The Low-Tech Times

The Low-Tech Times previously asserted that Twitter, a service for for people to send frequent updates to each other about what they are doing, is totally unnecessary.

In addition to being an unnecessary, time-wasting service, Twitter is also somewhat unreliable.  According to MG Siegler’s ParisLemon blog, Twitter service had three days of trouble and did not clearly communicate what was going on to its users:

It’s just not working correctly. You shouldn’t just leave a broken site up with no explanation that it’s broken.

Apparently, this most recent problem is not the first time Twitter sputtered or failed.  Doug Caverly, of WebProNews, reports on Twitter problems from last year:

…the revelation that Twitter experienced about six days of downtime in 2007 has proven fairly embarrassing.

Hi-tech addictions not only affect those afflicted, they also can impact others.  People addicted to their hi-tech gadgets can annoy those around them. 

The Low-Tech Times previously reported on the most rude cell phone behaviors.  Loud cell phone talking on a commuter train was not included in our original list, but perhaps it should be added.

Anemona Hartocollis recently reported for the New York Times that a man was pushed over the edge by loud cell phone usage on a commuter train:

All John Clifford wanted was a peaceful ride to work on the 7:39 to Pennsylvania Station….

But all around him, there would be chaos. One woman putting on full makeup while listening to her iPod and talking to friends. Another inviting guests to a barbecue and talking about personal problems. Men chatting on cellphones…

He admitted that he had cursed at a passenger, Nicholas Bender, who was talking on his cellphone…

But after it was all done, Judge Stephen acquitted Mr. Clifford of all charges.

One recommended solution is for other commuter train services to offer quiet cars for those who want them. In my area, the Virginia Railway Express offers quiet cars.

While there are definitely some advantages to having a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips via the Internet, The Low-Tech Times has previously reported that excessive Internet usage can sometimes be a real problem.

WebMD has a feature story on another type of problem some people are having with the ease of access to information in cyberspace:

Thanks to the Internet, becoming a hypochondriac is much easier than it used to be.

The easy availability of health information on the web has certainly helped countless people make educated decisions about their health and medical treatment, but it can be disastrous for people who are likely to worry. Hypochondriacs researching an illness used to have to scour books and ask doctors for information. Now a universe of information is available with a few mouse clicks.

“For hypochondriacs, the Internet has absolutely changed things for the worse,” says Brian Fallon, MD, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University…

…the phenomenon is common enough to have a snappy name — “cyberchondria.”