This is why I detest modern technology....

[Aunt Angus]

I share your concerns about how tech is harming our society. I see people waiting to turn left out of Safeway texting. It’s like you were just in the parking lot! Why wait till you’re making a left turn???

I have a very dear friend who treats the phone as a holy object. When we go to the feed store or out for lunch she’s on the phone at least half the time whether she’s driving or not! It drives me nuts! I think it’s rude too but she doesn’t realize that.
Social media etc…I’m a worrier by nature and have lost sleep over that stuff. It is my fervent hope that along with tech in classrooms there will be education on how to tell news from propaganda.

Evaluating bias and source reliability is an ELA common core standard.

 

[Folly's place]

We also have USAA, but only for our car insurance. They don't do farm, and we use a credit union for banking. Convenient, local, and good service. The only way I'd do that scanning thing is 'kicking and screaming'!
Mary

 

[Sequel]

Evaluating bias and source reliability is an ELA common core standard.

Good! I was hoping you didn’t have to be a communication/journalism major to have that. It ought to be required when buying a computer or smart phone! I know some very good people who are spouting some crazy stuff! Some well educated and should know better.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Good! I was hoping you didn’t have to be a communication/journalism major to have that. It ought to be required when buying a computer or smart phone! I know some very good people who are spouting some crazy stuff! Some well educated and should know better.

TRUTH.

Or as the kids these days say, "No cap."

 

[gtaus]

Consider getting a VOIP telephone service. You may be able to still retrieve your landline number and use it on that account. I use Magic Jack, and kept my old landline number.

I tried to get Magic Jack years ago. But I live out in the country and we only have one telephone/internet provider. They quickly figured out the competition with Magic Jack and shut off our access to it. I guess it's great to be a rural provider monopoly and force people in your fiefdom to use your services, or nothing. For the short period of time that I had Magic Jack and it was working, it was great. But there will be no competition where I live and Magic Jack access was shut down. Other VOIP services are quickly shut down as soon as the internet people at my ISP sees any traffic.

My brother-in-law lives in town, where they have a number of internet providers, and he has been using VOIP for years. So I am familiar with the services, but I just cannot access them from my internet provider. Believe me, I would have gone with a VOIP to save money. The best I can do is to use Messenger on the new phone and then the calls are free, with other family members at least. Still have to pay for internet, but that is all.

 

[gtaus]

It is my fervent hope that along with tech in classrooms there will be education on how to tell news from propaganda.

Yeah, I don't see that happening at all. We now live in a society where you can be spoon fed the flavor of news you want to hear. Many people I know believe all news is fake news if they don't like what they hear. I can't even talk to some close family members because they believe garbage on Facebook rather than what is reported on our main stream news services.

I used to be a public school teacher, for about 6 years, and I cannot imagine anyone being allowed to even challenge the students to think about the news they consume. It seems everything in our schools today is subject to political out lash and I am glad I'm no longer subject to that. The teachers that I know still in the system tell me it's like walking on egg shells everyday.

I have been watching the Facebook whistleblowers coming forward and explaining how their system feeds you more and more of the content you like - even if it's all false. Facebook makes money keeping people on their service making clicks, not by telling the truth. So they don't care if they are spreading propaganda if they are making money on it.

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm not in your area, so do feel your concerns with the internet providers. I would also research it some more to see if the ISP are in legal position to keep VOIP out of reach.
I used to have AT&T DSL service,, The landline was also AT&T. I dumped them both and switched to Comcast,,,, now Xfinity

 

[gtaus]

We also have USAA, but only for our car insurance. They don't do farm, and we use a credit union for banking. Convenient, local, and good service. The only way I'd do that scanning thing is 'kicking and screaming'!
Mary

No, I understand the value of a local bank that provides good service. It's just that I was in the military for years and USAA bank always treated me well, especially when I was stationed overseas. So I have remained loyal to them for the years of good service. I have banking, insurance, investing, mortgage, and credit cards with them. They were also the only bank that would lend me money to buy a new house when I left the service and was between jobs. I have never forgotten that and still appreciate their trust in me. The mortgage is long paid off, but my appreciation is still there and I guess that is why I have not changed banks.

 

[gtaus]

I would also research it some more to see if the ISP are in legal position to keep VOIP out of reach.

I was all upset about my Magic Jack being cut off. When I looked into it, the ISP stated they had a rural cooperative agreement with the government as sole providers because of the cost to wire up those of us living out in God's country. I don't have the energy to fight every battle, and some fights are not worth it. They get subsidy money from the government to provide service to us, as I am sure they actually lose money on those of us at the end of the line. There are other service providers in town, and I checked into getting service from them, but was told they had no intention of ever bringing service to where I live because there were not enough people out here to pay for the costs of the service. So I love living on a lake, but I don't have some of the options of those living in town.

 

[MTKitty]

We also have USAA, but only for our car insurance. They don't do farm, and we use a credit union for banking. Convenient, local, and good service. The only way I'd do that scanning thing is 'kicking and screaming'!
Mary

Same here.

Since smart phones can be compromised like a computer, I don’t do financial transactions or keep financial info on my phone.