Subtitle: Ma Bell’s Bells and Whistles
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For the benefit of WordPress readers, who may not be American History buffs and, as such, are unfamiliar with what Ma Bell stands for, it all hearkens back to
“The common nickname for the Bell Telephone Company when it was the monopoly communications provider in the U.S.; a slang term referring to AT&T Corp., which provided the original telephone service in the United States, and thus was considered the ‘mother’ of the telecom industry.”
Non-Credited Google Search Goddess or God
Moving along to “her” Bells and Whistles…
Not long ago, I discovered a small, mysterious package on my front porch. Since Sunday deliveries are rare, this had likely been “camping out” there overnight.
With that WHEN issue readily resolved, the more ominous aspects became WHO delivered it and WHY something so valuable and visible (to both motorized and on foot passersby) would not get readily ripped off? Also, in an era WHERE OrangeMan has rudely awakened his rude, psychotic, domestic terrorist sleeper cells, I realized HOW a call to my local police department might not be a bad idea. Just to be on the safe side…
- Perhaps one of their canines with a nose for nitro could give it a sniff?
- Or, in lieu of that, the bomb squad could do a bucket of H2O “baptism”?
Anyway, my more rational head prevailed and remained, intact, on my shoulders, too; i.e., when, no Kaboom resulted from my DIY, more conventional box opening tactics. Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean there’d be no explosions; after all, aggravation can cause one’s head to go BOOM, too, as it were. I’ll get into the brain strain particulars in a moment.
So, there I was, staring down a brand spankin’ new flip phone; one which I had never even ordered. Well, at least, my service provider’s accompanying cover letter dispelled any lingering notions that this might be some sorta diabolically designed IED.
Their “love letter” continued, (my word choice, not theirs): As you’ve heard by now (no I hadn’t) we’ll be sun-setting (how lyrical) our 3G network by next spring (Ahh, when love in the air hits the cell towers?). To ward off service interruptus, we’re providing you the latest 4G model; at no cost to you.
And so, I lived happily ever after? NOPE!
Service Intrerruptus? YOU BETCHA!
Check out this Litany of Laments:
- Quick Start-up Guide sans open phone/install battery instructions
- While online manual did resolve the prob, it soon led to a new one
- Annoying Google Assistant’s (GA) spoken words oft unintelligible
- Worse yet, “she” loved telling the time every minute on the minute
- Yelled all incoming/outgoing phone numbers for the world to hear
- Online tech manual’s TOC could not direct me to mute GA tutorial
- Tech Support call led to agent who, help-wise, couldn’t phone it in
- Techie’s www was down, so she could not research the prob, either
- She recommended a visit to their brick and mortar retailer for help
- Not wanting to go public during a pandemic, I re-boxed this device
- Meanwhile, I wrote 2 monthly checks for a phone I could not stand
- Eventually, I violated my tuff pandemic rules to visit the local store
- The savvy techie needed barely two scant minutes to silence the GA
Naturally, I do recognize how folks, with vision issues, would find the Google Assistant a Godsend. Even so, I’m certain that they’d find being told the time 60 times per hour annoying, too!
Now… long sigh… not being one to complain sans dispensing any constructive criticism, at all…
Would not everybody’s lives be much easier if smart and stupid phone designers* would OPT-IN to making each fresh out of the box phone, just that, a basic phone?
Devices where the user would then need to OPT-IN to, NOT OPT-OUT of the damned bells and whistles.
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* Double entendre discovered and italicized while proof-reading.
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Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!
-30-
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CommonSenseTom 