A big moment. Although a week late, this morning at 7:20 the moving truck arrived at the door. In the days before, we sorted, packed, threw things away, and prepared ourselves—bit by bit each day. The delay was due to the kitchen not being finished.
The doorbell rings. Five strong, young men eager to get started dive into the boxes and furniture. Everything quickly disappears into a large MAN truck and is already being unloaded at the new house by 11:00. We are just moving within the city, so travel time is short. By 14:00 the five finish their work. Everything intact, everything in place. We sign, give a $50 tip, and everyone receives a bottle of vodka. Then we are alone. The unpacking begins. We won’t be finished today; tomorrow is another day.
Everything feels so different. Some of our furniture doesn’t quite fit the new rooms, but for now, it will do. I connect the TV and Yamaha system. At least we have music and pictures tonight. Around seven, we sit in the evening sun. She embraces me...radiant, settled, and so am I. The house is finished, our home is ready. We made it. Our first real house—not a row house like before, not a large apartment as a transition, but a house with a terrace, a space to walk around. Yes, now we are suburbanites, savers, homeowners, browsing garden center brochures. And that’s a good thing....Karsten
The doorbell rings. Five strong, young men eager to get started dive into the boxes and furniture. Everything quickly disappears into a large MAN truck and is already being unloaded at the new house by 11:00. We are just moving within the city, so travel time is short. By 14:00 the five finish their work. Everything intact, everything in place. We sign, give a $50 tip, and everyone receives a bottle of vodka. Then we are alone. The unpacking begins. We won’t be finished today; tomorrow is another day.
Everything feels so different. Some of our furniture doesn’t quite fit the new rooms, but for now, it will do. I connect the TV and Yamaha system. At least we have music and pictures tonight. Around seven, we sit in the evening sun. She embraces me...radiant, settled, and so am I. The house is finished, our home is ready. We made it. Our first real house—not a row house like before, not a large apartment as a transition, but a house with a terrace, a space to walk around. Yes, now we are suburbanites, savers, homeowners, browsing garden center brochures. And that’s a good thing....Karsten
Alex, I turned Siri off, not on. I hope that means some peace and quiet. Also, I find it kind of strange—maybe due to my age—to talk to a device.
No, I’m not wearing a tin foil hat. I do shop on Amazon or eBay. I use messaging apps, but not Facebook; the word “friend” means too much to me to let it be ruined like that. No Twitter either, because I consider myself more nuanced than Trump. I know Amazon and others track my shopping habits, and Google records my searches to push me into buying things. But I can’t accept a company eavesdropping on my wife and me. As a liberal person, I’m certainly not anti-technology or a health-food preacher, but privacy matters to me. Karsten
No, I’m not wearing a tin foil hat. I do shop on Amazon or eBay. I use messaging apps, but not Facebook; the word “friend” means too much to me to let it be ruined like that. No Twitter either, because I consider myself more nuanced than Trump. I know Amazon and others track my shopping habits, and Google records my searches to push me into buying things. But I can’t accept a company eavesdropping on my wife and me. As a liberal person, I’m certainly not anti-technology or a health-food preacher, but privacy matters to me. Karsten
Alex85 schrieb:
What do you think your smartphones are actually doing with their microphones all day long?
If you’re going to wear a tinfoil hat, at least think it through.
(but yes, Alexas do listen and store data, and in the USA this data has already been used in court)From the start, Siri has been turned off. I don’t use a microphone at all. Shopping habits? Well, honestly, I find the ads right now really interesting [emoji12] – perfectly tailored to me.
I also avoid aluminum as much as possible. And everyone should know that my shampoo is now vegan.
So I hope the ads will soon offer me a good face cream.
Nordlys schrieb:
Oh, vegan shampoo? Do you eat it? Does it taste good?
Karsten: no animal testing, no animal ingredients.
No plastic microbeads and no mineral oils.
Shampoo is a placeholder for several products... but I don't need to convince anyone here.
Nordlys schrieb:
But I can’t accept it if a company interrogates my wife and me. The question that will likely shape the coming years. I’m currently reading Ranga’s new book "Next Exit: Future." So far, it’s very interesting.
I wonder if this really bothers the next generation. They grow up with companies constantly spoon-feeding them everything while spying on them. Is that really a problem? How bad is it if Google knows my clothing size? Hmm. I don’t know.
B
Bieber08153 Jan 2018 09:15ypg schrieb:
Without any plastic parts inside I like that! +1
Sonos has questionable data privacy policies, which is one of the reasons I won’t have them in my house. I didn’t like Bose in terms of design and feel; I checked them out briefly in a big electronics store just before New Year's Eve. Yamaha was also an option, but the Raumfeld system is working out well for me, so I decided to go with it and have now equipped three rooms with it.