Geeky, I would absolutely love that to happen....Absolutely love to have informed more 100 IQ knowledgeable people (including myself) to avoid bringing up biases and nonsense processes.
I felt a deep rage at seeing that. I would have returned it at that moment. Maybe sought punitive legal action against GE if that wasn't clear on the box for having wasted my time.
It's funny how people used to be so openly critical of being spied on, especially by governments, but as soon as you add a little bit of convenience to it we're very willing to give up all our information. Everything we say, everything we think, every cent we spend, our health information is being monitored constantly by everyone and the sad thing is most of those "conveniences" are really unnecessary, people are just really good at convincing us otherwise. Great video btw
That’s why I refuse to sign up for those cash back apps if you show them your receipts. I don’t need to get a few dollars back, losing my privacy, just to allow different entities to track what I’m purchasing!
I'm 22, just bought a nokia flip phone. I'm trying to disconnect from tech as best I can. Its not right how much time we spend online. Thanks for the videos man. Cheers 🎉
If BMW can attempt to put heated seats (which were already installed in the car) behind a subscription, then yeah you aren't being too farfetched to assume that companies will attempt to put flushing (or a preinstalled self cleaning feature) behind a paywall.
Or maybe a smart toilet that demands you to use that company's cleaning products, otherwise it'll not work or void your warranty. People still buy HP printers, so why not use that revenue model in the bathroom?
The best example is what happened to the airports the past week. Where flights were grounded because of a software upgrade in the system. This not only affected airports but other industries who rely on the system. Flight/Ticket attendants no longer have the know-how of manually booking/ticketing passengers--what seems to be a task people in this profession should know how to do.
Exactly! Everything has become so digitized in an attempt to add convenience but then when something goes wrong the issue becomes so much more widespread/amplified!
I’m a nurse and I can’t tell you how many new nurses can’t take a manual blood pressure because a machine does it now. Scary to think how dependent medical professionals are on technology instead of old fashioned knowledge.
@@ericarex4522 When machines or AI take over, it's not that they will have cognition but more on how we cease to function as a society and cease to exist when technology breaks down.
Hyper-dependence on any entity, whether it's the government, wifi, or subscription-based products... it's never good. Most humans are so fascinated and excited by new things (smart toilets etc) that they will give up their rights (to privacy etc) in a heartbeat to have them. I have no regrets about going back to simpler tech so far.
Great points Emma! I agree the flashy new thing definitely draws people in without much thought of downsides. I think at this point we all need to reflect and write down our “technology personal values.” What we want from tech and what we don’t want. This gives us a reference point for relating to new technologies as they come about, rather than simply getting caught up in the hype. Did you manage to get in the Discord? I tested the link and it worked on my end
We are being gradually boiled like a frog by tech giants and governments. I’ve spent more than 25 years in high tech industry and also gradually I am stepping out to the analog world. I totally agree with you, Smart toilet made my day :))
Agree 100% Spencer! Let’s also consider the financial aspects this is putting on people. Gone are the days of saving money by simply changing your own oil or brakes because these cars are too complex. Or if a expensive sensor goes out it shuts down a major function in the car. These new cars look like damn spaceships and they are so unnecessary. Also it is making people lazier. Like you can get up to turn off the light? 😂 or gasp open the door to see what is in the fridge? It’s honestly ridiculous. And consider the EMF! It is dangerous to our bodies to constantly be surrounded by EMF especially wearables. Grateful that there is a community of people who can see through the bull.
You and me both. I hate it. I couldn't redo the wiring in my home without a bluetooth connected "app" to control the lighting... I'm so genuinely concerned by how much human potential is being squandered with new technologies. Especially AI. "I don't have to do x, I can just use an AI" Learn a language, learn programming, memorize ANYTHING at all. It's really disheartening. So many people I know don't know how to park a car that doesn't have cameras anymore.
Spencer! That song at the end is a 10/10! Oh my gosh. Also, yes to being sick of the smart world. My dad bless his soul, still lives in our house out in the country, and *still* teaches us grown ups how to rely on ourselves, how to fix things, and how to be happy with what we have
Never mind additional smart devices, i struggle with my smart phone 😂 All this stuff is totally unnecessary and I'm fighting against it as much as i can. I've just got rid of all of my subscriptions and I'm seriously considering getting a flip phone. Great video as always. Hope you have a great week 🙏
Ever since that Mr Robot episode where someones smart-house gets hacked, I have zero interest in such smart devices. Also the idea of talking to your appliances all day seems exhausting!
Hey Spencer. If you haven't read Dave Eggers novels "The Circle" and "The Every" then I'd highly recommend them. Very relevant to the topic of this video and what our lives could look like with unfettered "Smart" tech.
I read The Circle like five years ago when the smart tech wasn`t so advanced as it is now. Back then, it was utopia, but since then, I think about the story every time I hear about some new smart feature or smart thing
I'm reminded of the PKD novel Ubik, where the protagonist's fridge won't open to let him get cream for his coffee until he makes a micropayment to it. This type of thing happening to him is a running gag because he's broke.
smart tvs are what irk me. its the definition of overcomplicating something that absolutely does not need it. i just want a screen to show a video signal, not a data harvester
100%. I have been out of the TV game for a while, but are there options left to buy without smart features built in at this point? I imagine that’s almost a special request in 2024
switched to an 8 inch rca tv and use an antenna. Best choice I’ve made in that regard. Local channels, news, and you know what? Commercials! I’m thankful for commercials for local things, and not having subscriptions down my throat. I’m also thankful for only being able to watch certain programs certain days of the week, because I get genuinely excited to watch it
Another great video Spencer. My job requires me to use a smart phone and I'm definitely not comfortable sharing so much info about myself. On the other hand, nice song at the end. Hope your album is coming out soon?! Cheers, Ian
I don’t even use Siri and prefer analog watch (love my Casio) than a smart watch. I wish I got an iPod before it was discontinued. Well, I got a SuperDrive to watch movies from the library. The radio thing is a good idea. I don’t listen to a news or songs that much anymore. I’ll look for a retro looking radio 📻 if I decide to have one. Also nice song. Keep it up. And maybe you can make a playlist of your songs on your channel. Have a good week. 🇨🇦
I shut down Siri on my phone. Every now and again, something pops up asking me if want to turn it back on; I always say no…I also still have a vcr/dvd player that I use everyday. My wrist watch is a regular Timex watch and I still have a radio/cassette player that I can play cd’s and tapes on…I never bought into all this upgrading thing…Old technology is awesome!
I am also sick of the smart stuff. Won't catch me dead running a smart speaker or home assistant (except if I built it myself using self-hosted solutions) in my house. Smart technology spies on you, they steal your data, they open you up to data leaks; I want none of that. I'll gladly take my music player from 2005 and avoid the "smart" technology world. I've been taking the effort to slow down in my life. I had an appointment today and I cycled there. Got some light exercise in while doing so and just admired where I live.
I have yet to buy any smart product. Aside from our TV (gifted to us) and which I still have not connected to the wifi nor used any of the "smart" features, I will not allow any such thing in our house. I do voiceover work as a side gig, and the number of products I've advertised with "smart" features is through the roof. I have to spend extra time editing out my grumpy profanities as I'm listing the product "features". There are increasingly few tech products I'd be willing to buy.
Companies can not track how many times I ran a VHS copy of 1984 on my VCR LOLOLOL Robots that think for us and do everything! Including the next X Box with AI built in. There is even an automatic Ice maker at work right next to the microwave so that people no longer have to use ice cube trays. This is the mentality that is killing self reliance. I have missed ya Spence Been busy living in the past with my #RetroTech Physical Media Hunting now that Red Box is Bankrupt as well do to the Streaming Wars. I don't like to have to rely on other humans, yet alone a machine I do not need. Sarah Conner is correct in the prepping of things we can use, against things we do not need (Sky Net and Terminators)
Does a smart toilet work without electricity? It definitely seems like something best left independent of the power grid, and I already pay the water company to flush my toilet I'm not trying to pay Microsoft as well.
I did some reading on that specifically, and it seems like it does require power for a smart toilet. It seems like you could install a battery backup in case of outages, but it doesn’t seem like that comes stock. So bizarre lol
I do think the Pointer Sisters made a really good but obscure song that not many know called "Automatic" and it mentions how things are starting to become too convenient for those to realize it's not as manual as it used to be, especially in terms of computing. Personally, I have disliked the smartphone since its introduction in 2007, because I believed that many of the other products would simply die from an all-in-one invention that even my family uses on a daily basis, while I still chose to use a burner phone (The smartphone devices I use just simply use wi-fi only, so I don't really cae about SIM calling compared to Wi-Fi Calling. Plus it helps stop having marketers and advertisers from reaching your phone number, but at the cost of 2 factor authentication being useless).
Completely agree. Vinyl and dvds. I’ve disconnected my tv and dvd player from wifi. I don’t be replacing my iPad or iPhone. Well, I will. With a dumbphone. Just gotta figure out how to stay in touch family abroad. I’m done I watched the Apple Keynote or whatever it’s called and AI this, AI that. No, thank you, Apple. If that’s the future, count me out of it
Hi Spencer! I'm interested in your take on streaming vs physical in terms of unnecessary "smartness". I've seen you enjoy your VHS collection, and it shouldn't be too much of a step for you to go for DVD or (preferably) Bluray. Then there's streaming, but everything there gets monitored. I'd like to hear your take on this. Also, the data we create ourselves in terms of files and photos, are often uploaded to the cloud where they can do God knows what with it, but I prefer having my own storage options where for various reasons, I have gone for burning BD-R discs. I think it's something you can delve into.
Funny that you mention to pay to flush your toilet. In the Netherlands we pay something called 'gemeentelijke heffingen' which basically is a tax you pay to your local municipality. Included in that tax is a section that is specifically for the use of the sewer. So in essence I already pay a monthly subscription to flush my toilet.
You can opt-out of it if you don't have a high enough income. But, you can get cut off of the water supply but it's not by your local municipality. I believe it's Vitens that does that. Unfortunately I have some experience with this....We resorted to using slootwater for flushing the toilet: worked perfectly fine though.
I think people are finally waking up. I am a 20 year old college female who absolutely loves your channel and I have found more and more people my age oe people in their late 20's who are cutting back on technology. Like getting a flip phone or deleting social media and preferring to do tasks by hand not with ai. I still use an iPhone but do not subscribe to anything. TV channels, partreon, bland magazines, nothing.
I recenlty got a Lenovo LED strips as a gift and was about to set it up in my room. It required an app to operate, why would I need an app that needs an account to coontrol led strips!? they could have used a IR remote!
#2!!! My friend just got an app-enabled kitty litterbox. 🙄 Just finished, "Alone Together" which explained how children's robots like Tamagotchi and Furby were early examples of addicting people to tech, because we become attached to what we nurture, especially if we believe it loves us back. There was even a prototype for, "Hello Barbie" which would record children's play, with all audio available to parents but ultimately owned by Mattel in the cloud. 😳"Surveillance camouflaged as play obscures the significant dangers posed by the loss of control over ones personal information. Hello Barbie makes the transfer of sensitive data to unaccountable third parties seem fun and natural. Do we want our children growing up in a world in which they have no consciousness of what it means to have a private life?"
1:19 Dude, if she lies in bed at 15:01 to sleep with a heart rate of 157, she might really need that data to present to her doctors. That's almost a cardio pass, and it's her resting pulse. She's gonna blow a fuse.
you see, though, we’re not talking about people who *need* something for a *medical* reason. (Isn’t there a big issue of smart watches not even being that accurate?) and im sure, if in this hypothetical her doctor was concerned they’d set up some testing? What we’re talking about here is over consuming and buying these things because we think we need it. I do not need to sleep with a watch on, that connects to my phone, to tell me how much sleep I am getting. I look at the time and do the math. When my brother had epilepsy and they wanted to monitor his heart at night, they sent him something that would do that. I do not need a smart light, or smart curtains to wake me up. I’ll set an alarm, and open the curtains myself. See the difference?
@@buckyyyb It was more of a joke, seeing those numbers. I'm very anti-smart devices myself, even for updates. I just updated to Android 14 and it has absolutely ruined my phone. Nothing works, not even my keyboard since twelve years back, and everything looks awful. The older the better. But a heart rate of 157 while sleeping isn't normal in any case :D
Dumbing down technology for the lowest common denominator (friendliest way I can put it) is backwards thinking. Instead of trying to replace human thought and human effort with technological convenience, we should be challenged to get smarter ourselves if we happen to want to use tech. We also need to regulate the big tech companies to the max so they can stop profiting off our personal information.
Watch The X Files series 11 episode 7 - and then go and unplug absolutely everything “smart” you possess 😁 Seriously, I’m getting rid of most of my so- called smart devices, had enough of tech that inevitably breaks down, needs constant updating or tries to take over your life. Most of it is totally unnecessary. Go outside and smell the roses, take a walk in nature without your smartphone, switch to an old style “dumb” flip phone. It’s very liberating.
when i was a kid, i always wanted a spy watch, like a supercomputer on your wrist. now they exist and i want nothing to do with them because apple is the spy
Much of this can be avoided by setting up and running your own services and using software that respects privacy. If you're unwilling or unable to pay with your time/money to learn how to avoid big tech then you'll need to 'pay' with your data. Most people want the tech they just don't want the surveillance capitalism part and that is possible but it requires learning and becoming a bit more tech savvy and most people simply lack the time, effort, or technical knowledge to do so but I'm not sure avoiding it all entirely is a viable option for anyone more social than a hermit. Go and learn how to degoogle, how to install a privacy respecting operating system, how to use privacy respecting software and cloud services. Refusing to use tool like smartphones et al because you dislike the preinstalled software is just like throwing a tantrum.
I agree in part with your point, and I think de-googling is a good way to go if you are tech savvy, but for the average person they aren't. Until this information becomes more mainstream then I think the average person will continue as usual. Simplifying your approach to text with devices designed to do that is an easier approach for people without the tech know-how. If privacy focused devices start being offered ready to use, then I think more people would go that route. Thanks for the comment!
I am a firm denier of the smart watch. I am a bit of a watch nerd, so i can see the horological impact that the smart watch has made, but my fleet of 20 dollar Casios will outlast the latest and greatest smart watch, and look a lot cooler in the process.
That’s a big consideration for me too, Jonathan. Simple tech has so much less to go wrong, be updated, and replacements are easier to do yourself. Your Casios are certainly an upgrade to a smartwatch!
Agree to an extent, but talking as if losing the incandescent light bulb is a bad thing? It’s more inefficient and wasteful. Whether you want a smart light or not, I think they’re great- i can see if I’ve left it on by accident, I can schedule it to wake me up etc, but efficient stuff is always a positive
I agree that incandescent light is inefficient, and I love LED tech. But an LED light and a smart bulb are leaps apart in tech, and I wonder if the smart tech is going too far in some respects. Not saying the lightbulbs are bad, just wondering if they’re necessary. Also I agree that generally efficient stuff is positive 👍
I don’t know, I just use an alarm clock to wake me up. I totally get preference is a thing, but while efficiency is great, where do we draw the line at merely relying on these things, as opposed to ourselves? I’d say you wouldn’t need an alert to know if you have left a light on, if you had a routine of just turning them off before going somewhere like a lot of us do? Does everything in our lives really need to be more efficient this way?
As if Google tried to do that! I shouldn't be surprised and glad it was pushed back! I didn't know about the toilets, going a bit too far I think lol! Love that shirt Spencer and as if it's just you doing the song, amazing 😅👌
You don't really bring good rational arguments against the measurements and tracking itself. Yes we live in a kind of unhealthy environment, yes the way we feel is an important data point as well. That's not a reason to also track actual objective data vs only subjective experience to judge your health, I and I think a lot of people can derive a lot of benefit from that - sleep tracking as actually amazing and has massively improved my quality of life. Now with privacy and overreliance, I do agree with you 100%, but as usual with your videos, the best solution isn't to not use these technologies, but to use free and open source alternatives under your own control. IMO you are promoting knee jerk reaction solutions like dumb phones, not using certain tech etc. when that is not the best way solve the issues you usually correctly identified. With modern tech you can usually have your cake and eat it too, you just need to look beyond the corporate "easy solutions" towards existing FOSS solutions.
I use linux, i am a foss advocate too but the problem is foss solutions are typically worse then closed source plus our forefathers slept just fine without these technologies, perhaps sleep tracking and all these health monitors are simply a bandaid due to the unhealthy effects of modern society and comforts. soft western beds, bright lights, wifi interference etc why track steps using some poorly made foss step counter when you can just walk till you feel tired? why track sleep using some app when you can just journal about how you feel in the morning?
@@SilverSeleucid Even if we accept that FOSS solutions are universally worse, which I would disagree with, they are still better than not using any technology. Yes, our forefathers and we can sleep fine without sleep tracking and we can be healthy without tracking steps, we can be even healthier with these technologies. Heart rate and blood pressure can notify you about health problems outside of your control, "simply walking until tired" isn't really a solution either because it might still lead to insufficient steps or unnecessarily high time investment. I'm not exactly sure what you are advocating for, but you are vilifying technology in general even if its major downsides are eliminated. Why not use it, if it helps you, doesn't cost money and doesn't violate your privacy?
