> Imagine you're on vacation and have lost your phone.
A few years ago when SMS tokens and Authenticator apps where less common, I was able to do work without having my phone on the same room as my computer. Now I need to have it on my desk most of the time for logging in.
There are authenticator apps that will run on your computer, and apps that will let you read SMSs on your phone from you computer. You phone might need to be on for the latter, and maybe even connected to the same local network, but it does not have to be literally on your desk.
lol, 小红书 as an idea was established way before facebook.
facebook was just trying to use an adbuster's style approach, but actually during that time there were tons of subversive messages, e.g. mckenzie wark's "hacker manifesto" was commonly read and discussed. that whole hacker-chic is what facebook and PG modeled their entire personality off of. even though they might not have cared about edgy communism back then, the GNU manifesto written 20 years even earlier (and lots of FOSS warriors) certainly did.
even back when facebook had their little print poster shop on their campus, a lot of hackers outside felt really grody seeing this anti-capitalist spirit co-opted by this financial behemoth. it was like every 2 weeks someone would know someone else's small startup get snapped up for $10s of millions here and there. it was like watching the air slowly get sucked out of a party.
> things that were simple, became full of friction, all to collect our data.
I always wonder who comes up with these full of friction "tech innovations".
Last time it took me about five minutes to order a soda from one of those machines in a hotel. It even required a phone number to complete the order.
Another day that machine failed mid transaction but charged my card so I had to email the hotel's accounting department to get a refund about a week later.
>> It even required a phone number to complete the order.
Omg. This is so stupid.
The same with parties/festivals: you have to create accounts to buy a fucking ticket, then you pay a "convenience fee".
That is, in addition to providing your data to a platform that you did not ask for, you still pay for the "convenience" lol.
So finally when you arrive at the party, then you have to pay for a "credit card" that works only in that place, where some 3rd party collect your data again.
I'll add another one, that is an issue when traveling:
- Having an app store account of the country you are visiting.
Some of this apps are geo restricted and can't be downloaded with foreign app store accounts. Sometimes they can't process foreign cards or foreign phone numbers.
While on holiday in the States for the first time recently I actually changed my Play Store country to be able to download some US specific parking app, not knowing that I apparently have to wait a full year before I can change my country again (I don't remember reading this during the process).
Explaining this to Google Play and Google One customer support led to nothing, they just told me to wait out the full year essentially. I'm just stuck with it for now.
I've had to do this before too. Having to create a fresh Google account when visiting another country using a domestic IP address. This because changing billing country in certain platforms means losing purchases or personaliation.
I've chosen a constrained name pool for my hosts and devices, and when I add new ones, I choose the same name but in a different language.
I can just see it now, I go on an international trip and make a trail of Google Accounts for myself, all named the same, but in the local language. Heehee, can't wait!
A few years ago when SMS tokens and Authenticator apps where less common, I was able to do work without having my phone on the same room as my computer. Now I need to have it on my desk most of the time for logging in.