Results: This is survey 2 of "The Paperless Society" where new technology was supposed to replace the old. Almost 50 years later products and features survive or are sorely missed. Here are some examples.
Published on 01/13/2024
Sometimes newer isn't better. Some people cling on to the old stuff because it simply works better or can be relied on to work when newer ones have failure built in by design Some modern inventions are frustrating to use because they require different motor skills or expect us to be intuitive as a substitute for decent instructions. Here are a few more examples.
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
"There's an App for that" someone said. I wonder why some businesses insist on forcing their App upon us when they have a website that does everything we need (or almost everything). Have you had any of the following App debates with businesses you do business with?
Some businesses give special discounts or other incentives if you use their app that are not available if you use their website to order via your laptop/PC. The business makes the same profit on the transaction so why should some people pay less just because they use a particular technology.
25%
532 votes
Why do we not get a discount if we use the self serve checkout? The business is not paying us a salary to be grocery clerks or whatever. We should be paid something anyway as compensation because we have to listen to that horrible voice that tells us to "place the items in the bag."
34%
706 votes
If I use the app, I am bombarded with ads, some of them not even for the store I am shopping at. These ads get in the way of what I am trying to do. When I do the same task on my computer I can at least eliminate or work around the ads. How much business do they get from these ads anyway?
19%
393 votes
My eyes have adapted to be able to read print of a particular size. This sized print is legible in books, magazines, on TV media, on my laptop/PC and almost everywhere else. Why would we (voluntarily) use an app that has print that has to be small enough to fit into a phone display and thus is impossible to read without some form of adjustment?
17%
358 votes
In order to use the app I have to provide personal information that is stored on my phone when it isn't stored on my PC. What protection does the app have. MY PC has anti-virus software and other security. Why should I give this up just to use the app?
24%
498 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
17 votes
Not Applicable
40%
849 votes
- Can't think of one.
- I have no cell phone; have never used an app.
- none, all use personal datta
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.24% | 6 | |
| I don't put company apps on my phone. I have my phone for my convience, not companies who wan to nag me or dump ads on my phone. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Not much of an app user. | 0.04% | 1 |
| No | 0.04% | 1 |
| Just stop whining, please! | 0.04% | 1 |
| I don't use apps | 0.04% | 1 |
| I DON'T HAVE ANY DATA TO APPLY FOR AN APP | 0.04% | 1 |
| no cell phone, so I miss out on all | 0.04% | 1 |
| Do not use apps as I do not have a Smart Phone & will not get one. | 0.04% | 1 |
| none | 0.04% | 1 |
| I like visual and paper and pencil | 0.04% | 1 |
| No cell phone | 0.04% | 1 |
2.
2.
My car is of 2015 vintage. In winter I can listen to music, turn up the heat, defrost the windows and most everything else without having to take my eyes off the road or take my gloves off. My son bought a 2023 vehicle a few months ago and still hasn't figured out how half the stuff works. He has to swipe a screen to do almost everything. Which method to you prefer?
When we have laws about distracted driving, I prefer a button that does what I want without having to take my eyes off the road to swipe a screen.
44%
922 votes
When it is -40C outside, I can use a button or dial without fumbling to get my gloves off and on. I can concentrate on my driving in difficult conditions without having to touch a small icon on a screen that has a layer of frost on it.
35%
725 votes
The engine in my car also provides me with warmth in winter. Newer vehicles take much longer to warm up, especially hybrid or electric ones. Some cars even shut off the engine when the car stops at traffic lights or at other times. This seems inefficient.
32%
673 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
23 votes
Not Applicable
30%
635 votes
- 2015/16 was the high water line - downhill from then on.
- In some cases.
- NO!!! Well, some maybe, but not all
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.47% | 11 | |
| Give me an older car any day. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I never want to swipe through screens when pushing a button or turning a knob can get the job done, not to mention it so much safer to use those buttons and knobs I can use without ever taking my eyes off the road. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I don't need all that tech. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Where in the world did you get the idea that it takes an electric vehicle longer to warm up? It's instant! | 0.04% | 1 |
| We can heat our seats on a cold day like today :) | 0.04% | 1 |
| and then there are the breaks. use to be when the pads or rotors need doing you hear a squeel. now there is a gismo that just plain desides to make your car breakless and can really cause a big accident | 0.04% | 1 |
| We're in 2024.. let's stop whining about the past and get on with the tech ! | 0.04% | 1 |
| I haye the multi-function turn signal stalk. I don't drive regularly so I have to re-learn how it works. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I don't use apps | 0.04% | 1 |
| DON'T DRIVE | 0.04% | 1 |
| none above | 0.04% | 1 |
| I don't drive, but understand, prefer, & want the way I do things. Nothing is 'broken'. | 0.04% | 1 |
3.
3.
I'm in mixed minds about this next one. I like books. At one time before I retired, I had 4 bookcases of them. Then I became a snowbird and wanted my books with me when I headed south for the winter. Having an eReader let me do that. I got rid of my books and replaced them with digital ones. But I miss actual books and now that I travel less I might start buying books again. Here are some reasons why. See if you agree with them.
Some books have illustrations or photographs. An eReader doesn't do this as well as a real book.
33%
690 votes
I can lend, borrow or trade books. I can also sell them when I am done with them. A digital book is a blip of data that restricts doing all of this yet still costs more than it should.
38%
798 votes
I can browse in a library, bookstore or many other places and find an author I had never read before. I might even go to a book exhibition and meet the actual author. Digital books eliminate most of this.
36%
759 votes
It is easier to decide on a book to read when you can see the books on a shelf rather than scrolling through a list on a computer screen trying to pick one. You can read the blurb to help you decide.
40%
844 votes
You can't tell a book by its cover but the cover sure helps you decide.
32%
670 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
31 votes
Not Applicable
26%
544 votes
- Helps you find or avoid smut.
- If I like the illustration, I'll take it off the shelf and thumb through it.
- Reading the description on the cover
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.24% | 9 | |
| You can easily find out how many more pages in a chapter by flipping pages, and how many more pages by looking at the top or bottom of the book (ex: Yay! I'm 3/4 the way through...) | 0.03% | 1 |
| I like the feel of the book when I am reading | 0.03% | 1 |
| love my kindle | 0.03% | 1 |
| I love the feel and weight of an actual book in my hands as I read. | 0.03% | 1 |
| I'm not a book person, can't remember the last time I read a book or what it was. | 0.03% | 1 |
| All the above are good reasons! | 0.03% | 1 |
| many more reasons | 0.03% | 1 |
| my eyes get sore reading on my phone | 0.03% | 1 |
| None of the above | 0.03% | 1 |
| I DON'T READ BOOKS | 0.03% | 1 |
| Doesn't hurt my eyes to read it | 0.03% | 1 |
| I WILL ALWAYS READ PHYSICAL BOOKS. | 0.03% | 1 |
| books can not be replaced | 0.03% | 1 |
| prefer the feel of a physical book | 0.03% | 1 |
| my eyesight needs a tv sized screen | 0.03% | 1 |
| A book doesn't break if you drop it; an e-reader would be "toast" | 0.03% | 1 |
| Physical books are better for your eyes and brain, and don’t emit radiation. | 0.03% | 1 |
| too much screen time. I work online. When I'm relaxing with a good book, I don't want to read it on a screen. I want paper pages that I manually turn. | 0.03% | 1 |
| physical books in one's personal possession can't be disappeared from te 'net, cloud, wherever (yet!, anyway) | 0.03% | 1 |
| If by chance you are floating around in the pool & drop the book, it is recoverable. Most ereaders are ruined. | 0.03% | 1 |
| Digital is better for not taking up space. Only kept a few paper/hard cover books. | 0.03% | 1 |
| Easier on the eyes | 0.03% | 1 |
4.
4.
I have some leftovers. Not enough for another survey on this topic. Here are some new technology items I am avoiding, either because I have an old thing that does it better or I simply don't see the need for the new technology. Which do you agree with me on?
'Non-smart' things such as my doorbell or washing machine, fridge, etc. I don't need any of them to connect to the internet. Back in the day, that voice saying "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that" freaked me out. I don't need a computer voice telling me someone has opened my front door at 4am. I will let Smith and Wesson do the talking.
41%
871 votes
I have a paper calendar (made in school by a grandchild) held to the fridge by a magnet. Any family member knows what appointments I have, the phone number of my doctor, where I take my car for servicing if I need a lift back. The vet my dog goes to. You don't need a fingerprint, PIN number or pass code to access this information.
47%
993 votes
Paper take out menus in a drawer in the kitchen. The prices remind me of the good old days and half the menu items they no longer do. Nevertheless this is better than making me take a picture of a QR code, go to a website, and peer at my phone to see what they have.
32%
679 votes
I have kitchen stuff with indestructible motors, mixing bowls that are heavy enough that they don't move when in use, an old scraped Pyrex bowl for scrambled eggs, old wooden spoons (some slightly charred), specialty knives that have specific functions (such as a meat cleaver) that stores no longer sell. All were better before the '90s. Few of them were made in China. They cost more but have proven their worth.
34%
720 votes
I have a good looking wrist watch. This is the only piece of jewellery I wear. I can see what time it is surreptitiously. This comes in handy when visiting someone out of a sense of duty or where you don't want to overstay your welcome. You can't do that as tactfully with a cell phone.
23%
493 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
12 votes
Not Applicable
27%
561 votes
- I would like to be able to program my microwave - the new one justs has pre-set programs.
- I'll keep my desktop computer and landline phone, thank you. They work fine, and I know how to use them.
- Calculator from HP
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.19% | 7 | |
| where to start?! | 0.03% | 1 |
| A friderator that does not tell me what's inside | 0.03% | 1 |
| I don't ever have people come to my door, don't eat restaurant food, don't cook, and don't use a watch | 0.03% | 1 |
| none above | 0.03% | 1 |
| I'd rather have an actual book or magazines | 0.03% | 1 |
COMMENTS