Technology frustration

I work in tech, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not susceptible to the frustration that occurs when tech fails you when you need it the most. For example, I recently found an app that helps with mindfulness and relaxation. It’s easy to use and makes certain tasks easier. Yet it just failed for no reason. Refuses to work for me yet there is no negative feedback online, the service is not reported as down, no issues reported at all. Yet it doesn’t work.

I had googled things to check, even resorted to AI with no joy. In the end the frustration it was causing defeated its purpose so I uninstalled it and found something else. Then later that same day a friend was at a fuel station and was trying to pay for the fuel he had put in his vehicle but the machine did not like his card. He only had one card. It’s the same card he always used. The assistant asked for another card. He didn’t have another.

In the UK you pay for fuel after filling up. A flawed process in my opinion because as we rely more and more on digital money we encounter situations where it can fail, like this one. If you can’t pay you will be detained and possibly arrested. You must always have the means to pay. But in a cashless society how does that work when the technology fails?Luckily my friend was only topping up and had enough cash in his vehicle so paid and was let go.

We investigated his card issue. There was nothing wrong with the card. It was a technology issue somewhere in the network between the card company and the fuel station.

Cash remains king. Always carry some! Technology frustration is a given. Always have a backup. And maybe a backup for the backup.

Bad timing of app updates

I hate apps that lose your login details on update. You know the ones. Apps for stores, coffee shops, supermarkets, and other places that offer discount vouchers and loyalty programs.

You arrived at the store and go to make your purchase and voila! The app has been updated and has lost your credentials. Please login again. Only there is no signal, or you can’t remember your credentials. They are at home on your laptop or somewhere else, but not here not now.

So no discounts for you, or loyalty points. Just pure annoyance at how technology can just fail when you need it the most. Paper coupons and loyalty cards would not fail like this. Wasn’t the whole point of switching to an app to make life easier?

There are hacks of course. Check the app works before you leave the house. Maybe even open it so its ready to go. Screenshot the coupon codes, the 3D barcodes, the offer details. Maybe your membership number or QR code too for safe measure. Oh and make sure your phone has enough charge. You didn’t want to turn up and it turns itself off just as you approach the checkout.

People are never doing what you think they are doing.

People are never doing what you think they are doing. No seriously. We get these thoughts in our heads that our friends are probably out partying this evening while we are at home sat in front of the TV. Or that our neighbours, the Jones’s, that we are – for some reason – always competing against, are working harder than us right now, making more money to buy an even better car / BBQ / lawnmower / whatever.

We think that people are living better lives than us. Doing better than us. Being better than us in some way. Why? Why do we think this way, or even think about others at all? Why not just focus on our own lives, our own achievements, how much better we are now than we were yesterday? It’s got to be a much better, a much healthier way of thinking.

The power of a linchpin

I was hired by a company because I was the only person who knew how something worked. There was no one else so I could name my price.

I’m a linchpin.

I’ve never been one before.

It feels.. good.

The company needs me more than I need them. I can’t leave or part of the business will struggle. They are flexible with my availability. They bend the rules for me. They genuinely care if I am unwell. I am needed.

I’m also a risk.

Knowledge needs to be transferred.

Linchpins cannot remain as such forever.

Enjoy it while you can.

Just turning up as opposed to booking

I hate booking in advance.

The deals are sometimes better, but not always. Don’t get me started on hidden fees and on-line booking fees. Shouldn’t it be cheaper as I’m not dealing with people?

With advanced booking you can secure your place or item, but then you have to consider changes that can occur between now and then. The weather, illness, availability, etc etc.

Booking just stresses me out. Sometimes I’ve gotten lucky and got a deal. Other times I’ve been burned, badly.

To book or not to book.

It’s like phishing scams. They use the same techniques. Seriously. Book now while there’s still time, still availability. So you book only to find there was plenty of availability all along and now tickets are half price. Dammit!

So I prefer to just turn up. To chance it. To pay the gate price, the door price, on the day. I don’t get burned. And occasionally I get a deal. 

It’s only money, mostly

Everyone has money problems. More money, more problems, right?

I tell myself it’s just a game. Life is just a game.

It will throw crap at you left, right, and center. All day long, every fricking day.

The trick is to just play the game. Earn a living, pay the bills, enjoy life as best as you are able.

I used to think that you must be able to reach a point where you have enough money not to care. To be financially secure enough that if a problem occurs, whatever it may be, that you can just pay your way through it.

But no. There are always problems that can cause stress, anxiety, even depression, no matter how much money you have.

So I continue to play the game of life and try not to stress about stuff. It’s only money. Mostly.

Virtual currency

In a supermarket seeing that wall of cards. Virtual currency. E-bucks, V-bucks, whatever. Digital credits for virtual games.

What a con.

Not only do they get your money when you buy the game, they also make you pay to live in the game world. In the real world you are also paying for the machine to run the game, and the electricity to power it. I wonder if people have actually calculated how much it actually costs them to play a game.

Me. I didn’t like to spend money on something I can’t touch. I like to hold a game cartridge or disc. I like to get something you can hold for my coin. I’m old school I guess. Kids today think it’s nothing to spend their money on virtual currency then spend it all on new clothes and accessories for their avatar while they wear old clothes in the real world.

I watch an old lady point at the wall of cards asking her daughter which one to get for her grandson. He plays Fortnite mother, she replies. The lady looks back at the cards none the wiser.

The cyberpunk who hates the city

I grew up in a large town. There were a lot of people, buildings, vehicles, and light pollution. I worked in tech and worked at big corporations. I read Cyberpunk by Gibson, Sterling, Rucker et al. I used computers and gadgets daily.

Today I find myself in a city and I hate it.

I hate the noise, the people, the traffic, the hustle and bustle, and the light pollution.

It’s too much.

I miss the countryside. The quiet. The sound of the leaves on the breeze, the birds in the trees, the combine in the distance field. No light pollution, only stars as far as I can see.

I still love my tech. I have multiple gadgets on me at all times. I remain connected to the noise, but digitally, not in the analogue. It’s there when I need it. To identify a plant, plan a walk, or to sit down and type some thoughts.

I’m still a cyberpunk at heart, but one that hates the city.

Not off grid. On the edge. An edge runner.

Listening to the rain

I’m sitting here by an open sash window listening to the rain.

I booked a holiday let in a house built many centuries ago with the top two floors a luxury let above the high street of a historic market town. I have a glass of red wine in one hand and I’m listening to the pleasant sounds of the rain.

In my other hand I hold my mobile with the BBC weather app open. It proudly shows me that there is zero percent chance of rain at my current location. It’s wrong and I’m happy that it’s wrong.

This app is rarely right. I might as well consult the wise old elf from the Magic Kingdom for a weather forecast. He’ll be more right than this app. I don’t know why I haven’t uninstalled it. The amount of times it has predicted a good old storm with thunder and lightning, only for it to be clear skies with absolutely no activity. Oh the disappointment.

The cafe owner across the street starts to clear up as the last of her patrons head home. I hear a few merry people singing in the distance as I take another sip from my glass, the gentle cadence of the rain hitting the cobbles below is soothing. I put the phone away and toast the BBC weather app for being pleasantly wrong yet again as I listen to the rain that should not be.

The art of complaining

There was this guy once, Michael Winner, who was a master at the art of complaining. He would not bat an eyelid at complaining to a waiter if there was something wrong with his meal. Surprising really as it’s not the British way. We just accept the mediocre service and move on. Well, in-person anyway. Online is another thing. The beauty of anonymity and all that.

The reason I started thinking about this is because I’ve received some really bad service recently. Why is that? High prices but slow service and bad quality food or products. It’s as if some businesses don’t even care. Once they have your money you can get lost. Not happy? Hard luck!

Just show the British stiff upper lip and carry on.

Not me. I’ve started complaining. I’m fully embracing my grumpy old man stage of life. If I’m not happy they will hear about it.

Not that I’m getting refunds or apologies. Nope. I need to master my technique more. Or maybe shop where people actually give a damn.