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I am fascinated by technology these days although I am certainly not a techy. Hey, I remember when a copy machine used a tank of foul smelling chemicals and one copy took forever and then was on damp grey paper.
New technology at work was once an IBM word processing center using 12” disks. My first printer was dot matrix using a roll of perforated paper and now I’m writing this on the beach using an iPad linked to my iPhone for a world-wide connection.
I recently gave a 3d printer to two grandsons ages 10 and 12. They had it operating in a few minutes. They trade software to make things they want. The 12 year old asked his mother to make donuts so he could have the hole. He printed a form to cut the donut and the hole. A plastic hose connection broke so he found the software on line and made a new one.
My car is my new best friend. It talks to me. Hey, Mercedes take me to nearest Cracker Barrel. Connie likes conversation. “Hey Mercedes, how do you feel?” The response, “much better hearing your voice, thank you.” My favorite so far was, “hey Mercedes, where did you come from.” Response, “Very creative and talented engineers.” And, it tells me it keeps learning to do more things. I asked it to open the sunroof, but was told she wasn’t allowed to do that because of safety laws in “your country.” It’s nice to know that if I didn’t live in the U.S. my car could open the windows.
Of no particular value, the car will make the sound of just about any animal you ask. A passenger was shocked when he heard an elephant next to him.
There is technology in all Mercedes now that detects potholes and shares the information on its network alerting drivers anywhere if a pothole is nearby. I have found sometimes the pothole is already filled.
When it comes to money and investing, technology brings it all together and makes it work. We have come a long way from having our savings book stamped. Now we send money via Zelle and deposit check with our phone. There is one annoyance that bugs me. When I login to my bank with an iPad it insists on verifying it’s me by sending a verification to my phone. I appreciate the security effort, but what if my phone is not with me or in another room. Really annoying and inconvenient at times.
AI is quite amazing even though it’s criticized. I use several versions to create drawings I use on my blog. “Pencil draw a group of people leaving a hospital,” I asked, and within 30 seconds there is was.
These are all rather frivolous uses compared with robotic surgery and assembly lines, science and drones.
I am waiting for one new breakthrough I have been talking about for years, but have been told it can’t be done which I don’t accept. I call if feeling transfer. The concept is simple. A doctor asks how you feel, where does it hurt, how strong is the pain? A connection with your brain similar to an EKG or EEG transfers what you are feeling so the doctor feels it too. It may seem far out now, but you can bet someone out there is working on the concept. It only electrical currents, right? 👀
RDQ, thanks for sharing your experiences about your M/Benz! I don’t have much exposure to riding in them, but you do make it sound like something to consider. That pot-hole feature would be nice to have. I may have to go to a dealership and let them show me the all the bells and whistles.
Regarding other technology with medical devices, I had a bioenergetic test done using a QEST4 device and it could probably tell anyone about pain and isolate where it is. It even knew that I had a tick bite months earlier. There is a lot this device can tell you about yourself and things you may not want to know.
I still don’t see how all of this technology is improving our life or our world. I just am not meant for these times.
I guess my 2021 MB needs updating. Hey Mercedes, is fine with time, weather, and directions. However, most responses are, “ I can’t help you with that.”
Regarding the 2FA to your iPad, you can actually set it up to receive the messages from your phone (assuming your phone is iOS as well) so it will automatically process the code when your phone receives the message. it is super convenient!
Many 2FAs will offer to send you an email instead of a text.
SYNC
My 2 and 3-year-old vehicles have all the tech I need. I don’t need to buy an expensive car for that, although I can easily buy one.
I have been reading Consumer Reports, and Mercedes has had below-par reliability, especially when you compare its price. I also have a mechanic friend that has been working at Mercedes for over 20 years. These vehicles are so complicated that they must call Germany every day. If you need to repair a Benz, you could pay 3-5 times more.
Toyota has been the leader in reliability for decades. Almost every model is great, and it does everything else pretty well. If I ever buy a luxury vehicle, it will be a Lexus.
I worked as an IT programmer/analyst/developer for over 35 years. Sometimes, too much tech isn’t the answer. I prefer high tech with simplicity.
That’s why I only go to a dealer even if it costs more. They know what they are doing. I had my first MB ten years with no significant issues. This one is the best car I ever owned. Over 40 MPG turbocharged and you would think you are riding on your easy chair. And it cost no more than many of the pickup trucks you see.
Before we bought our latest new vehicle (a Toyota Crown Signia) I really had my heart set on a Mercedes sedan. Years ago Consumer Reports synopsis was if you want one buy one because they were so reliable. I knew they have always been expensive to repair, turned off when I recently read that their owners’ low score when asked was their purchase was a good value.
My 15 year old car with hardly any technology communicates with me also–the “check engine” light should be renamed the “check wallet” light!
That’s the only reason I have a new car. Old one needed $8,000 in repairs.
Richard..I agree with you, and I am slowly and carefully investigating new models, but the technology and horror stories I hear about with newer vehicles scares me. I just want something that’s reliable, safe, starts when I need to go, and doesn’t require constant trips to the dealer for repairs.
My car also communicates with me; unfortunately, it’s a hypochondriac and only speaks when it thinks of something new that might be wrong with it.
My car watches out for me too. If I stray over a white line, it steers me back. Of course in Ireland the roads are so narrow it doesn’t make any difference. 😎 Does your car give a sheep ahead alert?
My car isn’t that sophisticated, but it does deploy a blindfold when you meet an 18-wheeler hurtling toward you on a country road. It’s very helpful, saves you from having to close your eyes.😃
I carried an old flip phone for years after the emergence of smart phones. One time at lunch with some sales reps, one of them saw it and asked me if it was “like the first phone ever” . I told him to shut up or risk being stabbed with its antenna.
Eventually my wife bought me an I-Phone 6. I was so frustrated trying to use Siri, that I tossed it down while telling Siri to “go eff” herself. Siri answered saying, “sorry, I can’t do that”.
I have to go now. I have to make some copies on my mimeograph machine.
I type all my requests. My wife tries to use Siri but she always seems to be confused. Siri, not my wife.😂
In the late 1970’s I saw a construction company that used a device called a quip machine, a very early fax machine, where the home office used the quip to send drawings to remote field construction trailers.
Here is how they worked –
It would take 3 to 5 minutes to transmit a single page.
Also –
In 1973-74 I was an Army enlisted man stationed in the Black Forest in Germany. The cost of a phone call on a landline was unaffordable. The workaround was the “MARS” system when available.
MARS was a Department of Defense program that utilized volunteer amateur radio operators for contingency communications during emergencies, supporting military operations and civil authorities when traditional systems were impaired.
For us, a local shortwave operator on the base would find another shortwave operator in the states near where your loved one lived. You could then talk for free up to three minutes. After you spoke you would say “over” so both of the ham operators could flip a switch so you both could speak and be heard.
The good thing about MARS was I never got a call from a Medicare Advantage Company wanting to sell me a policy. Now we get such calls often and frequently for my decease dog asking for him by name as my kids created a facebook page for him long ago. I just tell them he died and I buried him in the back yard. I do not tell them he was a dog.
For those interested in what those early FAX (Qwip) machines looked like and how they operate, see the movie Bullit, near to the end.
Ah the old mimeo. My first real job in high school was running one of those for the city library at $0.75 an hour. I think I still have some ink in my pores.
Are you going to fax those copies or snail mail them?
The reason that the “feeling” regarding pain won’t work is because different people interpret a certain level of pain differently. An example I used to give my patients is if someone experiences a severe laceration a person who the worst pain they have experienced is a blister will likely rate the pain significantly higher than someone who has experienced the pain of an amputation.
If a patient could transfer what they are feeling to you, couldn’t you then interpret as you would feel it in relative terms? I remember one doctor squeezing my hand and asking when it really hurt. Seems similar.