A Summer Survival Guide To Phones Passwords And QR Codes

Your phone was supposed to make life easier, so why does one “quick task” turn into a 45-minute spiral of password resets, expired codes, and blurry QR menus? I’m Marcy Backett, and I’m bringing you a summer survival guide to technology that’s honest, funny, and actually useful, especially if modern devices sometimes make you feel like you need a degree just to turn on the TV. 

We get into the daily pain points that hit hardest as we age: streaming setups with too many remotes, websites that demand an account for everything, two-factor authentication that times out the second you glance at a text, and restaurants that replaced real menus with tiny phone screens. I explain why this isn’t about being “bad at tech” and why the real culprit is often poor design, confusing vocabulary, and constant updates that move the buttons without warning. 

Then we shift into practical strategies for digital confidence and online safety. I share simple ways to build a password system (or decide if a password manager fits you), keep your recovery info updated, and learn one small skill at a time using Apple’s free classes, accessibility settings like larger text and voice-to-text, and better Google searches. We also tackle phishing and phone scams with a clear rule: hang up, close the message, and call back directly using a trusted number, plus an analog backup plan with printed tickets and key contacts for when technology goes down. 

If you’ve ever said “I’m too old for this,” I want you to listen, laugh, and take one step forward. Subscribe, share this with the person who always asks for the Wi‑Fi password, and leave a review so more people can find a calmer way to live with modern tech.

Transcript

Mini Donkeys And Modern Tech

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello, and welcome to Aging A for Sissies. My name is Marcy Backett, and I am your host. I don't know if you've ever picked up your phone to do one simple thing, just one. And 20 minutes later, you're watching a video of a miniature donkey wearing pajamas. You don't remember how you got there, you didn't ask to be there, but now you're emotionally invested in whatever this little donkey is going to eat for breakfast. That, my friends, is technology. Technology is supposed to save us time, make life easier, and connect us to the world. Instead, half the time I'm standing in my kitchen yelling, why do you need my face, my fingerprint, and a code set to my phone? It makes me insane. And the other half of the time I'm trying to prove to a website that I'm not a robot. I honestly, when I was a kid, if you had told me I'd be spending half of my adult life telling a robot that I'm not a robot, I would never have believed you. Apparently, correctly identifying six blurry pictures of traffic slides is now a requirement for participating in modern society. Welcome to aging, welcome to technology, and welcome to my summer survival guide on aging. And this week we're talking about technology. We've talked about retirement. We've talked about surviving the doctor's office. We've talked about surviving family gatherings. Today we're tackling something that affects almost every part of our lives. Good old technology. Now, those of you that know me know I do love technology. But just because I love it doesn't mean I don't get crazy about all the things that happen. So today we're tackling something like phones, passwords, streaming services, apps, online appointments, digital tickets, two-factor authentication, QR codes, and a device that listens to us, but somehow never understands us. Technology can be wonderful, and I love it. It lets us talk to our children and grandchildren wherever they live. We can talk to them. Video, do you remember back in the day when the thought of seeing someone while you're talking to them just seems so George Judson? We can do it now right in our hands. It helps us navigate unfamiliar places. It lets us take hundreds of photos. We may never organize. It gives us access to information, entertainment, medical care, banking, shopping, and miniature donkeys in pajamas. But technology can also make perfectly intelligent adults feel completely incompetent. So today we're going to talk about how to use technology without letting technology use us.

When Devices Humble You

SPEAKER_00 3:35

All right, let me begin with the truth. I do not consider myself technology helpless. I am not. I have podcasts, I record audio, I upload episodes, I create social media posts, I send emails, I use apps. I can usually figure things out. But every so often a device will decide to humble me. It is always something that worked perfectly well yesterday. Yesterday I knew how to turn on the television. Today I apparently need a degree in broadcasting engineering. There are six remote controls: one remote for the television, one for the sound, one for the streaming device. One may control a satellite satellite currently orbiting Earth. Who the heck knows? When did turning on a TV get so hard? You press the wrong button and suddenly the screen says no input. No input. How about when your computer decides to tell you it can't find your printer and your printer's sitting two feet away? Printer not found. Printer not found. Oh I've been giving emotional input. I can see things that the computer can't see. Some of the input cannot be repeated on this podcast. And there are software updates. Honestly, yesterday we had a blinds installer here. He's going to install our new blinds, and he was doing measurements, and Craig wanted a copy of his measurements. I open my printer, I stick it on the glass, I set it down, and I go to make a copy. It needed an update. I'm like, no, I just want to make a copy of this, then we can update it. I had to go through. Here's this poor man standing there. I just freaking wanted a copy. So you can see. It gets the best of us technology. They add features, they take features away. All of this keeps happening. Everything is is crazy. You know what would be fun? Let's hide it. Something that used to be there, now it's gone. I think it bothers us the most because the rules keep changing. I learned the rules and then they change them. There's an update, and everything changed, and nobody sends us the memo. Well,

Chicago Summer Life Update

SPEAKER_00 5:59

we're going to get into that in a little bit, but I did want to talk about what's going on in my life. Life has been busy, life has been great. Summer in the city here in Chicago is so delightful. We get 100 days of summer and we enjoy every inch of it. I am trying to get these podcasts done so I can go sit out on the deck, enjoy the beautiful summer, the sun, the temperature is 80. It's perfect. I love it all. I love it all. This weekend was great. St. James, my cathedral. Um it celebrated 100, it's the whole year we're celebrating its 150th anniversary. And this weekend on Saturday, we did a Camino. We had five different Caminos you could choose from. And I started mine. It was a two and a half mile Camino with a group of people, and we walked through things that are significant to St. James here in Chicago. And it was delightful. I met friends in the park to sing Beatles songs. It was awesome. Ran into a friend there, ran into another friend there. My life here is great. And I just hope wherever yours is, yours is too. Because I have never had. We've lived a lot of places, and I would say, out of all of them, Chicago is my happy place. Chicago is my happy place. So that's what's happening with me. Good news from doctors. Got a um shot, arthritis shot in my arm, feeling good, going to the gym, working hard, eating my protein, had egg salad for lunch today, you know, doing all the old people stuff. But living my best life and very happy with it. All right. Now,

Password Rules And Two Factor Chaos

SPEAKER_00 7:52

you might say something like, recently I was trying to fill in the blank. This should have taken approximately two minutes, but 45 minutes later, I had changed three passwords, restarted two devices, and seriously considered moving into a cabin in the woods. The important thing though is this: you are not stupid, you are not too old, and you are not the only one struggling. Technology is often poorly designed, consistently changing, and explained by people who assume we already know what they're talking about. Nobody warned me that getting older would mean needing a password for everything. I that I need and and I and I feel Craig's pain. Craig does not love this, and I'm laughing right now because I just got a text from my friend Pearl, and it went to two other people, and this is it. It actually says, this is meant only for Marcy, the tech expert. How timely is that text? Yes, I do get technology pretty much, but not always. Anyways, nobody warned me that you would need an app for everything, and you really do. And I feel for Craig. He hates apps on his phone. He doesn't know how to use them. He doesn't enjoy them, and I get it, but man, life, you need it to fly, you need it for everything. There was a time when you needed one password, maybe two. Now I need a password to order socks. And every website has a different requirement. One says your password must contain eight characters. One says it can have 12 characters, a capital letter, a number, a symbol, a hieroglyphic, the name of your first pet, and the emotional history of your maternal grandmother. So we create the password. Then the website tells us you have used this password before. Of course I have. Frick. Of course I have. It was a very good password. That is why I like to use it. I would like to use it again, please. Then we have this freaking two-factor authentication. You enter your password. That is why I would like to use it. Oh, sorry. My phone just keeps buzzing. I'm going to take a pause here. I'm going to deal with this text and I will be right back with you. Hey, I think I did, but we are back to, I think I dealt with that text anyhow. And it's a computer problem, which is making me laugh even more because of what I'm doing. That's why I'm allowing it to interrupt us because I just find it so funny that all of this stuff it has to do with AI now going through Yahoo's emails and so on and so forth. It's another frustration. Now you've got something else, which, as much as I love AI, now it's everywhere and it's in our stuff and it's changing things and it's making us crazy. But back to passwords. So then you come up with this whole thing. You enter your password on the computer. The computer sends a number to your phone. You pick up your phone, you see a text message from your sister, you answer the text, you notice you have an email, you read the email, you look at the weather, you put your phone down, then the computer says your code is expired. Has that ever happened to you? Well, that's how they break us. Nobody warned us that restaurants would stop giving out menus. Oh, they have loved that one since uh COVID. Damn QR codes everywhere. Now you sit down and there's a little square on the table. Had to train Craig all about QR codes. I think he finally has it, but honestly, I don't like looking. I am a tech person. I don't like looking at a damn menu on my phone. I want a menu. I want a menu. Just scan the QR code. Just is doing a lot of work in that sentence. First, I need my glasses. Then I need my phone. Then I need the camera on my phone. Then I have to hold the phone exactly at the right angle. Now a menu opens in a tiny print. I enlarge the print, but it moves sideways. I try to scroll down and suddenly I've ordered three appetizers and joined a loyalty program. At some point, I want to say, could you please bring me a laminated menu covered in fingerprints like the good old days? Nobody warned us that we would be expected to manage our entire lives through apps. And this is the truth. And for people like Craig, this is really a struggle. There's an app for your doctor, a pharmacy, airline, grocery store, parking garage. Parking garages here, huge thing about apps. And scanning QR codes when you're trying to exit because you got a deal and he gave you a QR code. Coffee apps. Sometimes you simply, you cannot simply call a business. The recorded voice says for faster first service, use our website or use our app. I'm calling because the website did not provide faster service or the app is not working the way I need it to. This is why I'm now yelling representative into the phone. And nobody, absolutely nobody, warned us that every company would want to create a damn account. Why can't we just have one central account? I do not want a relationship with every company I buy something from. Sometimes I just want to buy a damn lamp and never hear from that company again. What about you? I just need a light. I don't need a lifelong relationship.

QR Menus Apps And Forced Accounts

SPEAKER_00 13:26

So why is it that technology feels harder than it should? Here is something important to understand. Technology frustration is not necessarily an age problem, it's often a design problem. Many systems are not intuitive. You think they would be. Instructions are vague, buttons are too small, words are replaced by symbols. I can't understand why when you have to put in something numerical, sometimes the phone keyboard comes up, which is great. Nice big numbers, you can pop them in really quick. Your phone dialing keyboard comes up, and then other times it's that dumb one across the top, like we had in typing. Why can't it always just be the big one? Oh. Many younger people grew up experimenting with digital devices. They learned by pressing buttons, making mistakes, and trying again. And I will tell you, that is my superpower. It is why I'm good at technology, because I do, I do approach it that way. But some of us learn that pressing the wrong button might break a very expensive machine. And that is true too. So we approach technology cautiously. We want clear instructions. We want to know what will happen before we click something. And Craig is very much that way. And I frustrate the crap out of him because when I help him, I have to tell him, don't watch what I'm doing. He wants to watch every step. And I tell him, don't, because I don't know what I'm doing. I'll figure it out and I'll get it right, but there's not going to be clear steps to it. And technology often rewards experimentation rather than caution. That can feel uncomfortable. And I know it does for many of you. This is also, there is also a language barrier. Technology has its own vocabulary. Cloud, cookie, browser, cachet, widget, operating system, Bluetooth, streaming, syncing. Some of these terms make no sense. The cloud is not in the sky. Cookies are not something we eat, and Bluetooth has nothing to do with your teeth. And sinking sounds like something that would happen to a ship. It is not. We are expecting to understand all of this while also remembering our passwords, protecting ourselves from scams and fishing incidents. And fishing is not what the fishing you think, you're not going to come out with the trout. And try not to accidentally send a private message to the whole family group chat. That is a lot. So I'm hoping by just laying that all out there for you in a fast and aggressive manner, you do see that it isn't you, that the system is flawed, that technology is flawed. I want you to stop saying I'm bad at technology.

Design Problems Not Age Problems

SPEAKER_00 16:06

The first survival strategy is to change the way you talk about yourself. Stop saying I'm terrible at technology. I'm too old for this. I'll never understand it. Those statements feel harmless, but they train your brain to give up before you start. Try saying I haven't learned this yet. I need someone to explain this differently. I can learn one part at a time. I do try to help my friends with their technology. I do try to help figure it out and give it to them solely. I just sent Pearl something. I hope it helps her. I don't know if it will. And I offered to come over and do it because trying to tell somebody how to do something over text is not the easiest when it comes to technology. Also, when I was training people at work, I called them the mad clickers because they're clicking stuff before I even tell them to. They start tapping at lightning speed and then they hand it back and say, there. There what? What did you do? And then it works the other way around. I could be tapping at lightning speed and hand in there saying, What? What did you do? How will I know how to do it next time? Because there are two things. Fixing the problem is not the same as teaching. So I have learned that. Fixing the problem is one thing. So I'll have to tell Craig, let me fix it, then I'll tell you how I did it. Because watching me in the process of fixing it is not going to help him. So I've learned a little. And you have to slow down. They have to slow down. We all need to slow down. Take it one step at a time. Create a password system. I have done this. Using the same password everywhere is dangerous. Writing every password on a scrap of paper, leaving it beside the computer is also not ideal. The best option for many people is a reputable password manager. A password manager securely stores your passwords, creates strong passwords, and helps you log into your accounts. Computers do this now. I have a huge problem with it because it doesn't always work correctly. I've come up with my own system. I have a password that I'm comfortable with. And then the last two parts of that password change depending on the website. So that makes every password unique while keeping my favorite password. So, in other words, if I am making a password for Amazon, I will use my favorite password, and then I will use the first two letters of the website. So AM. So then when I make it for Apple, I will use my favorite password, and then I will have the last two letters be AP. In other words, I am creating something different every time. And you can use an at between it. So you can do at A at P. I couldn't get that out. I'm so sorry. Um, because the more things you add in there does make it difficult for things to figure it out. But you can create your own system that works for you. That means I only need to remember one strong master password, and the website will give me the cues on what the last two pieces of that password are. All right. Whatever you choose, ask a trusted, knowledgeable person to help you set it up correctly. So if you use my way, the highway, whatever you use, stick with it. Turning on two-factor authentication for important accounts, especially for banking, credit cards, social media, things like that, it is important. It's freaking annoying as hell, but it's important. Also make sure your recovery information is current. Your emails, all of that. If you have written down your passwords in a notebook, don't label it on my passwords. Technology survival becomes easier when you're not repeatedly locked out of your own life. All right.

Learn One Skill At A Time

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Let's talk a little bit about learning one thing at a time. All right. Do not try to master your entire phone in one afternoon. I want to remind you that Apple has classes, they're free. Go online, you can look at them, you can see, you can take them, go to your local Apple store, and they have classes. Okay. I want you to learn one thing at a time. Learn how to enlarge the text, how to voice to text. Learn one thing at a time. Pick something out, Google it, and learn it. Just choose one. Practice it several times and move on to the next. One thing at a time. Don't get a phone and assume you know how to use it all. And let me tell you, every time there's an update, things change, and you know this. That's why going, if you're an Apple person and I'm not talking to other phone users because I don't use them. I don't know. But you can go to the Apple store when there's an update and they will show you what's changed and help you. And they are very kind. Make your devices easier to use, increase your text size, increase your screen contrast, use voice controls, turn on captions, whatever it is. Google how to do it. Just be as simple as you can on Google. I have an iPhone 17. I need to increase the text size. Please give me steps. Step-by-step directions, and I'm telling you, Google will. If you talk to Google, this is my biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest survival strategy to give you. When you put something in Google, talk to it like give it all the information it needs, and I guarantee you I'll give you the answer you need. I helped Kyle out with something. Kyle's 33. Kyle was having trouble getting a phone number to get a hold of records from another medical system, blah, blah, blah. I put in exactly what I needed. Within 10 seconds, I had that phone number. Kyle goes, How'd you do that? I said, I told Google exactly what I needed, very detailed and no uncertain terms, and I got it.

Scam Proof Your Phone And Email

SPEAKER_00 22:44

One of the main things I want to do is protect you from scams. This is a serious part of today's episode. Technology gives us access to wonderful things, but scammers are on every corner. I don't want you to talk to anybody on the phone. I don't. I got scammed years ago on the phone and I kept telling the guy, I think you're a scammer. I think you're a scammer. I think you're a scammer. And he's like, no. And he was able to send me a code from my bank, and it was still a scam because they, I don't know what the technical terms are. They mirrored my bank. It was terrible. I should have hung up and called my bank directly. Do not talk to people on the phone ever. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. If you are not sure about an email, don't answer it. Call whoever it is. If it's bank family, if somebody's in trouble. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Careful people get scammed. Educated people get scammed. Intelligent people get scammed. They are trained. Their entire job is to manipulate emotions and create confusion. Hang up. Close the email out. Whoever it is, call them directly. If it's saying they're a family member. Whatever it is, try to get to the direct person, your bank. Hang up, call your bank yourself. Okay? It's simple. Hang up. Don't read the email. Call your credit card company. Call the bank. Call the family number that's supposedly in trouble. Whatever it may be. Have a technology emergency plan. What happens if your phone is lost, stolen, or broken? Could you contact your family? Do you have any phone numbers without looking at the phone? Could you access your airline reservation? Could you get into your email? All these things. Make sure you have a backup system and an emergency plan for everything. Craig and I plant, excuse me. Craig and I print our tickets every time before we live for the airport because things go down. I want a paper ticket, just like you should always have cash, because at some point during an earthquake, something can happen and technology will not work. You need an analog backup. Print out your addresses. Have a printed out, you can print it out from Apple. Have a printed email, an address book in case something happens. Okay. When I'm traveling, when we're doing a big European trip, I print out all hotel reservations, everything, any reservations I've made for anything, I print it out. I have a little folder that goes with me. An analog paper folder. A little old-fashioned backup can save a great deal of stress. Okay.

Build An Analog Backup Plan

SPEAKER_00 25:34

Survival strategy seven, create boundaries with the technology. You have the ability to set your boundaries. If it's something sounds dangerous, it probably is. Set your boundaries. Choose specific times to check email or social media. Don't be on it all the time. Put your phone away during meals. Turn off unnecessary notifications. I have gone through notifications on my phone and turned off everything that's not important. Everything. Every app is turned off except for my American Airlines app, Amazon, because I want my notifications for packages. You have control over your phone and your technology. Don't let it control you.

Set Boundaries With Notifications

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Okay, I know this is getting to be a long podcast, but what am I doing differently? So one of the things I'm trying to do differently is to stop fighting every new piece of technology before I've actually tried it. Sometimes my first reaction is no, I don't need that. And sometimes I'm right, but occasionally I'm wrong. I have had Amazon's Alexa. I don't want to say it too loud because she'll wake up. Hey Alexa, are you over there? Yeah, she's over there. Yep, I'm here. What can I help you with? Thanks, Alexa. Right now I was just showing my podcast audience that you're always there. Thank you. I'll get back to you soon. Anyways. Anytime. Hope your podcast goes great. Talk to you later. Did you hear? So I've created social, social interactions with my technology to make it easier for me. But it's important to understand your technology in order to do that. I have had this forever. I was one of the first people to have one. And it controls my life, it controls a lot of things, but I also know how to control everything without it. Okay, and I've learned and I'm learning more. I'm always learning. You can choose to be stagnant in technology, and that's fine, but it's going to always be there and you need to learn. All right. So that is one of the technologies I resisted. I used it for the basic things. Now I use it for a lot more. And I can't say her name because she'll wake up again. But there are things I use now I never imagined would become a part of my life. The trick is not learning everything. The trick is staying willing to learn what helps me live the life I want. Learn your exercise apps. Learn the ones that are important. Forget the rest. I like to order my McDonald's before I get there. I use my McDonald's app. I don't use food apps. I don't use food delivery services. There's something I don't use. Living in the city, I definitely need my car apps. I prefer Curb, which is a taxi app. I use it. I learned it. You don't want to learn these things when you're standing on the curb waiting for a taxi. Learn them ahead of time, download them ahead of time. Take time. Part of your frustration is you're using these apps when you need them. And by then it's too late. Okay. Let's see. What else do I want to tell you?

Tech Terms Translated Fast

SPEAKER_00 29:03

All right. I'm going to give you a couple of rapid-fire technology translations and then we're done. The cloud. The cloud is basically information stored on remote computers instead of only on your device. It's not floating over your house. Streaming. What does streaming mean? It means watching or listening over the internet rather than using a physical copy or traditional broadcast. So we're streaming instead of using our CDs. It's replaced CDs and VHSs. It also means spending 20 minutes deciding what to watch and then re-watching the same show you've already seen. You're kind of getting used to that. What is Bluetooth? Bluetooth allows nearby devices to connect wirelessly. You can have Bluetooth headphones, you could have a Bluetooth mic, you can have Bluetooth lights, you can have Bluetooth speakers. It's why your phone sometimes connects to the car and sometimes behaves as though your car is a complete stranger. There are issues sometimes with Bluetooth. Cookies, what the heck are cookies? Accept cookies. Don't accept cookies. Cookies are small pieces of data websites stored to remember information about you. Sadly, accepting cookies does not result in baked goods. App, APP. An app is simply a program designed to perform a particular function. Some are useful, some exist to send you notifications. A QR code. A QR code is a square barcode. So those squares are nothing more than a barcode. Your phone camera can scan to open information, menus, tickets, and websites. It's also a test of whether you remember to bring your reading glasses. What's an update? An update changes or provide or improve, excuse me. An update changes or improves software. It may fix problems. It may also cause them. User error, a rude phrase often used when a device has failed to provide clear instructions.

Weekly Challenge And Closing

SPEAKER_00 31:03

So I'm going to give you a quick challenge this week. Your challenge is to learn one technology skill that will make your life easier. If it's uh using a rideshare app, if it's using a food delivery app, do not overhaul your entire digital existence. Choose one some, choose something manageable or make an appointment at your Apple store to have them teach you something. But I want you to learn to either increase the text size on your phone, set up emergency contacts, learn to block spam calls, organize your home screen. That's a good one. I have a beautifully organized phone, I will tell you that. Back up your photos, something. I want you to learn it. Write down the steps, practice the skill three times, and then congratulate yourself. Do not dismiss it by saying, well, everyone else already knows how to do this. Teach yourself something, learn something. Technology is not going away, my friends. In fact, the time, by the time this episode is released, three new apps will probably have been invented. My phone will need another update, and the television remote will have disappeared between the couch cushions. But we do not need to understand everything. We do not need to love every change. And we do not need to let frustration convince us that the modern world no longer belongs to us. We are still here, we are still learning, we are still adapting. We have already lived through enormous technology changes. Take a moment and just think about your life and technology. We went from rotary phones to smartphones, from paper maps to GPS, from three television channels to 700 channels. We handled it all. Can we handle the next thing too? Absolutely. Maybe with reading glasses, maybe with written instructions, or maybe with a little help. And definitely keep your sense of humor. I want to thank you for joining me for another episode of Aging Survival Guard Guide. Today's reminder is simple. You are not too old to learn technology. You are also not required to love it. Use what helps, get rid of the rest, and learn at your own pace. Protect yourself. And never be ashamed to ask someone to slow down and show you the steps. Next time on Aging Eat for Sissies, we'll continue our summer survival guide with surviving downsizing: what to keep, what to let go, and why every cabinet contains 17 coffee mugs. This should be interesting because apparently every object in the house now has sentimental value. Even the broken vegetable peeler. Please follow or subscribe to Aging A4Sissy so you never miss an episode. Share this episode with a person in your life who has 12,000 unread emails, or the person who keeps asking you for the Wi-Fi password, even though it has been the same for six years. And remember, aging isn't about knowing everything. It's about knowing when to ask for help, when to laugh, and when to turn the vice off and back on. I am Marcy. This is Aging8 for 60. See you next.