slaves to technology
We have been slaves to technology every since the invention of the cellular phone. I don't know many people who own a cell phone who would ever leave their home without their cell connection. The more "independent" someone professes to be the more it seems they are chained and enslaved to their "connection." Money be damned, I will not be slave to this BS. I pay $55.00 a month now for cell access that I use less than 5 minutes a month. People say "what if someone is dying and noone can contact you? You must not care as much as me." BS. It has nothing to do with caring. Human beings die, get sick, get hurt, and worse. That is life. That is reality. People survived just fine with death and all other calamities of life long before the invention of the cell phone. Being continuously "connected" is escapism from reality, but maybe some people need that. I don't
http://www.sciencedump.com/content/10-t ... e-humanity
I only use this for emergencies and GPS stuff for Geocaching. I don't trust a prepaid for the Geocaching or for helping me find my way home from dark country roads at 3am on my scooter. Other than that I dont even turn this thing on. It is my one extravagance in life. Only one family member knows my number. I have given it to noone else. I have had a lot of prepaid phones and even with my minimalist usage I have still not been satisfied. I also take a lot of pictures with my phone, but never of human beings
"But what if there's an emergency? How will people contact you if you have your phone off all the time?"
"They can call the emergency services; they're probably better qualified than I am to deal with an emergency."
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Prof_Pretorius
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Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,520
Location: Hiding in the attic of the Arkham Library
I look at people endlessly gabbing on their phones and think 'you are a complete idiot.'
Had to get one (just in case) but I routinely leave it at home. I refuse to be a slave to the damned thing. Its my opinion that Zombies are so popular in the media because people act like them walking around staring at their stupid phones.
I bought an older used car, and in driving it home suddenly realized the gas gauge was inaccurate. Sputtered to a stop, and had to go door to door asking if I could call for a tow. Embarrassing, but the third person was helpful and placed the call for me. Proof you do not have to have one of things with you at all times.
Which brings me to my favorite idea for a Reality TV Show, namely put 20 somethings on a farm deep in Amish country with no electricity, no inter web, and especially NO CELL PHONES. Then the clock is started to see who can last the longest....
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I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. ~Theodore Roethke
Had to get one (just in case) but I routinely leave it at home. I refuse to be a slave to the damned thing. Its my opinion that Zombies are so popular in the media because people act like them walking around staring at their stupid phones.
I bought an older used car, and in driving it home suddenly realized the gas gauge was inaccurate. Sputtered to a stop, and had to go door to door asking if I could call for a tow. Embarrassing, but the third person was helpful and placed the call for me. Proof you do not have to have one of things with you at all times.
Which brings me to my favorite idea for a Reality TV Show, namely put 20 somethings on a farm deep in Amish country with no electricity, no inter web, and especially NO CELL PHONES. Then the clock is started to see who can last the longest....
I get sick of seeing "couples" out together in restaurants, or any other place, completely ignoring each other 24 inches away because they are wrapped up in punching buttons on their cell phones. The sound of incoming message alerts makes me want to gouge someones eyeballs out in public places.
Smart phones are here to stay until something technologically superior makes them obsolete. Complaining about them is futile and a waste of time and energy.
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auntblabby
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Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,740
Location: the island of defective toy santas
I dont know how anyone can surf the web on a smart phone, or why. I would rather watch birds fly and insects crawl when I am out and about than surf the web. I have a whole clan of family members going camping together for memorial day weekend. They are taking every convenience they can plug in to the 16 available electrical outlets at their campsite. They are out in the middle of nature on their camping trips and do not notice anything in nature that is happening around them. They will all carry their devices every place they go and one of their biggest priorities when they are settling in at night will be making sure their cell devices are all fully charged for the next day. They will take pictures and videos of all of their adventures but when they get home there will be no record of encounters with wildlife, other than the fish they catch and eat. Oblivious to butterflies, birds, flowers, smells or anything to do with nature, but every action and movement the humans and their offspring indulge in will be recorded for the future inhabitants of society to admire and envy, for whatever reason I cannot imagine. I watched some of them today pouring over photos of their last family camping trip, all marveling at this picture or that picture and saying as how none of them remember this or that. If you need a picture to remind you of something so unoticable in the moment it occured what is the point of existence.
auntblabby
Veteran
Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,740
Location: the island of defective toy santas
at my aspie meetups people are using both smart phones and ipad/ipad knockoffs by other companies, and I am the only one who is not thusly equipped. I am smartphone deprived. but back to your point, one can either live in the moment or live in the ipad or smartphone. there are a few who are wise enough to ration their smart equipment for important things relating to preserving the moment while spending most of their neural powers on appreciating things in the flesh, as it were.
Get a better plan, if they exist in America. I pay around ?5 per month for my cell plan and I can make up to two hours worth of calls per month and send unlimited SMS text messages. I normally only use around ten minutes per month. The cell phone is mainly for emergencies. We no longer have a land line telephone and use Skype for phoning abroad and even when phoning international land lines with Skype the cost is very low, something like 2 or 3 cents per minute. I put £10 credit on Skype last year and there is still around £8 credit remaining now!
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I've left WP indefinitely.
Get a better plan, if they exist in America. I pay around ?5 per month for my cell plan and I can make up to two hours worth of calls per month and send unlimited SMS text messages. I normally only use around ten minutes per month. The cell phone is mainly for emergencies. We no longer have a land line telephone and use Skype for phoning abroad and even when phoning international land lines with Skype the cost is very low, something like 2 or 3 cents per minute. I put £10 credit on Skype last year and there is still around £8 credit remaining now!
My phone is not for calling people, other than emergencies. I rarely talk on the phone. The cell is just something I keep in my scooter for emergencies and to help me find locations when I am doing Geocaching in the middle of nowhere. Plus the picture taking. The cost is not an issue to me. My life has very minimal expenses. I just require quality in my device, even though it is seldom used. I am paying for the assurance and reliability of quality. I dont even have sounds turned on as far as call or message alerts.