Too much digital?

RumRat

Tallaght wrote: »

I get bombarded with ads with Gmail.

I don't get any?? What are you doing wrong....;)

arciere

1) That's right unfortunately. I am not too concerned about this to be honest, they don't want to know what my shopping habits are because they are interested in me, they want to know what I buy because I could be a potential buyer for something similar. That's ok with me, as long as they don't become too pushy. If I want more privacy, I can use browsers in incognito mode, I can set up a new email address with no real details, etc...
2) The good thing here is that modern screens are much different than the screens we had 10-15 years ago. Anyone remembers those screen 'filters' that you had to put in front of a CRT monitor? I'm not really sure they offered any kind of protection, but they did make the picture display awful.

In regards to ad-blockers, I don't consider ads something that should not be on the internet. We watch TV and there are plenty of commercials there, because broadcasters need to make money. If we don't like a certain website, we can avoid visiting it, but we can't pretend to have free access to it at all costs.

System

Skyw4lker wrote: »

I got a thought... maybe a discussion to be had...

I work in IT and I have done for over 10 years but in this day and age I somewhat feel overwhelmed at times due to 2 reasons.

1.) Big brother / data privacy and how everything is captured for marketing purposes. Got nothing to hide but I feel like the internet is not what it once was (which is a shame).

It has been that way for most of the last 25 years since someone came up with the idea of cookies.

System

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

And I years for the days when I could spend an afternoon loading winsock and memmaker and it would work at the end. I'm on my third day of trying to fix Windows 10 DNS problem. How in 2018 can MS issue an OS that can't play nicely with the rest of the internet ...

Actually Windows 10 isn't an OS, it's Windows NT 3.5 with some 'apps' masquerading as a user interface.

If you believe Windows 10 is merely NT3.5 with some apps masquerading as an interface and you're taking 3 days to fix a DNS issue then maybe IT is something you shouldn't be involved in other than being a user because quite clearly you don't know much and you don't know what you're doing.


Actually scrub that, you should be doing it more because I've made a tidy penny or two sorting out the mess people like you end up in.

AndyPix

arciere wrote: »

I can use browsers in incognito mode,.

Snigger :rotfl:

arciere wrote: »

In regards to ad-blockers, I don't consider ads something that should not be on the internet. We watch TV and there are plenty of commercials there, because broadcasters need to make money. If we don't like a certain website, we can avoid visiting it, but we can't pretend to have free access to it at all costs.

There are different type of adds though arent there ?


There are the small , in-line, unobtrusive ones - banner adds if you will.
I have no objection to those ..


Then there are the full screen , pop up/under , flashing , lying , hijacking, pornographic, spyware installing ones ..


I have a real problem with those - and until they stop being accepted on websites wanting to make revenue then all ads will be blocked on my systems

arciere

AndyPix wrote: »

Snigger :rotfl:




There are different type of adds though arent there ?


There are the small , in-line, unobtrusive ones - banner adds if you will.
I have no objection to those ..


Then there are the full screen , pop up/under , flashing , lying , hijacking, pornographic, spyware installing ones ..


I have a real problem with those - and until they stop being accepted on websites wanting to make revenue then all ads will be blocked on my systems

Of course, as there are different types of TV commercials. If you don't like a website because it has too many/inappropriate ads, why do you keep visiting it? Internet is huge.

AndyPix

arciere wrote: »

Of course, as there are different types of TV commercials. If you don't like a website because it has too many/inappropriate ads, why do you keep visiting it? Internet is huge.

You missed that part of my post that said all ads are blocked on my systems

arciere

AndyPix wrote: »

You missed that part of my post that said all ads are blocked on my systems

No I didn't miss that, it's only that I don't understand the "websites wanting to make revenue": is that a crime now?
I don't have a website, but I think it does take some efforts to maintain it...

AndyPix

You know as well as i do that it's not a crime .


And if these websites only allowed reasonable, unintrusive ads then they wouldnt be blocked and they would make more revenue ..


If a site allows 3rd party full screen flashing popups to take over my screen, or javascript full adverts which make the page load time in minutes rather than seconds - or they allow adverts which tell me my computer is "infected with pornographic spyware" and i must call a "toll free number" - and then they make this popup impossible to close unless you really know what you are doing then yes, they will be blocked and will raise less revenue.


It's pretty simple really - there are some bad actors ruining it for everyone

Stoke

that wrote: »

Yes, all of us in the office have. Once it becomes your job, as time goes by (40 years in IT), it seems to leech out the enthusiasm from your soul. Suppose it it not being able to do your own thing, at your own pace and play any more - Mc Job, just keep flipping those burgers.

For the last 10+ years I no longer watch TV either, and do not have one. Stopped coding too.

I'm a senior software engineer. The only reason I mention the senior is because it gives a rough idea for the length of period I've worked in the industry.

Growing up, there were three things I wanted to be.... a footballer, a rock guitarist and last of all a software engineer. I really enjoyed writing simple software as a kid and more complicated stuff as I got older. Generally speaking, I just enjoyed experimenting with computers and hacking.

My enthusiasm lasted right up until after I got my degree and subsequently took up work as a full time engineer. Nowadays, i'm not really interested. It's just a job. I've done well in software engineering and i've been rewarded reasonably well for it, but to say it is anything more than a method of earning money would be a lie. I have absolutely no interest in it anymore. I don't learn new technologies unless I have too and I have little motivation to actually work in it.

I still love playing football and I still love playing guitar.

I never use my PC at home anymore. Just not interested. It sometimes goes months before being switched on. I don't really watch much TV either. A little bit in the evening, usually while in bed, but I rarely go out of my way to watch it. There are better things going on in life