Associate Luddite Card

 

I am about to apply for my Associate Luddite Card. No, I'm not as bad as the cartoon protest.

There was a time in the 1990s when my company changed to a modern system from its old green and yellow screen. I was there to help, having my own modern (for the day) computer.

And don't try and take my laptop away. I'm on it several hours each day. I happily use many programs and will always consider things like word processing, Excel, power point something close to a miracle.

The internet is wonderful.

What is making me nuts is forms on the internet that I suspect are created to drive me to insanity.

Also, I admit I'm lazy. I used to love when planning a trip to call my travel agent, tell where I wanted to go and where. She would check, give me alternatives and prices. I'd say "book it." A few minutes of my time and I could get on with my life.

My husband, bless him, does it by internet. Sometimes he can spend an entire morning and I will admit by not taking the travel sites at face value saves us a lot of money, although the travel agent used to have many price alternatives. There can be problems with codes, forms that aren't suited for a foreign address, things that have been entered more than once. He says he enjoys it. Normally, he is not a masochist.

Five minutes vs. a lot of time stolen from my life...? Hmmm...unfortunately travel agents are rare these days. Off hand, I can't think of a place I want to go badly enough to put myself through the hassle. Good thing I've done a lot of traveling in my life.

I tried to buy my husband's birthday gift. I found exactly the right gift. I filled out the form including the credit card and pressed ok. A message "we don't ship to Switzerland." I tried a second time and they wouldn't let me in. I had planned to change the mailing address. Fortunately I had my daughter order it and I'll pick it up in Boston when I see her next month a little after his birthday.

I originally loved e-banking for my credit union, until the changed my password and it was hassle to replace it because I hadn't listed a phone number. They have added several "security" steps making it more secure --FROM ME.

Phone numbers seem to be a requirement these days, preferably a mobile. I want to limit my phone number to a few select people. I DO NOT WANT PHONE CALLS except from a few exceptional friends. Every time my mobile rings, usually for marketing reasons, I want to smash it into a million pieces. I'm not usually violent, but phones are interruption to what I'm doing. I don't even want to mention the number of sites that are not set up for a non-US number.

E-banking in Switzerland used to be a nightmare of numbers and a special card reader. Now they've reduced it but codes do not come in before the time to enter them has expired. There have times the codes did not arrive until next day.

I've read articles where they want to make it even safer. I suspect the banks will ask for your blood type or a sample of your DNA to make sure you are you.

I've come to the conclusion that there's nothing I want enough to go through it. Life is too short.