Hello Mum it's me...

[saxonaxe]

I try to get to the gym a couple of times a week, nothing spectacular, just a run on a machine and some free weights usually.This morning it suddenly struck me that of 5 people in the gym I was the only one there who did not receive or make a 'phone call... My 'phone is left in the locker in the changing room, but I noticed a lady on a cross trainer endlessly chattering away and even a bloke who stopped halfway through some reps on the weights to make a 'phone call.
It amuses me, I wonder why people pay a gym membership fee to get dressed in shorts and trainers just to sit around and make 'phone calls??....

[TarHeelBrit]

It never ceases to amaze me the dependency some people have on their phones. It seems they can’t go 5 minutes without making/receiving a call, sending/receiving a text or looking on the net for something. A trend which I like to buck. My phone make calls, it doesn't access the net....hell it doesn't even have a camera. Since arriving here in March I've made 17 calls, mainly to get utilities hooked up. I don't need to feel connected 24/7. I like it that way.

[FishyFolk]

Me and phones....

I worked with security commes for years. ANd part of my responibility was making sure everyone had working phones. I have always been quite tech savvy. And sure know how to use a modern smart phone
to it's full potential...for work. I have taken that with me to school where I use it as a study tool. But at home...cant even remeber to charge the thing. And when I do I forget it in the car, or the sound is turned off. Etc. And SMS to me is compeletly futile. If I can't respond to your message there and then for some reason, It will be forgotten...if you are so lucky that I remeber to check messages at all...


In short...it is almost impossible to reach me by phone, he he

[OakAshandThorn]

I can understand the importance of cellular phones for work - my career path will require me to have a government phone - though I must say that the dependence on technology these days has become absurd. I'm sure we all took notes in school, wrote letters by hand, and so forth....well, the new way of doing things, at least in my state, is to issue students with an iPad and have them do their school work on it and save it on an intranet (which, BTW, is so unprotected that a monkey could hack into it). And now the iPads aren't enough, the students "must" have Chromebooks!! Not only is this not helping the students learn writing skills or how to communicate, but it's a big strain on the teachers who must now learn yet another technological disaster. First, the "smart"-board....then the apple laptop...now the iPad and similar devices.

I wonder if I'm one of the very few left in my age-group of millennials who regularly writes letters to people rather than a quick email or text. I spend more time communicating with people face-to-face than I do in a virtual world of screen-names and messages. Is it any wonder why teenagers struggle to find their niche in the workplace?

The problem I see with all this convenient technology is that it is just too convenient. We have allowed ourselves to become addicted to convenience. Why talk face-to-face when it's easier to type a message on this cool device to my facebook friend? Why bother walking or cycling to our destination when we have motorised vehicles to take us wherever we want? Why call someone when we can just text them? Why write a letter when we can message them on facebook, twitter, reddit, etc., or (again), just send them a text or email? Why fuss with maps when we can just use our GPS to navigate? Why play chess, checkers, board games or card games when I have cool stuff on my phone or Xbox? Why go outside and play when I can spend hours and hours in front of an Xbox?
But if you take away these conveniences from those who are so heavily dependent on them, they will exhibit what I call tech-withdrawal. Restlessness, irritability, a strong desire to acquire them again (a "need"), even feverish movements as they struggle to cope without. It's a sad truth that we have allowed ourselves to become slaves to convenience. During long power-failures, if our devices malfunction, or if these tech gadgets are taken away, we act like a bunch of spoilt brats throwing a temper tantrum.

How on Earth would we cope if a natural disaster knocked out electricity for months? The solar storms of 1859 and 1880 can happen again...
Expect masses of people to act like spoilt brats, looting and raiding, rioting,...a general state of chaos, especially in the urban zones. It would take quite awhile for these places to stabilize.

[saxonaxe]

I'm in about the same camp as you Rune when it comes to phone use, although being retired I'm happy to say I don't need to carry a phone for work. When my Grandaughter visited the other day I said " Laura give my phone a ring please" She looked puzzled then laughed..." You've lost it again Grandad haven't you?"....Yep..But found it when a cushion on the settee started ringing, must have got buried again.....

" It's a sad truth that we have allowed ourselves to become slaves to convenience."

Lot of truth in that statement, ironically there has just been a report published..http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34252598
which shows much of what OakAshandThorn writes is becoming obvious, at least in education.

Technology is wonderful, and it's here to stay but I suppose total reliance on it is a bit like wandering into the wilderness in the depth of winter with just a Bic Lighter, and absolutely no idea of any other method of lighting a fire.

[TarHeelBrit]

Before forced retirement I had to be available for work Being on the call out list I had to either have a pager or (showing my age here) one of those brick sized mobile phones. Now in retirement I love "being unavailable".

Sapper I would like to say thank you for your service with the mountain rescue team. I have nothing but the utmost admiration for you chaps considering the conditions you go out in you ALL deserve a medal.

[OakAshandThorn]

" It's a sad truth that we have allowed ourselves to become slaves to convenience."

Lot of truth in that statement, ironically there has just been a report published..http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34252598
which shows much of what OakAshandThorn writes is becoming obvious, at least in education.

Technology is wonderful, and it's here to stay but I suppose total reliance on it is a bit like wandering into the wilderness in the depth of winter with just a Bic Lighter, and absolutely no idea of any other method of lighting a fire.

UK schools, too???
What on Earth is everyone going to do when hackers break into these databases? SQL injection is all it takes. That's how Home Depot, Yahoo, Target, Anthem Insurance, and just recently Ashley Madison were hacked.

Heck, even a strong solar flare has the potential to interrupt or render electronics useless (Electro-Magnetic Pulse effect). If our children grow up in a world where everything is done in a virtual world that can end at the pull of a plug, they will suffer dearly during a natural disaster.

[TarHeelBrit]

Thanks THB...... We did get medals in 2012 ;-)

Shame they didn't think to let my dog have one too, he did 7 of those years with me lol

He might not have got a medal but I'm sure you gave him an extra special treat when you got home. Lets face it, if you're a dog what would you sooner have a piece of shiny metal of a nice tasty treat?

[rik_uk3]

You can always just turn your phone off.

Phones are banned in my home at meal times, they have to be off. When my daughter and her partner visit I insist all phones are off (this is because of my son in law who would be 'on' his phone while the family are chatting).

I love technology, computers hooked up to the four bedroom TVs and all have access to the home network etc and smart phones are a great invention just don't let them take over your life. I use 'cloud' storage as a backup for photo's and music but also store everything on hard drives at home (more than one). The 'Prepper' in me led me to storing a laptop/DVD's/USB flash drives in a home made Faraday cage

[rik_uk3]

I hope all is well now Sapper.