schedules are so crammed. Try doing that without some kind of hands-free device.
- actually_a_dog 4y ago
  Phone mounts for the car have been around for years and allow for hands free talking. And if you can't answer the phone and walk, I'd say that's a bigger problem than something technology can solve.
  - paultopia 4y ago
    That's right. I'm a defective human who isn't as good as you evidently are at somehow participating in a phone conversation on a cellphone speaker over freeway noise, or walking around with my head pressed against a tiny little device pressed against my shoulder for hours. And the millions of people who also find these tasks physically uncomfortable or difficult are just not as fine physical specimens as a robust and fit as yourself. Condescending much?