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Life before smartphones (2020)

mattruby.substack.com

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Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#171

Post by paxys »

The second paragraph is funny to me:

> I memorized phone numbers, jotted things down in notebooks, had conversations with taxi drivers, talked to random people at bars, wrote checks, went to the bank, and daydreamed.

I did all of these (except the phone number one) in the last week.

More than technological advancements or anything else, all of this nostalgia is really just about getting old.

"The human civilization peaked when I turned 12 and started declining when I crossed 25. I pity today's youth." – every generation ever.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#172

Post by cwyptocuwency »

com2kid wrote: post #90
don-code wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much like living outside the Matrix, would you really want to go back, knowing what you know? Yes, you can use a paper atlas. I have an 8-year-old car with GPS, and a 34-year-old car without. I bought a map book for the 34-year-old car, thinking it'd be a "period accurate" way of driving it; it's anachronistic at best, and frustrating at worst - can you read the street signs, and did you drop your compass under the s…

> and did you drop your compass under the seat? You can get battery powered compasses that you stick on your dash. :) My car's review mirror has a compass in it and I use it for navigation quite often. Places I had to drive to before GPS are places I have a better understanding of how to get to. I have a friend who refuses to use GPS and his knowledge of the city is far far ahead of mine. Of course I am lucky to live…

Is it not "rear view" mirror, not "review" mirror? Or is that some regional term?

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#173

Post by sneak »

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.

You can't complete required procedures for international travel right now without a portable web browser and mobile internet.

Ditto for most restaurant menus in a lot of places: they are QR codes now, that point to URLs.

Airlines will only let you book with cards, no cash.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#174

Post by sneak »

beamatronic wrote: post #115
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.

Instead of a paper atlas, get a Garmin device with a built-in map

No, get the $60 Chinese alternative with built-in maps that doesn't have any wi-fi.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#175

Post by sneak »

bee_rider wrote: post #101
xwdv wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't really. People think it's simply a matter of getting rid of all the new tech. It isn't. You'll just be an anachronism. If the entire world isn't living the same way then you are only getting a superficial experience. Instead of living a genuine life, you are merely pretending for a while.

And the world knows that everybody has a smartphone. The last restaurant I went to had QR codes on the tables rather than paper menus. Of course, I could have asked for a paper menu but they didn't provide one by default and it would have added a new extra step. It isn't a big deal of course, just slightly slower restaurant service, but a million little deals like that add up to a hassle.

Chat up a pretty girl and she's likely to ask for your Instagram username.

That's usually the point where I go into my "facebook is spyware" spiel, with predictable results.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#176

Post by jzawodn »

rapnie wrote: post #131
krylon wrote: post #57

Now I feel old. I remember vividly running around with my first camera, looking for objects worthy of being photographed. The film cost money, so did developing it into pictures. I really had to weigh the pros and cons of taking a particular picture. And in a class of ~25 kids, I was one of three who owned a camera. Not that it was such a luxury item, but most people weren't into that. These days, (nearly) everyone c…

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…

What the actual...?

One would hope the cops at least apologized for nearly destroying your front door all because you didn't answer the door. It's not like they had a warrant for your arrest or something!

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#177

Post by jon-wood »

KineticLensman wrote: post #19

A couple of things not mentioned: * Half of the population watching the same episodes of the same programme simultaneously. If you missed an episode, it was gone forever * Inane arguments in pubs about facts that couldn't be instantly googled.

I have a rule when in pubs - no Googling answers to the inane argument. Inane arguments in pubs aren’t about getting the right answer, they’re about the tangents you end up going down from them, something that’s lost if you can just immediately get the answer.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#178

Post by mgkimsal »

rapnie wrote: post #145
cryptoz wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ch…

I like to run, but take the phone with me because it's my tracking device and music while running. I've been trying "do not disturb" mode, and it seems to be a positive. I don't get intermittent notifications that someone is trying to reach me - I don't want to be reached right now. The DND mode has probably been around for a while, I've just recently (last few months) gotten used to actually enabling it. What will be nicer is (eventually) have the device learn the times you don't want to be disturbed (beyond 'sleeping'). Or perhaps I'll just leave it on all the time....?

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#179

Post by paxys »

laurieg wrote: post #5

A couple of stand-out memories from the olden days (and I don't consider myself particularly old): Getting a call in a restaurant. Only happened to me once but I certainly felt like a VIP. Carrying a tiny map book of London around with me while cycling around. Missing turn after turn until finding there was a canal which basically took me from the center to my uncle's house. Arranging to meet a friend and then being…

Smartphones or not, being very late for planned meetups definitely hasn't changed as a concept.

Re: Life before smartphones (2020)

#180

Post by jl6 »

lordnacho wrote: post #76
krylon wrote: post #57

Now I feel old. I remember vividly running around with my first camera, looking for objects worthy of being photographed. The film cost money, so did developing it into pictures. I really had to weigh the pros and cons of taking a particular picture. And in a class of ~25 kids, I was one of three who owned a camera. Not that it was such a luxury item, but most people weren't into that. These days, (nearly) everyone c…

Regarding photos: People our age only have a few childhood pictures, and they are warped by time on analog media. Those pictures of us as a kid look really old because they are naturally filtered. Soon people will wonder WTF old-pic filters are for, and some historian will have to explain why it's blurred and the colors are faded. Also why did people have clothes for each decade? Our kids, by contrast, have had pictu…

And because you only have a few rare childhood photos I expect you value them highly. The next generation, who will inherit thousands of photos of themselves and their lives, will feel no rarity or shortage, and probably won’t value them as much.
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