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Accurate in some ways, an overreaction in others. What did we do while waiting in bank lines before we had cellphones? At best, we brought a dead-trees book. No
by iron_ball 16y ago
Accurate in some ways, an overreaction in others. What did we do while waiting in bank lines before we had cellphones? At best, we brought a dead-trees book. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not inherently better.
Checking your email while playing with your kids or cuddling with your wife is one thing. Skimming the news on the bus or in a grocery checkout line is something else entirely.
- run4yourlives 16y agoWhat did we do while waiting in bank lines before we had cellphones? Nothing. That's the point.
- iron_ball 16y agoWhat makes that better? "Scheduled downtime" such as meditation or a walk in the park is wonderful, but waiting in line at the grocery store is hardly conducive to inner tranquility.
- angusgr 16y agoBeing able to quietly reflect on your own thoughts in the line at the grocery store is a kind of inner tranquility. If you can't do that, what hope do you have of meditating? I'm worried that I'm no good at it any more, either. checks email
- potatolicious 16y agoPerhaps not in the bank line, but on the bus, waiting for your lunch, in line at the grocery store... these are times to interact with your fellow human beings. I went a whole month a short while back where I refused to put on earphones while commuting. Had many an interesting conversation that month, and met a number of interesting people. In our field of work it tends to be culturally somewhat homogenous, I personally really enjoy these opportunities to branch out. I've been slipping back into the habit of earbuds everywhere I go - it's easier to shut the world out, but knowing what I'm missing I'm still kicking myself.
- mortenjorck 16y agoSpot-on. I have come to appreciate the easily-accessible airplane mode on most modern smartphones as much more than a setting to accommodate FAA requirements—it's an extremely valuable social tool. With a few swipes, you can concentrate on what's around you, who you're talking with, and nothing else. When you're done, you can go back to the cloud.
- ericd 16y agoI'm always surprised at how productive I am in the plane when I'm not distracted by the net. I read better, absorb info better, program faster, etc. And my thought process goes much deeper into problems when I've just got a pen and paper. Hm, I should try airplane mode for my computer when I'm not on the airplane.
- Timothee 16y agoActually, I've been kind of doing that in the past couple of weeks: I'm working on a project for which I don't really need the net (except for reference/doc sometimes) but I get distracted with Facebook, Twitter, HN, back to Facebook… So, instead of Starbucks, I started to go to our building's TV room where I can't get Internet access. It helps a lot. In case I really need to look up something, I still have my iPhone, but EDGE speed is a good deterrent.
- jamesbritt 16y ago"Accurate in some ways, an overreaction in others. What did we do while waiting in bank lines before we had cellphones? At best, we brought a dead-trees book. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not inherently better." Really? How often do you check a feed or a news site or your E-mail, and find that either there is nothing new, or mere triviality, effectively nothing? Adding up all that time, you come out with nothing. At least with a book all that time adds up to having read a book.