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Life before smartphones (2020)

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Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#141

Post by tomjen3 »

Gunax wrote: post #87
legrande wrote: post #40

You can still live like what's described in this article. Get yourself a dumbphone and a paper atlas, only pay with cash, avoid loyalty cards, read paper books, newspapers, etc Now and then I do that, just to switch off from our hyper-connected world. Switching off is the new peace of mind.

The thing about technology is that even if you don't change everyone else will. Sure, it might still be technically legal to ride a horse down the street. But soon enough, people started putting in multi-lane highways. Also, stores took out their hitching posts. Then we started designing cities around the car, so what used to be a mile away is now 10. And half of that distance is consumed by parking lots.

Honestly, if you hitched your horse to the side of where they have the shopping carts, or even a lamp post, not only would most not mind, most would think it was cool, and if they really hated it, wouldn't know who was responsible for/had had the right to remove the horse.

I haven't ridden a horse since I was 3 or so, but I rode a steam train through town last Sunday, which would be period accurate with your horse, and people smiled. They waved and took photos and thought it was really cool. Which it was.

It isn't practical, as you say, but it is pretty awesome. And because of that people will accommodate you.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#142

Post by pugets »

What I miss more than anything else is having an attention span. Years of abusing social media has left my brain pinballing all over the place. I am a collection of unfinished thoughts. Even as I write this, I can feel my mind needing to latch onto something new.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#143

Post by maerF0x0 »

> had conversations with taxi drivers, talked to random people at bars,

Returning to these kinds of adhoc social interactions has be instrumental in helping breaking my isolation and depression. Friendly chit chat with a barista, say hello to anyone who isn't obviously avoidant, asking to pet their dog etc.

Not wearing headphones has also been an important thing because it means I'm instantly available for interaction if someone should say something, or if I want to.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#144

Post by figers »

Early college, pre-phones (only calling cards), Flight into Europe, told my cousin what time it was landing, to meet me at the airport station at such and such a time. I landed, walked to the train platform, waited on the bench, read a travel book while I waited. He showed up and we were on our way around Europe by train for two weeks. Looking back how did we pull that off pre-cellphones. Had my flight been delayed on the runway for hours or we just missed each other on wrong train platforms I had no way to get in touch, he wasn’t staying in the last hotel any longer…

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#145

Post by rapnie »

cryptoz wrote: post #138
rapnie wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And he doesn't even mention that you could just be outside, and be unreachable and not able to reach other people too. As a kid I used to play outside a lot, and my mother had no clue where I was, nor could she easily find out. I could be outside all day without her worrying that I'd be abducted or involved in an accident. Now that all has completely changed, and my mother has too. Some years ago when I walked into t…

That's terrifying, I'm sorry that happened to you. Something I have done (accidentally at first, now on purpose) is to not respond to messages (personal) quickly, most of the time. People adjust to that rather fast and stop worrying so much. People in my circles know now that I am rarely going to answer within a few hours and expectations are adjusted. So then going outside for a few hours with no phone is no longer…

I do that too. My phone is still on silent most of the time. It is funny the reactions you get when people aren't yet used to not getting a quick response. They are sort of outraged and questioning: "I called you, but you didn't answer??".

Also I go outside without a phone on occasion. That feels like you leave a burden behind, and you are somehow more free. The phone is that easy thing you just grab to do a quick check of something on Wikipedia, or you happen to notice a notification. It is a distraction-device, keeping you busy. And among strangers, feeling less comfortable, well you can grab your phone and start staring at it. This behavior is like with smoking. Just like the relaxed cigarette cowboy in the ads, but now you casually light up the screen and be cool.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#146

Post by delecti »

d0gsg0w00f wrote: post #103
ladyattis wrote: post #94

>I assumed the police were telling the truth. I gotta laugh at this. Being someone that's from a working town and being from a working class family, cops weren't to be trusted. Cops lied even back then. Life wasn't better back then. The fact he seems to mock gender fluidity and polyamory really shows how much has changed for the better. People who didn't fit in with the gender constructs then were out of luck. Either…

Why is polyamory good?

Polyamory is neutral, the ability and freedom to practice it are good.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#147

Post by jVinc »

lordnacho wrote: post #83

IMO the big thing is not being bored. Someone is late for a meeting? Doesn't matter, you've got HN to read. On the back seat for a long drive? Doesn't matter, you can answer emails. Or play a game. The whole psychologically weird phase of "hmm I'm here and waiting, and all I can do is watch paint dry" seems to have vanished. I'm not sure what people prefer more though. Say you're waiting for a date, do you feel best…

> "hmm I'm here and waiting, and all I can do is watch paint dry" seems to have vanished.

Theres several influencers whose whole bit is centered around mixing paint, and I don't know how many channels on youtube dedicated to the sound it makes when you cut sand with a knife. So don't despair, I'm absolutely certain there is a channel out there dedicated to watching paint dry, on demand in byte size vids with tons of userengagement, for those long drives when you just want to pull the plug and watch paint dry.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#148

Post by Retric »

tharne wrote: post #118
ChrisClark wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But smartphones are delivering no benefit to mankind. At all. You know better than that. You don't have to lie to try and make a point.

> But smartphones are delivering no benefit to mankind. At all. This statement may be hyperbolic, but at its core is not wrong. Smartphones are very easily a net negative in terms of cost/benefit to society. They're ubiquitous because they're addictive, not because they're so wonderful. Everyone used to smoke too, then we came to see the massive damage cigarettes were doing. Smartphones are just cigarettes for the br…

Smartphones are simply tools. I use mine as a flashlight, notebook, calculator, camera, phone, book, and compass even without access to the internet. People would have lined up to buy an affordable device that did all of that in 1990.

The internet is also more than just mindless entertainment and social media. GPS isn’t necessary, but they do more than just find stuff they also route you around traffic accidents and locate the closest drug store on a trip. Downloading an instructional YouTube video really helps with home repair, etc.

In app purchases are toxic, but you can also just download a free chess app no gamification required.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#149

Post by zz865 »

pugets wrote: post #142

What I miss more than anything else is having an attention span. Years of abusing social media has left my brain pinballing all over the place. I am a collection of unfinished thoughts. Even as I write this, I can feel my mind needing to latch onto something new.

Me too, congrats on completing that second sentence. :)

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#150

Post by tomjen3 »

noisy_boy wrote: post #30
xwolfi wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I remember waiting for people - I got a smartphone at 16, in 2004, something like that, so it's hard to really imagine how it was for adults... My parents told me they spend evenings at the phone booth talking to each other - but even that is ultra convenient compared to my grandparents sending letters :D But I think it's better anyway - we sample mating candidates more, we cycle through faster, we can stop and…

> My parents told me they spend evenings at the phone booth talking to each other - but even that is ultra convenient compared to my grandparents sending letters :D No need to get to the grandparents' generation, I was the letter writer of my family :) I wrote letters to uncles/aunts/grandpa - mostly at the command of my mum or grandma and sometimes for myself. I remember rushing to the window when the postman yelled…

I remember feeling that way when I got an email back in the day, because it was a pretty rare event.

These days, I feel like that when I get a physical letter that isn't sent by a machine.

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