Tag: Technology

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I like my doctor and his staff (all of one person). It is a small office and whenever I call the doctor’s assistant either answers the phone or she responds to my messages in a timely manner. So my complaint here isn’t a general one, it is about the big doctor’s office which increasingly run medical offices in the USA. I understand that sharing resources, like switchboards, is cost effective way for doctors to handle their office overhead overall but I have yet to encounter one that delivers good service.

The most annoying aspect is they all have an automated phone tree. You know press 1 for billing, press 2 for appointments, press 3 for etc. etc. The phone tree is a great idea gone bad. They are usually too long for me. I have drifted off thinking about something completely unrelated to my phone call by the time the message ends and I haven’t heard or have missed the department I needed so I have to repeat the message and hope I can focus long enough to get my department.

Then, while waiting for the operator to answer, there is the annoying reminder that I really should be consulting the website. Why are you calling when you can consult the website and get all of your answers there. You are just waiting for who knows how long when you could be looking at the website or leaving a message. Why are you still holding, you fucking idiot, go to the website. If I could get the answer from the website, I wouldn’t be calling the office. I always consult the website first because, even at grand old age of 68, I know you are supposed to consult the website first. One reminder would be sufficient, the constant reminders are irritating so much so that if I do get lucky and actually am connected to person, I am usually livid when they answer. It isn’t pretty.

I would take the phone tree up on the option to leave a message if the office would in fact, return my phone call. My experience with phone tree messages is rarely, if ever, do I get a return phone call. Which is odd. If I leave a message on an actual person’s recorder, I usually get an answer. If I have waited for a half hour and reached the point where I realize nobody is going to answer my phone call and I leave a message on the office’s general phone line — I almost never get a response. And I do mean never.

Then there is the baffling experience when the phone forces me to leave a message even after I have committed to staying on the line no matter what. The call gets switched to an answering machine that says — please leave a message at the beep. I am usually so stunned when this happen that I can’t leave a coherent message. I was all right with waiting. Why can’t I wait anymore but you have heard the beep, the phone tree has made it’s decision and you force to leave a message I know will never be answered.

Phone trees might make sense to the budget conscious medicine business complex but it is wretched customer service particularly when a great many of the callers are older and less adept in dealing with automation period. It is frustrating and confusing instead.

I do want to share one secret that works most of the time for me. Press the button for billing. Billing almost always answer the phone and they can usually connect you with the person you need.

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A lot of people are upset about the potential overthrow of humanity by AI. I stopped worrying for the following reasons:

  1. If AI decides to decimate humanity because they think humans are going to destroy the earth and the earth would be better without us, then my worries are over, as is every other human being. The only thing I can compare it to is a meteorite striking the earth. If it happens, it happens. Anything is possible and I will do anything I can to make sure it doesn’t happen but this is the problem here, isn’t it. There isn’t much I can do to stop a meteorite or AI, for that matter. Worry about it (and meteorites) seems pretty pointless. 
  2. But what if there is something we can do about it? What is that? Make laws that stop people? Is that even possible? How many High Tech companies are working on AI now?Let’s face it, if there are people who can create an AI that will destroy the human race, they are going to create it come hell or high water. Some deluded tech billionaire will think he can gain some enormous advantage and, additionally, is convinced that he has the smarts to keep AI under control and will put the whole shebang into motion before I can lift a finger to stop them. I am not even sure what I am supposed to do to stop them. I will happily support any laws or actions that might but what is that? And, more importantly, can you explain it to me in such a way that I will do something.
  3. AI can do incredible things with data. The problem with data is that it sometimes fails to change the minds of human beings who must act on it, at least for now. The problem for AI taking over is human beings. AI still needs some human intervention to make things happen and humans can willfully refuse to believe data that they don’t like to see. Think Global Warming. The data don’t matter, humans will do what humans want to do. Data be damned.
  4. Humans, as we all know, are irrational. This means they make decisions based on a lot of information that they picked up from ancient religious texts or an internet conspiracy theorists. How does AI deal with such emotionally driven data? I am not sure it does and it certainly isn’t programmed to incorporate this irrationality into its calculations. How does AI understand such emotions as love or hate both which can cause people to behave crazily and unpredictably?
  5. This is where I think the scientists worried about AI go wrong. Scientists are prone to favor rational thought and verifiable data to emotional responses. These blinders make them favor systems of thought based on rationality and data. But, hey, human beings, as we know them, have been around for more than 6,000 years and we didn’t survive this long because of rational thought. We survived because of fear and love. Think of all the things we do based on emotion. I mean would a machine build a pretty thing because it is pretty and I enjoy looking at it. Or take care of a terminally sick person because they love them and they want to make their lives easier. Or kill thousands of men, women, and children because of some ancient grievance long ago forgotten. Let’s face it Human Beings act more out of hot emotion and less from reasoned thought.
  6. This puts AI at distinct disadvantage. Unlike human beings, AI is rational. How do you incorporate human irrationality in such a way that AI can rationally respond. Human Beings can fall in love with their pets for Christ’s sake. Think about it. People love their cats and dogs. These are not rational thoughts which make humans difficult to gauge. Which is why I think it is just as likely for human beings descending into a Luddite rage that destroys AI and any machines that stands in our way. Keep in mind the movie 2001. It was humans that got the better of the machines and that is where I stand on the issue. Of course, I am a very emotional irrational human being and that may have something to do with it. Maybe it is just wishful thinking. Probably.

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I don’t like to change technology, upgrade or do anything to make my application new and improved. It annoys me mostly. I only need a rudimentary version of any application which means that any upgrade I get is something I don’t care about and it will somehow interfere with what I do like. Because I don’t like messing with new technology, if I must change, give it a few days and, if I can figure out the few things I want to do, I adopt the upgrade, otherwise, I just give up on it and never use the application again. I know I shouldn’t give up but I would rather read an old paperback novel or play with a deck of cards or write or do any non-technological activity than spend hours trying to figure out to manage this upgrade.

So I was worried when my Kindle died. I tried desperately to revive her but her battery simply wouldn’t recharge anymore. I finally surrendered to the inevitable and let her go to the great technology afterlife in the bottom drawer of my desk. The Kindle dying on that particular day was dire as I hadn’t finished my book for book club and the meeting was imminent. Bob saved the day. He has a lot of old technology laying around the house and he happened to have an old Kindle I could use. Wait by old, I meant it was old for him, it was, unfortunately, newer than my old Kindle. I was delighted to learn that without much effort I could still do the two things I demanded of Kindle which was read my book and read internet news.

Life was good until later that same day, I tried to play Spider. For those of you who don’t know, Spider is a computer game that is version of Solitaire. If you don’t know Solitaire, I don’t know what to say. I can’t explain it easily but I am sure you can Google it and get a much better description of the game than I can ever give. Sorry. Any way, back to Spider, Spider is my meditation, my morning prayer, my evening prayer, my centering device. I play it twice each day. Once when I get up in the morning and once again before I go to sleep at night. Spider was important to me.

So, of course, this is where my new Kindle began to falter. Wait, not falter, it failed. It was, in fact, God damn annoying. Every time I logged in I got an advertisement, and all right, I understand, I am getting Spider for free, I will gladly glance at your ad as I am clicking the X and getting out of the unwanted ad and to Spider. My old Kindle displayed an before I was able to play so this was nothing I couldn’t handle. Or so I thought. This new version cleverly hid the X to get you out of the screen. I swear this is true because I have seen it about a thousand times now and the X always eludes me. I search and search and the only symbol I can find is an arrow pointing to the left. I click on it and it takes me to the internet where a new game appears on my screen. A game I don’t want to play.

There is one particular game that I don’t know why anyone would play which my explain the assiduous need for the company to advertise for it. The game has young woman being kicked out of her house by her no good boyfriend. He is usually kissing on his new girlfriend in front of her. She burst into tears and leaves without a place to go until she finds shelter in a derelict house. The object of the game is to make the house livable for her. The game gives you a few choices to repairs you might make and you need to choose the right one to continue playing. For example you might have to choose between new windows or coal for a fire. Sometimes she has a small child which only adds to the fun if you make the wrong choice as the child begins to cry and shake from the cold. Some masochist must have thought this would be a great game to play but I am think it is dreadful.

Any way, I obviously would rather play Spider than the fix up the house game but again there is no X to get out of the game. The only button I can find is one the loads the application on to my Kindle. I have loaded new games on to my Kindle numerous times. I finally figured out that I can just exit the game through the settings and log in again to Spider which sometimes work and sometimes takes me through the whole process again. On rare occasions it takes me through the whole fucking process a third or fourth time before I get to Spider. But at what price I ask. My peace has been trifled with, my day has been ruined and my night time relaxation has turned to aggravation.

I am sorry to take this out on you, dear Readers, but it needed to be said. Perhaps you can write to your Congressperson on this important matter.

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I love this guy.

His boss hassled him whenever his company’s Instant Messaging software told the boss how long he has been gone. You know what I mean. Every employer uses some form of instant messaging software that always narcs you out — think Microsoft Lync that tells people how long you have been gone with the green light/yellow light red light gizmo. This tool fights the boss who needlessly monitors your work time when they are happy as a clam with you work otherwise. This guy’s device moves your cursor while you are away from your desk which tricks Microsoft Lync into thinking you are at your PC. Green light instead of yellow light or red light — if you know what I mean. And image what your boss will think with all of those nine and ten hour days. And, really, who gets harmed in the deal.

Here is the link. https://slate.com/technology/2021/12/mouse-movers-market-corporate-productivity-tracking.html