21–30 of 395 posts
Personal phone? That's my lifeline to civilization if something bad happens. Also an AV capture device.
Being forced to pay for council parking in the UK using a mobile app is completely astonishing to me, and leaving home without your mobile, or no data or a broken phone can cause you a world of difficulties. I didn't agree to wanting to normalise the removal of parking meters and mandatory app usage just to park your car in a park or highsteet. I'm not sure where this motivation started.
1) couldn't get inside anywhere to charge it because he didn't have his covid vaccine card anywhere
2) couldn't scan a menu to order at the outdoor cafe we found in the mean time
it was amusing, it stopped being fun very quickly, but we figured it out. these two scenarios are obviously not as relevant any more
but its way beyond "addiction"
I feel uncomfortable leaving without my phone, for one simple reason: I’m typically leaving with my pup, and if anything happens to either of us I want to be able to call for help. Pay phones are basically non-existent, people understandably don’t like to let strangers use their phone. It’s just a basic precaution.
I have had this same thought in the past. I came to the conclusions that it’s a psychological trick we’re playing on ourselves. The mitigation against such a low risk event is not worth the price we’re paying. - sent from my iPhone
We had another leg of the holiday in Finland (Helsinki) and then back to Amsterdam again for another day before returning to the UK. It was painful where all my friends had their phones and could take pictures etc. and I couldn't.
I couldn't even borrow a friend's phone to check emails/Facebook etc. as I'm security conscious and have 2FA enabled on all my accounts, and use a password manager with generated passwords also. My less technically inclined friends called me an idiot.
Thankfully when I got back to the UK I was able to get a replacement SIM card the next day from the network provider's store and I had an older Android phone to use for the time being and was able to go through the Authy SMS recovery process to get my 2FA codes back.
Being forced to pay for council parking in the UK using a mobile app is completely astonishing to me, and leaving home without your mobile, or no data or a broken phone can cause you a world of difficulties. I didn't agree to wanting to normalise the removal of parking meters and mandatory app usage just to park your car in a park or highsteet. I'm not sure where this motivation started.
(I have to be aware of the alternatives because I don't have a smartphone. It's not been an insurmountable problem yet.)
"Stories set in the Culture in which Things Went Wrong tended to start with humans losing or forgetting or deliberately leaving behind their terminal. It was a conventional opening, the equivalent of straying off the path in the wild woods in one age, or a car breaking down at night on a lonely road in another. A terminal, in the shape of a ring, button, bracelet or pen or whatever, was your link with everybody and e…
I feel uncomfortable leaving without my phone, for one simple reason: I’m typically leaving with my pup, and if anything happens to either of us I want to be able to call for help. Pay phones are basically non-existent, people understandably don’t like to let strangers use their phone. It’s just a basic precaution.
For moments when I actually need to be aware of any communications or be in sync with family and friends, I can turn on the ringer or turn on specific notifications.
I think this has helped me get away from the constant distraction but keeps the utility of the phone near. It annoys me when, during conversations, people constantly check their phone and smart watch every few minutes because of the buzz in their pocket or their wrist.
I have also found going on weekend backpacking trips has weaned me off of the phone and technology in general. I would recommend it for those looking to take a break.
"Stories set in the Culture in which Things Went Wrong tended to start with humans losing or forgetting or deliberately leaving behind their terminal. It was a conventional opening, the equivalent of straying off the path in the wild woods in one age, or a car breaking down at night on a lonely road in another. A terminal, in the shape of a ring, button, bracelet or pen or whatever, was your link with everybody and e…
It was only after I appended "Ian M Banks" that I got the result I was looking for. I'm honestly surprised Google failed that search so hard.