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[JeffVolp]

While off the "home automation" topic, I thought some of you might get a chuckle out of this one:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/20/tesla-app-outage-elon-musk-apologises

I can't understand why someone would rely on a server somewhere to be able to unlock their car.

Jeff

[madbrain]

While off the "home automation" topic, I thought some of you might get a chuckle out of this one:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/20/tesla-app-outage-elon-musk-apologises

I can't understand why someone would rely on a server somewhere to be able to unlock their car.

Jeff

Yeah, it's really crazy to rely on that. If you drive to California beaches, there are lots of places without any cell signal from any operator. Sometimes I drive for 45 minutes through the woods in the bay area without any signal. There are still emergency phone boxes on the road. Maybe some cars have satellite internet connections.

That said, batteries run out in handheld/pocket wireless remotes, too. It's possible to extract a physical key from one in that case, but it can be quite a pain to figure out where/how to insert it in my Chevys Volt/Bolt. The printed manual in the glove compartment is not good enough. A Youtube video helps for that, but requires some internet signal

[HA Dave]

I can't understand why someone would rely on a server somewhere to be able to unlock their car.
Jeff

Yeah, it's really crazy to rely on that.

It's the ole Star Trek Next Generation vs Star Trek Deep Space Nine paradigm.

On "Next"..... technology freed mankind (humanoid kind?) so people could grow past what been had imagined for themselves (also see Data, the robot who had been programed to exceed the limits of his programming). Meanwhile on "Nine".... technology malfunctioned and/or failed at every turn. Making the space station a nightmare at the edge of space.

Of course those aren't places... just TV shows. But they did capitalize on people feelings (fears) about their own futures and how technology will be a part of that future. Gene Roddenberry had talent. 

[bkenobi]

I don't know about all that, but when I buy a car, I expect to be able to at least get in and turn it on when I needed it.  When I can't, I assume something is wrong with the car not that my cell phone is broke.  From what I read on the issue based on Twitter comments, I'm pretty sure most people who paid the premium for having a T on the hood felt the same.   

[HA Dave]

....when I buy a car, I expect to be able to at least get in and turn it on when I needed it.  When I can't, I assume something is wrong with the car not that my cell phone is broke.

That would be hard to argue with!

But even with my ole cheapie Fords... I have Fordpass. And... I can't even buy my favorite pizza, or make an appointment to get my haircut with my landline anymore. I must use a smartphone with an app. LOTS of places don't sell to cash customers (let alone a "check") anymore. It's credit card, or phone (apple) pay, or a "keyholder" will come over and take your cash.

NOT everything modern is GREAT. But what can we do? Luddites are NOT cleaver, or enlightened, or good. We can't smash the machinery.

[bkenobi]

I was wondering if that would be the next post.   

I'm not sure what the means one uses to pay for products and services has to do with thinking they should be able to open their car door when needed has to do with one another.

I may have sat in the sun cooking my silly brain under the tin foil, but last I checked the USD was still legal tender and accepted at many, dare I say most businesses in the US.  I can't speak for other countries as I have not traveled outside the US in a couple years.  I would guess most transfers are digital these days due to convenience.  It's true that some places (seemingly due to fear over accepting physical tender) have moved to accepting credit transfers.  In fact, there are some who stopped accepting cash long ago due to fear of robberies (e.g., bars in larger cities in questionable areas).  Either way, the fact that companies accept payments that are not physical (CC, debit, phone, crypto, etc) does not mean that the world has abandoned the Luddites (whoever they are).

[petera]

I’m big on “tap and pay” these days. I tap her on the shoulder and she dutifully pays. Being doing it for years. Way ahead of the posse I reckon 

[brobin]

A restaurant we visit regularly now has a sign at the hostess station proclaiming that cash is not accepted - only credit/debit cards.  One of the main reasons for not accepting cash is to reduce employee theft - they can't steal what they can't touch.  And now we increasingly see the terminals being brought to the table to even keep the credit cards out of employees hands.  I should note that other counties have been doing this for over 20 years.

  I don't mind that at all as I don't need to carry much cash but there is a downside.  We were paying for something and the terminal "went down" which meant that the girl was going to have to manually enter the CC info.  This put her into a state of complete confusion as she drastically put out a call for help to anyone who had a clue about what to do next.  Thankfully for us both the terminal "came back up" and the crisis was averted.

[HA Dave]

I may have sat in the sun cooking my silly brain under the tin foil, but last I checked the USD was still legal tender and accepted at many, dare I say most businesses in the US........................... Either way, the fact that companies accept payments that are not physical (CC, debit, phone, crypto, etc) does not mean that the world has abandoned the Luddites (whoever they are).

Apparently.... we don't shop in the same places. 

The Luddites.... are a HUGE part of global history. As well as a modern psychological explanation of mans limitations. We (mankind) can only accept progress as quickly as our paradigms allow. It's been around us our entire lives. And there has been a ton of books written about such things... even a best seller or two. I think you're just pulling my chain.

[HA Dave]

I know people who were shocked (or didn't believe me) when I said their money wasn't actually in the banks vault where they had deposited their money.

Although banks do have some amounts of cash..... the real "money" is just a ledger. All the balance sheets and transfers are all just computer data. And whereas there was a time when the banks server was the final depository for such data. Your lifetime of savings.... your 401K... are all dependent on the cloud.

Maybe... a few gold coins buried in the backyard... isn't that bad of an idea. Or maybe... we just accept the cloud as a part of modern life.

[bkenobi]

are all dependent on the cloud.

A bit of a stretch to claim that a digital ledger is the cloud. It sounds like the definition has become: anything that isn't physically here is the cloud.

[HA Dave]

A bit of a stretch to claim that a digital ledger is the cloud.

That would be a stretch.... That's why I didn't post that.

As everyone knows... there ARE pitfalls with cloud computing. BUT... there are also many benefits that people interested in making money DO exploit. That CAN and DOES mean cloud computing and sharing of data and software. We don't need to make-up or argue definitions... such things are published on-line. But if we can NOT accept standardized meaning of the words we use..... this whole post thing just falls apart.

Your post was less than honest about what I had posted. 

[bkenobi]

You do you...

[HA Dave]

Yesterday was a major.... Pitfall of relying on the "cloud".

I am not sure exactly what happened. Seems like there was a flurry of device updates..... almost exactly at the same time. First my TV "lost connection" and (of course) the streaming content. Then the content was back... but I had to use the TV's remote to control it (as opposed to Alexa and a voice prompted routine).

Then I noticed a module flashing blue (not connecting to my network). I should have 1st checked my devices on my phone... in apps and settings. But instead I did a reboot of my broad band modem and my router. Everything crashed.

Of course the problems weren't my network.... it seemed to be Internet wide. Although... with more than 50 devices connected to my network. I may have been effected more than many others. I went through and did my updates.... groups of devices at a time. And then unplugged and re-powered each of my 6 Amazon Echo devices... one at a time.

From when my TV first temporarily lost connection.... to having everything back to normal..... was about two hours. 

It could have been worse. Yesterday I was home, nothing else was going on. I knew what to do. Of course.... manual operation was never lost on anything. But for a tiny bit of time I was not automated. It was like being separated from the Borg collective.

 

[JeffVolp]

Yesterday was a major.... Pitfall of relying on the "cloud".

From Bloomburg:

Affected Amazon services included the voice assistant Alexa and Ring smart-doorbell unit. Irate device users tweeted their frustrations to Ring’s official account, with many complaining that they spent time rebooting or reinstalling their apps and devices before finding out on Twitter that there was a general Amazon Web Services outage. Multiple Ring users even said they weren’t able to get into their homes without access to the phone app, which was down.

Others said they weren’t able to turn on their Christmas lights.

Smart lightbulbs stopped responding to voice commands, many people reported.

Basic household chores also become impossible for some.

We use Meetup for our Outback Hiking Club.  I was trying to schedule a new hike, but it was down most of the day.  Sometimes the site would come up, but then lock up when I tried to do something.  Other web sites, such as Yahoo or Breitbart were fine, so I knew it wasn't us.  Everything else except Alexa for Cathy's music worked fine.  I even ordered another BluRay on eBay.

Jeff