Month: August 2024

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Here’s one of those weird things I notice occasionally

As I’ve mentioned, this whole driver’s license and ID thing in your phone fascinates me.

In August it was announced the California would “Soon” be joining the ranks of digital ID capable states. 

What didn’t get a whole lot of play was that Ohio brought the functionality online a few weeks earlier. 3-4 days ago Hawaii enabled the functionality with little fanfare at all.

So as of this writing, there are six states whose ID’s can be stored and presented via Apple Wallet.

Looking at the digital representations of the IDs is kind of neat.

It might be that the digital licenses are better looking than the documents they’re intended to represent.

I stumbled across Hawaii being in the list, completely by accident and then wondered how that happened.

There have been no IOS updates over the past few days, so the addition of any of these IDs appears to be independent of the base OS.

This leads me to think there’s some kind of switch that can be turned on without a full update. Which begs the question, just how connected is my phone to Apple?

They talk about privacy and security but if something like this can be enabled transparently I wonder what else can be enabled… Or disabled behind the scenes without the phone or OS mentioning that there’d been a change.

This also suggests that California’s addition to the participating states could be done independently of an IOS update too.

Previously, I thought that states were added to the “Allowed” list via “Point” updates to the IOS and they’d require the user to allow the download and installation of an IOS update.

Yet clearly that is not the case.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

I suppose in reality nothing has changed. Apple still has control over the device just as they always have, the difference now is that I’m perhaps a bit more aware of their technological leash.

There’s another thing that I found interesting.

With the exception of Ohio. Every single one of these states, has something in common. They’re all deep Blue States politically.

Even Arizona, though I know there are people who’d vehemently disagree, is a Blue State these days.

California, a deep Blue State will soon be added to the list.

I don’t think it’s anything other than an oddity, a coincidence if you will. But it makes me wonder.

According to Apple and several news articles I’ve been able to dig up, there are other states looking into allowing digital ID’s.

In 2022 Apple said there were six states that would soon allow digital licenses. These States were;

Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, & Utah.

To date none of these states have proceeded with the project. Kentucky for example says “Soon” but has been saying that since 2022. The other states either say in the future or are non committal about it.

With the exception of Connecticut, these states are all Red States.

So I’m wondering if the difference is a matter of political, or religious leaning. Might it be conservatives worried about the intrusiveness of technology on every aspect of our lives, or do these Red States know or suspect something I’m missing.

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Well, my Number is 2 out of 5

2 out of 5 Times for something to work is apparently enough to keep me trying.

There’s a Shell filling station nearby in Phelan.

3 out of 5 times their pay at the pumps systems aren’t working. It’s always the same shit. “We have to reset the pump” Well if you have to reset the pump then why don’t you do it once an hour since apparently this is an ongoing issue.

Nobody knows how hard I work to keep from being an angry bitter old man just like one of my grandfathers, or one neighbor who is literally pissed off more than he is not.

It’s an effort to not go down that road.

I’m a cynic, easily annoyed, easily cranky, and generally don’t like people en mass.

Put all of those things together and it’s a recipe for a supervillain.

Except in my case I don’t have super powers so I’d just be a frustrated un-supervillain. Probably more like Dr. Evil.

I’m really tired of thing after thing, system after system, & service after service failing because people aren’t doing their jobs. What’s even worse about it is that most of these so called “Jobs” don’t require a lot of brain power, they just require that the person does as instructed.

Today, this gas station thing pissed me off perhaps a bit more than usual because they’re sitting there explaining, “We just need to reset the pump. It’ll only take a few minutes. “

I could see their display was flashing red on several pumps. Obviously all of those pumps needed attention.

So why were these idiots saying “Bro” and joking around then chatting with the customers and each other instead of doing their job. OR how about taking the pumps completely offline so they’re non responsive?

That’s what frustrated the hell out of me, The damn thing looked and acted like it was working but then told me that it couldn’t read the card. After 3 tries where I entered the rewards information only to have the transaction declined and waiting a good 20 seconds for the pump to be ready to work again I was really annoyed. It was 100° & I had groceries in the car.

What these idiots were talking about resetting is the pump’s payment processing system. So that annoyed me too. The pump was literally half assed online and was just teasing me. This is the absolute worst kind of malfunction for me. Half working shit that appears to be fully operational.

It’s not just the gas pumps. It’s literally services at every point of my contact with the world today.

I’m astounded just how much has changed in such a short period of time. Just since 2019 everything seems to have gone nuts and nothing is as it was, or stable for that matter.

I wonder if the craziness is a response to the sudden changes. Everyone is struggling to adapt and as a result folks are short tempered and easily provoked.

I hope that things settle soon.

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Okay, I gotta ask. “Is It me? Why does it take 35 minutes to schedule a repair?”

30d3a08e 29b0 4c41 b8cc 7782df488013_1.87300e8b77a46036169a870b9ed84d75.So, not to get too detailed, because that would be boring and unnecessary. 

I’ve got a small problem with the RO unit under the sink. No leaking or anything it’s just the unit isn’t producing the proper volume of water.

No problem. I looked at the calendar, and noted that the routine service was only a couple of months off. So I called the service organization starting at 8:00 AM with the intention of scheduling the repair and the routine service at the same time.

It rang & rang but never in the menu prompts did they list hours. Well, maybe they’re busy… I called again at 8:30. Still no answer. 9:00 still no answer. 9:30 finally an answer. The person asked if I could hold. Of course I can. 8 minutes later she came back on the line.

I tell her I’m trying to schedule a repair and since it’s so close let’s do routine service at the same time. 

She spent the next 8 – 10 minutes telling me about a special discount for long time customers where they’d replace the water softener control head I have, with the next newer version that has wifi connectivity and is supposed to use less salt and less water for regeneration.

It’s only 6K to get this new improved system.

“Uh no thank you. I just want the repair and routine service.”

She says, “Please hold.”

Then she wants to know if I have the carbon unit. What? 

She explains further that the carbon unit has a second tank full of carbon as either a pre filter or post filter. I tell her I don’t have a carbon tank.

“Please hold.”

Then she comes back with a date late next week. Great thanks.

Then I’m transferred to the RO unit people. They tell me that they’ll come up 3 days earlier and, “Oh have you heard of our new improved RO unit that takes up less space under your sink. For a limited time this new system is only $1800 and it can be financed through Home Depot!”

“Uh no, I just want to have the unit I have repaired. I have no desire to spent $1800 on a house I’m trying to leave.”

“Well if you’re moving out of state we have dealerships all over the country and in some of Europe and Dubai. Where are you moving? “

“Home to the midwest where the water is filtered through sand and limestone and is pure and tasty without a filtration system. Thank you very much.”

“Okay, we can be there on Tuesday. The repair and yearly service will cost approximately 300.00”

“Great… I’ve got you in my calendar.”

I’m standing there after hanging up the phone and wondering to myself WTF? Why did it take 35 minutes to schedule a repair?

I was also wondering why the price for their new improved RO unit seemed really out of line. Nearly 2K, as it turns out is on the high side but a quick price check says some units are 4K. I’ll tell you what, for that kind of money the RO unit better be dispensing water that’s better than Ponce de León’s fountain of youth.

What the hell happened to placing the call and hearing “Yes Sir, the unit is not leaking is that correct? Great. We’ll be there on Tuesday if anything happens between now and then please call us back to have the repair expedited.”

This shouldn’t have been more than a 10 minute call, if that.

If this is the future…

I’m terrified to make an appointment for car service. I’ll be on the phone for a couple of hours while they try to upsell me a new vehicle when what I want is an oil change. Perhaps if the ashtrays were full I’d consider a new vehicle.

That latter reference will sail right over the younger set.

It used to be kind of an insult. It was a way to point out someone’s frivolous spending. There was a time when some people bought new cars every year.

Th 594139445.It was considered bad form and a waste of money. So if someone said, “Look, Andy has a new car. He must’ve filled up the ashtrays in the old car.” They meant it as an insult.

I’m becoming more convinced that the future is not the bright shiny cool life we were promised in The Jetsons.