Don’t get me wrong, for the most part I like technology, but I think technology goes in the wrong direction when someone decides that technology needs to think or make decisions for me. It might be as simple as an auto-correct in a software package, a ridiculous menu option on a phone system instead of putting me in contact with a human when that’s all I want to do in the first place or the courtesy wipe when you use your windshield washer option on your vehicle. It’s all frustrating to me and I don’t think I’m alone. Thankfully most software programs will give me an option to turn on or off the auto correct, wish I could say the same for the phone menu options and courtesy wipe. To be honest there are days I have a love/hate relationship with technology especially when technology doesn’t work – it’s just one more thing to go wrong.
Why do I need to go through three different menu options to have the option to speak with a human? Why do I have to go through menu options to pick a language? I don’t live in Quebec, I don’t live in Canada, where it is required that everything be available in English or French. I live in America where English is our language.
Although, let me digress just a little, thinking of our language makes me smile. I fondly remember a great grandfather by marriage whose native country was Italy, he immigrated just prior to WWI (yep - that’s a one not a two). When I came to know him his dialect would be considered broken English, he still had a very heavy Italian accent even though he’d been in America for well over 50 years. My parents would take him out weekly for dinner, one night they were out at a Chinese restaurant and in his broken Italian-American accent he commented on how poor the server’s English was, almost like it was a disgrace. I guess in the end it’s all a matter of perspective Jand maybe he heard something different than we did.
Two of our Ford vehicles are 2011 or older and my biggest peeve with both vehicles is the courtesy wipe associated with the windshield washer fluid. In my book that would be one idea that I think should be nominated for the worst idea ever.
I’ve been driving for over 40 years and when I choose to use the washer option to clean my windshield I believe I’m adapt at determining if my windshield requires an extra swipe from the windshield blades. It’s at my fingertips, easy to accomplish. I’m frustrated that some engineer sitting behind a desk decided at one time to make this decision for me not even knowing what my windshield even looks like. I’m not sure where this person resides, what their climate is like but they are definitely not seeing what I’m seeing. Dearborn, Michigan might be Ford Country but this engineer must be from out-of-state. In my world, my environment (lately windshield washing is often required) this is simply the dumbest idea ever.
When I picked up the Flex there was no hesitation when they asked me if I wanted the courtesy wipe on or off, “OFF” just couldn’t have leaped out of my mouth any faster and I almost wanted to scream it. Learning that this is now an option on newer vehicles leads me to believe that I’m not the only one who has had this peeve.
We’ve got thunder snow going on now and because of technology I won’t be doing laundry until its well past, just a small part of my love/hate relationship with technology. Seems like everything we own or purchase nowadays has a system board and system boards typically don’t respond well to power outages. I was out of a washing machine for six weeks once all because of a thunderstorm, a power outage while the washer was running, a system board and a repairman inept at diagnosing problems, making repairs and doing a quality check to ensure the repairs worked. On more than one occasion he changed something, said you’re all set, and before he even got out of the City of Wyandotte I was on the phone, fuddling through the menu options to tell them the repair didn’t work and having to wait another five or seven days before they could return. After the second time I didn’t let them leave until I did my own quality check, and that was a good thing because once again the washer came up with the same error.
So give me technology (that works), give me upgrades but most importantly give me a choice, that’s all I really want. It’s that or I’m going to have to move and live in the mountains somewhere with no technology. On some days a couple of candles, a wood fire and a good book I can hold in my hands slowly turning the pages sounds pretty amazing.
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