mti27

In the author's specific example, the answer is everybody wants one of those cool security cameras, but no one wants to invest the time to learn some simple networking skills, such as using a router UI to find/assign an IP address... You can create a very nice system using a software package like Blue Iris so that your security cameras function with or without Internet access.

Back in the early 80s (pre-Blockbuster) there were independent video stores. They were great, because you could "reserve" a video for a night and they would hold it for you, unlike Blockbuster where you had to hover like a vulture by the return counter.... Anyway, back on topic, one of these independent video stores I believe was the source of several pirated movies as well, including a copy of "ET" filmed in the theater which was awful quality.

The average person's knowledge of routers and home networking probably stops just short of knowing how to assign static IPs, and definitely stops short of setting up a home VPN. If people knew how to do those 2 things, there might be less need to rely on "cloud" solutions like Ring. Blue Iris and a PC on the network is a great alternative...

Exactly- if work doesn't pay, they don't get to play on my phone. I'd be willing to check work email sporadically, and it's unfortunate that doing so in any capacity means allowing an unknown admin "wipe my phone" privileges. Companies don't handle that stuff with any sort of finesse and mistakes happen. Ultimately email on a phone may be a moot point for software developers: We use more independent chat apps like Slack, no one worries about texting you, and it's hard to do anything really more involved than messaging without opening your laptop (which probably is provided by work).

> you don’t know, despite living here since forever

A lot of tourists here in Memphis come to see Elvis Presley's house (Graceland), but many local residents have never been there, despite having some degree of connection to him. I met a couple from England on the street a few years back. They were eager to hear some stories about relatives and coworkers who met Elvis, but when asked about Graceland, I had to say 'Nope never been there'....

I think a lot of people just get excited about code for code's sake (vs code as a means to deliver a product) and get creative... It's not really a problem, unless your company culture sets up a natural conflict by highly valuing both knowing the latest shiny frameworks and also providing manufacturing-style time estimates to complete work...

I once worked at a place that reached DSL on the clock; no one understood the undocumented DSL (not even the programmers supporting it) but a few power users. I advocated re-writing rules in Python, using modern CI/CD techniques to allay fears of hard-coding. But it was too big of a philosophy change. The counter argument was "We don't want end users writing code!" but of course they were already writing code, just in a non-Google-able language...

Just like Disney World - they scan your finger print upon entry to the park. When you ask to opt out, they're like "Well you're going to need to step out of line over here and give my manager some information.."

> Delta’s territory This feels like the opposite of the GDPR stories from a few months ago. Instead of all the "It's coming" hype and opt in agreements, the company just gets the info without a fuss...

The (Russo?) comment about multitasking brought to mind a discussion at work last month about AI taking over. I asked my younger 20-something co-workers if they had ever seen the movie "War Games".... One of them watched it and said he liked the movie, but when discussing specifics ("How about that big steel door in the side of the mountain!?") it was obvious he missed a lot of details due to multitasking. Netflix seems pretty smart in catering to this behavior, in that they removed on site reviews so just scan/skip/previewing a movie is the easiest way to see if it's good.

> ... and using a grill is often explicitly banned ...

Don't know if it is still the case, but last time I was in an apartment (early 2000s) there were also limitations for Internet and Television. DirecTV was popular at the time, I was the first to put a dish in a bucket on the balcony. The apartment managers said I had to take it down and use Comcast. Fortunately, when presented with a printout of the FCC rules they reneged and dishes started popping up all over the complex... Which didn't do great things for the brochure :)

Yes, quality aside, the "stateful-ness" of tape is very useful. Using VHS is quicker to pick a show back up where you left off than DVD.