[Discuss] [OT] Smart Phones

[Bill Horne]

On 3/1/2013 12:52 PM, Daniel Barrett wrote:
> Mark Woodward<markw at mohawksoft.com>  wrote:
>> I think I was the last human being above the age of 16 to get a smart
>> phone.
> You're not the last. I still don't own one and perhaps never will.  My days
> are already jam-packed with technology; the last thing I desire is to carry
> more technology around with me.

I have a "smart" phone  of sorts: it was a gift from a ham operator who 
I helped to
connect his radio to his computer. He had just bought one with a bigger 
screen, and
offered me his old one: I got to renew the $30/month "everything" rate, 
and since
that is in the ballpark of what I was spending for voice service, I'm 
content to use it.

> #define LIFESTYLE_GENTLE_RANT 1
>
> Other than GPS (which I have in my car), I have yet to encounter a single
> smartphone app that would make my life *happier*. This is not a troll so
> please don't respond with your dozen favorite apps. :-) My priorities are
> just different.

You're preaching to the choir!

I'm not sure if being wary of portable devices is a generational gap, a 
cultural divide, or a
class difference. No matter: the fact is that I'm happiest when I 
*don't* have the phone on,
since I really do think of it as an electronic leash.

> If I'm standing in a long, boring line waiting for something, I don't want
> to whip out a phone and surf the web or play a game. I'd rather think
> interesting thoughts, compose music in my head, read a book, or harangue
> the person responsible for the long delay. (I'd chat with the person next
> to me, but he's playing with his smartphone.)

I take a paperback when I'm going to have to queue up for something. I 
am, however,
prone to occasional fits of impatience, so if the clerks are gossiping, 
I'll just shout
"I sure hope this doesn't take too long!". It always speeds up the line 
immensely.

> Work is insanely busy. So when I'm not at work, I like living slowly,
> cultivating patience.  Enjoying a meal without the beep of a text
> message. I understand that others need to stay in contact with work
> 24x7. I've chosen not to live that way, and to accept whatever compromises
> come with that choice. (Even so, I'm having a successful career in the tech
> industry. It's a balancing act.)

I feel your pain. When my brother-in-law was just out of college, he 
came home with a
pager on his belt, back when they were still rare, and I said "You must 
be an important
person now!". He smiled, and said "No, Bill: the important people *do* 
the beeping!"

> The only tough part is not having mobile access to my calendar. This means
> every so often, I make an appointment for a time that's already booked, so
> I have to phone later to change it. It's a small price to pay to stay
> unhooked.

I think of it as "unchained". ;-)

Bill

-- 
Bill Horne
339-364-8487