Most readers of this blog will know my total distrust (and occasional loathing) of all technology for technology's sake. The last few days illustrate my point rather succinctly.
Total is 16 July. We have been resident in the splendour of Onslow for five days. I have been attempting to write a post about this beautiful place for the same time. Thanks to some dubious Firefox update, I have been unable to access my email, my blog and for a while, even Facebook. A new Google account was somehow created for me. I have also been unable to edit my photos using my familiar sequence. Lastly, I was required to wait overnight for Google to verify me. And I have entirely given up on my futile attempts to link my laptop to my mobile.
My language has been even more colourful than usual. My frustration has left the roof behind and extended into the stratosphere. The mantra thudding inside my brain "why is this so difficult?!" has been constant and wearisome. On several occasions, my patience left the building and I had to temporarily admit defeat.
All has changed this morning. My windows account name was verified by the Microsoft juggernaut. I somehow blundered back to my emails. My blog sensationally re-appeared by clicking on the link to "blogs". Facebook is back. And my dear, simple, photo-editing routine has miraculously returned.
I have breathed a huge sigh of relief. And yet I have been left with a palpable sense of foreboding. I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent almost sixty-three year old woman. I have lived and loved, cried and laughed, fought many battles, enjoyed episodes of sheer delight, endured profound sadness and been buoyed by pure joy. However, my understanding of computers and computing, apps, syncing, linking, accounts and a miasma of passwords has not kept up with all those bloody updates and thus I remain barely literate, as long as all is going well.
When unforeseen disasters unfold, I am at the mercy of AI. I don't want to talk to a virtual assistant with limited options. I had a very specific problem and all my searching for a solution led me up a very tortuous garden path. I still do not understand how all my familiar pages somehow were restored to me. And I know that vigilance does not help me if I don't understand what AI is actually doing within the operating systems of my laptop.
I guess that I will continue on my wary tiptoeing around these devices that are supposed to make our lives simpler and easier. Being a confirmed Luddite, I shall follow my familiar pathways for as long as possible. Computers are for computing. Phones are for phoning and texting and other simple tasks. Cameras are for filming. I can download my photos via my SD card onto my laptop. I keep my photos in neat folders and can always find them. I can't be bothered with the angst that inevitably arises transferring photos from my phone to my laptop. Unlike Donald Rumsfeld, I know what I know and that suits me very well indeed.
The day may come when I am fed-up with all this palaver, when the processes become too complicated for me. That may be the time when I actually publish my book.
Hard copy of course!
As well as a lot of colourful language...
Causing this ...
So, I shall always tend on the side of caution...
And may even publish an actual hard copy book!
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