This is going to be a bit of a ramble but I’m posting it wondering how each of us feels about the way things have changed in the world - what we like better and what we don’t. My sense is that many of us here are of a certain age and are also more likely to value some of the older ways of doing things (like traditional wet shaving) but I’m sure we still have different attitudes to change.
I hope that I am somewhat keeping up with the world and will not become one of those old people who are no longer able to function fully in the modern world. I at least grew up in a world with IT and was still in my twenties when the internet became widely available so, unlike my parents, I can use internet and emails and a smartphone, make things work without excessive swearing, and not fall victim to scams. My parents have disposed of their mobile phone and stopped using email because of scams - though it cuts them out of many things like many banking services or anything that requires ID verification and that’s a loss for them. I hope I can live better in the world when I am in my eighties.
I got used to streaming TV (which I like better), not having a telephone land line (I probably prefer this too), shopping on the toilet (fabulous but rather expensive), video calls on the toilet (truly a space age luxury), satellite navigation in-car and on foot (how did we manage before?), parking cameras all round my car. All very good.
But some recent and ongoing changes work less well for me. For example, I’ve noticed very recently that new cars do not have CD players now, and in fact home CD players and CDs themselves are starting to disappear from the market. We’re supposed to switch to audio streaming services but the quality is not the same and without a physical CD I don’t trust that any music files I buy will still be supported file formats in years to come. I don’t think this is better, though perhaps younger consumers prefer the convenience of having their music available via all their electronic devices together with a streaming service or cloud storage subscription, even if the music might not sound quite as good.
Other things that don’t work as well as the old ways? Well, pen and paper is still much more efficient than anything invented since. Physical books are much nicer and more engaging than e-books. Banking and anything else that requires a password or secondary verification is incredibly inefficient - try changing your address or (heaven forbid) changing your phone number, or accessing an account you haven’t used for a few years. I do not want a battery electric vehicle. I still don’t like losing manual car gearboxes and I think my car is hobbled by its modern dual-clutch auto box (dispensing with a gearbox altogether is one definite advantage of electric cars, though).
And shaving? Well, I think that’s another of those things like music where convenience has outweighed quality, cost, and pleasure. And like auto car gearboxes it saves users from having to learn a skill and is another thing that has been dumbed-down for the busy and inattentive masses.
Or am I just a luddite, pushing back against change that I should embrace, and gradually excluding myself from the modern world? What about you?
I hope that I am somewhat keeping up with the world and will not become one of those old people who are no longer able to function fully in the modern world. I at least grew up in a world with IT and was still in my twenties when the internet became widely available so, unlike my parents, I can use internet and emails and a smartphone, make things work without excessive swearing, and not fall victim to scams. My parents have disposed of their mobile phone and stopped using email because of scams - though it cuts them out of many things like many banking services or anything that requires ID verification and that’s a loss for them. I hope I can live better in the world when I am in my eighties.
I got used to streaming TV (which I like better), not having a telephone land line (I probably prefer this too), shopping on the toilet (fabulous but rather expensive), video calls on the toilet (truly a space age luxury), satellite navigation in-car and on foot (how did we manage before?), parking cameras all round my car. All very good.
But some recent and ongoing changes work less well for me. For example, I’ve noticed very recently that new cars do not have CD players now, and in fact home CD players and CDs themselves are starting to disappear from the market. We’re supposed to switch to audio streaming services but the quality is not the same and without a physical CD I don’t trust that any music files I buy will still be supported file formats in years to come. I don’t think this is better, though perhaps younger consumers prefer the convenience of having their music available via all their electronic devices together with a streaming service or cloud storage subscription, even if the music might not sound quite as good.
Other things that don’t work as well as the old ways? Well, pen and paper is still much more efficient than anything invented since. Physical books are much nicer and more engaging than e-books. Banking and anything else that requires a password or secondary verification is incredibly inefficient - try changing your address or (heaven forbid) changing your phone number, or accessing an account you haven’t used for a few years. I do not want a battery electric vehicle. I still don’t like losing manual car gearboxes and I think my car is hobbled by its modern dual-clutch auto box (dispensing with a gearbox altogether is one definite advantage of electric cars, though).
And shaving? Well, I think that’s another of those things like music where convenience has outweighed quality, cost, and pleasure. And like auto car gearboxes it saves users from having to learn a skill and is another thing that has been dumbed-down for the busy and inattentive masses.
Or am I just a luddite, pushing back against change that I should embrace, and gradually excluding myself from the modern world? What about you?
