121–130 of 172 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In English, "America" means the USA specifically. But you knew that already and decided to just post bait.
or, perhaps, they are wryly pushing back against the USA capturing a generic geographic term for themselves
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t have a phone Sure it’s inconvenient sometimes, but on the whole I’d say my life is better than those I see glued to their phones. This belief is reinforced whenever people ask for my number (dentist, doctor, whatever) The gusto which they invariably reply “OMG I WISH I could get rid of my phone!”
How often do you travel outside of the country or even outside of your state?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you really recommend people travel internationally in 2026 without a cellphone? I’m kind of bewildered by this suggestion. As someone who has to go between LATAM and US frequently, I have no choice but to bring my cellphone.
IMHO today is difficult to do anything without a smartphone. I hate the state of affairs, but it is just so. Anything needs an app to work. Public services in some countries requiere it. Paying, etc. But in traveling is almost essential. GPS to navigate, search for hotels, places to eat, take fotos… yes, you could carry many devices… but seriously?! Ah btw… what about being in touch with family?
I’ve driven across multiple continents and many dozens of countries without a phone or gps.
Talking to locals to ask directions is half the fun, especially when I don’t speak the language. I’ve been invited to parties, weddings and more because of it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How often do you travel outside of the country or even outside of your state?
I’m not American. I travel a lot. It’s how I make money.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m not American. I travel a lot. It’s how I make money.
Then tge question still remains - how do you catch an Uber or communicate with people when you don’t speak their language?
Exactly the same way I did when I drove across dozens of countries before the iPhone was invented.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t have a phone Sure it’s inconvenient sometimes, but on the whole I’d say my life is better than those I see glued to their phones. This belief is reinforced whenever people ask for my number (dentist, doctor, whatever) The gusto which they invariably reply “OMG I WISH I could get rid of my phone!”
What kind of phone does your grownup have?
We’ve both been exploring the world since long before smartphones were invented. So we still do everything we want the same as always.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then tge question still remains - how do you catch an Uber or communicate with people when you don’t speak their language?
Smiles, hand signals, learn basic words. Exactly the same way I did when I drove across dozens of countries before the iPhone was invented.
And how are you getting around without Uber now that taxis are basically dead.
And why be a Luddite when it comes to phones and not computers? Cars?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
IMHO today is difficult to do anything without a smartphone. I hate the state of affairs, but it is just so. Anything needs an app to work. Public services in some countries requiere it. Paying, etc. But in traveling is almost essential. GPS to navigate, search for hotels, places to eat, take fotos… yes, you could carry many devices… but seriously?! Ah btw… what about being in touch with family?
Do you remember a time people did all those things without a phone? I’ve driven across multiple continents and many dozens of countries without a phone or gps. Talking to locals to ask directions is half the fun, especially when I don’t speak the language. I’ve been invited to parties, weddings and more because of it.
I can absolutely understand that you and many people love that. But maybe you can understand other people prefer to never feel lost, be able to translate signs, find places to eat easily, discover “must see”[1] things, take fotos, be in contact with family, all in a device which weighs 200g in my pocket. Even having it can I eventually forget it, and talk with locals… but when I want to go back to the hotel, is nice to know exactly how[2]
I am old enough that I did travel without cell:
[1] it happened to my many times (at least 3 out of the top of my head) that locals have bo idea where a museum is, or the house of X, or other things that tourists may find interesting, but locals don’t give a shit
[2] if you have been in places like Turkey or South America, you may know that taking a taxi is an interesting exercise. Sometimes they charge you wrong, sometimes they take you for a 20km ride. Having (a) gps, (b) a mean to call the police and (c) a mean to check online what should the travel cost, (d) a translator in your pocket, seems very convenient for me.
Or in other words: do you understand that now having the phone you can still do everything as you used to, asking for directions without understanding, talking with people, all, but now when you want you have a super tool? The best is: is smaller that a foto camera from those days, can take 100000 more fotos, and has 20 more functions!
People used to live without electricity, fride, email… so? Why should I not use what is avaible today?
Ditch the phone. The liability, tracking and mental health problems created due to modern phones has made owning one unsustainable. Email works, at worst, voip providers exist. Do you need a map? Print one. Do you need directions? Ask someone. Does the restaurant only offer app or qr, ask someone, or go somewhere else. I have never encountered a phone-related problem that could not be solved with: 1. A print out. 2.…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Does iCloud not blast you with a bunch of "2FA" hassles the way Google does? That passwords are no longer complete account credentials makes this approach a non-starter, unless you want to come up with some protocol with a trusted person who stays home (with access to your account) and can perform those verification steps for you. Even so I would still be worried about the nonstandard behavior of activating a new dev…
Passkeys are stored in your Apple Keychain. I don’t think you have to go through 2FA if you use a Passkey with Google. I can throw my iPhone in the ocean, go to the nearest cell phone store/Apple Store and log into my Apple account and you won’t be able to tell the difference between my old phone and new phone - all apps, data, icon positions, passwords, photos, settings, bookmarks, history, messages etc will be rest…
Are you saying that you can throw your phone in the ocean, have access to no other devices (including a SIM card), obtain a new phone, input your email+password, and reliably have that new phone onboarded? Because it certainly doesn't work that way in Android+GApps land from everything I've experienced - rather there is always a step where at the very least you have to authenticate using another logged-in session or email challenge.