Blog Update: Taking a Digital Break

The Pleasures of a Digital Vacation,
Prompted by Technology Failing

What Living Without a Phone Can Teach Us

You'll notice we haven't published in a while.  Part of this is due to life interfering, and part was due to taking a digital break.

This digital break originally did not happen by choice.  It all began one morning.  I looked at my cell phone to check the weather, laid it back on the desk, and went about my business.  When I returned to it about an hour later, the phone was stuck in an infinite boot loop.  That means the phone would only boot as far as the google logo before shutting down and rebooting itself.

Undaunted, I rushed to my google drive to ensure I had a current backup. I could see my backup in my Drive folder.  So I tried to boot into recovery mode to no avail. That meant there was NO WAY to factory reset my phone.  When I went to research my woes, I found that this was a known issue. LG, the manufacturer of my Nexus 5x handset, was currently facing a class action suit because this was a known issue caused by a manufacturing defect, and LG had run out of the part needed to repair my phone.

I reached out to Google Support. They offered to accept a return of my 2 year old phone to solve the problem.  Still, that left me without a phone until Google could get a replacement out.  And to top it all off, we were facing a long weekend, and even with expedited shipping, it was doubtful that Google would be able to get a replacement phone to me in time to have it for the Holiday.  No worries--I still had a PC and Internet, as well as a landline, so that meant the weekend should still be okay.

I think we all fail to realize exactly how much we depend on our cell phones to run our daily lives.  Even with a working PC, there were many things I could no longer do until I had a new cell phone in hand.

I have most of my accounts protected by two-factor authentication. That means that you need a code along with your username and password to log in.  In most cases, that code is sent to your cell phone and expires within 15 minutes.  Not having that cell phone to receive the codes meant I couldn't log into a LOT of websites, including my web hosting control panel, my credit card account, my domain name registrar, and Twitter.  Of course, in many cases, two factor authentication can be set to use either your phone or your e-mail address to receive the log in code, but delivery method is usually established when you set up two factor authentication, and of course, you need to be able to log into your account to change the code delivery method. And you can't log into an account to change it without being able to receive a code.

Beyond two factor authentication, there are many other apps and services that are cell phone reliant.  Thankfully, many loyalty cards allow you to use a phone number in place of a physical or digital card. But not all do. Many fast food loyalty  programs depend on a digital card.  And that means you cannot access them without your phone.  Balances and promo codes are just unavailable without the app.  I DID discover that Regal Movies will look up your account with an e-mail address if you do not have your card or the app when purchasing tickets, but you really DO need your phone to redeem credits or take advantage of app-only concession deals.

And Uber? Forget trying to schedule an Uber without having your cell phone. You just cannot do it.    Not being able to take Uber when you live in a public-transportation-challenged area is NOT a good thing.  I had to change some weekend plans when taking an Uber became out of the question.

Blog Status Update

Techlaurels Weathered the Storm!
But it Was Rough!

I just wanted to give you an update on the status of this blog. As many of our followers know, Techlaurels is physically located on the Florida Suncoast, on one of the Barrier Islands.  We were in the path of Irma, and at one point, were facing a potential fifteen foot storm surge, which would have obliterated our little Island.  (In the graphic above, I live right below the 8 am Monday M.) So we all evacuated. The storm turned at the last moment, and my home was spared. But that doesn't mean we were not effected.  

When the threat passed. and we were finally allowed to return home, there were gas shortages and bumper to bumper traffic.  We came home to find an Island that had suffered a lot of damage.  Trees had fallen on houses, fences, and roads; chairs, carports, and trash cans were all over the place, and you could barely walk down streets because of all of the debris.  

If anyone is interested in reading more about our third-world like conditions, feel free to look at the public posts on my personal Facebook page (facebook.com/laurelnev). Suffice it to say it's hard to write about Smart Homes when your own set-up has been completely dismantled, packed into waterproof tubs, and stashed in the bathtub, under a mattress, to protect it from potential wind damage. In addition, although I suffered little loss outside of an extended  power outage, my neighbors were not so lucky.  I have been devoting my time to the recovery efforts, and I have not even had a chance to put all the things stashed around my house back into their rightful spots.

I am currently working on an article about what tech worked for me, and what tech failed, during this week+ long storm event.  After that, our series on Alexa and Smart Homes will resume. However, I have heard feedback from readers that do not have Alexa, and they would like to see the return of other content. Therefore, when we resume publication, the Alexa Smart Home Articles will be interspersed with quick tips, quizzes, etc. We will even sponsor another Giveaway soon.  

Please bear with us while Florida recovers. We are beginning to return to normal, with the exception of persistent grocery shortages, and 11% of people in my county are still without power.  Until this Blog returns to a normal publication schedule, we hope you'll catch up on some of the articles you may have missed.