Bitcoin or Money?

[fishorama]

I vote no bitcoin ever & no self-driving cars. I forget which cabs they tested in SF but several times they just stopped in the middle of a lane or intersection. Better than crashing into something, I guess.

Our old hybrid car had built in GPS screen & it mostly worked well. As the car aged repairs got more expensive & then the screen died. No screen, no climate control, no thanks, it gets well into 90F+ here & cold too. Our newer gas car has a screen but only seems to work for the backup camera & maybe music.

 

[anewbie]

I vote no bitcoin ever & no self-driving cars. I forget which cabs they tested in SF but several times they just stopped in the middle of a lane or intersection. Better than crashing into something, I guess.

Our old hybrid car had built in GPS screen & it mostly worked well. As the car aged repairs got more expensive & then the screen died. No screen, no climate control, no thanks, it gets well into 90F+ here & cold too. Our newer gas car has a screen but only seems to work for the backup camera & maybe music.

Well to be honest I like the backup-camera in the car
Also integrated andriod map also works well. While I know how to get around town; it does a pretty good job of routing around traffic/accidents.

 

[fishorama]

LOL, but you have a smart phone I bet. We don't (yet? maybe soonish. I'm hoping my husband goes first ). I have trouble using the backup cam, just a habit I haven't adopted. I'm sure there will come a time when I can't look over my shoulder to see but I'm good for now.

 

[jaylach]

LOL, but you have a smart phone I bet. We don't (yet? maybe soonish. I'm hoping my husband goes first ). I have trouble using the backup cam, just a habit I haven't adopted. I'm sure there will come a time when I can't look over my shoulder to see but I'm good for now.

Funny thing with me is that I'm a computer geek yet don't even carry a basic cell phone, can't stand the things. I'm not nearly the geek I was when I had my computer business that I shut down in 2009 but still a bit of a geek.

I should probably say that I don't hate the technology but, rather, that I detest how it is often used. Ever gone to a restaurant and someone at the next table has a call phone on voice? I have and the staff did nothing. I never went back to the place. Of course probably a minority but the self entitlement of some people as to phone usage is just nothing but rude.

As for myself I just don't see a need for a cell phone as my land line serves me just fine and costs a lot less. If I had young kids I'm sure that we would all have a cell phone for emergencies if nothing else but that is not my situation as my oldest is 50 and lives in Ohio while I live in Wyoming. How i8s a cell phone going to help anything. I also figure that if I'm out and about I probably don't want to be bothered so just leave a voice mail and I'll get back if I even want to talk to you.

As to the bitcoin market I would not touch it with a ten foot pole even if I had borrowed the pole from someone. Two reasons come to mind...

• This is just personally my situation but I am 70 years old and retired. Between my Social Security and military disability pension I eat well and buy just about anything I want and still put $200.00-$300.00 USD in my savings every month. Why would I want to get involved in speculative and questionable investments?
• If you are old enough, and familiar with speculative investments remember the "Dot COM" fiasco that went down in the late 1990's. When it was working it worked and stock market action went off the wall. Speculative investments such as Dot Com and Bitcoin just don't survive the test of time and just make for a lot of people losing money.

 

[fishorama]

We invest in the market but don't "speculate" on it. Yes, we lost a bit in the dot.com bust but not tons, nothing we haven't more than recovered from.

Bitcoin seems like a Ponzi scheme to me, get in very early, you might make some $$. Get in late & it's less likely. I remember in the hot real estate market of a few years ago when agents & buyers wanted to offer bitcoin instead of actual $$. Again, no thanks. You want to buy, you can "cash in" & offer real money not a fantasy. We even got letters from people that wanted to buy although our house wasn't for sale. "Here's our story, sometimes with pics of kids &/or pets". "We're teachers & want to live in your neighborhood". Cry me a river & make us a good offer not a pity play. That isn't how sales work especially in a seller's market, lol. Did they really expect a big discount for cute kids or pets?

As for phones, we had flip phones & rarely used them. $20/3 months seemed reasonable for "oops, I just left the fish auction. I'll be late" or "pick me up at airport gate 19". Never for "we need milk while you're at the store". Really, we were bad at turning them on or even carrying them unless we knew we'd need them.

 

[anewbie]

So - in 1999 i purchased a basic cell phone (no land line) AND made the phone number the same as my home town so my parents could call me without long distant charges - however since i lived far far far away my parents still wouldn't call me because they said it would cost too much for long distant calls....

 

[Essjay]

My husband and I both have basic mobiles (cell phones) and we have a landline.
The landline is voip since the copper cables were turned off 6 months ago (the call tariffs remain the same), and we have a choice of pay so much for 700 minutes a month or pay for each call. We use the latter as we only use it for incoming calls and free calls - so many people do not have our mobile numbers.
We both have monthly 'talk & text' mobile subscriptions - unlimited calls and texts.

It costs less for both mobile subscriptions that it would for 700 minutes per month on the landline. And we can make calls away from the house. For us that's a no brainer

 

[GaryE]

I don't see bitcoin as being a sign of 'modern'. It's for either an ideological belief in unregulated capitalism, or for money laundering. It's not a game I want to play, and I'm a working class guy on a pension anyway. The late great Douglas Adams summed up a lot of what is being said here:

“I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

I'm excellent at wasting time, so I try to use my phone carefully. I never post here using my phone, for example. The only technologies I really dislike are those that track us. I see my US friends freaking out about government surveillance, but the private sector is just as dangerous. It's a matter of principle, as nothing I do is worth surveilling except by advertisers. But there were a lot of Ukrainians who probably said the same thing a few years ago, and suddenly, where they were became interesting to powerful people. You never know, and I'd rather play it close. Following the Douglas Adams formula, I'd be happy with no smart phone, however, the tech is enmeshed in everyday life. I can't even run my aquarium lights without one.

Self driving cars? Boring. I'd rather see an affordable rapid train system for convenient collective transport, and see every city with excellent public transport. Cars can be for the countryside, or for transporting larger things.

A lot of the tech features that are supposedly for me aren't. My new version of Windows is worse than a virus for its info collecting, allowing ads in and various corporate features. Plus they make me pay to have my privacy abused. I need it for my sideline work, but man, it is terrible. I'd like to see the destruction of the algorithm business model, but I won't see that.

 

[jaylach]

So - in 1999 i purchased a basic cell phone (no land line) AND made the phone number the same as my home town so my parents could call me without long distant charges - however since i lived far far far away my parents still wouldn't call me because they said it would cost too much for long distant calls....

Makes one wonder how many billions of dollars were made on long distance calls that actually cost the provider no more than a local call.

LOL! In March of 1987 I moved from Ohio to Texas and had to start phone service. They tried to charge me almost $100.00 USD to start service stating the charges were were for setting up the service. I mean come on, all the wiring was already in the apartment and they just needed to assign a number and enable service which probably too a minute at most to do. I decided to play a bit. Let's face it, in 1987, I was in the minority as to even having a computer at all let alone a printer that would do three colors by shifting the ribbon. So the play time is engaged. I brought up my word processor and made a fake lawyer letterhead to make things look official. Basically said that I was a lawyer representing myself and included a check for $45.00 USD. The letter said that the remaining charge they wanted was registered with the clerk of courts in escrow or whatever and would go to litigation on the extravagant charge. It was like they got my letter before it was even sent. A few days later I got a letter from the phone company saying due to a special dispensation my check for $45.00 would be considered as full payment. Don't let utility companies mess with you as they need you more than you need them.

Actually the above was number three in my list of best messing with utilities. The two I consider better are as follows...

• In 1977 or there about I bought a house in Ohio before construction was even finished. When I moved in I contacted the water company to have a meter put in to be charged. They refused to do anything saying that their records showed there was actually no residence at the address. This went on for like four years where I was getting free water due to their stupidity. Finally they contacted me saying that they would estimate my bill for the previous four years and the amount would be due within 30 days. But keep in mind that I REALLY tried to do things right even sending them registered and certified letters trying to turn on registered service. I was totally covered and just told them this fact and that Ohio regulations dictated that an estimated bill could only be for the previous six months. The outcome was that I never heard from them again and a meter was installed within a week. Never even suffered the six month estimate as they just ended up starting service from scratch.
• The best was when I moved from Texas to Florida and deals with a cable company. I had basic cable in the early mid 1990's and started getting phone calls offering everything including premium channels for, if I remember right, $56.00 USD per month for a year. After several discussions I took the deal. First month the bill was as stated but, the second month, it was more like $150.00. I contacted them and they just said the deal had expired.as it was only valid from the date the offer started. Sigh, another utility to mess with. I called the city management office which also handled cable disputes. They told me they could do nothing over the phone and I needed to submit my complaint in writing so I did. A short time later I got a phone call from the city management office. I was told that with hundreds of complaints mine was the only one they could act on as I had times, dates and names from my discussions with the cable company. End result was that the cable company was forced to continue the discount from the date of my complaint for a year for every subscriber.

Bottom line is just don't be afraid of these utility people. They come across like they have all the power but they really do not. If you have an ongoing issue just make sure to keep exact records of the contacts. Record the time and date along with the name of the contact person and a brief of the conversation. Unless you really are in the wrong the utility will almost always cave in when presented with detailed disclosure of previous conversations.

 

[seangee]

The only technologies I really dislike are those that track us. I see my US friends freaking out about government surveillance, but the private sector is just as dangerous. It's a matter of principle, as nothing I do is worth surveilling except by advertisers.

Its everywhere. Recently got a new telly and had to provide it with my postcode before I could tune it, apparently so it could determine where to find the strongest signal

 

[Fishmanic]

No Bitcoin for me. I still don't understand where bitcoin comes from. They are "mined" using high powered computer I hear. I just don't understand that...it's like it is produced out of thin air.

For phones, I use a landline and also I have a apple smart phone. For my landline, I use "magicjack" which is a voip service. It costs $45 for a whole year. I have 5 cordless phones hooked up to it and being a senior citizen, I consider it a safety device if I fall near a phone. I also can make calls via "Alexa" if I fall and am not near a phone. I have 5 Alexas throughout the house.

For my smartphone, I pay $8 per month for 300 minutes and 2 GB of data...more than enough for my needs. I use an iphone 12. I also have an apple watch 9 from which I can make calls if my phone is within 20 feet of the watch. It's great for tracking sleep, physical activity, and heart rate and oxygen level monitoring.
For home internet, I got a deal at $35 per month for two years for 300 mps speed. Not bad.

 

[GaryE]

Bitcoin is a political and social issue. But as far as everything else goes, all we're doing here is acting old.

Since it's mostly men participating, all we're doing is hitching up our suspenders so the attractive white haired ones can see our ankles, and they probably don't have their bifocals on to notice.

We're satisfied with phones and plans younger gamers couldn't use. It isn't a virtue, it's a generation gap. A lot of what's happening technologically is useless to us, and may be useless to more than us. It may be harmful - AI has issues, the corporate surveillance is dangerous, etc. It's safe to say it is potentially destructive when we look at what the products we cherish(ed) have done to the planet. The younger people whose world it is now are just as bad as we were, no better, no worse. My grandparents were just as out of step as we are, no better, no worse.

 

[anewbie]

Hum. Reminds me of my run in with worldcom. I forget the details but at some point i owed world com something like 0.17ct in 1990's dollars. Instead of sending me a bill they attempted to garnished my wages and attack my credit rating When people actually looked at the amount i owed they resinded the aciton but the whole thing was crazy.

 

[fishorama]

@anewbie that made think of 1 time the IRS sent me a letter saying I had to redo all our taxes to figure the tax on 18 cents. Not that we owed it. It was back when you could call & eventually get a person. I asked could I just pay 18 cents? I thought we got to round down. She said it's their computers that flag anything & generate letters. She fixed it in a few keystrokes.

 

[Essjay]

Back in the early 70s I was in lodgings while at university. A work colleague of my landlord received a bill for £0.00. After numerous phone calls, the only way they found to stop the computer sending red final demands was for him to send in a cheque for £0.00 and for the company to actually pay that into their bank.