AI and the stupidness of it.

Bolstered by the non-success of my new laptop, I’ve now proceeded to purchase a phone, or is it a camera or a paperweight? The new laptop is up and running, and I’m typing on it now. That seems fine. Of course I can’t switch it on or get to any programmes or do anything useful with it, until I’ve sat through at least 30 seconds of crap that I have no interest in at all – the speakers are permanently muted.

I got the teenager in the shop to set up the phone for me while I went and looked at toothpaste, it seemed the more interesting option. Once home I added a couple of contacts, spent half an hour exploring it. I still haven’t managed to find out where I look to see how much credit I have. Nor could I find how to connect it to the home Wi-Fi. Luckily the window above the desk was closed or it may be now be either wedged in the apple tree or at the bottom of the pond. However, someone who has much more patience than me offered to help switch the camera on, while I went and developed a roll of Tri-X. As I completed that, they just got the camera on, after watching two you tube videos, and allowing the CAMERA permission to take control of telephone calls! Yes, you read correctly! Why? How?

As I have written before, I’ve spent the last three or four years without a mobile phone. It’s not that I’m against technology, far from it, I’m against being controlled and spied on by it! If I buy it and pay for it, I want it to do what I want it to do. If Google, Meta and Microsoft wish to control it then they can pay for it! Would we accept buying a car from Ford, going out in the morning, switching on the ignition and then have no choice but to sit and listen to 30 seconds of adverts, because Ford have “partnered” with Exxon? Would you then sign up and pay a monthly subscription to avoid that? Lets hope nothing is coming towards you at speed while you sit there!

Back to the title – the camera is an AI camera apparently, that’s what’s printed on it. It’s 13mp, and seems to make average images at best – so far. Yes there are multiple filters to change the average results, the phrase “polishing a turd” springs to mind. I don’t need another camera this week, and frankly I don’t see myself using either the camera or the phone much. I’ll keep it for when I breakdown and need to phone the AA. That will either be the car breakdown service, or the other AA if I spend too much longer with technology!

I hate to admit it, but I think I have just got too old to be bothered to put up with all the nonsense! What I need is a computer that computes. A phone that makes phone calls, and dare I say it – a camera that makes images. All three I just want to be able to switch on and use! I do not need the phone to cook dinner for me, make a shopping list, communicate with google to produce a weekly , monthly and yearly shopping list. Nor do I need my camera to take control of the phone calls. My sister in law had a request from Amazon the other day asking for feedback on the broccoli she purchased two years ago!! Madness! Total madness!

I’m not worried that Ai will take over the world in some sort of Terminator fashion, I am worried that it will drive us all completely insane with utter rubbish! Meanwhile the photocopier/printer at work still can’t work out if a document is landscape or portrait by it ‘self!

I am quite serious when I say for my mental health and blood pressure I am seriously considering selling everything digital off, and buying an 8×10 and three trays, and a wind up radio. Now – I’m off for a glass of red! (Purchased with stuff called cash, in a place called a shop) – normal service resuming in the next post where I’ll share some images made with Tri-X!