On 4/17/2021 5:17 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 23:00:28 -0400, Michael Trew wrote:
>
>> I have a back-up dial up plan that costs $4.85/mo in case the DSL goes
>> out.
>
> Wait a second.....
>
> You pay $45/mo for a land line ON TOP of what you pay already pay
> for DSL over that same copper. PLUS a $5/mo extra for "backup
> dial-up internet" - that also goes out through the same copper, plus
> $5 for long distance - also copper?
>
> And 5 minutes later you say that you enjoy "peace of mind and
> reliability copper gives you">
>
> You do know that if one goes out, THEY ALL GO OUT, right? When your
> DSL goes out you also have no phone line to use your $5/mo "backup
> dialup plan" either. No Phone. No Internet, No dialup. And no cell
> phone (because cell phones don't charge $05/minute for domestic).
> You could just to landline VoIP over your DSL and have the EXACT
> SAME RELIABLITY! OMG! Dude, just get Vonage or something and screw
> that $40/mo and the $5/backup plan.
>
> DSL does not go out while phone service remains active - they both
> go out at the same time! Your phone may have a dialtone, but it will
> not dial out if DSL is also out.
>
> -sw


Well, there's more to it than that. My DSL was actually out for 2 weeks
- first time I've ever had an outage - through this February. The
Internet icon was out. I spoke with people that work for AT&T off the
record and they said a piece of legacy equipment upstream from the DSLAM
failed, and they had to scrounge for parts to repair it, since the parts
are no longer made.

Anyway, the crappy dial up plan did work, and I've never been without a
dial tone. Also, to be fair, I use the dial up plan a few hours a month
to toy around with old computers. I have a 1994 Gateway2K sitting on my
desk, hooked up next to the computer that I'm currently using. It has
DOS 6.2/Windows 3.11 on it, and it's fun to fire it up from time to
time. I don't know any other way to get it on-line aside from that dial
up plan and the internal 28K modem. Again, it's for my amusement
purposes when I'm bored.

I do have a cell phone, and they also charge me 5 cents/min for calls.
The nice thing is that I'm only charged 5 cents/min - nothing more. I
use maybe $5/mo on that prepaid plan... good luck finding cheaper cell
service than that. It's a legacy plan through T-Mobile. Yes, I'm aware
that I could dump the long distance and just call long distance through
my cell, but I hate to use my cell. I like the quality and feel of the
old Western Electric handsets. My cell only goes on when I'm leaving my
house.

On 2021-04-17 1:34 a.m., dsi1 wrote:

> I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks are
> mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
> insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that
> majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are
> correct that they are a huge group.


Don't bet too much on that. A lot of seniors are in good financial
shape. They have pensions and benefits. Most of them paid off their
mortgages long ago. They aren't paying feed, clothe and educated their
kids.
I was ticked at our federal government for handing out money to all
seniors a couple months into the pandemic. They reasoned that some
prices had risen. That may be true but we aren't shopping. We aren't
going in vacations. We aren't going out for supper. We aren't spending
much money at all. MY wife and I are saving thousands of dollars a month.

On 4/17/2021 7:09 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2021-04-17 1:34 a.m., dsi1 wrote:
>
>> I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks are
>> mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
>> insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that
>> majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are
>> correct that they are a huge group.
>
>
> Don't bet too much on that. A lot of seniors are in good financial
> shape. They have pensions and benefits. Most of them paid off their
> mortgages long ago. They aren't paying feed, clothe and educated their
> kids.
> I was ticked at our federal government for handing out money to all
> seniors a couple months into the pandemic. They reasoned that some
> prices had risen. That may be true but we aren't shopping. We aren't
> going in vacations. We aren't going out for supper. We aren't spending
> much money at all. MY wife and I are saving thousands of dollars a month.
>
>


Yes, but when you buy votes all of that doesn't matter.


Also, lots of ads for river cruises, etc. that in reality are mostly
directed at older people with time and money on their hands.

On 4/17/2021 1:02 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>>> My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone that's capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e., has NFC capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless payments on cell phones are the future of purchasing stuff.
>> No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart phone. If they don't
>> take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't pay me enough to trust these
>> smart phones and related companies like Google to have access to my
>> financial info.
>
> These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do as far as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the younger generation that will lead the way to the world of tomorrow. We're pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys are concerned. That's the breaks.
> All I know is that NFC capability will become an increasingly important feature in phones very shortly. "NFC" by the way, does not mean "Nobody ****ing Cares."
>
> https://www.engadget.com/sf-bay-area...125028599.html
>

You might be surprised to learn that I'm 26 years old. And old soul, I
guess they say. I started using cash only a few years ago when I lost
my job and started hauling scrap metal, buying/selling furniture,
antiques, flea markets, shows, etc. All of these worked in all-cash
only. As I've watched a digital push, and have heard of places that
won't take cash (I've only experienced one personally), I've dug in and
dumped my debit card.

I suppose that regardless of my age, your point stands that people like
me are in the minority. I'll probably be one of the few holdouts in
40-50 years with a gasoline powered car, refusing digital currency, etc.

On 4/17/2021 7:14 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 1:02 AM, dsi1 wrote:
>> On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
>>> On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>>>> My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone that's capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e., has NFC capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless payments on cell phones are the future of purchasing stuff.
>>> No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart phone. If they don't
>>> take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't pay me enough to trust these
>>> smart phones and related companies like Google to have access to my
>>> financial info.
>>
>> These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do as far as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the younger generation that will lead the way to the world of tomorrow. We're pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys are concerned. That's the breaks.
>> All I know is that NFC capability will become an increasingly important feature in phones very shortly. "NFC" by the way, does not mean "Nobody ****ing Cares."
>>
>> https://www.engadget.com/sf-bay-area...125028599.html
>>
>
> You might be surprised to learn that I'm 26 years old. And old soul, I
> guess they say. I started using cash only a few years ago when I lost
> my job and started hauling scrap metal, buying/selling furniture,
> antiques, flea markets, shows, etc. All of these worked in all-cash
> only. As I've watched a digital push, and have heard of places that
> won't take cash (I've only experienced one personally), I've dug in and
> dumped my debit card.
>
> I suppose that regardless of my age, your point stands that people like
> me are in the minority. I'll probably be one of the few holdouts in
> 40-50 years with a gasoline powered car, refusing digital currency, etc.
>


If I could get minimum 2% cash back for cash like I get on my credit
cards, I might be using cash more.

On 4/16/2021 11:54 PM, cshenk wrote:
> Michael Trew wrote:
>
>> On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
>>> Response to the real Bruce.
>>>
>>> Of course the phone will cost money. duh
>>> My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a 2nd
>>> phone.
>>>
>>> If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart
>>> phone with enough minutes to carry on normally.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> You couldn't convince me enough to drop my land line. It's worth
>> every penny of the ~$40 I pay for it monthly. Real land lines work
>> when the power goes out. I've lost cell service in outages and still
>> have a dial tone. Rotary dial western electric phone on my kitchen
>> wall still rings no matter what. The call quality of a cell won't
>> match up either.
>
> And it costs a HUGE amount to add a real landline back in. More like
> 120$ a month here.

Holy cow, where do you live? My phone was $33/mo in 2015. Somehow it's
crept up to $40 in 2021.

I stand corrected. $120/mo would be enough to convince me to drop the
land line... haha. If it goes over $50 in a few years, I quit. That's
just not worth it. I suspect this is AT&T's way of getting out of the
copper business.

On 2021-04-17 4:44 a.m., Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:46:35 -0700 (PDT),
> wrote:
>
>> About 5 years ago I was noticing I was not receiving any phone calls which
>> was kind of nice. But then people were complaining "I've called you a dozen
>> times but you never answer." My reply was the phone didn't ring. I was able
>> to make calls and internet was chugging right along with no problem. So,
>> I made the service call and it was my copper wiring. Could they have fixed
>> it? Probably, but I converted to digital and went wireless with my laptop.
>
> The battery that provides the current for the phone to ring was dead
> or stolen, and they didn't want to replace it. A typical technique
> to get people to upgrade. They are still required to maintain post
> if they don't offer at least VoIP phone, and a battery backup if you
> only have phone service.
>

The Samsung phone I had last year had a mind of its own. I missed a lot
of calls because the ringer volume would be turned off despite me having
set it on high. It also liked to move my app icons around randomly. It
also ha a strange bug in it that would set off an alarm when I tried to
recharge it, telling me there was moisture in the charging port. I have
a different model of Samsung now and no longer have those problems.

Michael Trew wrote:

> On 4/16/2021 11:54 PM, cshenk wrote:
> > Michael Trew wrote:
> >
> > > On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
> > > > Response to the real Bruce.
> > > >
> > > > Of course the phone will cost money. duh
> > > > My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a
> > > > 2nd phone.
> > > >
> > > > If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart
> > > > phone with enough minutes to carry on normally.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > You couldn't convince me enough to drop my land line. It's worth
> > > every penny of the ~$40 I pay for it monthly. Real land lines
> > > work when the power goes out. I've lost cell service in outages
> > > and still have a dial tone. Rotary dial western electric phone
> > > on my kitchen wall still rings no matter what. The call quality
> > > of a cell won't match up either.
> >
> > And it costs a HUGE amount to add a real landline back in. More
> > like 120$ a month here.
>
> Holy cow, where do you live? My phone was $33/mo in 2015. Somehow
> it's crept up to $40 in 2021.
>
> I stand corrected. $120/mo would be enough to convince me to drop
> the land line... haha. If it goes over $50 in a few years, I quit.
> That's just not worth it. I suspect this is AT&T's way of getting
> out of the copper business.

Whups! Sorry, mis-post. It's 145$ to get the line installed, then
something like 60$ a month (not counting any LD out of country).

On 2021-04-17 8:16 a.m., Gary wrote:
> On 4/16/2021 4:49 PM, wrote:
>> On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 9:32:49 AM UTC-5, Gary wrote:
>>>
>>> On 4/16/2021 10:25 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 08:21:34 -0400, Gary wrote:
>>>>
>>> Landline phone $45 PLUS $25 internet dialup access.
>>> The internet access ended 5 months ago.
>>> Free neighborhood wifi for now but it's not "secure."
>>>
>> I didn't know any companies still offered dial-up access.
>> But with the $45 per month wired phone, don't you also
>> get long distance included in that price?
>
> Not like any cell phone does. My land line is unlimited but only for my
> area code. Long distance is a separate thing...pay so much a month
> whether you use it or not, then so much per minute when you do use it.
> Total ripoff. My landline is Verizon.


I get 500 minutes a month anywhere in Canada on my cell phone. My
landline is good for anywhere in Canads and IIRC 300 minutes to the US.
I am not a telephone chatter so I will never have to worry about going
over my time.


> The only long distance person I can call is my daughter. She bought her
> cell phone here years ago so she has the local area code (757).

The only long distance calls I make regularly are to my son. He lived in
Toronto for a few years and he never bothered to change his number when
he moved back this way.

On 4/17/2021 9:43 AM, Dr Bruce wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 9:39 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> On 4/17/2021 12:22 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 09:48:36 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
>>>>> Response to the real Bruce.
>>>>>
>>>>> Of course the phone will cost money. duh
>>>>> My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a 2nd
>>>>> phone.
>>>>>
>>>>> If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart phone
>>>>> with enough minutes to carry on normally.
>>>>>
>>>> Spectrum is advertising $14.95 a month, unlimited calls.
>>>
>>> Spectrum is a cable company. They would only provide phone service
>>> with a paid Internet or TV plan (at least in most states). Watch out
>>> for those damned "bundles" in the fine print (and that only last for
>>> 12 months before they double the price).
>>>
>>
>> No, they are also a mobile phone company
>>
>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile
>>
> You're required to be a spectrum cable subscriber in
> order to use their mobile phone service.
>

Show where it says that.

https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans

On 4/17/2021 9:58 AM, Michael Trew wrote:

>
> You don't think that it's handled on local copper if a POTS line in
> town, same exchange, calls another POTS line?Â* I know that it hits fiber
> as soon as it gets past the central office in town, but it's nice to
> have reliable, working service and a dial tone when the power goes out.
> When my grandfather lived with me, they said that his heart monitor
> wouldn't work with a digital line... good thing that we had my POTS line
> for it to connect to.

Monitors have worked well with VOIP lines for the past 5+ years that I
know of

On 2021-04-17 10:14 a.m., Taxed and Spent wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 7:09 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 2021-04-17 1:34 a.m., dsi1 wrote:
>>
>>> I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks are
>>> mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
>>> insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that
>>> majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are
>>> correct that they are a huge group.
>>
>>
>> Don't bet too much on that. A lot of seniors are in good financial
>> shape.Â* They have pensions and benefits. Most of them paid off their
>> mortgages long ago. They aren't paying feed, clothe and educated their
>> kids.
>> I was ticked at our federal government for handing out money to all
>> seniors a couple months into the pandemic. They reasoned that some
>> prices had risen.Â* That may be true but we aren't shopping. We aren't
>> going in vacations. We aren't going out for supper. We aren't spending
>> much money at all.Â* MY wife and I are saving thousands of dollars a
>> month.
>>
>>
>
>
> Yes, but when you buy votes all of that doesn't matter.

Yep. Vote buying was what it was all about. I am sure that a lot of
seniors were grateful for that unsolicited $300. I just wonder how many
of them realize that since there are more people in the receiving end
than on the giving end, that $300 is going to end up costing them much
more than they got.


> Also, lots of ads for river cruises, etc. that in reality are mostly
> directed at older people with time and money on their hands.



My wife is a retired teacher and their organization's monthly magazine
is chuck full of cruise advertising.

Dave Smith wrote:

> On 2021-04-17 1:34 a.m., dsi1 wrote:
>
> > I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks
> > are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
> > insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that
> > majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are
> > correct that they are a huge group.
>
>
> Don't bet too much on that. A lot of seniors are in good financial
> shape. They have pensions and benefits. Most of them paid off their
> mortgages long ago. They aren't paying feed, clothe and educated
> their kids. I was ticked at our federal government for handing out
> money to all seniors a couple months into the pandemic. They reasoned
> that some prices had risen. That may be true but we aren't shopping.
> We aren't going in vacations. We aren't going out for supper. We
> aren't spending much money at all. MY wife and I are saving
> thousands of dollars a month.

The way I figure it is my taxes will go up. Probably be giving all of
it back.

On 4/17/2021 7:46 AM, cshenk wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>
>> On 2021-04-17 1:34 a.m., dsi1 wrote:
>>
>>> I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks
>>> are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
>>> insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that
>>> majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are
>>> correct that they are a huge group.
>>
>>
>> Don't bet too much on that. A lot of seniors are in good financial
>> shape. They have pensions and benefits. Most of them paid off their
>> mortgages long ago. They aren't paying feed, clothe and educated
>> their kids. I was ticked at our federal government for handing out
>> money to all seniors a couple months into the pandemic. They reasoned
>> that some prices had risen. That may be true but we aren't shopping.
>> We aren't going in vacations. We aren't going out for supper. We
>> aren't spending much money at all. MY wife and I are saving
>> thousands of dollars a month.
>
> The way I figure it is my taxes will go up. Probably be giving all of
> it back.
>


Not to mention the hidden tax of inflation.

On 4/17/2021 7:38 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 9:43 AM, Dr Bruce wrote:
>> On 4/17/2021 9:39 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>> On 4/17/2021 12:22 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 09:48:36 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
>>>>>> Response to the real Bruce.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Of course the phone will cost money. duh
>>>>>> My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a 2nd
>>>>>> phone.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart phone
>>>>>> with enough minutes to carry on normally.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Spectrum is advertising $14.95 a month, unlimited calls.
>>>>
>>>> Spectrum is a cable company. They would only provide phone service
>>>> with a paid Internet or TV plan (at least in most states). Watch out
>>>> for those damned "bundles" in the fine print (and that only last for
>>>> 12 months before they double the price).
>>>>
>>>
>>> No, they are also a mobile phone company
>>>
>>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile
>>>
>> You're required to be a spectrum cable subscriber in
>> order to use their mobile phone service.
>>
>
> Show where it says that.
>
> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans
>


In the fine print, of course:

Spectrum Internet required. Auto-pay required. Unlimited: Reduced speeds
after 20 GB of usage per line. Unlimited Plus: Reduced speeds after 30
GB of usage per line. Visit spectrum.com/mobile/plans for details.
Service not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.

On 4/17/2021 10:45 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 9:58 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>
>>
>> You don't think that it's handled on local copper if a POTS line in
>> town, same exchange, calls another POTS line? I know that it hits
>> fiber as soon as it gets past the central office in town, but it's
>> nice to have reliable, working service and a dial tone when the power
>> goes out. When my grandfather lived with me, they said that his heart
>> monitor wouldn't work with a digital line... good thing that we had my
>> POTS line for it to connect to.
>
> Monitors have worked well with VOIP lines for the past 5+ years that I
> know of

The company called and said they wanted to send us some kind of wireless
network adapter due to phone line upgrades... I told them we have a
traditional telephone line, and they said not to worry about it. I
suppose it depends on the manufacturer.

On 4/17/2021 10:36 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2021-04-17 8:16 a.m., Gary wrote:
>> On 4/16/2021 4:49 PM, wrote:
>>> On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 9:32:49 AM UTC-5, Gary wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 4/16/2021 10:25 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 08:21:34 -0400, Gary wrote:
>>>>>
>>>> Landline phone $45 PLUS $25 internet dialup access.
>>>> The internet access ended 5 months ago.
>>>> Free neighborhood wifi for now but it's not "secure."
>>>>
>>> I didn't know any companies still offered dial-up access.
>>> But with the $45 per month wired phone, don't you also
>>> get long distance included in that price?
>>
>> Not like any cell phone does. My land line is unlimited but only for
>> my area code. Long distance is a separate thing...pay so much a month
>> whether you use it or not, then so much per minute when you do use it.
>> Total ripoff. My landline is Verizon.
>
>
> I get 500 minutes a month anywhere in Canada on my cell phone. My
> landline is good for anywhere in Canads and IIRC 300 minutes to the US.
> I am not a telephone chatter so I will never have to worry about going
> over my time.
>
>
>> The only long distance person I can call is my daughter. She bought
>> her cell phone here years ago so she has the local area code (757).
>
> The only long distance calls I make regularly are to my son. He lived in
> Toronto for a few years and he never bothered to change his number when
> he moved back this way.
>

Unfortunately, in today's world, many calls are long distance thanks to
cell phones. My mom has an out of state cell phone number, as do all of
my siblings. Of course, it doesn't matter that that phone is sitting
next to me or not, it's all dependent on the number based on where the
phone was purchased.

Michael Trew wrote:

> On 4/17/2021 1:02 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
> > > On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> > > > My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone that's
> > > > capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e., has NFC
> > > > capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless payments on
> > > > cell phones are the future of purchasing stuff.
> > > No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart phone. If they
> > > don't take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't pay me enough to
> > > trust these smart phones and related companies like Google to
> > > have access to my financial info.
> >
> > These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do as
> > far as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the younger
> > generation that will lead the way to the world of tomorrow. We're
> > pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys are concerned.
> > That's the breaks. All I know is that NFC capability will become
> > an increasingly important feature in phones very shortly. "NFC" by
> > the way, does not mean "Nobody ****ing Cares."
> >
> >
https://www.engadget.com/sf-bay-area...125028599.html
> >
>
> You might be surprised to learn that I'm 26 years old. And old soul,
> I guess they say. I started using cash only a few years ago when I
> lost my job and started hauling scrap metal, buying/selling
> furniture, antiques, flea markets, shows, etc. All of these worked
> in all-cash only. As I've watched a digital push, and have heard of
> places that won't take cash (I've only experienced one personally),
> I've dug in and dumped my debit card.
>
> I suppose that regardless of my age, your point stands that people
> like me are in the minority. I'll probably be one of the few
> holdouts in 40-50 years with a gasoline powered car, refusing digital
> currency, etc.


I've gone mostly cashless here except for handyman jobs. Have one on
the way over to replace a ceiling fan (lighting unit died, kit costs
mre than a new one) and another to fix a PVC pipe in the kitchen sink.
I use an occasional landscaper (gave him a working car in trade for
some basic stuff I can't do anymore). Car value was about 600$ and he
uses it as a work truck. Ford Expedition, 1997. He got his feet back
under himeself with it and now has a simpler get-about vehicle that
gets better milage for regular use.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared...SFYO9AyHqcvS_4

There should be pictures of yard and trees.

Sqwertz wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:52:47 -0700 (PDT),
> wrote:
>
> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:28:32 PM UTC-5, Sqwertz wrote:
>
> >> If anybody is still charging for long distance, they need to be
> >> dumped. All companies are offering the same VoIP which includes
> >> unlimited local and long distance for $10/mo or less(*). The only
> >> thing that might be extra is any NEW copper phone lines which are
> >> already hooked up in Gary's place.
> >>
> > Here, copper wiring is no more. Everything now is digital and
> > copper wiring is no longer installed or even maintained.
>
> The Bells (and AT&T) have not shut down their copper services yet
> and are still required to maintain them for grandfathered
> neighborhoods in areas where they have no yet converted to fiber.
> Which is why Gary was paying $45/mo for phone. He doesn't have
> AT&T/Bell fiber options.
>

Pretty sure I don't either.

On 17/04/2021 15:45, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 9:58 AM, Michael Trew wrote:
>
>>
>> You don't think that it's handled on local copper if a POTS line in
>> town, same exchange, calls another POTS line?Â* I know that it hits
>> fiber as soon as it gets past the central office in town, but it's
>> nice to have reliable, working service and a dial tone when the power
>> goes out. When my grandfather lived with me, they said that his heart
>> monitor wouldn't work with a digital line... good thing that we had my
>> POTS line for it to connect to.
>
> Monitors have worked well with VOIP lines for the past 5+ years that I
> know of

Yes. More than 5 years.

Taxed and Spent wrote:

> On 4/17/2021 7:46 AM, cshenk wrote:
> > Dave Smith wrote:
> >
> > > On 2021-04-17 1:34 a.m., dsi1 wrote:
> > >
> > > > I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old
> > > > folks are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine,
> > > > supplemental health insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda,
> > > > yadda. My guess is that majority of seniors don't have a lot of
> > > > money to burn. You are correct that they are a huge group.
> > >
> > >
> > > Don't bet too much on that. A lot of seniors are in good financial
> > > shape. They have pensions and benefits. Most of them paid off
> > > their mortgages long ago. They aren't paying feed, clothe and
> > > educated their kids. I was ticked at our federal government for
> > > handing out money to all seniors a couple months into the
> > > pandemic. They reasoned that some prices had risen. That may be
> > > true but we aren't shopping. We aren't going in vacations. We
> > > aren't going out for supper. We aren't spending much money at
> > > all. MY wife and I are saving thousands of dollars a month.
> >
> > The way I figure it is my taxes will go up. Probably be giving all
> > of it back.
> >
>
>
> Not to mention the hidden tax of inflation.

Yup. Virginia got us this year. The standard deduction for having a
member over age 65 no longer can be used unless married filing
separately. Overall cost was almost 3,000$. That's generally how they
can say 'we didn't raise taxes'. Technically they didn't. They remove
the deductions....

On 4/17/2021 10:38 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 9:43 AM, Dr Bruce wrote:
>> On 4/17/2021 9:39 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>> On 4/17/2021 12:22 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 09:48:36 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
>>>>>> Response to the real Bruce.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Of course the phone will cost money. duh
>>>>>> My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a 2nd
>>>>>> phone.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart
>>>>>> phone
>>>>>> with enough minutes to carry on normally.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Spectrum is advertising $14.95 a month, unlimited calls.
>>>>
>>>> Spectrum is a cable company. They would only provide phone service
>>>> with a paid Internet or TV plan (at least in most states). Watch out
>>>> for those damned "bundles" in the fine print (and that only last for
>>>> 12 months before they double the price).
>>>>
>>>
>>> No, they are also a mobile phone company
>>>
>>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile
>>>
>> You're required to be a spectrum cable subscriber in
>> order to use their mobile phone service.
>>
>
> Show where it says that.
>
> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans
>
It says it on every Spectrum TV commercial I've
ever seen, along with this review -

https://www.reviews.org/mobile/spectrum-mobile-review/

Are you an exception, or just clueless?

On 2021-04-17 7:29 a.m., Boron Elgar wrote:

>
> You are, pretty much corrects. Oh, there are a few categories to add
> for which geezers are targeted, but unless things have changed
> radically in the last 2 years, marketing is focused on the young.
>
> Take cell phones for an example- there has been a string of posts
> right here with what seems to be a contest to claim bragging rights
> for the most bare bones capabilities and costs of phones and plans,
> and there are companies (Consumer Cellular comes to mind among them)
> that pitch to oldsters primarily emphasizing their phones and plan
> simplicity, but the heavy duty advertising one sees is from Apple and
> Samsung and the major cell providers. Looking at the people one sees
> in these latter TV ads, which are plentiful, it is the young,
> emphasizing photos and all the banking and financial services you
> mention, as well as families emphasizing streaming.
>
> Damn near everything is managed on the phone - social media, info and
> news, shopping, mortgages, investments, entertainment and gaming.
> Tablets are tolerated, as are laptops, at times, and desktops are
> twenty-three skidoo.
>
> My carbon footprint in one area is hideous. I happen to be an
> electronics junkie. If it beeps, lights up or takes batteries, I like
> it. I am stilting at a desk with a senior set up of desktop and two
> large monitors. There is a similar view on my husband's desk on the
> other side of the study.
>
> I've a iPad, a Surface, a couple of HP laptops, a Samsung tablet to
> plot on the kitchen counter for recipes, an iPhone, an Apple watch.
> keep the industry afloat all by myself, probably. This gadgets list
> gets changed out and I pass along the previous generations to friends
> and family members.
>
> I have my own version of the sale of indulgences and as penance for
> the electronic gluttony, I am very careful about touchie-feelie
> conservation in other areas. C'est la vie.
>
>
I bought a "peanut" cell phone many years ago for potential emergencies
when out on my bike and for contacting clients between appointments. I
upgraded to a flip phone and then I was forced to upgrade to a 4G smart
phone.
Although ther are a few apps on it, I still use it for what it was
intended with the addition of texting.
I wouldn't say that "Ludd" is my middle name but............

On 4/17/2021 10:55 AM, Taxed and Spent wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 7:38 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> On 4/17/2021 9:43 AM, Dr Bruce wrote:
>>> On 4/17/2021 9:39 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>> On 4/17/2021 12:22 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 09:48:36 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
>>>>>>> Response to the real Bruce.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Of course the phone will cost money. duh
>>>>>>> My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a 2nd
>>>>>>> phone.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart
>>>>>>> phone
>>>>>>> with enough minutes to carry on normally.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Spectrum is advertising $14.95 a month, unlimited calls.
>>>>>
>>>>> Spectrum is a cable company. They would only provide phone service
>>>>> with a paid Internet or TV plan (at least in most states). Watch out
>>>>> for those damned "bundles" in the fine print (and that only last for
>>>>> 12 months before they double the price).
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> No, they are also a mobile phone company
>>>>
>>>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile
>>>>
>>> You're required to be a spectrum cable subscriber in
>>> order to use their mobile phone service.
>>>
>>
>> Show where it says that.
>>
>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans
>>
>
>
> In the fine print, of course:
>
Actually is says it right at the top of the URL link
that Ed provided -

"Talk and text all you want with no contracts, added taxes or fees. All
Spectrum Mobile data plans include nationwide 5G€¡ access at no extra
fee. *Spectrum Internet required."*

No fine print needed.

On 4/17/2021 10:55 AM, Taxed and Spent wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 7:38 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> On 4/17/2021 9:43 AM, Dr Bruce wrote:
>>> On 4/17/2021 9:39 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>> On 4/17/2021 12:22 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 09:48:36 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 4/16/2021 8:21 AM, Gary wrote:
>>>>>>> Response to the real Bruce.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Of course the phone will cost money. duh
>>>>>>> My goal is to find one to replace the land line and not add a 2nd
>>>>>>> phone.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If I can ditch the land line, that's $45 a month towards a smart
>>>>>>> phone
>>>>>>> with enough minutes to carry on normally.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Spectrum is advertising $14.95 a month, unlimited calls.
>>>>>
>>>>> Spectrum is a cable company. They would only provide phone service
>>>>> with a paid Internet or TV plan (at least in most states). Watch out
>>>>> for those damned "bundles" in the fine print (and that only last for
>>>>> 12 months before they double the price).
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> No, they are also a mobile phone company
>>>>
>>>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile
>>>>
>>> You're required to be a spectrum cable subscriber in
>>> order to use their mobile phone service.
>>>
>>
>> Show where it says that.
>>
>> https://www.spectrum.com/mobile/plans
>>
>
>
> In the fine print, of course:
>
> Spectrum Internet required. Auto-pay required. Unlimited: Reduced speeds
> after 20 GB of usage per line. Unlimited Plus: Reduced speeds after 30
> GB of usage per line. Visit spectrum.com/mobile/plans for details.
> Service not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.

Missed it

Boron Elgar wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:34:32 -0700 (PDT), dsi1
> > wrote:
>
> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:17:44 PM UTC-10, Dr. Bruce wrote:

> >> 60+ people are very important to marketing people. They're a huge
> group >> and they have a lot of spending money.
> >> --
> >> The real Dr. Bruce posts with uni-berlin.de - individual.net
> >
> > I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks
> > are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
> > insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that
> > majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are
> > correct that they are a huge group.
>
> You are, pretty much corrects. Oh, there are a few categories to add
> for which geezers are targeted, but unless things have changed
> radically in the last 2 years, marketing is focused on the young.
>
> Take cell phones for an example-
>
It obviously depends on what you're selling. If you're selling
something for seniors, you have a huge potential market.
>

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:04:59 AM UTC-5, Leo wrote:
>
> On 2021 Apr 16, , wrote
> (in >):
>
> > When the Christmas Day bombing occurred here in front of the AT&T
> > building everybody had phone and cell phone service until about noon.
> > That was that for about a week.
> > > <Snip> Oh well. It is a nice feature on newer cars and did come in handy
> > last year when the tornado roared through here and no phone service
> > for 5 days.
> >
> We all had a helluva year, but yours was extra-special ;-)
>
Ain't that the truth!! We had hail and straight-line winds about 3 weeks ago that
resulted in transformers down and no power for 12 hours. (Tornadoes farther
east of me.) The hail was large enough I thought for sure I was going to have
broken windows; it did result in some ripped-up window screens. Also lost some
roof shingles and some neighbors lost trim off their houses plus shingles as well.

((

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:44:40 AM UTC-5, Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:46:35 -0700 (PDT),
> wrote:
> >
> > About 5 years ago I was noticing I was not receiving any phone calls which
> > was kind of nice. But then people were complaining "I've called you a dozen
> > times but you never answer." My reply was the phone didn't ring. I was able
> > to make calls and internet was chugging right along with no problem. So,
> > I made the service call and it was my copper wiring. Could they have fixed
> > it? Probably, but I converted to digital and went wireless with my laptop.
> >
> The battery that provides the current for the phone to ring was dead
> or stolen, and they didn't want to replace it. A typical technique
> to get people to upgrade. They are still required to maintain post
> if they don't offer at least VoIP phone, and a battery backup if you
> only have phone service.
>
> -sw
>
Well, the conversion to digital service didn't cost me anything other than no
phone and internet while they were upgrading me and putting in wireless
equipment.

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 7:17:00 AM UTC-5, Gary wrote:
>
> On 4/16/2021 4:49 PM, wrote:
> >
> > I didn't know any companies still offered dial-up access.
> > But with the $45 per month wired phone, don't you also
> > get long distance included in that price?
> >
> Not like any cell phone does. My land line is unlimited but only for my
> area code. Long distance is a separate thing...pay so much a month
> whether you use it or not, then so much per minute when you do use it.
> Total ripoff. My landline is Verizon.
>
Oooooooh.

I have AT&T (American Thieves & Thugs) for phone and internet.
Long distance to most anywhere is included in that charge.
>
> My mom has unlimited LD calls like normal people do so she calls me each
> Saturday morning and we talk for a couple of hours. No charge for me
> since it's an incoming call and no charge for her since she has unlimited.
>
Well, that's good. Then neither of you are worried about a super LARGE phone
bill the next month.

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:29:52 AM UTC-10, Boron Elgar wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:34:32 -0700 (PDT), dsi1
> > wrote:
>
> >On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:17:44 PM UTC-10, Dr. Bruce wrote:
> >> dsi1 wrote:
> >>
> >> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
> >> > > On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> >> > > > My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone that's
> >> > > > capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e., has NFC
> >> > > > capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless payments on
> >> > > > cell phones are the future of purchasing stuff.
> >> > > No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart phone. If they
> >> > > don't take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't pay me enough to
> >> > > trust these smart phones and related companies like Google to have
> >> > > access to my financial info.
> >> >
> >> > These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do as far
> >> > as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the younger
> >> > generation that will lead the way to the world of tomorrow. We're
> >> > pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys are concerned. That's
> >> > the breaks.
> >> 60+ people are very important to marketing people. They're a huge group
> >> and they have a lot of spending money.
> >> --
> >> The real Dr. Bruce posts with uni-berlin.de - individual.net
> >
> >I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is that majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You are correct that they are a huge group..
> You are, pretty much corrects. Oh, there are a few categories to add
> for which geezers are targeted, but unless things have changed
> radically in the last 2 years, marketing is focused on the young.
>
> Take cell phones for an example- there has been a string of posts
> right here with what seems to be a contest to claim bragging rights
> for the most bare bones capabilities and costs of phones and plans,
> and there are companies (Consumer Cellular comes to mind among them)
> that pitch to oldsters primarily emphasizing their phones and plan
> simplicity, but the heavy duty advertising one sees is from Apple and
> Samsung and the major cell providers. Looking at the people one sees
> in these latter TV ads, which are plentiful, it is the young,
> emphasizing photos and all the banking and financial services you
> mention, as well as families emphasizing streaming.
>
> Damn near everything is managed on the phone - social media, info and
> news, shopping, mortgages, investments, entertainment and gaming.
> Tablets are tolerated, as are laptops, at times, and desktops are
> twenty-three skidoo.
>
> My carbon footprint in one area is hideous. I happen to be an
> electronics junkie. If it beeps, lights up or takes batteries, I like
> it. I am stilting at a desk with a senior set up of desktop and two
> large monitors. There is a similar view on my husband's desk on the
> other side of the study.
>
> I've a iPad, a Surface, a couple of HP laptops, a Samsung tablet to
> plot on the kitchen counter for recipes, an iPhone, an Apple watch.
> keep the industry afloat all by myself, probably. This gadgets list
> gets changed out and I pass along the previous generations to friends
> and family members.
>
> I have my own version of the sale of indulgences and as penance for
> the electronic gluttony, I am very careful about touchie-feelie
> conservation in other areas. C'est la vie.

That's a heck of a lot of toys! Congrats. The mere mention of "desktop" computer gives me the chills.
As far as the boomers goes, I occasionally see surveys on youtube.com asking for my age. You respond by giving your age group. I'm in the last group - the 40+ group. Once you reach the age of 40, they're no longer interested in finding out anything further about you. That's the breaks.

On Sat, 17 Apr 2021 18:48:00 -0700 (PDT), dsi1
> wrote:

>On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:29:52 AM UTC-10, Boron Elgar wrote:

>> I've a iPad, a Surface, a couple of HP laptops, a Samsung tablet to
>> plot on the kitchen counter for recipes, an iPhone, an Apple watch.
>> keep the industry afloat all by myself, probably. This gadgets list
>> gets changed out and I pass along the previous generations to friends
>> and family members.
>>
>> I have my own version of the sale of indulgences and as penance for
>> the electronic gluttony, I am very careful about touchie-feelie
>> conservation in other areas. C'est la vie.
>
>That's a heck of a lot of toys! Congrats. The mere mention of "desktop" computer gives me the chills.
>As far as the boomers goes, I occasionally see surveys on youtube.com asking for my age. You respond by giving your age group. I'm in the last group - the 40+ group. Once you reach the age of 40, they're no longer interested in finding out anything further about you. That's the breaks.


Someone has to keep China working.

The desktop is here for infrequent CDs/DVDs and photography work on
the two large monitors. I could attach a laptop to all that and add in
an ergo keyboard and mouse I like, but the desktop makes it all
neater, actually.

The huge monitors used to be for working with massive spreadsheets and
data arrays and report graphics. I do not miss that work, but still
enjoy having a big fat weather or earthquake map on one screen and
maybe a tiny pandemic spreadsheet or graphic on the other.....old
habits die hard.

I am happy dealing with touchscreens and pads, too, but not for the
photography.

Most of my clients back in the day would put upper limits on their
product testing or opinion/positioning gathering. It was rare that any
of them cared about ages above 60 except for products specifically
targeted to older folks such as meds or certain cosmetics.

Michael Trew wrote:
> You might be surprised to learn that I'm 26 years old. And old soul, I
> guess they say. I started using cash only a few years ago when I lost
> my job and started hauling scrap metal, buying/selling furniture,
> antiques, flea markets, shows, etc. All of these worked in all-cash
> only. As I've watched a digital push, and have heard of places that
> won't take cash (I've only experienced one personally), I've dug in and
> dumped my debit card.
>
> I suppose that regardless of my age, your point stands that people like
> me are in the minority. I'll probably be one of the few holdouts in
> 40-50 years with a gasoline powered car, refusing digital currency, etc.

You're only 26? I suspect you are the youngest poster here by far.
And you've already turned into an old stubborn fart.
Good for you! lol

On 4/16/2021 8:28 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 13:49:10 -0700 (PDT),
> wrote:
>
>> On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 9:32:49 AM UTC-5, Gary wrote:
>>>
>>> On 4/16/2021 10:25 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 08:21:34 -0400, Gary wrote:
>>>>
>>> Landline phone $45 PLUS $25 internet dialup access.
>>> The internet access ended 5 months ago.
>>> Free neighborhood wifi for now but it's not "secure."
>>>
>> I didn't know any companies still offered dial-up access.
>> But with the $45 per month wired phone, don't you also
>> get long distance included in that price?
>
> If anybody is still charging for long distance, they need to be
> dumped. All companies are offering the same VoIP which includes
> unlimited local and long distance for $10/mo or less(*). The only
> thing that might be extra is any NEW copper phone lines which are
> already hooked up in Gary's place.
>
> He's been getting ripped off for an extra $35/mo x 15+ years. It
> costs less to transmit 30 minutes of long distance phone
> conversation than it does to stream your local 6:PM newscast over
> your Internet connection (and both of those costs are $0). They use
> the same conduits, except for Gary's copper phone lines the first
> 600 yards - which is already installed and working. Then it just
> connects to the same SS7 networks as any other cell phone, VoIP, or
> landline and whoosh! - off it goes at the same $0 price. The $10
> pays for infrastructure only, and Gary's physical infrastructure is
> literally 50-60 years old. That $80 worth of copper lines have more
> than paid off in that time, and have made for $billions of profits.
> You should at most only be paying $2 just for the "privilege" of
> just billing you for that $2 and the maintenance of the copper
> infrastructure.
>
> But seeing as how it's hurricane territory, $3 would be fair enough.
>
> -sw

Thanks Steve (and all others) for your input. I'll figure out what is
best soonly.

dsi1 wrote:

> On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:29:52 AM UTC-10, Boron Elgar wrote:
> > On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:34:32 -0700 (PDT), dsi1
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:17:44 PM UTC-10, Dr. Bruce wrote:
> > >> dsi1 wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew
> > wrote: >> > > On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> > >> > > > My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone
> > that's >> > > > capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e.,
> > has NFC >> > > > capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless
> > payments on >> > > > cell phones are the future of purchasing
> > stuff. >> > > No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart
> > phone. If they >> > > don't take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't
> > pay me enough to >> > > trust these smart phones and related
> > companies like Google to have >> > > access to my financial info.
> > >> >
> > >> > These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do
> > as far >> > as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the
> > younger >> > generation that will lead the way to the world of
> > tomorrow. We're >> > pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys
> > are concerned. That's >> > the breaks.
> > >> 60+ people are very important to marketing people. They're a
> > huge group >> and they have a lot of spending money.
> > >> --
> > >> The real Dr. Bruce posts with uni-berlin.de - individual.net
> > >
> > > I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks
> > > are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
> > > insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is
> > > that majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You
> > > are correct that they are a huge group.
> > You are, pretty much corrects. Oh, there are a few categories to
> > add for which geezers are targeted, but unless things have changed
> > radically in the last 2 years, marketing is focused on the young.
> >
> > Take cell phones for an example- there has been a string of posts
> > right here with what seems to be a contest to claim bragging rights
> > for the most bare bones capabilities and costs of phones and plans,
> > and there are companies (Consumer Cellular comes to mind among
> > them) that pitch to oldsters primarily emphasizing their phones and
> > plan simplicity, but the heavy duty advertising one sees is from
> > Apple and Samsung and the major cell providers. Looking at the
> > people one sees in these latter TV ads, which are plentiful, it is
> > the young, emphasizing photos and all the banking and financial
> > services you mention, as well as families emphasizing streaming.
> >
> > Damn near everything is managed on the phone - social media, info
> > and news, shopping, mortgages, investments, entertainment and
> > gaming. Tablets are tolerated, as are laptops, at times, and
> > desktops are twenty-three skidoo.
> >
> > My carbon footprint in one area is hideous. I happen to be an
> > electronics junkie. If it beeps, lights up or takes batteries, I
> > like it. I am stilting at a desk with a senior set up of desktop
> > and two large monitors. There is a similar view on my husband's
> > desk on the other side of the study.
> >
> > I've a iPad, a Surface, a couple of HP laptops, a Samsung tablet to
> > plot on the kitchen counter for recipes, an iPhone, an Apple watch.
> > keep the industry afloat all by myself, probably. This gadgets list
> > gets changed out and I pass along the previous generations to
> > friends and family members.
> >
> > I have my own version of the sale of indulgences and as penance for
> > the electronic gluttony, I am very careful about touchie-feelie
> > conservation in other areas. C'est la vie.
>
> That's a heck of a lot of toys! Congrats. The mere mention of
> "desktop" computer gives me the chills. As far as the boomers
> goes, I occasionally see surveys on youtube.com asking for my age.
> You respond by giving your age group. I'm in the last group - the 40+
> group. Once you reach the age of 40, they're no longer interested in
> finding out anything further about you. That's the breaks.

Grin, you are gonna hate on me but in addition to the Govt Laptop with
my own docking station and 3 monitors, key board/mouse I have my
regular home LAN.

1 WIN10 desktop with 2 monitors, keyboard/mouse. 2 XP Desktops with 2
monitors/keyboards/mice (1 each). 1 Tablet (chrome) and 1
laptop(win10). 2 printers (one on govt laptop, other on LAN), 1
printer in storage, 1 monitor in storage. 4 desktop cores which I may
renovate. One of the XP machines is set to dual boot with SuSe.
Smartphone but not a super fancy one. Oh, and 3 other tablets one of
which hooks to an external DVD player for Don.

They don't call me a geek for nothing!

If wondering, as a hobby I rebuild desktops for the blind and gift them
away. Passed 1 Win10 last Monday to a fellow who's wife recently lost
her vision, added a monitor/keyboard/mouse/Bose speakers and headset
with a separate camera/mirophone. Monitor was so he can use it too. I
used to do about 2-3 a year using mostly free stuff off Freecycle.
Folks know about me locally so offer up free stuff.

Carol

On 4/18/2021 2:18 PM, cshenk wrote:
> They don't call me a geek for nothing!
>
They call you much worse than that around here.
--
The real Bruce is an Aussie ****wit

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 4:14:40 AM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 4/17/2021 1:02 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
> >> On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> >>> My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone that's capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e., has NFC capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless payments on cell phones are the future of purchasing stuff.
> >> No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart phone. If they don't
> >> take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't pay me enough to trust these
> >> smart phones and related companies like Google to have access to my
> >> financial info.
> >
> > These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do as far as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the younger generation that will lead the way to the world of tomorrow. We're pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys are concerned. That's the breaks.
> > All I know is that NFC capability will become an increasingly important feature in phones very shortly. "NFC" by the way, does not mean "Nobody ****ing Cares."
> >
> > https://www.engadget.com/sf-bay-area...125028599.html
> >
> You might be surprised to learn that I'm 26 years old. And old soul, I
> guess they say. I started using cash only a few years ago when I lost
> my job and started hauling scrap metal, buying/selling furniture,
> antiques, flea markets, shows, etc. All of these worked in all-cash
> only. As I've watched a digital push, and have heard of places that
> won't take cash (I've only experienced one personally), I've dug in and
> dumped my debit card.
>
> I suppose that regardless of my age, your point stands that people like
> me are in the minority. I'll probably be one of the few holdouts in
> 40-50 years with a gasoline powered car, refusing digital currency, etc.

Indeed I am surprised at your age and you are a minority. OTOH, that's the way people that only deal with cash are. I can see how cash gives you a great sense of freedom, but maybe also some paranoia. Cash is like old-school cryptocurrency in this day and age i.e., it's not easily tracked.

On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 4:23:08 PM UTC-10, Boron Elgar wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Apr 2021 18:48:00 -0700 (PDT), dsi1
> > wrote:
>
> >On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:29:52 AM UTC-10, Boron Elgar wrote:
>
> >> I've a iPad, a Surface, a couple of HP laptops, a Samsung tablet to
> >> plot on the kitchen counter for recipes, an iPhone, an Apple watch.
> >> keep the industry afloat all by myself, probably. This gadgets list
> >> gets changed out and I pass along the previous generations to friends
> >> and family members.
> >>
> >> I have my own version of the sale of indulgences and as penance for
> >> the electronic gluttony, I am very careful about touchie-feelie
> >> conservation in other areas. C'est la vie.
> >
> >That's a heck of a lot of toys! Congrats. The mere mention of "desktop" computer gives me the chills.
> >As far as the boomers goes, I occasionally see surveys on youtube.com asking for my age. You respond by giving your age group. I'm in the last group - the 40+ group. Once you reach the age of 40, they're no longer interested in finding out anything further about you. That's the breaks.
> Someone has to keep China working.
>
> The desktop is here for infrequent CDs/DVDs and photography work on
> the two large monitors. I could attach a laptop to all that and add in
> an ergo keyboard and mouse I like, but the desktop makes it all
> neater, actually.
>
> The huge monitors used to be for working with massive spreadsheets and
> data arrays and report graphics. I do not miss that work, but still
> enjoy having a big fat weather or earthquake map on one screen and
> maybe a tiny pandemic spreadsheet or graphic on the other.....old
> habits die hard.
>
> I am happy dealing with touchscreens and pads, too, but not for the
> photography.
>
> Most of my clients back in the day would put upper limits on their
> product testing or opinion/positioning gathering. It was rare that any
> of them cared about ages above 60 except for products specifically
> targeted to older folks such as meds or certain cosmetics.

Desktop computers are good at editing graphics and photos. These days, I have to rely on auto light correcting programs for photos. They work surprising well. I used to edit graphic by cutting up paper or photo negatives and pasting them on to layout sheets. I'm glad those days are behind me.

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 8:19:01 AM UTC-10, cshenk wrote:
> dsi1 wrote:
>
> > On Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3:29:52 AM UTC-10, Boron Elgar wrote:
> > > On Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:34:32 -0700 (PDT), dsi1
> > > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:17:44 PM UTC-10, Dr. Bruce wrote:
> > > >> dsi1 wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> > On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 5:06:41 PM UTC-10, Michael Trew
> > > wrote: >> > > On 4/16/2021 1:47 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> > > >> > > > My phone works fine but I'm thinking that I need a phone
> > > that's >> > > > capable of point-of-sale contactless payments i.e.,
> > > has NFC >> > > > capabilities. It's pretty obvious that contactless
> > > payments on >> > > > cell phones are the future of purchasing
> > > stuff. >> > > No thanks. I only carry cash. No cards or smart
> > > phone. If they >> > > don't take cash, I'm not buying. You couldn't
> > > pay me enough to >> > > trust these smart phones and related
> > > companies like Google to have >> > > access to my financial info.
> > > >> >
> > > >> > These days, it's not real important what you or I think or do
> > > as far >> > as influencing trends or shaping the future. It's the
> > > younger >> > generation that will lead the way to the world of
> > > tomorrow. We're >> > pretty irrelevant as far as the marketing guys
> > > are concerned. That's >> > the breaks.
> > > >> 60+ people are very important to marketing people. They're a
> > > huge group >> and they have a lot of spending money.
> > > >> --
> > > >> The real Dr. Bruce posts with uni-berlin.de - individual.net
> > > >
> > > > I'd say that the exact opposite is true. Advertising to old folks
> > > > are mostly for adult diapers, heart medicine, supplemental health
> > > > insurance, funeral insurance, yadda, yadda, yadda. My guess is
> > > > that majority of seniors don't have a lot of money to burn. You
> > > > are correct that they are a huge group.
> > > You are, pretty much corrects. Oh, there are a few categories to
> > > add for which geezers are targeted, but unless things have changed
> > > radically in the last 2 years, marketing is focused on the young.
> > >
> > > Take cell phones for an example- there has been a string of posts
> > > right here with what seems to be a contest to claim bragging rights
> > > for the most bare bones capabilities and costs of phones and plans,
> > > and there are companies (Consumer Cellular comes to mind among
> > > them) that pitch to oldsters primarily emphasizing their phones and
> > > plan simplicity, but the heavy duty advertising one sees is from
> > > Apple and Samsung and the major cell providers. Looking at the
> > > people one sees in these latter TV ads, which are plentiful, it is
> > > the young, emphasizing photos and all the banking and financial
> > > services you mention, as well as families emphasizing streaming.
> > >
> > > Damn near everything is managed on the phone - social media, info
> > > and news, shopping, mortgages, investments, entertainment and
> > > gaming. Tablets are tolerated, as are laptops, at times, and
> > > desktops are twenty-three skidoo.
> > >
> > > My carbon footprint in one area is hideous. I happen to be an
> > > electronics junkie. If it beeps, lights up or takes batteries, I
> > > like it. I am stilting at a desk with a senior set up of desktop
> > > and two large monitors. There is a similar view on my husband's
> > > desk on the other side of the study.
> > >
> > > I've a iPad, a Surface, a couple of HP laptops, a Samsung tablet to
> > > plot on the kitchen counter for recipes, an iPhone, an Apple watch.
> > > keep the industry afloat all by myself, probably. This gadgets list
> > > gets changed out and I pass along the previous generations to
> > > friends and family members.
> > >
> > > I have my own version of the sale of indulgences and as penance for
> > > the electronic gluttony, I am very careful about touchie-feelie
> > > conservation in other areas. C'est la vie.
> >
> > That's a heck of a lot of toys! Congrats. The mere mention of
> > "desktop" computer gives me the chills. As far as the boomers
> > goes, I occasionally see surveys on youtube.com asking for my age.
> > You respond by giving your age group. I'm in the last group - the 40+
> > group. Once you reach the age of 40, they're no longer interested in
> > finding out anything further about you. That's the breaks.
> Grin, you are gonna hate on me but in addition to the Govt Laptop with
> my own docking station and 3 monitors, key board/mouse I have my
> regular home LAN.
>
> 1 WIN10 desktop with 2 monitors, keyboard/mouse. 2 XP Desktops with 2
> monitors/keyboards/mice (1 each). 1 Tablet (chrome) and 1
> laptop(win10). 2 printers (one on govt laptop, other on LAN), 1
> printer in storage, 1 monitor in storage. 4 desktop cores which I may
> renovate. One of the XP machines is set to dual boot with SuSe.
> Smartphone but not a super fancy one. Oh, and 3 other tablets one of
> which hooks to an external DVD player for Don.
>
> They don't call me a geek for nothing!
>
> If wondering, as a hobby I rebuild desktops for the blind and gift them
> away. Passed 1 Win10 last Monday to a fellow who's wife recently lost
> her vision, added a monitor/keyboard/mouse/Bose speakers and headset
> with a separate camera/mirophone. Monitor was so he can use it too. I
> used to do about 2-3 a year using mostly free stuff off Freecycle.
> Folks know about me locally so offer up free stuff.
>
> Carol

That's brilliant - good job!

Gary wrote:

> Michael Trew wrote:
> > You might be surprised to learn that I'm 26 years old. And old
> > soul, I guess they say. I started using cash only a few years ago
> > when I lost my job and started hauling scrap metal, buying/selling
> > furniture, antiques, flea markets, shows, etc. All of these worked
> > in all-cash only. As I've watched a digital push, and have heard
> > of places that won't take cash (I've only experienced one
> > personally), I've dug in and dumped my debit card.
> >
> > I suppose that regardless of my age, your point stands that people
> > like me are in the minority. I'll probably be one of the few
> > holdouts in 40-50 years with a gasoline powered car, refusing
> > digital currency, etc.
>
> You're only 26? I suspect you are the youngest poster here by far.
> And you've already turned into an old stubborn fart.
> Good for you! lol

He could meet his grandparents here.

--
The real Dr. Bruce posts with uni-berlin.de - individual.net

dsi1 wrote:

> On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 8:19:01 AM UTC-10, cshenk wrote:
> > dsi1 wrote:
> > If wondering, as a hobby I rebuild desktops for the blind and gift
> > them away. Passed 1 Win10 last Monday to a fellow who's wife
> > recently lost her vision, added a monitor/keyboard/mouse/Bose
> > speakers and headset with a separate camera/mirophone. Monitor was
> > so he can use it too. I used to do about 2-3 a year using mostly
> > free stuff off Freecycle. Folks know about me locally so offer up
> > free stuff.
> >
> > Carol
>
> That's brilliant - good job!

Thanks! A lot of them went out with *NIX operating systems and a good
gui setup because you could use a lower end machine and still get good
results with screen reader software.