UPDATES AND DOWNLOADS

May 24 , 2019 /

UPDATES AND DOWNLOADS

Do you get notices that either a piece of software or an application needs to be “updated” and “downloaded” to be sure that you have the latest and greatest?   It seems to me this has become part of a daily routine like brushing your teeth or taking a shower.  It cleans up the old and now you’re all new and refreshed.  Really!  Did I need to update my Word 16.16.2 to 16.25?  I don’t notice any improvement or difference. However, here’s my concern.Why do things go out of date so quickly?  Like the use by dates telling us the shelf life of some product.  I think I may carry a stamp that I can put on my forehead or less conspicuous place, “Best if used by…….”  Is there the same kind of conspiracy of an annual new car model in order to boost sales?  Oh yes, there are improvements, a concern for security and sometimes, on rare occasions, increased speed and efficiency. I am not persuaded that faster is always better.  In fact, I believe, and there’s evidence to support, that slowing down is healthier and more productive, especially when it comes to mental tasks.  I have suspected built in obsolescence since the advent of Apple.  My old MacBook G-4 from 2006, worked just fine.  So why did I succumb to a new 13″ Mac Book Pro and then recently, another one, an even later model?  Was it the Intel Iris Graphics 640 1536 MB?  Honestly, that means nothing to me.  I’m glad it works most of the time, doesn’t get viruses, delivers what I need in terms of communication, files and storage and the rest I leave to the techhies. Yes, it’s a great design and user-friendly EXCEPT it has no USB ports, just two thunderbolt 3 ports!  Ackkkkk!  Now I have to have a hub to plug in my camera and some other things.

I am tired of keeping up or trying to stay current with too many things, too many people, too many contacts.  It’s  too much so I am once again cutting back, cutting out and cutting down.  I may delete LinkedIn and instead LinkOut.   Hmm, LinkedOut could be a new web site.  There is an app called LinkedOut, some kind of travel site.   I never did sign up for Facebook so that’s a non-issue.  I am not a member of many online groups except a few professional ones.  Oh yes, there is a web site called LinkOut: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/linkout/  It’s about sharing information in some special areas of concern.

My conclusion is that I want to spend what time I have remaining in some activities other than dealing with updates and downloads. It’s a little like too much traffic that makes me wait while there’s a space for me to enter and continue.  I think I’ll just avoid the traffic.  Thank you very much.  I’m starting to sound like Jim Gaffigan and that has me a little worried.

Comments (2)

  1. I download most apps from the USA app store but there are a few from the Australia app store. So interesting to me how much is geo restricted. When there are updates to my Australia store app, I have to log out and log back in and do a backflip to get it to update. I have so few but usually the impact of the update is imperceptible to me. All I know is that the app stopped working. Also, like you, upgraded laptops because isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? I hear you on this!

    Alli

    1. Thanks for your comment. You are the most loyal of the commenters. That term geo-restricted is rather fascinating in this day and age when we are so connected globally and yet not so connected as we might think sometimes. Being an ex-pat has its own peculiar characteristics and challenges, as well as benefits, depending on where you live and why. I think some of the updates are really insignificant, and just a way of keeping the app in our consciousness lest we forget we have it.
      In fact, I just deleted a few that I seldom use and can do just fine without their cluttering up a page on my phone. Ah yes, another exercise in decluttering. We have just spent a week unpacking, sorting and settling in once again after a year and a half in California, not much to our liking. Good to be back home in NM. That’s another story for another time.

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