5 ms·

Dumbphone user since 2006 here. Non-Luddite. Main reasons for avoiding the switch : 1) When not using computers for work [or chess] purposes, I want to spend a

Dumbphone user since 2006 here. Non-Luddite. Main reasons for avoiding the switch : 1) When not using computers for work [or chess] purposes, I want to spend as little time as practical staring at a screen. I have lots of non-computer activities to attend to [gardening, studying, home maintenance, etc etc] and a family to look after. 2) I am a strong adherent to the notion that one is well-advised to maintain awareness of one's surroundings -- what I'd call commonsense alertness -- and my observations of folks using smartphones in public suggest to me that their use diminishes situational awareness because they are a distraction. 2.5) Corollary to the above : I want to set a good example of prudent behavior for my kids, which to me includes limiting recreational computer / phone use [I realize this sounds snobby, but you should see the kids in my neighborhood -- like elementary-school kids -- constantly with their faces buried in phone]; 3) Last and also least : expense and durability : decent dumbphones are nearly indestructible and if I distruct one, a replacement is less than $50. Smartphones, on the other hand, tend to be fragile and expensive.

nottoberudebut 8y ago
> 1) When not using computers for work [or chess] purposes, I want to spend as little time as practical staring at a screen. Is HN an exception of this? ;-)
- MisterOctober 8y ago
  Haha, zing! I guess it'd be fairly considered as self-deception, but HN kind of gets rolled into the 'work' category, like reading an industry periodical or something
a_imho 8y ago
4) Dumbphones work for week(s) with one charge, a big pro in my book 5) Probably phone home less data about you and your connections 6) Don't fuel your FOMO and don't feel like you are on pager duty ...
Broken_Hippo 8y ago
I'm of the opinion that one can set a good example for their children and limit screen time while not regulating themselves to a dumbphone. It teaches your children self-control by example, after all. I tend to keep internet turned off when I'm out in public, but that phone is still a tool. Clock, phone, notebook, grocery list, map, music, etc. I don't have to buy all those things or keep them on me any longer. That's worth the screen. I do tend to travel with a book or sketchpad, though - which honestly, gives the same distraction. So does daydreaming. I live in a safe enough area to not worry about a lot of things, which probably helps. Then again, I don't think I use the phone like most folks do either.
thom 8y ago
Ha, funny that you mention chess, because I've had to delete the Lichess app from my phone, as I realised I'd always be making correspondence moves or trying to play blitz to fill gaps in my day, playing _terribly_ because I wasn't concentrating, and feeling bad all day because I lost.
- MisterOctober 8y ago
  ^ this rings true for me all right! I suffer from the same concentration / feels-bad-man syndrome if I don't follow my self-imposed restrictions [no chess unless I'm not working and especially no chess after 11pm!]. In fact, I did it to myself Wednesday evening, 'sneaking in' a quick game' while waiting for a long install to finish at about midnight, and WHOOPS blundered my queen. Felt like a moron the rest of the night.
exodust 8y ago
You're in a gloomy waiting room. You arrived early, so could be waiting awhile. Nothing to read except a few old Vogue magazines. You're by yourself, you didn't bring a book. Your inventory is a wallet, keys, and flip phone. What is your next move?
- wilsonnb2 8y ago
  Just sit and think. Watch other people. Read the old Vogue magazines. Listen to the conversations between employees. A lot of the time there will be a TV on or some music playing. It's really not that bad if you're not used to the constant stimulation that smartphones (and to a lesser extent, all internet connected computers) provide.
  - MisterOctober 8y ago
    ^ this is what I do in the above scenario. Also, I usually carry a notepad and pen with me, so I'll often make notes about something that's on my mind or that I'm working on. Or, you know, doodle.
  - exodust 8y ago
    > Watch other people. Read the old Vogue magazines I said "you're by yourself". Forget the magazines, they are the crappiest magazines ever. The pages are sticky, they are awful. "Sit and think". No, I feel like reading some poetry or philosophy or an interesting article, or listening to music, or playing a puzzle game. I don't want to sit there thinking about the upcoming doctor's appointment. I'll have my still time later, when I choose, not when a doctor's waiting room circumstance dictates it. Your problem is you never took control of your smartphone. They can be set to be just an innocent little screen with interesting words or whatever on it. My own smartphone doesn't annoy me, it does exactly what I want it to do. Zero notifications, internet data is off until I need it etc.
    - wilsonnb2 8y ago
      > I said "you're by yourself". Forget the magazines, they are the crappiest magazines ever. The pages are sticky, they are awful. I assumed you meant "by myself" as in "not with anyone you know". I've actually never sat in a waiting room that was entirely devoid of human life before, but I'm sure it happens in less populated areas. > Your problem is you never took control of your smartphone. I don't know where you got this impression. I'm not the person your original comment was responding to - I have a smartphone that I use and like. > "Sit and think". No, I feel like reading some poetry or philosophy or an interesting article, or listening to music, or playing a puzzle game. I don't want to sit there thinking about the upcoming doctor's appointment. Those are all valid ways to pass time - so is just sitting and thinking and everything else I said. Being able to do any of those things you listed with the swipe of a finger, even though they are not the usual suspects of Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter, is still a form of instant gratification and still has an effect on you. A negative effect, some (myself included) think. Also, there are plenty of other things to think about aside from the upcoming doctor's appointment. > They can be set to be just an innocent little screen with interesting words or whatever on it. My own smartphone doesn't annoy me, it does exactly what I want it to do. Zero notifications, internet data is off until I need it etc. Yes, they can be used like this. I use my own smartphone in a similar manner. I read something recently (I can't remember what) but it had a quote that I liked. "You can choose not to use a TV, but you can't choose to live in a world where the TV doesn't exist" In a similar sense, a person can choose to use a smartphone in a responsible manner or not to use one at all, but they can't choose to live in a culture that wasn't affected by smartphones. They can't choose to live in a world where endless distractions aren't always a few swipes away. The closest they can get is ditching the smartphone, so that's what they do. It's not just a matter of configuring away the parts of a smartphone you don't like.

nottoberudebut 8y ago

> 1) When not using computers for work [or chess] purposes, I want to spend as little time as practical staring at a screen. Is HN an exception of this? ;-)

MisterOctober 8y ago
Haha, zing! I guess it'd be fairly considered as self-deception, but HN kind of gets rolled into the 'work' category, like reading an industry periodical or something

a_imho 8y ago

4) Dumbphones work for week(s) with one charge, a big pro in my book 5) Probably phone home less data about you and your connections 6) Don't fuel your FOMO and don't feel like you are on pager duty ...

Broken_Hippo 8y ago

I'm of the opinion that one can set a good example for their children and limit screen time while not regulating themselves to a dumbphone. It teaches your children self-control by example, after all. I tend to keep internet turned off when I'm out in public, but that phone is still a tool. Clock, phone, notebook, grocery list, map, music, etc. I don't have to buy all those things or keep them on me any longer. That's worth the screen. I do tend to travel with a book or sketchpad, though - which honestly, gives the same distraction. So does daydreaming. I live in a safe enough area to not worry about a lot of things, which probably helps. Then again, I don't think I use the phone like most folks do either.

thom 8y ago

Ha, funny that you mention chess, because I've had to delete the Lichess app from my phone, as I realised I'd always be making correspondence moves or trying to play blitz to fill gaps in my day, playing _terribly_ because I wasn't concentrating, and feeling bad all day because I lost.

MisterOctober 8y ago
^ this rings true for me all right! I suffer from the same concentration / feels-bad-man syndrome if I don't follow my self-imposed restrictions [no chess unless I'm not working and especially no chess after 11pm!]. In fact, I did it to myself Wednesday evening, 'sneaking in' a quick game' while waiting for a long install to finish at about midnight, and WHOOPS blundered my queen. Felt like a moron the rest of the night.

exodust 8y ago

You're in a gloomy waiting room. You arrived early, so could be waiting awhile. Nothing to read except a few old Vogue magazines. You're by yourself, you didn't bring a book. Your inventory is a wallet, keys, and flip phone. What is your next move?

wilsonnb2 8y ago
Just sit and think. Watch other people. Read the old Vogue magazines. Listen to the conversations between employees. A lot of the time there will be a TV on or some music playing. It's really not that bad if you're not used to the constant stimulation that smartphones (and to a lesser extent, all internet connected computers) provide.
- MisterOctober 8y ago
  ^ this is what I do in the above scenario. Also, I usually carry a notepad and pen with me, so I'll often make notes about something that's on my mind or that I'm working on. Or, you know, doodle.
- exodust 8y ago
  > Watch other people. Read the old Vogue magazines I said "you're by yourself". Forget the magazines, they are the crappiest magazines ever. The pages are sticky, they are awful. "Sit and think". No, I feel like reading some poetry or philosophy or an interesting article, or listening to music, or playing a puzzle game. I don't want to sit there thinking about the upcoming doctor's appointment. I'll have my still time later, when I choose, not when a doctor's waiting room circumstance dictates it. Your problem is you never took control of your smartphone. They can be set to be just an innocent little screen with interesting words or whatever on it. My own smartphone doesn't annoy me, it does exactly what I want it to do. Zero notifications, internet data is off until I need it etc.
  - wilsonnb2 8y ago
    > I said "you're by yourself". Forget the magazines, they are the crappiest magazines ever. The pages are sticky, they are awful. I assumed you meant "by myself" as in "not with anyone you know". I've actually never sat in a waiting room that was entirely devoid of human life before, but I'm sure it happens in less populated areas. > Your problem is you never took control of your smartphone. I don't know where you got this impression. I'm not the person your original comment was responding to - I have a smartphone that I use and like. > "Sit and think". No, I feel like reading some poetry or philosophy or an interesting article, or listening to music, or playing a puzzle game. I don't want to sit there thinking about the upcoming doctor's appointment. Those are all valid ways to pass time - so is just sitting and thinking and everything else I said. Being able to do any of those things you listed with the swipe of a finger, even though they are not the usual suspects of Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter, is still a form of instant gratification and still has an effect on you. A negative effect, some (myself included) think. Also, there are plenty of other things to think about aside from the upcoming doctor's appointment. > They can be set to be just an innocent little screen with interesting words or whatever on it. My own smartphone doesn't annoy me, it does exactly what I want it to do. Zero notifications, internet data is off until I need it etc. Yes, they can be used like this. I use my own smartphone in a similar manner. I read something recently (I can't remember what) but it had a quote that I liked. "You can choose not to use a TV, but you can't choose to live in a world where the TV doesn't exist" In a similar sense, a person can choose to use a smartphone in a responsible manner or not to use one at all, but they can't choose to live in a culture that wasn't affected by smartphones. They can't choose to live in a world where endless distractions aren't always a few swipes away. The closest they can get is ditching the smartphone, so that's what they do. It's not just a matter of configuring away the parts of a smartphone you don't like.