Kevin's Watch

Question - does anyone here NOT own a cell phone?

When I was working I HAD to carry one and couldn't use it for personal use, so I carried two cells. Now I am not working. I have one that I haven't charged in a month. I have a line through my internet and that seems to be all I need. But people look at me like I am from outer space when I tell them I don't use one.

Granted, they are good for emergencies, which is why I keep mine. But I find them intrusive. There is not much I need to talk about that I can't talk about when I get home in private. A lot of things annoy me about phones so here is my list;

1 I hate when people call me in the car on their way to and from work. Now I admit, I did that but now it just makes me feel like a No Doze and I am used to keep people awake at the wheel.

2 I hate hearing all peoples personal bullshit on the phone when I am on line.

3 I hate call waiting. Call back or leave a message. I have mine shut off.

4 I hate obnoxious ringtones.

5 I hate when people HAVE TO answer the phone in the middle of a conversation, dinner etc.

6 I hate that more and more of our daily interaction is on a smartphone.

So maybe it's me. Maybe I am just not keeping pace with societal norms. I find all this technology becoming very intrusive and sad.

People use them for calls?

I've never had a personal cell phone, only Lan line.

When I've had a work Cell, it's always just a phone that has button that you press for dialing and nothing more.

Today, I received a work cell phone (iPhone 4), which I have no clue how to use, so, next week, I'll have to learn how to use it, and then I won't have any more excuses for not being available in my off hours

lorin wrote:
So maybe it's me. Maybe I am just not keeping pace with societal norms. I find all this technology becoming very intrusive and sad.

It's not just you. I'm not going to type out my whole rant here, but believe me, I do have a whole rant.

That's a lot of hating, lorin.

Work took away all our desk fones and gave every one a cell..well..we have a choice between like 4 different brands.

A...Carry it with you at all times so anybody can get hold of you anytime,,and btw..don't be abusing it...less than 200 dollars a month charges keeps you in good graces with boss. ....So,,the company just assumes they can tell you to carry it all times ..and not abuse it...after taking any choice in the matter away. That audacious and gets a gfy from me... I basically don't answer my cell phone. I may call,,but I don't answer.

b)..tiny tiny buttons..please insult me some more..

c) Now..since some ace got run over by a 747 out on the taxi deck ,,because he was chatting on his cell phone instead of watching what was going on around him..the rest of corporate gets to have SAFETY drilled in their head twice a week,,and very soon, safety glasses and safety boots and safety vests and gloves...will be mandatory ...anywhere outside of ones desk...All because some green visor finance type saw a way of saving big money by getting rid of desk fones for Cells.

d) the insult suffered publicly from the intrusive Cell Phone users...demonstrates how society has it all wrong...People are defined by the cell Phone..Ostentatious mite describe the rude if it wasn't for them being so ubiquitous. Its okay..accepted..to go to public places and be heard...How sad, People are defined by what they do , not by the latest toy they are seen talking into. How did mankind ever make it this far,,with out the Cell?

E}..despite all common sense and PSAs ..everday I spot a few .." individuals" driving while holding a conversation on their cell. That head tilt gives them away.. yea,,not even hands free phoning..morons,,,And of course they are driving 10 miles slower than every one else and are the last to see the situation developing a few hundred feet a head. I get around them asap.

Cells are one of the best con jobs of the modern era. When Apple releases the nuclear powered Cell Phone...then ,,it will reign supreme .

we finally got smart phones a few months ago.

hi lurch.

I've had a smart phone for a few years now. The only month I went over my talk minutes was when my mother passed away last year. Otherwise I rarely use half of them. In any case it's easier to send a text rather than call since you never know if the person you are trying to get a hold of is busy or not. They can answer when it's convenient. I have a text limit but I've never gone over that.

One thing that is annoying is that over the last few months I've been getting junk calls. If I don't recognize the number, I let it go to voice mail.

Now that I'm on a 4G phone new plan now has a data limit. I came close to maxing it out last month, the first month on the plan.

Fist and Faith wrote:That's a lot of hating, lorin.

Yep, just another rage filled new yorker.

lorin wrote:

Fist and Faith wrote:That's a lot of hating, lorin.

Yep, just another rage filled new yorker.

So, what progress have you made toward becoming a former new yorker? I know you moved beyond mere intent (again) a few months ago and were looking into affordable locations with the artistic culture needed to nourish who you really are. Do not backslide. Chase what you need, ask for help when you must, but make Real the destination you have visualized for yourself.

You know this is what needs to be. Choose life.

Savor Dam wrote:

lorin wrote:

Fist and Faith wrote:That's a lot of hating, lorin.

Yep, just another rage filled new yorker.

So, what progress have you made toward becoming a former new yorker? I know you moved beyond mere intent (again) a few months ago and were looking into affordable locations with the artistic culture needed to nourish who you really are. Do not backslide. Chase what you need, ask for help when you must, but make Real the destination you have visualized for yourself.

You know this is what needs to be. Choose life.

The plans continue. But you are right, I can't let them fade. I am stuck here for a while. A lot of legal stuff going on and my lease is until 4/15. I plan to hit the west coast between April and October of next year to scope things out and make some plans. I know I am spending a month in Taos and hopefully Washington and Oregon in either the spring or summer. The fall will be when I decide which area and look for a place. Money is very tight right now. I lost my workman's comp and haven't gotten my pension yet, so no traveling right now. Soon.

lorin wrote:

Fist and Faith wrote:That's a lot of hating, lorin.

Yep, just another rage filled new yorker.

Aren't we all!

Fist and Faith wrote:

lorin wrote:

Fist and Faith wrote:That's a lot of hating, lorin.

Yep, just another rage filled new yorker.

Aren't we all!

Not all of us rage fuelled people are from New York


Anyway, I've had a smart phone for a few years now and, honestly, aside from texting my boss and calling home once in a while, most of what I do with it is listen to audiobooks in the car.

I think I voted incorrectly. By "cell phone" I thought you meant one of those all singing all dancing thing that takes photos etc. I do have a mobile phone, which is a phone, and nothing else. More often than not it is in the bottom of my handbag uncharged. As I can't drive it is useful when I need to call someone to fetch me.

Yes I have one. I use it as my diary, I use it to check and send emails, text messages, check the Watch and occasionally Facebook, and the internet in general. I play games on it - Scrabble, Diplomacy etc (yeah I know, I'm a nerd). Once in a while I make a phone call And every now and then I turn my computer on at home - but mostly I use my phone at home. I turn my computer on at work, and sync my phone!

lorin, it strikes me that some of your complaints are about people being rude with cell phones. And I agree with some of those complaints.

Cell phones in themselves are a useful tool. I like having one. I use it to make calls when I need to talk with someone, check my email (and sometimes answer, though I prefer to answer email from my computer), and text if I need to reach someone to leave them a message they can look at later.

But...
Don't put it on the table while I am having dinner with you (at home or in a restaurant) and constantly check it. That's just rude.
Get rid of the obnoxious ring tones.
Don't use the phone while you are driving. You cannot safely concentrate on the road and your conversation.

I could probably add to that list, but won't at the moment.

lorin wrote:..But people look at me like I am from outer space when I tell them I don't use one.

When I would tell people, like tutoring clients, I didn't have a cell, sometimes I got a look from people... and I actually thought, "wow; this person thinks I am lying to her and have a cell but won't give her the number."

lorin wrote:I hate that more and more of our daily interaction is on a smartphone.

So maybe it's me. Maybe I am just not keeping pace with societal norms. I find all this technology becoming very intrusive and sad.

Pssh, all societies have stuff that's weird and wrong about them.

I have thought of posting a rant like yours at various times too.

Communication limited to texting (and texting squeezing out actual, focused, face-to-face conversations) IS kind of sad... there's "real-time" conversation, but there's no facial expressions, no tone of voice, no presence.

I too have no cell phone. And yes, I do get the looks. I've had one from my past jobs - nothing fancy, just a phone, and my last one had a blurry camera. I'd love to get a smartphone, but I don't see the sense in spending $150 a month for service. Now at my new job, they do not give us cell phones, so I am going without. I admit now that this is damned inconvenient at times, but when I really need one, like a road trip away from the family, I take my wife's phone, which also is a simple one mainly for dialing or texting.
Strangely enough, for being in the IT industry, I'm pretty much a Luddite. I'm not interested in the latest technology. I am usually the guy with the slow internet, landline, old computer and last generation console.
A good part of it is the cost. About the only thing we splurge on is cable internet, which is wonderful, and we have Netflix streaming and DVD. But we don't have cable tv. Honestly, Netflix keeps me happy as far as a tv fix goes, and I don't need 100 channels of garbage when I have a source that provides me with viewing opportunities all the time. It definitely keeps the costs down. And if there is something we really want, we can either buy it or rent it from Redbox or if we are too lazy to leave the house, through VUDU or something through the PS3. I love my PS3.
But as for cell phones, we'll probably all get one when the kids are older. I really thought I should get one to do geocaching, which looked like a smartphone at the time for the "follow the pointing arrow to the destination" app they have, but I was given an older model GPS by my dad recently that might do the trick. My dad is a technology whore, and has the income for it.
It seems so often when I'm out in the real world, so many people are so dependant on their damn phones. If they don't write about it, the event never happened. Concerts must be viewed through the lens of the cell phone video recording. Parties are spent frequently doing whatever on their cell phones. I hate the dependence. We are becoming a nation of Lotus Eaters.
Now get offa mah lawn!

I pay £10 a month for somethig like 250 minutes of calls, unlimited texts, and 1GB data, and when I need a new phone I buy a sim free handset, something mid range that came out up to a year ago. Paid £170 for my current handset, it was a good phone when it came out a year before I bought it.