Kind of sums up the state of technology these days.
Have a prepaid smartphone. Pay as you go. No contract. Save money that way. App used to be user-friendly and at least functional. You saw your balance right away. After the update always trouble logging in. So I have a general plan with great talk and text and a service end date. I now opt for a monthly plan with unlimited talk text and data and a generous allowance for a hotspot. The unlimited plan is supposed to take priority for the time being but the AI (?) reversed it. Texted with Support and got a human name but I think they shifted me over into ai territory. Message said they applied an update to my settings and data and tethering should work but doesn't. Yada yada. Boring personal stuff but things always seem better before the upgrades.
On the newsfront I read Trump has some other check up his ass. $500 for about 1 million Americans see if you qualify. Didn't bother to read. Actually nobody ever qualifies for these Trump promises as these checks never seem to come out of the man's ass. Also reading Elon Musk says money may not matter in the future. Easy for him to say.
Seems like those places are run by a Wizard of Oz AI behind the screen
ReplyDeletedirecting dozens of machines, each with an appropriate human voice
offering help or directions. Can't call that Customer Service. Maybe call it Night on Storm Mountain by the Hegseth Drum Corps?
Gotta love the updates.
ReplyDeleteA few years back, Amazon gave all Prime members access to Amazon Music which included the ability to make your own playlists, among other things.
Then the update came.
And they ruined a perfectly good alternative to places like Pandora, etc.
Because with your own playlists, it was like going to a music store and getting the music YOU wanted. But their update ended that and gave you some of the music YOU wanted and other similar music like it, Amazon determined you might like.
You know... the music you had already decided you DIDN'T want.
What can we do?
Yes. I might like an artist but I may not even like every song by that artist. I might like a couple of Talking Heads songs but I don't want the whole collection. Your own Playlist lets you determine that. Also similar music doesn't always cut it. You're attracted to a unique sound of a song and the unique style of an artist. Hard to replicate "Dream Weaver" for example. I don't want artists similar to the Stones. I want the Stones. But hey the algorithm knows best.
DeleteNice... I don't want artists "like the Stones, I want THE Stones!"
DeleteExactly.
And yes... Dreamweaver. Great sound. Just like Queen had a unique sound.
Few years ago got my first property tax relief check. A decent amount and excitedly went to the bank only you couldn't make deposits or withdrawals. Couldn't do much of anything bank computers didn't work for 3 days. System upgrade.
ReplyDeleteIf it ain't broke don't fix it.
ReplyDeleteStill gotta finish the term - Statue of Trumperty? Mississtrumpeee River? New Trumpleans? Trumpchago? San Trumpcisco? Toss out your outdated maps, folks.
ReplyDelete"If it ain't broke don't fix it" would put a lot of computer geniuses out of work. Maybe sweeping Yonkers sidewalks?
ReplyDeleteUsed to go to Barnes and Noble a lot back in the day. Knew where all the sections were located. Then one day they changed everything around. Where are the cookbooks? They call it a reset. I think I stopped going after that.
ReplyDeleteMy local computer service store has an interesting way of handling software - when I dork things up and call them, they have be click the
ReplyDelete'Computer Guy' app and they take over my computer from the store.
I sit and watch all the moves and clicks until it is back to normal.
Best part? No charge!