Posts Tagged: ‘Ranting’

Help Yourself (2024-03)

March 10, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

The only real help is self-help. Anything else is just designed to get you to the point where you can help yourself. —– Seth

It happened again!  At the last Computer Club Board Meeting, Richard mentioned that all videos are uploaded to the club YouTube channel.  Someone asked him to send the link and for me to post it in the monthly club newsletter.  Here is the e-mail that he sent.

At out last BOD meeting, Pat asked me to send out information about our YouTube Channel.  So here it is: Just go to your monthly newsletter and on page 2: “Support Staff and Sponsors”, rightmost column is a link to our YouTube Channel.  Click on it and you are there.

This is not anything new.  The link has been in every newsletter starting in April 2023, it was reiterated in Tiny’s October monthly column, and was written in each of our BOD meeting minutes starting in February 2023 and last mention in May 2023.  I also had one member email me asking where are the replays for the monthly meeting?  In all of these instances, I said: “just read the newsletter.”  It’s clear to me why Pat asked BOD members to read the newsletter and the meeting minutes.

This actually happens quite often and not just with the newsletter.  I’ve heard club members ask about doing workshops on topics that have been scheduled and no one attended.  A few months ago, someone asked an off topic question of the speaker at the monthly meeting.  It was on something that had been explained in detail in a newsletter article.  All they had to do was help themselves.

I recommend wish that on the first of every month, club members would go to the club’s website and check if there are any interesting workshops they would like to attend.  You don’t even have to log in to do so.  On the home page, click the Workshop Calendar link.  It takes less than a minute.  If you see one you’d like to attend, Login and register.  If you’ve forgotten how, a call to the office staff will get you help.  All you have to do is help yourself.

Sorry for the ranting and raving this month, but I couldn’t resist.  I thought it was a good time to tell everyone to help yourself.  By the way, here is a link for everyone:

Cajun Clickers YouTube Channel

Thanks for reading.

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Holiday Ranting (2022-11)

October 30, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Here they come again!  This is the time of the year when the Holiday idiots show their true colors to the rest of the world.  So many people at this time of year forget to stop and think.  Others remember to stop, but forget to think.

I’m writing this article in early October, but I’ll bet I can predict the news reports we’ll get on November 1.   Some poor kid will get either razor blades or poison in their candy.  Dentist’s will buy Halloween candy by the pound.  Convenience stores will get robbed by people in their Halloween costumes.  Someone will get run over by a drunken driver.

October and November is also when tech companies make all their new product announcements.  Do you think it has anything to do with the upcoming Christmas season?  So far, this years announcements haven’t been overly exciting.  Apple is making some changes in their watches.  You don’t hear much about the gold designer watch anymore.  Microsoft seems to be continuing its strategy of renaming everything.  With the new names, comes some higher prices.  Google seems to be trying things to make money besides advertising.  More stuff for the Google Graveyard.  The only thing I can’t figure out about big tech companies is why, if they can afford to sue each other for billions of dollars, can’t they lower their prices a little.

Halloween is followed by an even scarier holiday – Thanksgiving.  If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, your spouse has never taken you out for Black Friday Shopping.  I’m a fan of good shopping deals, but not if they come at the risk of life and limb.  The Thanksgiving news stories are also the same every year.  There will be at least one customer trampled to death when the doors are opened on Friday.  Isn’t it strange that it usually happens at a Walmart?  Is it because they are the biggest retailer?  Do they have the best deals?  Could it be that their customers are less intelligent?

Thankfully, Black Friday is starting to change.  Many retailers start earlier and spread the chaos over a longer time.  Many of the deals seem to be moving on‑line instead of in‑store.  Hopefully, this will ease the dangers of this pseudo holiday.

Other news stories for the holiday season will include the celebrities that are working in the soup lines.  Is it a publicity stunt, or do they do it year round without making headlines?  My personal favorites are the ones that have to do community service for drunken driving and then get the free publicity.  Lets not forget about all of the Turkey jokes we’ll see on the internet.  For some reason, I think a lot of them this year will have Sesame Streets Big Bird in the punch line.

After we struggle through the Thanksgiving holiday, we can look forward to being bombarded with advertising for all kinds of technology to put under the Christmas tree.  It’s a shame that most of it is so overpriced.  Do you suppose that might account for the increasing crime rate that seems to occur around the end of the year?

Once again, we get to read about the celebrities feeding the downtrodden.  At Christmas time, we seem to get more politicians manning the ladles.  I can never figure out why that is.  The elections are over for the year.  The only thing I really like about this holiday is the after holiday sales.

When I was younger, I used to really worry about meeting a drunken driver on the highway.  The holidays were a reason for extra anxiety, but thanks to technology, we don’t have to worry about getting killed by a drunk.  If you get in an accident, it will most surely be due to someone sending a text on their telephone.

I suppose by now you’re getting tired of my ranting and raving about the holidays.  I’d continue on and tell you about New Years Day, but I’ll save that for next year.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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It’s The Holidays Again! (2021-11)

July 24, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Here they come again!  This is the time of the year when the Holiday idiots show their true colors to the rest of the world.  So many people at this time of year forget to stop and think.  Others remember to stop, but forget to think.

I’m writing this article in October, but I’ll bet I can predict the news reports we’ll get on November 1.  Some poor kid will get either razor blades or poison in their candy.  Dentist’s will buy Halloween candy by the pound.  Convenience stores will get robbed by people in their Halloween costumes.  Someone will get run over by a drunken driver.

October and November is also when tech companies make their new product announcements.  Do you think it has anything to do with the upcoming Christmas season?  So far, this years announcements have been a lot less exciting.  Apple announced a new MacBook Pro.  I noticed that they are replacing their touch bar thingy with function keys.  There is also going to be a “notch”?  Microsoft is extending their foray into the hardware business.  They didn’t do well making Windows phones.  Do you think an Android foldable phone will succeed?  Google is increasing the pressure on both software and hardware rivals.  The new Pixel phone seems to have pretty decent specifications.  I’m looking forward to using Android 12.  The only thing I can’t figure out is why, if all the big tech companies can afford to sue each other for billions of dollars, can’t they lower their prices a little.

Halloween is followed by an even scarier holiday – Thanksgiving.  If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, your spouse has never taken you out for Black Friday Shopping.  I’m a fan of good shopping deals, but not if they come at the risk of life and limb.  The Thanksgiving news stories are also the same every year.  There will be at least one customer trampled to death when the doors are opened on Friday.  Isn’t it strange that it usually happens at a Walmart?  Is it because they are the biggest retailer?  Do they have the best deals?  Could it be that their customers are less intelligent?

Other news stories for this holiday will include the celebrities that are working in the soup lines.  Is it a publicity stunt, or do they do it year around without making headlines?  My personal favorites are the people that have to do community service for drunken driving and then get the free publicity.  Let’s not forget about all of the Turkey jokes we’ll see on the internet.  For some reason, I think a lot of them this year will have either President Biden or another unnamed past President in the punch line.

After we struggle through the Thanksgiving holiday, we can look forward to being bombarded with advertising for all kinds of technology to put under the Christmas tree.  It’s a shame that most of it is so overpriced.  Do you suppose that might account for the increasing crime rate that seems to occur around the end of the year?
Once again, we get to read about the celebrities feeding the downtrodden.  At Christmas time, we seem to get more politicians manning the ladles.  I can never figure out why that is.  The elections are over for the year.  The only thing I really like about this holiday is the after holiday sales.

When I was younger, I used to really worry about meeting a drunken driver on the highway.  The holidays were a reason for extra anxiety, but thanks to technology, we don’t have to worry about getting killed by a drunk.  If you get in an accident, it will most surely be due to someone sending a text on their telephone.

I suppose by now you’re getting tired of my ranting and raving about the holidays.  I’d continue on and tell you about New Years Day, but I’ll save that for next year.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Things I Hate About Computing (2019-08)

July 12, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

This month I’m going to rant, rave, criticize and complain just a little.  About a year ago, before I moved to the Baton Rouge area, my wife and I were in one of the home improvement stores.  I thought that it would be a good time to pick up a new water filter for our refrigerator.  I went over to appliances and told them I needed a new filter for a Whirlpool.  He immediately asked me which of the nine filters I needed.  Of course, I didn’t have the filter number memorized.  So I found our refrigerator on the sales floor and told the salesman, “One to fit that model.”  I got home and found that it was the wrong size filter.  When I went back to exchange it, I found out that a different model year almost always uses a different filter.  What does all that have to do with computers and electronics?

It got me to thinking about some things I hate about technology.  I’ve probably got 10 or 20 different USB cables in the junk box in my computer room.  Every time you buy something that is USB supported, you get another cable.  Why is this?  It’s because many manufacturers have their own proprietary plug.  They have to include a cable because none of my other 20 cables will work with the darn thing.  I recently got a new cell phone.  Same manufacturer, different model.  You guessed it.  I’ve got another USB cable in my collection.  Wouldn’t it be nice if everything had a standard plug and didn’t have the cable included?  Think of the money that could be saved. Wait a minute!  Then they couldn’t sucker people into paying $20 for 3 dollars worth of wire.

Another thing that makes me mad are End User License Agreements (EULA).  I’m one of the few people who research them before installing anything on my computer.  My complaint isn’t the fact that lawyers write them.  I can use the internet to explain the legal terms.  My objection is that I have seldom found a EULA that can be read full screen.  Instead, they write them in a little window that usually covers about a tenth of my monitor.  I think this is done to discourage people from reading the agreements.  Just get them to click “I agree” and get it over with.

I can live with SPAM (I usually don’t even see it).  I don’t mind getting bombarded with internet advertisements (I can always go to other sites).  What I hate it when websites pop up a window asking for information that they will likely never use.  For instance, there is a website that I won’t name that wants to know my age, sex and country.  They then store the data in a cookie on my computer.  When I tell them that I‘m 28‑year‑old female, I get the same advertisements as the dirty old men get.  Why do they waste my time?

I also dislike software that isn’t user‑friendly.  Some programs have windows that can’t be resized.  I’m getting older and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be.  If I can’t make the window bigger and read the font, I likely won’t use the software.  Then there is software that won’t let you choose where to install it.  I don’t install all programs into “program files”.  Many times, I don’t even install them on the C drive.

I wonder if Microsoft will ever fix one little thing that has bugged me for as long as I remember.  When you use file explorer to copy, move or delete a list of files, Windows estimates how long it will take.  If you’re doing an operation on a lot of files, the estimated time will change every time you check it.  On older systems it can be even more aggravating.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the estimate was close once in a while?

Hate might be too strong of a word, but I’ve always disliked how companies will use a proprietary document format.  The perfect example is word processing.  Why must each program have a different extension?  Is it good for a business to make consumers remember “.doc”. “.odf”, “.wps”, “.docx”, “.odt”, “.txt”, “.rtf”, “.abw”, “.abi” and hundreds of others?  Almost all word processing software has a save as feature to save files to other formats.  They can’t be that much different.  Why isn’t there a standard where all programs save in a standard format?  After all, this idea seems to work pretty well for HTML internet files.

That’s enough ranting and complaining.  Next month I promise to write something useful for the newsletter.  By the way, did I mention that the two water filters had two different prices?  Does that remind you of anything else technology related?

Keep on clicking and thanks for reading.

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Bah! Humbug! (2018-12)

July 11, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Bah! Humbug!
It’s that time of the year again. The retailers want us to spend all of our hard earned nickels on lots of things that we don’t really need. My daughter always tells me that it is hard to buy me a Christmas present because I don’t need anything. I tell her that makes it easier. Don’t buy me anything. It never works that way though, but it’s alright. I can always use socks and t‑shirts (if they’ve got a pocket. Did you know that you can actually give someone a Gift of Nothing?

Bah! Humbug!
About the only difference in the holiday season every year is that it usually seems to start earlier and earlier. This year, I saw my first Christmas display on labor day. All of the major online sales sites started advertising Black Friday deals sometime during the first part of November. Black Friday has almost become Black Thursday. You’d at least think they would change it to Fifty Shades of Grey Thursday. I’m expecting the 2019 season to start around the Fourth of July.

Bah! Humbug!
Every year, I’ve got to listen to some novelty song about five zillion times. I’m just happy that Grandma doesn’t get run over by a reindeer as often as she used to. I’d rather just listen to some Christmas music on YouTube.

Bah! Humbug!
It’s that time of year when we get to watch all of those TV specials and rerun movies that are better off forgotten. It was a Wonderful Life when it was a movie, but 9000 times as a TV special leaves something to be desired. The only good thing you can say is that during the holidays, we don’t have to watch the regular lousy television programming. Don’t even get me started on Christmas commercials.

Oh well. I guess it’s time for me to stop bah humbugging and write something about technology. On the other hand, it is the holidays. I’ll just give everyone a link to one of the best sites on the internet to find free software. Tech Support Alert is a community site for reviewing and rating free programs. If you’ve never visited them, it is definitely worth a click.

By the way, I’m not really a Bah! Hum‑bugger. Merry Christmas!

Bah! Humbug! My wife just told me to put my shoes on because she wants me to go along and help pick out the daughters’ Christmas present. I know what she really means is that I’ll be carrying a whole bunch of bags.
Thanks for reading.

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Useless Gadgets (2022-07)

July 10, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Back in the last century, I had a nifty little electronic gadget on my key ring.  It did only one thing.  If you pushed the button, it would indicate if there was a wireless network in range.  Back then, most networks weren’t secure and it was easy to get online.  Electronic gadgets have come a long way since then.  Many people have their favorite gadget, everything from a remote control to a robot that vacuums the floor.  Even the military has gadgets they use to blow up things.  In my opinion, many of them are useless.  There are many new technologies others have that I just don’t care about.

By now I bet you’ve figured out that this article is going to be about some high-tech devices that I can live without.

The cell phone might be one of the most annoying gadgets ever.  I got my first cell phone in 2005 when I first moved to Louisiana.  My daughter added the wife and me to her family plan and gave us both a phone.  Even people that can’t live without a cell phone would have to admit that they are often annoying beyond human endurance.  The photos and movies they take can lead to all kinds of problems.  They can be awful scary.  When driving, you have to watch out for the cell phone packing motorist.  When carrying one, you have to worry about being tracked.  When using one, you have to worry about the controversial possibility that the thing is slowly cooking your brain.  There isn’t a whole lot of privacy any more.  Don’t you just love it when you’re at a meeting and someone’s cell phone rings?  After all of the ranting, I have to tell you that I’ve put myself in a position where I can’t live without the darn thing.  If an incoming call is not in my contacts list, it goes straight to my voice mail.  I don’t need to sign up for the National No Call Registry.  If I don’t know who is calling, I just don’t answer the thing.  A while back, I received an e-mail that closed, “Sent from my mobile phone.  Please excuse any typos.”  As Colonel Potter often said on MASH, “Horse hockey!”.  (Once he changed it to “Cow cookies”).  I’m sorry, but I am not buying in to the notion that I should forgive poor grammar, bad spelling, or indecipherable texting because the sender is using a gadget with a lousy keyboard.

You don’t see electronic pagers much anymore.  The last time I saw one, I was at a restaurant.  They paged you when it was your turn to give them some of your money.  Talk about making you feel important.  “Dr. Tiny, we have your table prepared with some surgical instruments.  Please come to the check in counter.  We’re finished testing your patience level.  Don’t forget to return our useless gadget.”

Speaking of useless gadgets, how effective can a battery powered robot that automatically vacuums the floor be?  Can that Roomba do a good job as small as it is?  Maybe if you got one of those robot doggies, you could use your Roomba as a robot doggie pooper scooper.

I’m still undecided whether or not I like dedicated e-readers.  My tablet has e-book software that works pretty good for me.  The advantages that I miss out on are being able to read in bright sunlight and a much longer battery life.  Since I am seldom out of the shade for very long and I’ve got plenty of electric outlets, I’m not too worried.  I don’t have a dedicated e-reader, but with my tablet I can not only read a book, but write one, listen to the radio and play a game or two.

If I could take a poll of all the club members, I wonder how many would have a useless gadget in the junk drawer next to a key chain camera or a clapper.  That’s it for this month.  I’ve got to finish searching the internet for a new gadget.  I’ve been looking for a Swiss Army Knife with USB and Bluetooth capabilities.  I want one that will tell me if I need to sharpen the tools.  I sure hope I can find one that is upgradeable.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Relying on Google (2022-05)

May 26, 2022 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Like many other users, I have several Google e‑mail accounts.  Like my hundred or so other e‑mail addresses, I use them for specific reasons.  Other than receipts from the Play Store, I estimate that I receive about four important communications each week.  Much of the mail I get is sent from me for testing or archiving.

I’ve used Android phones since November 2012.  Although I have side loaded a few applications, I almost exclusively use the Play Store.  I occasionally use Google Search when Bing or Duck Duck Go doesn’t give me satisfactory results.  I have the Chrome browser installed on all my devices.  I usually only use it for accessing Google Services or testing code on my website(s).

Is this because I’m wary of the company tracking me so they can advertise?  Not really.  All companies do this.  Many are much more nefarious.  Is it because I don’t like Google?  Not at all.  They have some fine services and most of them work very well.

So why don’t I rely on Google for many of my day‑to‑day needs?  The answer is simple.  The service might not be available in the future.  Am I concerned about nothing?  Probably not, but let’s take a look at some Google services that are no longer available:

• Inbox by Gmail was an email service developed by Google. It was officially released to the public on May 28, 2015. Inbox was shut down by Google on April 2, 2019.
• Google+ was an Internet‑based social network that was launched on June 28, 2011. This was Google’s fourth foray into social networking. It experienced strong growth in its initial years. The service was discontinued on April 2, 2019.
• Picasa was an image organizer and viewer for organizing and editing digital photos. There was an integrated photo sharing website. It was originally created by a company named Lifescape. In July 2004, Google acquired Picasa and began offering it as freeware. It was discontinued on March 15, 2016. Picasa Web Albums, a companion service, was closed on May 1, 2016.
• Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google. It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices. It was discontinued on August 20, 2018.
• iGoogle was a customizable Ajax based start page or personal web portal launched by Google in May 2005. It was discontinued on November 1, 2013.
• Google Reader was an RSS feed aggregator operated by Google. It was created in early 2005 and launched on October 7, 2005. Google Reader grew in popularity to support a number of programs that used it as a platform for serving news and information to people. Google closed Google Reader on July 1, 2013.
• Google Health was a personal health information centralization service (sometimes known as personal health record services) by Google. It was introduced in 2008 and discontinued in 2011.

This short list includes only a few of the more popular Google services and programs that have been discontinued in the past.  There are hundreds of others, including web authoring, newsreaders, social networks, messaging applications, web analytic programs, toolbars, etc.

Almost without fail, every time Google kills something, you will find a lot of articles on how important it was.  There are always many suggestions on what to replace the Google product with.  They seem to forget that Google is a business and offered the services in exchange for user information, which can be sold to advertisers.  When the service is no longer profitable, it gets shut down, no matter how popular it is.

That is the main reason why I don’t use Google for things that are important to me.  What if someday Google G‑mail is no longer profitable?

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Planned Obsolescence (2021-09)

August 22, 2021 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Don’t you just hate it when something fails shortly after the warranty expires?  It might be my imagination, but it sure seems to happen often.  It reminds me of a MAD magazine article I read about forty years ago.  It was a satire of Thomas Edison.  There was a picture of him in his lab working on the phonograph.  On the shelf behind him was a reel-to-reel tape recorder/player, which at that time was the latest audio technology.  The caption said that Edison didn’t get rich by patenting his best products right away.

Ever notice when you buy a new phone there will be a new model or major update long before you wear it out?  The same thing for computers.  You can bet that within two months of buying one, there will be a better model released.

Even though it sometimes appears suspicious, I don’t believe that companies would stoop so low as to profit by withholding their best.  I think they bend even lower.  How often is it cheaper to buy a new model of something than to repair your old one?

How old is your cell phone?  Does it work as good as it did when you first bought it?  How much longer do you think you’ll be using it?  How about your cassettes.  Do you still listen to them?  Maybe you listen to your phonograph records instead.  No?  It must be the reel-to-reel tapes that you like to listen to.  Why is it that you can buy a new computer, set it up and find that it is already out of date?

The answer to all of those questions and many more like it is planned obsolescence.  That is why so many things work great until about the time the warranty expires?  I think it is because companies deliberately design their products to fail early.  Is it a coincidence that printers quit printing when the ink is low, but not empty.  Doesn’t it seem that a lot of software isn’t compatible with prior programs or files?  Didn’t automobiles made fifty or sixty years ago last a lot longer than modern cars?

It isn’t just electronics technology that manufacturers plan to become obsolete.  Textbooks are revised every year even though most topics don’t have many changes in the subject material.  When I was younger, my Mother had a Hoover canister vacuum cleaner that she must have used for at least twenty years.  These days, it seems like my wife needs to replace the vacuum every three years or so.  The cuckoo clock in my living room is at least 100 years old.  I wonder if I could buy a new model that would last as long.

It isn’t just that equipment wears out.  How often do you hear about printer problems.  Many of them are solely because software drivers haven’t been updated.  No problem, you can pick up a new printer pretty cheaply.  If you’re using an android phone, how are you’re monthly security updates doing?  With most manufacturers, they are two or three months behind, if they’re updated at all.

I could probably rant on for another five pages or so, but I think you probably know what I mean.  Companies plan for their products obsolescence so they can make more profit by selling new stuff.  Of course, that’s just my opinion.

Now that I think about it, it’s not just manufacturers that plan for obsolescence.  After all, next month this column will be obsolete.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Android Fragmentation (2021-08)

July 18, 2021 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Lately I’ve been doing research for my “About Android” workshop.  I’ve been an Android user since June of 2013 when I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.  I probably would have never bought it if Windows Mobile hadn’t started becoming a terrible operating system.  Since then, I’ve owned several Android phones and tablets,  I’ve used products from Samsung, Google, HTC, LG, Motorola and many other companies.

One of the greatest problems with the Android OS hasn’t changed since it was first released in 2008.  The market has always been fragmented.  Android is open source software.  Essentially, this means that anyone can modify it to fit their needs.

This is why the market has become so fragmented.  Phone manufacturers modify the OS and add in their proprietary applications and other things that a user may or may not want.  On my Samsung tablet, the Operating System is listed as “Samsung Experience”.  Other companies do the same type of thing.

Most end users buy their phones through one of the cell carriers.  In turn, these companies add more programs and bloatware.  These often include apps for finding your family, chatting and texting, news feeds, roadside assistance, etc.  For most users, these apps aren’t needed, use up storage space and slow down their phones.

Another thing that contributes to Android fragmentation are updates.  Google releases a monthly security patch.  Before your phone can be updated, the manufacturer has to incorporate it and make it available for downloading.  Many stop doing this after a year or two.  If it is a carrier phone, the security patches have to go through another layer of updates before they can be installed on phones.  It isn’t hard to figure out why many phones don’t have the latest updates.

It’s not unusual for updates to take three or four months to get incorporated by manufacturers and cell phone carriers.  Some companies are faster than others.  Others just help to increase the fragmentation.

One last problem with Android fragmentation is the problems that application developers find when they create new programs.  It can be difficult for them to make sure their app work on every device.  Don’t believe me?  Look at almost any app in the Google Play Store and there will be restrictions on devices and Android Versions.  Read reviews for almost any app and you will find comments that the app doesn’t work on a particular device.

So what can you, the user, do to avoid the problem of Android Fragmentation?  Unfortunately, not much.  Do a little research before you buy a new device and check the manufacturer’s update polices.  Buying an “unlocked” phone instead of a carrier phone will eliminate one step in the update process.  If you are adventurous, you can find instructions on the internet for installing your own Android OS.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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Over-Technologied in the Hospital (2021-07)

June 25, 2021 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker

By Tiny Ruisch

Way back in November of 2010, I invented a new computing term.  I can’t believe that it hasn’t caught on.  Over‑technologied is a name that I made up to describe a situation where technology is used either unnecessarily, stupidly, inadequately or in some other silly manner.  I think that people who have the latest, greatest, newest technology and then don’t know how to use it are extremely over‑technologied.  I made up the word, so I guess I can make up the definition.

I recalled this article during my recent four day stay at the hospital.  I was in a lot of pain, flat on my back and needing lots of rest to recover.  For most of the visit, I had three separate IV tubes attached.  Intravenous Line technology has sure changed.  I remember when the nurse would attach the tube and start the medicine.  Every hour or so, someone would check to see if the drip was still working and replace the bag if necessary.

Now we have fancy technology to control the IV flow.  It is a small box that monitors the drip.  If the bag empties or there is a problem with the tube, an extremely loud alarm starts beeping.  It was very loud and reminded me of that old saying about “waking the dead.”   This sounds like a great system.  Unfortunately, there were a few problems.  More than one time, I fell asleep and moved my arm into the wrong position.  The machine would sound the alarm and wake me up.  It would usually stop before the nurse could come in to check.  I think that it was a great example of over‑technology.

Hospital beds have improved so much that they have become over‑technologied.  They have buttons that allow you to adjust them to every conceivable position.  I had a hard time figuring out how to just make it go flat like a bed.  When an aide wheeled me to an MRI scan, the bed wouldn’t fit in the elevator.  He pushed one of the adjustment buttons and the bed got shorter.  Luckily, after waking up back in the room, the nurse knew how to re‑extend the bed.  I didn’t have to spend the rest of my time in the hospital with my knees bent.

As a diabetic, I’ve become accustomed to checking my glucose level.  I use a meter that is just a little larger than an Oreo cookie.  The meter used in the hospital was a little larger.  About the size of a large paper‑back book, it had a lot of room for electronics.  It worked the same way with a standard test strip.  Before taking my glucose, the machine was used to scan my wrist band.  I never asked, but I assumed that the reason for all the technology in the meter was for record keeping purposes.  The machine might not have been over‑technologied, but it sure doesn’t seem to need many updates to become so.

Even with all the medical technology, the doctors haven’t been able to identify what caused my medical problem.  I don’t have to worry though. I’ve been scheduled to visit many specialists and take several tests.  I’m pretty sure that I’ll have more chances to see some medical over‑technology.  Meanwhile, I’m feeling much better with plenty of old-fashioned bed rest, chicken soup, liquids, etc.  Maybe I just need a mustard poultice.

Thanks for reading and keep on clicking.

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