I'm always gobsmacked by people wishing their partners a happy birthday on facebook. They've just bloody seen them that morning.
You could always rely on a stash turning up somewhere in your local park. Weird and creepy thinking about it now!
Not sure who it was but they said if war was to break out all the enemy had to do was disable the wifi. There would be a whole generation of people who would be thrown into turmoil and unable to cope with the real world.
With regard to technological break throughs, gadgets and the likes. Are there any of them that are making our lives easier and or more exciting ? I think every new leap forward just makes us more miserable and gives more reason for complaint , stress and less fulfillment. It's getting really sad. The big companies and marketing trying to tell us our lives are incomplete without having all this shite in our lives ( as I type away on my ipad , I will hasten to add ) but really where will it stop and to what end. I used to gawp at people whom had decided to drop out of society and could never fathom why. But as I am nearing the 50 year old mark I really am starting to understand it. Technology and the search for progress is ruining the world. Social media just never lets up. You can't avoid or get away from any sort of news, so called celebrities, non- news , drivel , as it's constantly thrust in your face through Facebook ( which I despise ) , Twitter etc etc. I don't use any of these things, but I almost feel like I do as that's all people seem to go on about having seen it and commenting on it. It would be so nice to get back to the "good old days" when most things in life at least appeared to be a lot less complicated and simple. Rant over !
I don't have an i pad, I have a tablet but don't use it. I have a laptop but it does not go every where with me and we have a couple PC's at home for work and some at work. I use my phone for browsing. Most browsing I do is learning and without it, life would be harder but then the pace of life is different so perhaps not if we never had it. I don't think it's all bad, it makes working round bring up children a bit easier. The phone is the sat nav now + taking photos of time tables and other info, technical problems and sending them is helpful.. so is hands free before meetings. Efficiency is key apparently. The other day someone asked me how to get the electronic hand brake off in a car and I had to look it up.. So I don't think it's all bad. The bit I hate, jobs worth... it gives them more opportunity to feel empowered, increase the workload. So they can justify their existence and make life more difficult for people that actually have a job to do. On the flip side, I remember working in engineering and having to ask to use the customers phone, and hard copy manuals which could be a pain. At that time we were allowed to take more time to the job properly (bigger budgets) I guess, I could get away with a bit more too... the stress was different. Oh, then along came trackers etc.. where have you been. Social media, It comes in different forms. I only really use this forum... It's been good, more pro's than cons but getting out there is better if you know where to go, that's where the internet can be useful. I do use Google+ very occasionally now as was forced by youtube to post comments at one stage... I won't go into why. I have quite a few people connected but it's never about personal stuff, it's sharing an interest which I am comfortable with. I use linked in, not facebook. Most my friends are professionals and I keep in touch that way if I need to, most my life is semi work related. Social media... Less moderated (personal, private info) and certain personality types. It is as bad as the people using it. I guess this also comes down to the type of people you know. I always think you never really know someone and some people change so... I think this is why people get unhappy and it's more negative than positive in some cases, people not knowing the different between fact and opinion, slagging off work places, negative reviews by unhappy people... I hear twots using facebook talking about he said, she said. It's what I call playground BS... Jeremy Kyle. Grow up! It hurts my ears. Same as what I call pub talk. I think that's just made it possible for idiots to share their thoughts easier. If you are an idiot, you don't understand fame is a marketing (it's fake) a person can be famous for getting a boob job and shagging football players, with enough money you can pay to be on TV. If you're clever you might make a return from it when the naive public think you're important (why else would you be on tv) or look up to you because they have a dull life. A TT champion can be less well known than a lesser rider who is on TV more.... A female rider can get more press because, oh she's sexy.. So skill is not the only thing that makes someone marketable, public who suck this shit up are likely to be unhappy because life it dull when compared to social media that hypes everything up... Realty is, these people are not perfect either. I don't think their shit smells nice just because they are on TV. I can differentiate skill, hype and the person. I'm constantly frustrated by people who say he's so nice, oh do you know him? no! If I'd known he was in that band I would have, what? bored him and kissed his ass.... so before you knew he was famous you were not impressed. Guy Martin was looked down on by the some of the people (snobs) that now look up to him, it's ironic. There was a prog about product placement in supermarkets a while ago, the temperature of the shop and music. There was also a prog about wonderbra, the bill board got lots of attention, women felt insecure the product sold... I guess this is what makes women feel low? constant images of women that men are attracted too. Ironically men are attracted to all sorts of women but some women don't often feel that, it plays to basic instincts. Yet we are all so sophisticated now. This is what social media does well... I do not have a facebook account or twitter. Never felt I really needed to and don't have the time to constantly monitor security settings and be constantly connected to everyone. I live my life and when I have time I interact with people I do. I don't want to be connected 24/7 all the time with everyone, especially with dickheads that can't be trusted to know the difference between what's good to share publicly, keep private and what's just for work. I agree life was less complicated before but now we are living at 100mph with constant need for stimulation. I find it a little exhausting at times. I'm losing interest with keeping up with it all now... Uber app arrives, I'm sure I will fall behind with it all. I'm 36 by the way not 86. I find there are times when living on a boat with a woodburner, doing the odd cash job sounds perfect. Pay for women to visit, then leave again and cooking meat outside. I'd like to travel too, perhaps that is just the work life balance.... too serious and not enough fun. Disclaimer: I may change my mind by lunch time. No offence meant.
I met my friend after work yesterday and then my daughter and her friend arrived we decided to have dinner together We were in the coffee shop at work All phones put away we had the biggest laugh and probably the nosiest happy table there Everyone else was either on phone or ignoring each other looking bloody miserable I have noticed that people don't talk to each other anymore More mature couples sit and read a paper each not saying a word Life is going to be really dull in years to come for some
It's not that long ago, so most of us will remember when information was kept in a filing cabinet and if you had a problem you picked up the phone (which was tied to the wall) and spoke to a person who was usually knowledgable and experienced, because they had to be, there was no computer telling them what to say. Letters were sent and received and people were accountable for there own actions. Granted it was all slower but the world spun smoothly, the job got done and I think I'm right in saying people were more polite and courteous and it was a happier world to live in. Those days are gone. Techology has snowballed over the past twenty years or so. People have become drones, arrogant and ignorant plugged in 24 hrs a day. Technology has become a life support system. We've all rung companies to be told the computer system is down and in affect paralysed. There's no filing cabinet to back them up!. Part of me wants to run for the hills because one day the shit will hit the fan. In whatever form it takes, technology will fail us, the life support will be switched off and we're too far down the road to revert to old system - it's long gone!. Anarchy will break out. Even as a developed country we only have about a weeks food security. If something happened your neighbor would become your enemy and you'd wouldn't be worrying about keeping your bike securely locked up it would be your food cupboard!:Nailbiting:
Read this: The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster - Free eBook Think I've posted it before but its worth a read. Its a bit dated but considering it was written in 1909 it predicts the internet age with the addiction to virtual interaction and the damage that does with remarkable prescience. I think the old phrase "useful servant but terrible master" applies perfectly to information/ communication technology.
Look at all the adverts on TV....... .....the majority always seem to include something to do with looking at a screen, whether it is films, Ipads, PCs, displays in cars, Kindle, phones, etc etc.
That's a good point about people not having to retain information in the "modern world". They don't feel the need, as the Internet is there to provide the right or wrong info ( delete as applicable ) . Why be bothered to study and have to remember things ? That's pretty scary for the future. This may also be the main reason why there appears to be no such thing as common sense now either , being reliant on a virtual world. I've been working in the offshore drilling industry for 27 years now and I cannot believe the major stupidity that exists with the "novices" coming through these days. It is soul destroying. Mind you, set them a task on posting some shite on Facebook and they have it licked !
Dont have a facebook account - had one years ago for a couple of weeks and it just piled up with assholes from school who i detested wanting to "be my friend" - i shut it down then and never went back. Dont have an instagram account but do have a twitter account but i usually look at that for bike related/racing season type news as it tends to go down on there first. I tend to use email for comms and ironically at work we've been press-ganged into using "work facebook" totally airgapped from regular facebook but its just the same but full of employees posting rubbish which im not interested in. Ive not put a picture in but have been told anyone who doesnt put a pic in gets a personal call from the chairman asking why....i was toying with the Cookie monster but told that would get an even quicker visit...my mate used peter griffin which got the desired result. Its funny - right now were on a project to connect all of our company networks together worldwide...its like pulling teeth and we (the english) repeatedly get told "we're not talking to the french/german/romainians etc etc enough but when i tried to strike up conversation with my french counterpart requesting an initial phone call to break the ice as it were he didnt respond....so at the moment ive given up...
Here's a photo of my dinner............. Oh, f..k it it was sausage and chips........look it it up on Google.
