Ask Lemmy

I absolutely hate AI.

I've started noticing birds, and worse, I've started recognizing them.

I refuse to use TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. I only have Facebook because 90% of my friends and family are there and it's the primary way I stay in touch with them, but I'd like to get rid of that too.

Regarding TikTok, I was serving in the US military as an IT sysadmin when it became popular. But we discovered that the app embedded itself deep in your phone's hardware, granted itself full administrative access to your phone, then started trickling all your data to servers in China. And you couldn't fully uninstall it once you'd installed it once. Your phone was completely compromised if you ever installed that app.

It became a huge security risk and we were told to never use it. It was a horrifyingly effective spy tool China could use to easily collect data on us. That's why President Biden pushed to ban TikTok in the US.

But of course, TikTok became super popular among our civilian population and they refused to give it up, which led to a lot of pushback against the ban. It never held, and now people are still using it and sharing all their private information with China.

Meta does something similar with Facebook/Instagram/Whatsapp, but we at least can keep tabs on what they're doing with your private data, since they're an American company. They mostly use your information to build advertising profiles on you, to better catch your attention with ads. But that information could easily be used against you if federal organizations wanted to. ICE could use it to identify non-white Americans and their daily habits and easily intercept them.

Still, if you don't want your private information being potentially stolen by these companies, it's best to dump these programs. I don't install them on my phone or tablet and I keep Facebook's website isolated on my computer, since it likes to read other open windows and use those sites to fine-tune advertising data for you.

Google has turned into one of these companies that collects data on everything you do, so I'm in the middle of de-Googling my life right now. But it's really hard because they're embedded everywhere.

We're living in a dark time where the only way to prevent corporations and governments from collecting information on you is to stay offline. Which is nearly impossible nowadays. We don't get privacy in this modern Information Age. Not while Capitalism is still a thing.

The streak of white in my beard?

The fact that 75% of my media consumption is things I've already seen before?

I can maintain eye contact in a conversation and at no point do I want to fuck/fight the other person nor do I believe they want to fuck/fight me?

I can maintain friendships with people who do not share all of my views on things, with a select view even having opposing views?

Comfort wins over style every time, with zero exceptions?

My old person trait is being 72.

I always get printed boarding passes for domestic flights.

I refuse to scan a qr code for a menu. Give me a damn piece of paper

You mean, like, other than twice my age being statistically dead?

Many.

Let's start with neo-Luddite tendencies, e.g. deep suspicion of, and wanting very little to do with: devices with planned obsolescence; devices that basically spy on the user; this push for LLMs and similar generative artificial "intelligence".

Or rather, the people who are pulling the strings, so to speak, behind those technologies. The technologies themselves have great potential, but that cannot be reached under those who presently control them.

Also a strong dislike of people, usually kids, making noise or worse, actually being on my property because they have no respect for certain boundaries, or they don't even know those boundaries exist. Classic "damn kids, get off my lawn" old man attitude.

And finally: I still have a flip-phone and have no other computing devices beyond the one desktop PC I'm writing this comment from.

No, I do not have whatever stupidly named money transfer app you're using this week, and no, I will not install it.

I don't download every new random chat app that's in vogue. I'll give you my phone number and we can text or talk without having to go through more 3rd parties besides the telephone companies we get service from. I hated needing a bajillion different text apps to talk to everyone I knew in the 2000s, I sure as hell ain't gonna start that shit up again 25 years down the road. Unless someone makes something like Trillian, fuck off with your WeChats and WhatsApp and Velcro or whatever the fuck.

Napping

I prefer an analog kitchen. Spring based scales, wooden utensils, gas stove, glass storage.

Some part of my body always hurts. Mostly back, intestines, and joints, but these feet of mine have been finding their footing in this game lately too. Life is pain ;(

I’m old

When out eating and drinking, my preference is to go and order food and drink at the counter/bar, rather than install some app or give a website all my personal information before I can order.

I am incredibly difficult to buy gifts for because I have everything I want, which is not much at all.

never self checkout.. unless 18+ items are involved.
other than that or stealing literally no cashier will care or even remember you.

source: am cashier at grocery store

I primarily write in cursive.

I get up earlier on weekends than weekdays. I try to get up at 6am but I often get up to pee at 4am and just stay up. I do a bunch of things and it feels like I've had a good day then I realize it's only like 10am and I still have a whole day ahead of me.

I don't own a smart phone and never have. Miss me with that Fisher-Price technology.

My age

I avoid going out during busy times - e.g., rush hour, school zones, restaurants on a Friday or Saturday night.

I have opinions on my lawn and your proximity to it.

Literally everything i do. Im not even old but I could keep a conversation going with a 60 year old easily.

Old cars, reel to reels, vhs, win 95, atari 2600, pentium 3s, 50s music, records and vintage amplifiers and speakers..dos commands..the list goes on

That and I hate social media (i realize lemmy is social media) and my smartphone stays off on weekends. I prefer books.

I'm always up to date on the grocery store sales in my area and when there's something especially good on sale I will show up at the store when it opens at 7:30.

I've never installed a banking app.

Involuntary groans whenever I sit down or stand up.

I have a drawer in the garage titled "uncle solutions", it has a collection of rusted wire, bits of electric wire and similar shit for "quick fixes". I also just bought me and my SO nordic walking sticks, we still need to get matching trekking suits. Oh and I dream about retiring to a remote cottage and growing my own veggies like proper siberian babushka.

Does joint pain count? I've had the back of a 90 year old since I was a teen and the rest of my joints weren't far behind

I cannot correctly say my kids' names when I'm stressed out in a hurry. I just end up saying both of their names. Eventually I will be right.

I like to go to bed at 9/10 and wake up at 4/6

Physical media.

My neck hurts like hell if I tilt my head to the right, no idea why

Suspenders for my pants. They are really life-changing. The usual rotund American male over-60 physique leaves no purchase to hold up pants without constant attention.