Cranky old lady rants about the internet
Jul. 20th, 2010 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brendalaDoes it bother anyone else that these days EVERYTHING is done online and, as a result, now there are no non-online options anymore?
I've been trying to register for classes at the local college since last night. The website didn't work for me (or my sister); but I didn't stress about it because I figured I'd just register via telephone (I went to this school a few years ago and used telephone registration back then). So I waited for the school to open to call. And when I get through to the operator she tells me that the internet is the ONLY way to register now and that, if I can't use the website, I should either drive to the school to register in person or call the website's tech support (I tried that. It didn't work).
As someone who has been (a) dirt poor and (b) has a family that jumped on the internet bandwagon late, this really pisses me off. Not everyone is lucky enough to have regular internet access. And the people who don't have it probably don't have the ability to drop everything, drive to the school (or get a ride or hop on the bus), and wait in that chaotic front office for God knows how long. I probably won't have time to go today because I let my mother borrow my car and I don't know if she'll have it back before the office closes. :(
Back in High School, when all my classes started requiring that all the big projects/essays be typed, I had to practically move into the school library in order to get all those assignments done! Some teachers were flexible about making an exception and letting me write some stuff by hand; but that wasn't an option for stuff like finals. Thank goodness my family got a computer toward the end of my junior year (even if the only internet we had was dial up). Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do most of my final projects at home! And the high school has only gotten worse since then! Recently my family's internet was on the fritz for a day or two and my baby sister FREAKED OUT because her homework assignment(s) required her to e-mail something to her teacher! And it wasn't finals or anything. This was just her normal, everyday homework! O_o
Don't get me wrong, the internet is awesome and all (Hello, LiveJournal!). But when it comes to stuff like college registration, there should be non-internet options available for people who are too poor to afford a computer and/or internet and for people like me who are just plum old fashioned and still prefer doing certain things via telephone.
....God, ranting about the internet makes me feel old. Excuse me while I go to my front lawn and tell the neighborhood kids to get off of it.
**shakes cane**
I've been trying to register for classes at the local college since last night. The website didn't work for me (or my sister); but I didn't stress about it because I figured I'd just register via telephone (I went to this school a few years ago and used telephone registration back then). So I waited for the school to open to call. And when I get through to the operator she tells me that the internet is the ONLY way to register now and that, if I can't use the website, I should either drive to the school to register in person or call the website's tech support (I tried that. It didn't work).
As someone who has been (a) dirt poor and (b) has a family that jumped on the internet bandwagon late, this really pisses me off. Not everyone is lucky enough to have regular internet access. And the people who don't have it probably don't have the ability to drop everything, drive to the school (or get a ride or hop on the bus), and wait in that chaotic front office for God knows how long. I probably won't have time to go today because I let my mother borrow my car and I don't know if she'll have it back before the office closes. :(
Back in High School, when all my classes started requiring that all the big projects/essays be typed, I had to practically move into the school library in order to get all those assignments done! Some teachers were flexible about making an exception and letting me write some stuff by hand; but that wasn't an option for stuff like finals. Thank goodness my family got a computer toward the end of my junior year (even if the only internet we had was dial up). Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do most of my final projects at home! And the high school has only gotten worse since then! Recently my family's internet was on the fritz for a day or two and my baby sister FREAKED OUT because her homework assignment(s) required her to e-mail something to her teacher! And it wasn't finals or anything. This was just her normal, everyday homework! O_o
Don't get me wrong, the internet is awesome and all (Hello, LiveJournal!). But when it comes to stuff like college registration, there should be non-internet options available for people who are too poor to afford a computer and/or internet and for people like me who are just plum old fashioned and still prefer doing certain things via telephone.
....God, ranting about the internet makes me feel old. Excuse me while I go to my front lawn and tell the neighborhood kids to get off of it.
**shakes cane**
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 08:59 pm (UTC)Case in point: I got my first paycheck today, so I went to the bank and deposited it since my direct deposit isn't set up yet. Because my cell phone was also due today, I went to the AT&T store across the street to pay my bill. They said it would be a $5 surcharge because they weren't allowed to accept cash at their store. WTF? So, I wound up going to the mall and paying there.
Though, to be honest, I'd rather register online than use the University of Alabama's old phone system for registration. That was a nightmare at times.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 09:50 pm (UTC)Ever since my household graduated from dial-up, I also prefer doing some stuff online (mainly because it gives me the option of saving/printing receipts and class schedules). But I just think the non-online option should be there for the people who have limited access to the internet for whatever reason. And the phone system is also handy for when a school's website sucks as hard as my school's website does. My school's old telephone registration system could be a pain in the ass, too. But at least it always WORKED. :P
no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 09:59 pm (UTC)This AT&T store I went to was kind of crappy. And the main one didn't treat me much better when I went in there either.
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Date: 2010-07-21 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 07:42 am (UTC)It's just crazy.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 02:56 pm (UTC)I can beat your friend's story: My cousin went to some kooky liberal arts college in Oregon that made the students sign an "environmental pledge" as a requirement to live in the dorms. Because of the stupid pledge, she couldn't bring her car with her! It would violate the "pledge" even if she kept it in a garage off campus!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 11:28 pm (UTC)Tell your friend that that's what she gets for going to a super liberal college and signing stupid papers! Let me guess, either UC Santa Cruz, Berkeley or Evergreen, right?
no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 11:56 am (UTC)>:(
I'm seriously considering becoming a Luddite Okay, maybe not, but you get my drift
Is a alternative option that doesn't require an internet access really so much to ask?