Sorting through papers, I came across Joan Bundtzenâs letter, probably submitted to ADN last year. Like Joan, Iâve not only noticed that things are harder to do in the computer age but find most frustrating, confusing and sometimes even impossible. I too lived in simpler times, like when you hung laundry to dry on outside clotheslines, watched TV for free, could call an airline and get round-trip tickets, instead of one-way, each with a different price, that didnât cost $15 extra because you did it by phone. Â
Now Iâm an âelderâ who is not adept at electronics like computers and cellphones. Frankly, I donât want to be. We are now punished for trying to get something done by paper or phone or in person, the way I grew up with. Weâre either charged extra fees for not doing things online or we have to scrounge around for something on paper, like the Permanent Fund dividend application, or find out you cannot do it at all. Â
Now thereâs impossible-to-understand âstreamingâ cable TV, which was forced upon us, or have no TV at all. Iâve asked GCI many times what, exactly, âstreamingâ is and never understood their answer. Now I think what it means is that my TV is now a computer and television reception comes through that somehow. Of course, it could stream through my laptop computer because I had to have one to have Yukon installed, but Iâm not sure. Woe to me if I didnât have a computer. Â
By the way, I donât Skype either, because I prefer the old-fashioned way of communicating by phone, mail, or in person. Itâs useless to even imagine that these large corporations and tech companies would offer easy-to-understand-and-use-services, especially for older people. As my beloved brother would say, âWelcome to America!â
â Augusta Reimer
Anchorage
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Gloss