Technological/practical "backward steps" we all just accept now

lol

I'd never broken a phone screen before the advent of the big phones, and to think I used to see people with phones with broken screens inwardly smh at their carelessness.

You could still buy smaller android phones three or four years ago, might not be too long till I have to find out if that's still the case.

It's not exactly technology, but it's frustrating that there are no good, interesting and comprehensive listings for London in the way that TimeOut used to do.

Amen to that, my cultural life has never recovered.

It is technology in a way because instead of the magazine they have a shitty website everyone hates and no-one uses.

i hate voice control. i refuse to live in the future the nerds wanted.

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Thursday, July 29, 2021 1:44 PM (one month ago)

otm

In the UK you can get a 5.9in Galaxy A40.

My current one is 4.8in! (Galaxy A7 2017)

instagram as online sales platform -- related to: link in bio

the phone drowned in lager

that's not such a bad way to go. I wouldn't mind dying this way myself, tbh

My current one is 4.8in! (Galaxy A7 2017)

Is that the maga phone?

Went to an area of my city I don’t usually go to yesterday, had to pick up an order and when I parked I discovered that there is literally no other option for paying for parking besides the local, proprietary parking app. They pulled the old meters with coin and card readers a few years ago, but they also pulled the machine where you can pay by license plate. A ten minute errand required 15 minutes of downloading the app and working through the terrible user design to upload my payment info. Just awful and, presumably, a way to trick out of town visitors into getting parking tickets for not knowing the app.

My town started doing that too, and I think its terrible. I don't think the government should make having a smartphone a requirement for performing regular necessary daily interactions with the government. Perhaps a good lawyer could fight this and win.

otm

I also forgot to mention that I walked three blocks from my spot before encountering a single sign that actually showed the name/icon of the app to use. All of the signs at the individual parking spaces just said "Pay by App / Zone #xxxx". Just so blatant in the attempt to make it as difficult as possible for people to actually pay for parking.

that's how it is near Cocoa Beach here too. having to walk far to find out what app to d/l, and the reception is so bad d/ling is slow unless you can find nearby free wi-fi.

ugh it was bad enough when the meters here recently switched to card payment only.

Yeah, we switched to card payment only a few years ago, which was annoying enough. Maybe they just decided it was too expensive to maintain the machines?

“i seem to remember this here sawbuck was legal tender for all debts public and private”

try leaving a dollar bill on top of your car

Its weird that on the one hand you have cities like NYC banning credit-card only establishments because they are discriminatory, but on the other hand you have cities requiring possession of an up-to-date smartphone with cell data service and a linked credit card in order to park. Maybe they think if you can afford to drive you can afford to have all that other stuff?

NGL, anything that discourages driving is great afaic, tho I also hate these apps. Much of Philadelphia operates off them, though you can still get a paper ticket and put it on your dash.

I think making driving harder for people without making other alternatives easier is not the best way to go, especially if its making driving harder only for the least advantaged people.

Oh, totally.

o. nate otm. I think discouraging driving is indeed a noble and good goal, but it's only good if there are other accommodations and transit options provided.

They're not so much discouraging driving as they are discouraging parking!

I joked that there should be a service that when you can't find parking, you pay someone to keep driving your car in circles for hours (and park it later if a spot becomes available), but I dont' wanna say it out loud because someone will implement it.

Uber Cruise

Baby we can drive your car

Its weird that on the one hand you have cities like NYC banning credit-card only establishments because they are discriminatory, but on the other hand you have cities requiring possession of an up-to-date smartphone with cell data service and a linked credit card in order to park. Maybe they think if you can afford to drive you can afford to have all that other stuff?

― o. nate, Monday, August 30, 2021 11:24 AM (seven hours ago)

do the cities with these ridic app-only systems also have bans on credit-card only establishments? Seriously though, both things are discriminatory as fuck.

I wasn't going to mention the little old man who pushes the coin cart around town on weekday mornings, manually collecting all the nickels, dimes and quarters from the meters. I feel like I try paint my town with a Mayberry brush too often.

But then I saw him this morning!

https://i.imgur.com/MsC7WDN.jpg

That's right before I hit him over the head and stole his coin cart.

the perfect crime!

Oh I don't know if it's been adressed already but I just thought of a tiny one that is a bit annoying :
Until recently I had an old iphone which you could "open" with fingerprints recognition and it was fine.
Now I have a 12 which replaced the digital recognition with face ID.
And I found out that during summer, when you have your sunglasses on, of course, it doesn't work... So you have to remove your sunglasses each time.
And to make things worse, facial recognition is a slight problem in the covid era when you wear a mask all the time !
So now I'm back having to dial my password a million times a day...

(first 1 problem, I know...)

world

https://media.giphy.com/media/fj0E2HCKO1HEqLNFf7/giphy.gif

The update that allowed you to unlock your iPhone if are wearing an Apple Watch has been a godsend in the face mask era.

Apple are rumoured to be bringing in-screen TouchID back but doesn’t look like they got it in production in time for the iPhone 13.

FaceID works fine for me when I'm wearing sunglasses.

You need to get the special Apple sunglasses. They're $300 and can't get wet.

ahah. Surprising that it can work with sunglasses on. Mine just won't unlock if it can't see my eyes.
And to add to the issue : it's even worse because the password used to be 4 digits but now it's 6 !

i heard today that iPhone 13 might have the ability to make satellite calls? as a backup when 4G/5G coverage isn't there??

I would be surprised by that. I think the rumor was just "Apple is using a QCOM chip that has support for this network therefore they must support it." Those chips also have FM radio receivers in them.

But that would be rad for camping/hiking.

"I don't have a signal" seems like one of those things that should've already been a thing of the past

I dont even own a signal

my android phone scanned my face both with and without glasses on, and still only unlocks maybe 25% of the time, and never if I have sunglasses or mask on.

y'all seriously can't type in four #s? ... I don't want any face recognition or fingerprint ID on my phone -- like, the fingerprint thing especially seems kinda classist

I like the biometric stuff because it is truly unique. Not sure if my using it has negative effects on other people though.