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> impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. What is your life like to where you thin

> impractical "solution" of just not using a smartphone (a false dilemma) when the obvious answer is to get an iPhone. What is your life like to where you think not having a cell is impractical. In any case a smart phone is fundamentally a weak point in privacy/security no matter which one you get.

ctrl-j 9y ago
> What is your life like to where you think not having a cell is impractical. In the 90s it was inconvenient to be out and about if you were expecting a call. You might be able to check your messages though, by dialing your answering machine from a payphone. Payphones barely exist anymore, so it would be even more inconvenient. If you need to be reachable at all (nowadays by email/sms), a cell phone is nearly a requirement. If you do not need to be reachable, you still put yourself at a significant disadvantage by not carrying one. What is your life like where you would not be inconvenienced by not having a cell phone?
- ssfsa 9y ago
  My uncle, a top professor at a top 10 US research university didn't have a phone until two years ago. He did fine. In fact, he attributes his significantly higher productivity to not having a phone. Donald Knuth gave up email in 1990. Too distracting. (I dunno but I wouldn't think he has a cellphone) When I started grad school in '07 I wanted to forgo a cellphone. I couldn't. My advisor was even annoyed I held out on a smartphone for as long as I did (caved in 2010). In 2013, sick of my smartphone I went back to a dumbphone. It was great until 2015 when I started working at a place so crappy I have to routinely tether my phone for productive internet access. My point: it's very possible to live w/out a cell phone. Frankly it's not even hard (I "forget" my phone at home). However, unless you're tenured or are otherwise your own boss, you'll be forced to have one.
- 3131s 9y ago
  > What is your life like where you would not be inconvenienced by not having a cell phone? Mostly pleasant and stress-free. I haven't owned any phone in ~6 years.
  - ssfsa 9y ago
    Amazing. My wife would never allow me though (my employer actually forbids digital cameras on campus so technically we're not allowed phones)
khedoros1 9y ago
What's your life like, to where you think not having a cell is practical? I've already argued that ditching a smartphone would be pretty inconvenient for me, but we'll put that aside. Society has changed in the last 15 years. Payphones are gone, no one plans quite as carefully in advance, people expect updates as soon as plans change, and to be able to choose between synchronous and asynchronous communication.

ctrl-j 9y ago

> What is your life like to where you think not having a cell is impractical. In the 90s it was inconvenient to be out and about if you were expecting a call. You might be able to check your messages though, by dialing your answering machine from a payphone. Payphones barely exist anymore, so it would be even more inconvenient. If you need to be reachable at all (nowadays by email/sms), a cell phone is nearly a requirement. If you do not need to be reachable, you still put yourself at a significant disadvantage by not carrying one. What is your life like where you would not be inconvenienced by not having a cell phone?

ssfsa 9y ago
My uncle, a top professor at a top 10 US research university didn't have a phone until two years ago. He did fine. In fact, he attributes his significantly higher productivity to not having a phone. Donald Knuth gave up email in 1990. Too distracting. (I dunno but I wouldn't think he has a cellphone) When I started grad school in '07 I wanted to forgo a cellphone. I couldn't. My advisor was even annoyed I held out on a smartphone for as long as I did (caved in 2010). In 2013, sick of my smartphone I went back to a dumbphone. It was great until 2015 when I started working at a place so crappy I have to routinely tether my phone for productive internet access. My point: it's very possible to live w/out a cell phone. Frankly it's not even hard (I "forget" my phone at home). However, unless you're tenured or are otherwise your own boss, you'll be forced to have one.
3131s 9y ago
> What is your life like where you would not be inconvenienced by not having a cell phone? Mostly pleasant and stress-free. I haven't owned any phone in ~6 years.
- ssfsa 9y ago
  Amazing. My wife would never allow me though (my employer actually forbids digital cameras on campus so technically we're not allowed phones)

khedoros1 9y ago

What's your life like, to where you think not having a cell is practical? I've already argued that ditching a smartphone would be pretty inconvenient for me, but we'll put that aside. Society has changed in the last 15 years. Payphones are gone, no one plans quite as carefully in advance, people expect updates as soon as plans change, and to be able to choose between synchronous and asynchronous communication.