Whatsapp and all the other Zuckware shit.
most things that have internal, irreplaceable batteries
Virtual assistants, e.g. Alexa, Cortana, Siri
I don’t want to interact with the companies they represent basically at all, let alone give them nearly unfettered access to my electronics and their data.
Apple Ecosystem. Since I learned that iTunes changes mp3 files when “sync” to iTunes I stopped using apple products. That was back when iPhone 5 was released.
“The cloud”.
In the end “the cloud” is just someone else’s hard drive. Call me old fashioned, but I’ll keep my data on my own hard drives.
Anything that has the word “smart” in it.
Where do you find a non-smart TV these days? Seems like nobody makes them anymore
expired
Voice commands on anything. It just feels silly.
Most social media.
I used to use reddit, I have moved all my presence over here. That’s about it.
I have a FB Messenger account because that is how a lot of my family keeps in touch with me, and I have this. I had a proper FB account back when I was in uni and Facebook was still only for uni students, but I think I dropped it shortly after that.It’s not some grand principled stance, I just don’t get most of them because I am apparently an old man. Like Instagram, why do I want to share pictures with just random people? How am I networking with anybody by doing so? I honestly don’t get why it is so popular.
@mayflower
Anything that has something to do with Meta.
I trying to ditch all non open source software, it’s hard but I’m hopeful.If you’re using Linux, there’s a bunch of open-source code from Meta running on your PC. Same with some small parts of Windows. :)
Yeah, but with Meta’s open source contributions we know what they are and what they do.
Smart speakers with personal assistants like Amazon Echo etc. Not remotely useful enough to be worth placing spying Equipment all over my home.
Wireless headphones. So now I’m supposed to recharge my headphones and get worse sound quality for it? In a few years they become e-waste, while good wired headphones can last decades. No thanks.
I agree with everything you’ve said, but you have to admit that wireless headphones are convenient if you’re on the phone with someone and cooking dinner, or doing laundry, for example.
They certainly have their place but they can’t/don’t check all the boxes to replace wired headphones. It’s not like having a thin cord running from your ears to your pocket is a big enough issue that having to charge another device before eventually throwing it in the garbage after a couple years is a worth tradeoff.
Bluetooth and nfc audio codecs have gotten so good that unless you’re running high impedance headphones with an amp/dac, wireless is effectively indistinguishable from wired, at least for most applications, and especially if using a mobile device.
Until it can stream hi-res lossless without compression I’m sticking to wired. For a long time I’ve been eyeing the AirPods Pro and I finally tried them out at the Apple Store; they sound like trash. I don’t know how people put up with it.
I’ve got the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Bluetooth version, can’t think of the specific model number) and it’s just terrible unless I use the cord with a nice DAC.
Tablets, I don’t see the appeal of a big phone device that can’t fit your pocket and can’t make calls
Everything that need a pay subscription to work.
Smart watches.
I do not need an additional notification screen. I see 0 benefits
overpriced. limited utility. inferior to smartphones.
One solid benefit is heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring
Facebook, Twitter and now Threads. Have no interest and zero use for that stuff.
Self driving cars or honestly the majority of car tech introduced in the last 5 years or so, such a lane keeping assist or other drivers “aids” which ultimately seem to distract drivers more than ever help them.
Only thing I left on in my newish car is the lane change/blind spot warning and the “you are about to ram someone” alarm. Can’t remember the official names. They rarely actually help, but when they do, it can mean avoiding a collision.
the blind spot detector is a game changer for SUVs and other vehicles with limited visibility. I don’t feel safe without it anymore.
I drive a 2006 Corolla.
How bad are you at driving that you need a computer to let you know when you need to pay attention?
Lol that’s rude. I drove a 94 Corolla for like 20 years. Regardless of what an expert driver like you thinks, these sort of safety features are useful. Not often, and usually one would notice the issue without them and avoid a collision, but there’s that occasional situation where they can save your life.
I’m sorry for being rude. I must have been in a bad mood.
I’m not an expert driver, just a careful one. I’ve never had any driver assistance at all and don’t really see the need for them unless you’re distracted while driving.
Like, the only way they’d save my life is if they could avoid a front end collision, getting t-boned, or rear ended. They just seem annoying to me.
