Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen tech-related things I dislike:

~ Vaporware. Software that is announced while in development and is never released.

~ Trojan horses, viruses and malware. Programs developed for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc in your system (i.e. stealing passwords, recording every key stroke, etc.)

~ Companies that don't update their drivers. Drivers are the software that help printers, scanners, MP3 players, etc. work smoothly with your computer's operating system.

~ Telcos and Cable companies throttling down the broadband pipe when they feel a user is downloading too much stuff, regardless that the items are legal.

~ Spam. It's the scourge of the Net and what might make email unusable.

~ Wi-fi enabled MP3 players that make me connect to a computer so I can download podcasts.

~ Cell phone providers (Verizon) that cap a manufacturer's features. Verizon makes be buy ring tones instead of allowing me to connect my Razr via USB to my computer and directly download ring tones for free.

~ HD video podcasts. The file sizes are ridiculously huge and there's really no need for me to see every scar and pimple on the podcaster's face.

~ Telcos and cable companies bundling services (phone, movies and internet) that end up costing a lot just so the internet connectivity is below $20 per month. It's a rip off.

~ Tech support. Now there's a misnomer. Support implies help. Assistance. The few times I've called I did not receive help. I received a lot transferring around with the opportunity to explain my problem again and again.

~ Paying high prices for broadband service that is the equivalent of dial up in Japan and Korea. Their speeds and prices make the United States look like a third world country!

~ Power bricks. They're hogs and don't share when it comes to power strips. Why can't manufacturers miniaturize them to a standard size? Everything else is getting smaller.

~ Movie downloads. The video store is still my choice because I don't want to download a movie, wait 8 hours for it to completely download before viewing it and then have a scant 48 hours to view it before it disappears from my hard drive. With Hollywood Video I rent a movie and can watch it immediately or have 5 days to view it.