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Carole, I would like to start a campaign against technology that is
anti-consumer, and that's exactly what it is!  Why do they make ANYONE dial
dozens of digits? They are assuming that everyone has a phone with a memory
all set up with them, or maybe a fax or computer. In reality, even people who
HAVE these devices rarely have the time to sit and preprogram them. When we
try we are faced with lousy instruction booklets, often for several
dissimilar devices, or models, so we have to dig out the right page. The
print is too small to be read without a magnifier and often there are typos.
When you finally DO take the time to figure it out, there is a possibility
that you will lose everything you have done, when power fails, a battery
dies, or something causes a "glitch" to occur. The buttons on most devices
are too small and close together, and the display, if any is usually
difficult to read.  If you have five devices to program, even if you bought
them from the same company, chances are you will have five different
procedures to follow!  I am in good health, have serviced and built
electronic and mechanical devices for over 40 years, and have excellent close
up vision, thankfully. If I find it a challenge to deal with these units,
what chance has anyone with even a slight impairment?  There are no standards
for ease of operation in the electronics industry.  I miss my old phones with
a dial, and 2 buttons that were pressed automatically when you hung up the
phone, no "pound" button, no "stars" and if you had a problem connecting, a
real human operator would help almost immediately after dialing ONE digit!
The power could be off in the house, but the PHONE still worked! With NO
batteries needed!
My old Underwood Typewriter could not save anything, but it also would never
LOSE anything after typing for an hour. If the lights went out, you could
type by candlelight and complete your work.  The first TV we had could be
operated by a two year old,  and even though it had 8 controls, only two were
needed to switch it on and see ALL the available programs.   Today's
technology is amazing, but it is generally "user UNfriendly"!   Any consumer
device that needs an instruction book as big as the Manhattan telephone book,
is TOO COMPLICATED!  Why do I suddenly feel like Andy Rooney?  But seriously,
can anyone tell me I am wrong?
Ken B