I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain • Hacker News Board

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#151

Post by vxNsr » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 3:52 PM UTC

PavlovsCat wrote: post #21

CPLX wrote: post #5

I followed almost the exact same track as this guy, slowly realizing that my phone was a problem, then the problem, and coming to the conclusion that real drastic intervention methods were necessary, something that went beyond vague "trying to do better" efforts. I started a daily life 90% detox for a week or two then also did a completely phone free weekend, in my case at a Zen Buddhist monastery (and also in the Ca…

I don't preach as much as mostly take light jabs. "Oh, so what's new on Myspace? I am so hip to all this interwebs stuff", that sort of thing. They just give me a confused grin... I mean, what are they gonna do, unfriend me on a platform I'm not on? :P And I also had a few conversations about this topic, with smartphone users, and they were rather pleasant. It's difficult on the web, then it easily can sound arrogant…

I'm confused about what part of the parent you're replying to, I haven't downvoted you, but it's just not clear what you're talking about in the context of the conversation.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#152

Post by vxNsr » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 4:00 PM UTC

open-source-ux wrote: post #18

grecy wrote: post #3

I'm 37, and I have never really had a smartphone, because I don't want one. I know I tend to be addicted to the internet (I can't resit my laptop when it's nearby with wifi), so I think it's more healthy for me to just not have a smartphone than to resist temptation (like an alcoholic simply not going into bars). I'm a Software Engineer and I've never downloaded or used an "app" on a smartphone. I did buy a new Andro…

I have a smartphone. A Windows smartphone. I'd say at least 60% of websites fail to render using the (obsolete) version of Internet Explorer on the phone (but Hacker News renders fine). Windows Phone OS support ends in December 2019 so I'll have to switch to a new phone at some point. Why do I keep using it? Familiarity and I like the simplicity of the OS. It does have a few essential apps like offline maps. Windows…

I was this until tmobile changed their network and it no longer connected to me L1520. I loved that phone. I stopped using it right around the time that WP really fell out of favor (End of 2015, when tmo dropped it) but I wish I could still use a current version. Microsoft somehow really got most things right with that UX, the UI was fun and made sense, there were small quirks that I didn't realize other people on iOS (which I switched to) didn't suffer from but for the most part it was a better experience.

By far my favorite thing was the home screen and folders. the ability to have different size tiles and folders made my homescreen unique and incredibly powerful.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#153

Post by vxNsr » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 4:06 PM UTC

drivers99 wrote: post #25

There was a period a few years ago, where I went without a smartphone, and used a flip phone instead. (My iPhone 4 became too slow after upgrading iOS too many times, and before I got an iPhone 6.) Phone service without a data plan is a lot cheaper too. From the article: “A phone-free weekend involved some complications. Without Google Maps, I got lost and had to pull over for directions. Without Yelp, I had trouble…

> Funny, that’s 1% of 1% of what I actually use it for. (I don’t travel often.) So that might be an interesting thing to figure out: how to have a smart phone available for short periods of times when the benefits really call for it.

consider getting google's phone plan, idk if it will work with a regular phone, but if it does you can stick the sim card in whichever device fits your use case that day. You don't get unlimited data, but it sounds like you're not the sorta person who needs or wants it.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#154

Post by PavlovsCat » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 4:29 PM UTC

vxNsr wrote: post #151

PavlovsCat wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't preach as much as mostly take light jabs. "Oh, so what's new on Myspace? I am so hip to all this interwebs stuff", that sort of thing. They just give me a confused grin... I mean, what are they gonna do, unfriend me on a platform I'm not on? :P And I also had a few conversations about this topic, with smartphone users, and they were rather pleasant. It's difficult on the web, then it easily can sound arrogant…

I'm confused about what part of the parent you're replying to, I haven't downvoted you, but it's just not clear what you're talking about in the context of the conversation.

this bit

> I don't talk about it IRL with people since it's impossible to discuss without coming across as a holier-than-thou asshole.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#155

Post by telchar » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 4:32 PM UTC

ath0 wrote: post #67

honzzz wrote: post #26

How do you separate the enriching part from the addictive part? To me the problem is that my laptop and my phone are magical doors that lead to both smart people at HN and some niche subreddits/blogs that really make me think, change my opinion, make my life more interesting... and right next to it there are social media bubbles, overwhelming stream of news and insight porn that I can read/watch for hours anxious tha…

Let's dive into the "discipline" advice and get practical: 1. Find ways to create cues for yourself to separate the two kinds of activity, and use those cues to hint yourself - create that half-second of separation that gives you a chance to stop, recognize what you're about to do, and make a personal decision about whether you want to continue. For example, split by device: your phone is for addictive and fun activi…

One of the problems with this is that my workflow these days involves fairly frequently using the authenticator apps on my phone for 2fa to log into sites. While the phone is the worst culprit on distraction, I still can't just turn it off and put it away since I have to refer to it often. It would be better if I could at least block particular distracting sites and apps but I haven't found a way to do that that doesn't involve rooting it.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#156

Post by ThinkBad » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:37 PM UTC

davidscolgan wrote: post #50

honzzz wrote: post #26

How do you separate the enriching part from the addictive part? To me the problem is that my laptop and my phone are magical doors that lead to both smart people at HN and some niche subreddits/blogs that really make me think, change my opinion, make my life more interesting... and right next to it there are social media bubbles, overwhelming stream of news and insight porn that I can read/watch for hours anxious tha…

If you figure out a way to solve this problem, please let me know - as someone who works from home, internet distractions are the biggest thing that stand between me and success. I've heard the advice for writers of "turn of your wifi and just write without distractions". But, coding requires the internet in most cases. Hacker News is simultaneously enriching and distracting for me. Youtube is the source of all knowl…

Reddit is definitely one of my main browsing vices. I've found that the only way for me to use it somewhat responsibly is to make use of multireddits. However, I can't seem to use it responsibly on my phone for some reason. I think it might just be the inherant nature of the form factor as I don't seem to have nearly as much trouble when I use Reddit on my PC, but having a Reddit app on my phone is a surefire way to kill my productivity.

I have always seen my PC more as tool to actually get work done and my smartphone primary as a communication and entertainment device. I think we can all agree that it is very difficult to get actual work done on a smartphone, so perhaps the form factor itself is what makes me more inclined to mindlessly browse.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#157

Post by magduf » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 5:58 PM UTC

PavlovsCat wrote: post #133

radicalriddler wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html > Please don't comment about the voting on comments. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.

I'm aware of that, but I find downvotes without reply so much more boring. It's not like HN seems to care about the abuse of that, at all, it's just a mechanism for double standards and intellectual dishonesty. Can you tell me what in the world is wrong with my comment? I don't have a smartphone, I joke around with people about it, that's a fact. Maybe not super interesting, but I just wanted to support the person I…

I think this is a worthy comment. It reminds me of getting dumped by a girlfriend by text message with a refusal to talk about what happened and why she wanted to end the relationship. How is anyone supposed to learn from that behavior?

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#158

Post by magduf » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 6:02 PM UTC

hedvig wrote: post #53

DKnoll wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't much else to do on public transportation. You either fumble around on your phone or stare blankly at the wall. When I took public transit regularly I would read sometimes but there was too much noise and movement around me to really focus. Clearly you find yourself bored as well since you're looking over people's shoulders.

Imagine if we could rework the public transportation culture to one that would generate spontaneous valuable interaction between the riders, things like topical discussions where multiple strangers could have a relaxed dialogue, impromptu games, and artistic performance and observation.

Good luck with that. Women are too worried about getting hit on or even molested by men to want to do anything like that, and commuters are too tired to want to interact with others.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#159

Post by vict00ms » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 6:04 PM UTC

gukov wrote: post #137

Tiktaalik wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before there was the iphone people would read the newspaper. People having their attention glued to some 'thing' is nothing new.

But were people mindlessly flipping the pages the same way?..

Yes. You'd be surprised by how much time people used to spend mindlessly flipping through the glossy coupon sections in the pre-smartphone days. People also used to read shampoo bottles while they pooped before they had phones out of sheer boredom.

Re: I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain

#160

Post by magduf » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 6:15 PM UTC

Honestly, I'm shocked by all the comments here from people without smartphones or only flip-phones, in what's supposed to be a community of technophiles.

Personally, I'd be lost without my phone. I don't understand the "addiction" bit at all, it's just a tool to me that is extremely useful, mainly because of a handful of apps. The phone part (for talking) really isn't that important, because I don't talk that much on it. Here's what I use my phone most for:

1) navigation. Seriously, why the heck would I want to go back to the inefficiency and danger of paper maps when I have a navigator telling me when to turn and keeping me on track as I concentrate on paying attention to other drivers?

2) calendar. My calendar is online so it's easy to keep myself organized with it, and my phone gives me reminders.

3) texting. So many people text now that to communicate with them you have to text too. The nice thing about texting is that you don't have to interrupt what you're doing right that second to respond. Also, there's more to texting than SMS: there's many apps like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, LINE, etc. which can offer more reliable and better user interfaces (such as read receipts).

4) calculator. I don't have to carry around an old HP RPN calculator, because my phone has an app that does the same thing.

5) notes. Instead of taking notes on easily-lost pieces of paper, I have an app for writing random bits of information down.

6) socializing. Meetup.com and various dating apps are quite helpful in finding events and meeting new people. How else is a single person supposed to meet dating partners anyway? (No, I don't drink, so don't tell me to go to a bar.)

Web browsing is actually not something I do that much on my phone, because the screen is small and the UI for it sucks, so I generally save that for my PC. It's nice to have the capability now and then, for instance if I want to look something up on Wikipedia really quick when I'm out, but it's not something I spend a lot of time on.