An update is required. You need to install this to use that. A new version is pending, do you want to add this now? The world of things is an incredibly demanding one, isn’t it? Like a constantly nattering old person or nagging child (or possibly the other way around), the things that supposedly make our lives easier always seem to be clamouring for attention.
It’s not like I keep needing to ask myself ‘Your vitamin C levels are low, Richard, would you like to boost your immune system now?’ Nor ‘Your career requires a newer operating system. You cannot upgrade at this point.’ Umm. Well, that second one, I probably do. And need to keep asking myself.
All this stuff is supposed to be smart. Appears my smart phone needs to ask me if I trust the device I plugged it into to get a battery boost. Every, Single. Time. Dumb phone appears unable to discern the simplest of things and it’s something I find profoundly annoying and simultaneously glad for - nothing quite so dim a prospect as an assumptive app.
Of course I get that machines asking me stuff I might have overlooked can be helpful. Modal’s keeping me alert to scams and frauds for example. And as an aside, aren’t the linguistic knots phishing emails tie themselves in amazing? The whole -*FiNalAtTeMpT* MacAffeee “Upd8 Ur A%con^t NOW - thing. Thank you for sending up a flare in the address line ha ha! And I think there’s an interesting side project there - famous brand names hacked to fool you - if anyone’s up for it. Bit more interesting that ‘look, I made the Nike logo look like Disney’ schtick.
Looking after needy IT doesn’t really ever feature in the ‘Say hello to the new WhateverThing’. Everything in WhateverThing World is free of wires and worries, at least it must be because everyone is smiling and apparently now living their best lives. No naggy pop-up’s here!
The world of things that can cope without a 240v habit, simply wear out - and, if you’ve bought well, fixed. I can hear when the bearings need greasing or see when the blade needs sharpening; and I think I prefer things that way. Not mute exactly, as everything provides a feedback of sorts but I’m much happier being the person who decides when it’s time.
It’s called agency and perhaps the most important thing you can exercise daily.
Don’t forget to save that preference now.
