Technobuddy

By Susan

April 10, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this

For me, it’s the cellphone - doesn’t mean that I don’t use one, does mean that I don’t like it.

By alan

April 10, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this

The Blue Tooth! People look soooo stupid eating lunch wearing their blue tooth! Do one or the other!

By Koz

April 10, 2007 10:33 AM | Link to this

Blu-Ray vs HD DVD - can we decide on a format please?

By kwn

April 10, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this

For me it’s red light cameras. Can I make a right hand turn on red anymore? Am I going to get rear ended(Yes) if I have to stop suddenly. Do I need to stop on GREEN and let the cars in front of me clear before proceeding in to the intersection without fear of getting stuck in it at the EXPENSE of having people honk their horns behind me. Is the yellow light on a short cycle? etc…

By Bo

April 10, 2007 10:42 AM | Link to this

Microsoft Windows for sure. Who ever thought it was OK for the operating system to interrupt the user every few seconds must have been an idiot. Between the virus scanner and the OS updates it requires the user to reboot 5 times a day, everytime taking forever to come back up. Just the tip of the iceberg in what is probably the most time wasting thing I have to put up with everyday.

By kwn

April 10, 2007 10:44 AM | Link to this

For me it’s red light cameras. Can I make a right hand turn on red anymore? Am I going to get rear ended(Yes) if I have to stop suddenly. Do I need to stop on GREEN and let the cars in front of me clear before proceeding in to the intersection without fear of getting stuck in it at the EXPENSE of having people honk their horns behind me. Is the yellow light on a short cycle? etc…

By Smitty

April 10, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this

Cell phones and blue tooth technology. I cannot stand to be in a restaurant or at the grocery store, and hear some idiot talking very loudly on their phone. I just turn and stare at them, or I take part in the conversations, adding comments like “Really” “You don’t say”…”Oh My GOD”……..

By Sarah

April 10, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this

Cell phones in public when I am forced to live through the banal details of someones life…yawn. Do not expect me to be patient in line behind you because you can’t get off the phone and conduct your business in a speedy and polite manner. Your mother was wrong, the world does not revolve around you, she lied. Second, the crackberry addict on their blackberry all the time. I have witnessed people stop their cars, engage emergency flashing lights, just to read a message. get over it, in reality your spot on this planet is so brief and infinitesimal, you nor that message really matters. Let some air out of your ego, all that pressure must be killing you!

By Meg

April 10, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this

Automated “Customer Service” phone lines where you have to listen to a thousand choices with no guarantee you’ll ever actually get through to a live person. I’m also still bummed about call waiting, I think it’s the height of rudeness, it says “let me see if the person on the other line is more fun to talk to than you.” Cell phone conversations where you force other people to be your captive audience, cell phone conversations while driving, people with blue tooth who sound like they’ve just said something to you but they’re actually on the phone with someone, the cell phone list goes on and on. Used properly they’re OK, I don’t have a land line anymore and I like being able to cut the cell phone off and be completely out of reach. Spam and pop up ads are also annoying. I have to say though, ipods are a BIG improvement over boom boxes, so sometimes technology gets it right!

By lovelyliz

April 10, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this

It’s not so much the technology that bugs me as it is the way it’s used.

That being said, I find the cell phone a big nuisance when it’s being used by the driver in front of me to chat about whatever non-life altering/emergency events are going on and ditto for the people in the movie theatre, church, etc.

If you want to make me and the rest of the world privy to you intimate conversations and the mundane minutiae that is your life.

By Bill

April 10, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this

OK, I said I would mention the gadget that bugs me the most. Looks like several of you beat me to it. I hate the way cellphones are used. I often ride the elevator - here at the newspaper - while people hold personal conversations 8-inches from my face. I once played golf with a guy who made and received calls while we were playing - I ended up telling him he was too busy to play golf.

And, especially in the beginning, I’d get scared when I walked down a dark downtown street next to someone talking to himself. It took me months to figure out that they were using a wireless earpiece. Most of them were anyway. The others were busy being crazy people and really were talking to themselves.

My own cellphone stays in the car most days. I use it for work and for explaining to my wife why I’m late. I’m one heck of an explainer.

By easy one

April 10, 2007 11:42 AM | Link to this

It’s not really a gadget but none the less I think my choice is Myspace. Children are using this like a post it board to bash other kids, spread rumors & find trouble they normally couldn’t reach out to. Is anyone ever going to get a clue & do something or just continue to let our teens have their own hidden world? And yes, I monitor my teens account, however, she’s smart enough to create a new user name & keep it hidden if she chose to. There is NO way to track it all. Just last weekend a 13 yr old girl in our town spread around to her friends on her account that she had found some of her moms’ migrane pills and within two hours (3) neighborhood children were at the hospital having their stomachs pumped. Her mom monitors her account (she thought) but turned out her and her friends knew which member id to use & it wasn’t the one momma had. SAD…but it’s going to get worse!

By ron

April 10, 2007 11:46 AM | Link to this

The last really annoying thing I purchased was Windows XP.The most annoying technology ever invented was Alexander Graham Bell’s plaything,the telephone.

By Georgia

April 10, 2007 12:02 PM | Link to this

Meg I agree. Automated Customer (no) service. Especially the ones that ask you questions, and you have to interact with a freaking computer. U.P.S. is the WORST!!! You try to hit O for the Operator, and the voice still asks you questions…..

By Grace

April 10, 2007 12:06 PM | Link to this

I have to agree with Meg. Automated customer service lines are so annoying. Especially the ones who want you to SCREAM why you are calling. I work 12hrs a day so it’s difficult to call from home during their business hours. Instead of discretly pushing the number for my option, my coworkers are hearing me scream “CHANGE MY SERVICE OR “BILL EXPLAINATION”. Then after all that you don’t end up with the right dept anyway.

By Lyrazel

April 10, 2007 12:22 PM | Link to this

Comment blogs. Its an addiction!!!

Alas, tech USERS would be my #1 peeve, does not matter what object being used somehow the USERS tend to expend so much energy on showing how hip they are and go into absolute valium-needing depression when their hip tech stuff goes kaput. Ever watch a grown person pace when the electricity goes off and the battery on the cell is down? Check out how many cell phones, bluetooth and used computers are in landfills and still the USERS got to have the newest hip device…

By Political Mongrel

April 10, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this

Automated customer service lines that are not clearly organized or that can leave you stuck in a loop with no way to get to a human voice are infuriating.

By blah, blah, blah

April 10, 2007 12:25 PM | Link to this

No question about it - Automated “No” Customer Service. By the time you get half way through the menu, you’ve forgotten what the first half of the options were. It’s an endless loop designed to keep you from being able to get customer service.

By Michelle

April 10, 2007 12:39 PM | Link to this

It would have to be the cellphone. I was coming out of the restroom the other day and saw a woman walk into the stall yapping away on her phone and then proceeded to use the restroom while still talking on the phone the whole time. That’s just gross.

By Becky

April 10, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this

Meg, I agree with you 100%. I hate to try to call someone & have to go thru 10 options & NONE of them are what I need..The phone companies are the worst for this..

By Mary

April 10, 2007 1:52 PM | Link to this

I’m not a big fan of the self-checkout stands at grocery stores. I can see why that would be a convenience - and a way to save money - for the stores. But it often is no faster than the regular checkout and - when something goes wrong - it takes even longer.

Here’s my idea. Since the store saves money by needing fewer checkout clerks, why not offer a 5% discount for using the self-checkout. That way the store saves money and so do I. I’d go from hating self-checkout to loving it.

By lori

April 10, 2007 1:56 PM | Link to this

I hate when you finally get throught to a real person and they just refer you to their website. Duh, if I could find it on their website I wouldn’t have subjected myself to the phone torture!!

By Cletus Snow

April 10, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this

Cell phones and voice mail have got to be the stupidist invention of the century, and are the most abused.I threw my last cell in lake Lanier last august, when I got a new one I gave no one the # not even my wife, I use it when I need it then turn it off, All of the voice mail options are turned off, it’s much better now.

By toggle

April 10, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this

Walkie-talkie cell phones … especially the damned Nextel beep.

By Noelle

April 10, 2007 2:15 PM | Link to this

Oh holy cow, those stupid AOL CDs! Was there ever anything anyone was happier to see disappear?? (And after voting for them, I see they’re winning the PC World poll.)

Voice mail systems are also a huge annoyance. I understand the need for basic ones, but the ones that have you pushing buttons for an hour, make you yell out options, or never give you a “talk to a human” option make me want to scream. Also annoying: systems that require an account number to proceed. What if you’re calling to get your account number?

Like a couple of others have mentioned, I also think “most annoying product” is much different from “product that results in the most annoyance,” which is why I wouldn’t name cell phones. It’s not the phones that are the problem — it’s the people who (mis)use them. Cell phones themselves are a wonderful invention!

By Bushwacker

April 10, 2007 2:20 PM | Link to this

AUTOMATED CALLS ASKING ME TO HOLD FOR AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE, AUTOMATED CUSTOMER SERVICE LINES AND CELL PHONES IN GENERAL ALL SUCK

LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!

By Georgia

April 10, 2007 2:30 PM | Link to this

For English press 1………WHY, WHY, WHY???

By mark

April 10, 2007 2:41 PM | Link to this

I’m going to say the bluetooth ear pieces. I see folks running around with those things all day… even when they’re not on the phone. Guess what… it doesn’t make you look cool or important. Makes you look stupid, or worse, like a member of the Backstreet Boys or N’sync. Take that dang thing out of your ear unless your on the phone.

By toggle

April 10, 2007 2:50 PM | Link to this

Hope it was in the south end of the lake … don’t want the battery leaching into the Gainesville water supply.

By RH

April 10, 2007 2:58 PM | Link to this

For English press 1………WHY, WHY, WHY???

Because there is more than 1 language on this planet you big dummy! Come out of your hole.

By Georgia

April 10, 2007 3:06 PM | Link to this

RH That wasn’t nice. There was no need for that rude comment.

I wasn’t talking about the WHOLE planet, I just wanted to know why I have to press 1 to hear English IN AMERICA? They don’t offer every single language on this planet, just english and spanish you moron.

What a rude person. Go crawl back under your rock.

By WTF?

April 10, 2007 3:13 PM | Link to this

this text will be bolded although I use mines constantly, I have to say the cell phone. Being able to be reached anytime, any place definitely has its advantages and disadvantages.

By PK

April 10, 2007 3:28 PM | Link to this

Cell phones - and those stupid-looking bluetooth ear pieces.

As for annoying “loud talkers” I’ve already decided that if they EVER allow these things on airplanes, and the person next to me gets in a protracted conversation, rather than get upset, I’m just going to sing some annoying song really loud. Preferably one I don’t really know the words too.

By oldgold

April 10, 2007 3:32 PM | Link to this

I feel you Michelle. I hear that at the gym all the time. Fellas in the bathroom stalls (USING the restroom) while chopping it up on the celly.

By gtfan

April 10, 2007 3:39 PM | Link to this

press 1 for english

WTH, this isn’t Mexico. If you can’t work an ATM or phone conversation in English, you shouldn’t be in the US, period!

By David

April 10, 2007 3:44 PM | Link to this

For me, the number one thing is the bluetooth. I can’t tell the schizophrenics from the bluetoothers anymore!

By Snooky

April 10, 2007 3:51 PM | Link to this

Wow, so many hates,so little love.There is an option, it’s called “turn this off”.

By BAD

April 10, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this

“Press 1 for English” has got to be the most annoying. If you can’t understand English you shouldn’t call much less be in America. Then there’s the cell phone when people don’t limit their conversations.

By Darrel

April 10, 2007 4:17 PM | Link to this

The bluetooth earpieces. They remind me of a cockroach hanging on the side of someone’s head!!

By Shannon, M.Div.

April 10, 2007 5:42 PM | Link to this

Bill, I hear you about the elevators. I admit to often having my phone grafted to my ear, which I think is fine when I’m walking around a reasonably open space. Then I enter an elevator—often alone—and someone else will get into the elevator. Then I feel really silly, because I refuse to subject anyone to being on an elevator with an annoying person blathering on a cellphone, so I usually just ask my husband to hang on a moment. I wait out the ride and start talking again when I’m out. (If I’m talking to someone besides The Husband, I usually don’t get on the elevator anyway).

My own tech pet peeve? Nearly-invisible headsets. I can be walking around school, and I think someone’s saying “hey” to me, and I say “hey” back… and then I see the earpeace and do the slink of shame.

By Shannon, M.Div.

April 10, 2007 5:44 PM | Link to this

Er, that ought to have been earpiece. Good grief, I need a nap.

By Bill

April 10, 2007 5:47 PM | Link to this

Hey Shannon, yeah - I run into the headset thing at work (at least there is a good reason, since reporters will use a headset to keep hands free to type). And I’ll say hello and then realize that they’re on the phone.

With a name like Shannon you’d fit in with my Irish family - Erin, Ryan and even the dog is named Reilly. My sister-in-law is also an M. Div.

This has been an interesting topic - I’ll stick with my original pet peeve, inappropriate use of cellular phones.

But I have a few more, sort of general ones:

I’ve truly enjoyed the comments.

By Peter K.

April 10, 2007 6:06 PM | Link to this

BellSouth e-mail is NOT SECURE !! READ ON……. We have been a BellSouth customer for eons; 3 phone lines, cable TV, and DSL. During a recent phone call to a DSL tech person (who was located in a call center outside the U.S.), I learned that they had access to all of OUR PASSWORDs ! The reason for this is in case someone forgets there password. BUT, here’s the PROBLEM. Whenever someone books travel, whether it be an airline or hotel, the airline or hotel sends the person an e-mail to CONFIRM the DATES of travel. If tech support in all the offshore call centers have the ability to read your email, they know when you are traveling, and no one is at home, OR if only your WIFE and CHILDREN are at home. They can EASILY contact someone in the U.S. to break into your home and ROB YOU BLIND, or do worse to family members.! Paranoid?? I don’t think so. This goes beyond all the virus and spyware problems. I called BellSouth regarding this and asked them if there’s another level of security available. YES, they told me, for $7.95 per MONTH for EACH e-mail address!!!!!!!!!! That is highway robbery!! Someone out there needs to develop a cheaper solution. Here’s the CLINCHER: All of these tech support people and call center companies outside of the U.S. are NOT COVERED BY OUR LAWS. If you are robbed or hacked, YOU have NO RECOURSE.!! BellSouth (or any other company) says they scrutinize every offshore company they outsource to. BUT, what about the honesty of that company’s employees. FURTHERMORE, what if that company subcontracts a part of the services to another company??? BellSouth (or whomever) will NEVER KNOW.!! PARANOID? I don’t think so. There’s too many of us out there that will go on thinking “It’ll never happen to ME.” (until it’s too late).

By Spanish at the ATM

April 10, 2007 7:49 PM | Link to this

I use the Spanish option at the ATM to p** off racist people like you!

Besides I am bi-lingual, therefore, I can understand you when you think I can’t.

By cy

April 10, 2007 8:08 PM | Link to this

cell phone ring tones and the ultra loud switch that seems to come with the worst ones.

nothing worse than having a great dinner and then you hear some music blairing through a tiny speaker. people there is a vibrate option on i think all cells now….use it.

By mark

April 10, 2007 8:18 PM | Link to this

The hands down champion is the Nextel. ATTN: REDNECKS!! You can use the Nextel without the speakerphone function. Nothing is worse than trying to eat and hear, “CHIRP, yeah copy that. We gon go coon huntin’ on sat-er-day?”

By gtfan

April 10, 2007 11:15 PM | Link to this

Spanish at the ATM

First, race has nothing to do with it. There are many other races in this world, including white and black, who predominately speak Spanish in the countries they reside.

You sound like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

You’re an idiot. There’s no options for the several African, Arab, European,(except Spain), Italian, etc. immigrants.

The money is printed in English, people buy products printed in English, everything else is in English.

By Judi

April 11, 2007 12:01 AM | Link to this

Most of the current technologies used! The generation of children that is being raised today will never learn people skills. They walk around doing one of two things: 1) wearing earphones and listing to tunes or 2) using text messaging while they are walking, eating, etc.
Our kids are no longer observing what is going on around them! They have no idea how to amuse themselves without something that will plug in and keep them occupied. What ever happened to reading? Being outdoors for activities? Talking to people?

By Dave

April 11, 2007 5:08 AM | Link to this

I agree with Mark. The links and the rednecks who love them. I recently sat near a female that linked all the way through lunch. Geez, couldn’t she have gone and met Jethro for lunch instead of ruining everyone elses chance for a peaceful lunch. Where are the manners?

By Katie

April 11, 2007 5:41 AM | Link to this

That’s a tough question, I’m annoyed on so many levels. Okay, here’s my list. * Reproductive medicine that allows more people to have children—I think there are enough children, this planet is full for now. *cell phones—all types *automated voice systems—we want to talk to real people who speak English and are in this country not India *self check out lanes in grocery stores— it’s too hard for most people to figure out, so many people are just too dumb, take them away and put real cashiers there who know how to count money *online dating—why can’t people go outside and meet people like in the ‘old’ days? *television—the babysitter of the present and future I suppose that’s enough.

By braves fan

April 11, 2007 7:02 AM | Link to this

Cell phones. They bring their home to work which means the employer who pays for your time is second on your list, shopping, movies, dinners, even doctors offices. When Im sick enough to go to the doctor, dont bug me with your loud talking and laughing in my ear. The driving greats who jump from line to line laughing and chatting away.

Yes it has to be the cell phone.

By Dave

April 11, 2007 7:38 AM | Link to this

We all know driving a car is the most dangerous thing we all do on a daily basis. As a teenager I got in a wreck fooling with the radio. Some are proud of how many things they can multi-task and now you add talking on the phone. Protect us all, pull over if you need to talk on the phone of wait 30 minutes till you get out of your car. Drivers who talk on the phone annoy me by having to deal with them as potential road hazards.

By Gemini1

April 11, 2007 8:37 AM | Link to this

I am deeply disturbed by the whole video game era, and I refuse to purchase a Playstation or Nintendo for my seven year old son.

By dougmo

April 11, 2007 8:54 AM | Link to this

Forget Spainish at the ATM, how about braile at the ATM or the drive thru.

By Redneck

April 11, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this

Urban girls in a 1999 KIA (two car notes behind)on GA 400 in the fast lane chatting on the phone to Quanatashia about nutin, just talking and in my way.

By Jack Bear

April 11, 2007 9:12 AM | Link to this

I think that it would be “Instant Messages/Sametime Connect. I log on in the morning to get work e-mail. Then I get a “IM” from a person that sent a note at 11:00 PM the night before. They are asking have I read their mail. I hate being put on someones “Alert” as I sign on. All I have to say is “Get A Life”.

By landsaf

April 11, 2007 10:08 AM | Link to this

Obviously cellphones/bluetooth. One person said just turn it off. I do, but the other 2 million people do not.