Batgirl
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Post by Batgirl on Aug 29, 2019 6:33:14 GMT
This may be a strange topic to put on a forum but today I left my mobile phone at home. All day I felt like I was missing something important. I couldn't get a text message or receive any phone calls. I never used to be able to be contacted in the 'old' days when I was at work unless someone rang the work landline. Now I realise that I am addicted to my phone !
Is there any technology you can't live without ? Or do you like losing your phone for a day ?
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Post by Sam Tyler on Aug 29, 2019 8:54:53 GMT
It is a strange but good topic if you ask me.
I'm very reliant on technology but reliant in that I can't do my day job or many other hobbies and pastimes without it. However I'm not reliant on it to be dependent on it or to let it rule me.
The reliance comes in the fact that my day job is office based and, meetings or site visits aside, the majority of the work is reviewing engineering diagrams and documentation on screen. For hobbies and pastimes my reliance is that I run an online shop and consequently at home I'm fully set up for running the business with all the connectivity that the business requires. I am fortunate in that the area I'm in has fibre connectivity for TV and the internet so benefit from having high internet speeds. The hobbies and pastimes that I enjoy also have associated online forums, 4:3TV being the first and foremost and the first port of call each day.
During the day I carry a mobile and a tablet with me for personal use and the shop access. The shop doesn't have a landline but a number that directs to my mobile during 'opening' hours. However when I get home the phone and the tablet are turned to silent and placed to one side, and there they stay till the next morning because I do not let them run my evening too.
Last night Annie and I went out for a meal for our anniversary and commented while out just how many people had mobiles out at the tables during their meals. We both left ours at home. When we go out for a day together only one of us will carry a phone in case it is needed while we're out and so that we remain contactable by our family.
So the answer is yes, I have the need for technology but I also have the technology under my control rather than the other way around.
Sam.
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Post by Steve Austin on Aug 29, 2019 9:11:10 GMT
They're just a little too convenient. You don't necessarily rely on them for phone calls but shopping, news, messaging etc. In the past you may have gone to a mates house or met up in the pub for a chat but now you can do this quickly, at your leisure. The same goes for shopping; in the past you'd make a trip to the shops, park up, walk about from shop to shop and compare prices etc but now a couple of clicks and it's done. If you're a parent, you like to have a mobile with you so you're always there if they need you and so if you don't have it you can tend to worry so I can see why you would feel like you were missing something. Like everything though, it's good in small doses and it's important not to get sucked into "that" culture. I cannot stand to see people walking around, head down glued to their screen or at a bus stop with it inches from their face. It seems no-one can enjoy the simple pleasure of just being and taking in the beauty of what's around you or just enjoying time. We're on a slippery slope here and I can see a time when people simply don't talk anymore. Most business is done via e-mail these days. When I started work in an office in the mid 80's, you phoned people, talked to them. Now orders are sent via e-mail and any issues arising are dealt with in the same way. I've often said that there is always a trade off, nothing is perfect and what technology has given us is amazing but at the same time, we've lost something too. Ironic perhaps that we're having this discussion via the internet but at least on this forum, we meet up, talk, drink, laugh and take in the wonder of our surroundings and so to an extent can enjoy the best of both worlds. Interesting post Batgirl
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Post by Gene Hunt on Aug 29, 2019 16:30:45 GMT
I'm like Sam Tyler in that I need my phone for business purposes day and night. My use of it is quite focused though. You certainly won't see me checking the latest football scores during the day, not even the F1 latest. Internet usage during working hours is kept to a minimum. Most of that usage is a necessary regular check on 4:3tv, more on a management level than for leisure. Most of my posting is done during the evening. Other than that I use it during working hours for sending and receiving PDF documents which are work related. I do have my phone with me at all times if possible as with 3 children it is vital that we have the ability to keep in touch. As Steve Austin has said, I can not stand to see people walking along and crossing busy roads with their eyes glued to their phone screens. Only last night I had an altercation in town with a woman. I was sat at traffic lights which were on red, two cars in front of me and I was indicating to turn right. As the lights changed to green, the two cars ahead pulled away and I followed. Just as I began to move off, this bloody woman - wearing earphones and holding her phone out in front of her, stepped right off the curb and almost walked into the front wing of my car. I braked and she jumped back in shock. She then went on to hurl abuse at me and even had the audacity to accuse me of not looking where I was going. I responded by telling her to bin the headset and put her phone away before she gets seriously hurt. At this point she gave me the V sign and told me to F*** off before sauntering across the road in front of me and on her way. I've seen close calls at work too. Hymac drivers operating their machines while using their phones, a telehandler driver placing materials on a bay at roof height while watching a video clip on his phone and last week, we had a mortar delivery. The mortar is dispensed from a mixer lorry into large plastic tubs. The driver was so wrapped up in his mobile phone that the bin he was filling at the time was overflowing all over the road and into the drain. a whole cubic meter of mortar was wasted due to his lack of concentration. Their actions were reported but only one of them - the telehandler driver, was dealt with by way of instant dismissal. Gene.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Aug 29, 2019 16:57:30 GMT
I used to think that I didn't really rely on it too much.
Then - like Batgirl, I left my mobile phone at home... and I felt like my arms had been cut off!
What alarmed me more was the fact that I only ever use my phone for Phonecalls and Text Messages - nothing more, and I don't (like a certain section of our society) spend 99.9% of my life ensuring that I am fully abreast of what my friends are having for Tea, how many times their dog has crapped on the park, or constantly having to update everyone where I am in the shopping centre and that I have been to Costa/McDonalds/Starbucks and that the toilets have no paper etc...
Given this, I was quite amazed on how cut off I felt without it!
My Father in Law is a Train Driver; and over this patch, there are quite a few foot crossings over main line railway. Network Rail have ensured safety on all of the crossings, flashing lights, audible warnings, even provided a telephone to contact a local signal box to check if it was safe to cross. I've used a few of these crossings myself. Safety is common sense.
Over the past 5 years alone, there have been numerous deaths on these Foot Crossings - all of the deaths were caused by the same thing - people buried in their phones, with headphones, ignorant to their surroundings. What beats me, is that Network Rail (Taxpayer funded) each time, was forced to pay out compensation for these deaths. These routes are now speed restricted for safety reasons, thus now having a huge knock on effect to timings and timetables.
I find the same on the road with crossings at the like.
Great topic!
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Aug 29, 2019 17:41:46 GMT
Yes, today’s smart phones are really what people wanted when the computer boom started in 80s, a truly portable super gadget. The things are amazing now. I’m typing this on mine now. Of course there are downsides some of which have been listed above. The only thing I miss as much is when I can’t find my wallet. I hate that feeling!
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Post by Dirty Epic on Aug 29, 2019 18:00:17 GMT
You think not but I'd say it do rely on it a fair bit. Naturally a use it to check the web and good old 43 but I also use it to check things like the News and Sport (Esp F1) on BBC and many other sites too. As I like music tend to fire up the tunes I like on YouTube and becoming more and more on Google maps to help me get around Esp helpful with bus and train times and finding a few boozers too. In fact I stumbled on that being useful when I did the GP in Montreal last year and needed to know my route from hotel in Dorval to circuit. So yes I'm becoming more reliant on the tech but not a slave to it in fact I'm off to a gig tonight and not gonna film/snap it just enjoy the moment!
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Aug 29, 2019 18:18:08 GMT
I used to think that I didn't really rely on it too much.
Then - like Batgirl, I left my mobile phone at home... and I felt like my arms had been cut off!
What alarmed me more was the fact that I only ever use my phone for Phonecalls and Text Messages - nothing more, and I don't (like a certain section of our society) spend 99.9% of my life ensuring that I am fully abreast of what my friends are having for Tea, how many times their dog has crapped on the park, or constantly having to update everyone where I am in the shopping centre and that I have been to Costa/McDonalds/Starbucks and that the toilets have no paper etc...
Given this, I was quite amazed on how cut off I felt without it!
My Father in Law is a Train Driver; and over this patch, there are quite a few foot crossings over main line railway. Network Rail have ensured safety on all of the crossings, flashing lights, audible warnings, even provided a telephone to contact a local signal box to check if it was safe to cross. I've used a few of these crossings myself. Safety is common sense.
Over the past 5 years alone, there have been numerous deaths on these Foot Crossings - all of the deaths were caused by the same thing - people buried in their phones, with headphones, ignorant to their surroundings. What beats me, is that Network Rail (Taxpayer funded) each time, was forced to pay out compensation for these deaths. These routes are now speed restricted for safety reasons, thus now having a huge knock on effect to timings and timetables.
I find the same on the road with crossings at the like.
Great topic!
I wonder how lives they have caused to be lost through accidents !
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Aug 29, 2019 18:21:43 GMT
You think not but I'd say it do rely on it a fair bit. Naturally a use it to check the web and good old 43 but I also use it to check things like the News and Sport (Esp F1) on BBC and many other sites too. As I like music tend to fire up the tunes I like on YouTube and becoming more and more on Google maps to help me get around Esp helpful with bus and train times and finding a few boozers too. In fact I stumbled on that being useful when I did the GP in Montreal last year and needed to know my route from hotel in Dorval to circuit. So yes I'm becoming more reliant on the tech but not a slave to it in fact I'm off to a gig tonight and not gonna film/snap it just enjoy the moment! Would we be relying on technology more because you really only need one device to do a whole host of things:
On a phone you can:
Listen to Music / Radio Watch Films / TV Take Photos / Edit Photos Shoot Video / Edit Video Do your banking Surf the Internet Use it as a tracker Use it as a Sat-Nav Oh - and make/receive Phonecalls and Texts.
So most people runs their lives from one device.
In my line of work; the industry moved from Film to Digital about 15 years ago - the cameras geared up with everything - from Light meters/estimaters, remote focus etc. Which is fine, though it doesn't speed up making a film (it only does away with the Negative/Labs/Rushes bit).
Though - I find, we have lost a knowledge of film, and doing things as a craft/art - from experience. Most leaving Film School can't light a scene without relying on what the camera is telling them. Older farts brought up with film - where you had to provide enough light to get a good exposure, before considering anything arty - learned to do it by eye. Which I think they should train younger film makers to be able to do - just in case the tech fails (and it sometimes does).
I still use a 1970 Sekonik Analogue Light meter (and it still has the ATV serial no/sticker on the back)....
As a footnote: The industry has begun (again) using 16mm and 35mm film - as many Directors find Digital too "clinical looking"....
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Aug 29, 2019 23:59:12 GMT
I envy old people who don't need it. My sister bought my parents an ipad, in hindsight it was a really bad idea, being computer illiterate all they do with it is gawp at facebook. My dad has had a laptop for years & he still doesn't know how to do basic tasks ( copy & paste, etc. ), I lose my patience with him as nothing I've ever shown him has sunk in.
What's disturbing is that we're stuck with it, there can't be any backlash against it no matter how intrusive & damaging it is, you can only opt out & either live a pretty alienated & insular existence or find a community that lives off grid.
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