Team Barbarian-Luddite

I've got some real tech fatigue of late.

I'm becoming more and more of a Luddite, in the historic sense. I am not against the technology, I am against many ways it is being (mis-)used. Mainly, because too many people want to make a fast buck, or more money than they ever need, and they are too lazy to put in the work.

Avarice is an ugly beast.

It isn't a matter of "genie out of the bottle" or "opening Pandora's box." Those are supposed to be rare moments in advancement. There are too many genie bottles, and Pandora has a pallet full of boxes, and they are unleashing on a weekly basis.

Strip mining Africa for lithium, "AI" shoved in everywhere (and it is far from being ready for the world where it is rolling out,) and AI farms consuming ridiculous amount of resources (including water!) for what? So kids can cheat at school and let the machines write their papers?

And the abhorrent greedy behavior that comes with it. We don't need a board of certified medical experts to make insurance decisions--we'll feed that information into an "AI" engine! Oops. It seems to baseline to 90% denials. OK. That works for us!

Let's ripoff artists and writers and musicians or other creatives by using their art on our AI training without any compensation! (Because, we all know how rich that business can make you! What do you mean not every author makes Stephen King money?!)

All that misuse is feeding into my dwindling positive tech attitude, even when the tech is applied appropriately.

For Christmas--due to some family miscommunication--we were gifted two birdcam feeders. These seem like a neat idea. For a nature enthusiast like me, it would appear perfect. Smart camera right in the feeder. Super up-close high definition images. The feathers! The beaks! The plumage!

I followed the instructions. The feeder camera sends images over the wifi. (I don't think you can dump them manually as with my trail cam.) So, first, we need to place the feeder close to the house where we can't view the feeder itself from inside. More to the point, as soon as I hooked the camera to our wifi, we experienced wifi outages. I suspect the feeder was dragging the network.

I turned off the feeder cam. I reset the router. It could have been coincidence. Maybe our provider had issues. Maybe the router needed a flush. I'd rather not risk trying another hookup.

I realized that at this point, I can't be bothered. Those feeders would be another thing to manage. (beyond filling them with food.) I have enough in my personal life already that feels like I'm a manager who needs a secretary. (you know--teenagers and pets.)

I've reached tech overload.

I am recalling those letter exchanges between H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Civilization versus barbarism.

 I am feeling very team Barbarian-Luddite currently.

(Yes. You can point out the irony of complaining on the Internet about out-of-control technology. I am whining on my blog, not social media, at least.)   (image courtesy of Effin' Birds)