By John Toth
The Bulletin
I am a boomer geek who prides himself on solving tech problems of all kinds. But every now and then, the old-fashioned way is better when it comes to computers.
A big limb from my Arizona Ash tree in the backyard succumbed to some heavy winds during one of those regularly scheduled mega storms we’ve been having. It landed on the power transformer atop the utility pole at the back of my yard and knocked out power to all the houses on my side of the street.
It was a wonderful way to wake up on a Sunday morning (I’m being sarcastic), but what the heck, we’re used to all this by now. It was just another crazy thunderstorm, here to knock down new fences built after earlier crazy thunderstorms and a hurricane knocked down the old fences.
I called Texas-New Mexico Power Co. to report the outage and then decided to get some breakfast from McDonalds, since there was no telling when power would return - maybe a couple of hours, maybe a couple of days.
Of course, there was a line, with only one person behind the counter. A nice clerk suggested that I use the big screen to place my order, since I was paying by credit card.
That would save some time, it seemed, and I was hungry, so that’s what I did.
I use the ordering screen at Costco all the time. I didn’t think this was going to be a big deal, and the line wasn’t getting any shorter.
I have built computers and have been my own tech for all The Bulletin’s gadgets that make our weekly publication possible, but I have to be honest - this order screen got me.
I could not get it to order anything the way I wanted.
“I want a sausage egg biscuit meal with decaf,” I told the clerk standing next to me. “Where is that on the screen?”
“I think you have to order it separately,” she said.
She was flipping between items faster than I could blink.
We erased orders, then we started all over again as we tried to figure out how to put together breakfast for three people.
It was frustrating, especially since the line at the counter had disappeared by now, and the worker taking orders was freed up. But we were too far into it on the screen, so we continued.
It would have been a better choice to stay in the order line rather than mess with this oversized screen. Finally, I got through with the help of the associate, and it was time to pay. Just as I pushed in my credit card, the customer in front of me in the line - before I broke from it to use this modern ordering screen - picked up his order.
Sometimes it’s better just to do it the old-fashioned way.
Like when I’m trying to do some banking on my computer, which I have been doing for years without any problems, and this artificial intelligence (AI)thing pops up on my screen, wanting to help.
I didn’t need any help, but it covered up the part of the screen I needed to finish what I was doing.
These little AI helpers are now popping up all the time. Listen, I was able to do all this stuff before you guys were invented and became popular. Go away.
It persisted.
“Ask me a question,”
I don’t want to. I just want to take care of business and sign off.
“I’m here to help.”
Thanks, but leave me alone. I just need to finish a transaction before another tree limb knocks out that very unlucky transformer in my backyard again.
“Let’s talk.”
I don’t have anything to talk about. There is no way to get rid of you, is there?
“Ask me a question.”
Why does it take so much longer to order breakfast on a screen than just wait in line and place an order with a real person?
Silence. I thought so.
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