5 ms·

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

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.
Mediterraneo10 8y ago
I would say that your example scenario isn’t necessarily an argument for having a smartphone, it is a reason to always have a Kindle with you that contains a few hundred books. (You can leave the Kindle in airplane mode at all times and get everything you want to read from pirated ebook websites, no need to deal with Amazon's ecosystem and DRM).
- lozf 8y ago
  or just buy a Kobo or some other non-Amazon ebook reader if you don't want to support them at all.
- exodust 8y ago
  "Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" said nobody ever. Your smartphone might have the kindle app or e-reader app or something. You can put it on flight mode, and enjoy.
  - Mediterraneo10 8y ago
    > "Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" said nobody ever. You ought to get out more. Carrying around a Kindle and leaving the phone behind (or, perhaps, getting a dumbphone), so that you are forced to consume more “serious” content during waiting times and to avoid social media, is recommended fairly often on these kind of threads. > Your smartphone might have the kindle app or e-reader app or something. The reason for the Kindle’s popularity in its niche is the e-ink screen. Some people may find reading ebooks on their phone to be acceptable, while others find the more limited dimensions and LCD glare and brightness of a smartphone to be annoying.
  - GW150914 8y ago
    ”Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" I’m that way, as are more than a few people I know if you freely substitute “book” or some other e-reader for Kindle.
ken 8y ago
It sounds like your solution to "Didn't remember to bring X {the book you're reading}" is "Remember to always bring Y {your smartphone}". This isn't an argument for X or Y. This is why you shouldn't go somewhere you know you'll need to sit in a waiting room, without anything to do. From as early as I can remember, my mom would tell me "Bring a book!" It worked. I'm more likely to remember to bring a book than my phone. Besides, what would you do on your smartphone? If I have some specific work that needs doing, I'll bring my laptop, because that's more effective.
- exodust 8y ago
  The point is obviously that you already carry a phone everywhere. If you're arguing that we should always carry a book too because our phone is only a phone, then you've lost me. Simply take control of your smartphone and configure it so it doesn't do all those nasty things you don't want it to do.
jriot 8y ago
Sit there and think.

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.

Mediterraneo10 8y ago

I would say that your example scenario isn’t necessarily an argument for having a smartphone, it is a reason to always have a Kindle with you that contains a few hundred books. (You can leave the Kindle in airplane mode at all times and get everything you want to read from pirated ebook websites, no need to deal with Amazon's ecosystem and DRM).

lozf 8y ago
or just buy a Kobo or some other non-Amazon ebook reader if you don't want to support them at all.
exodust 8y ago
"Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" said nobody ever. Your smartphone might have the kindle app or e-reader app or something. You can put it on flight mode, and enjoy.
- Mediterraneo10 8y ago
  > "Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" said nobody ever. You ought to get out more. Carrying around a Kindle and leaving the phone behind (or, perhaps, getting a dumbphone), so that you are forced to consume more “serious” content during waiting times and to avoid social media, is recommended fairly often on these kind of threads. > Your smartphone might have the kindle app or e-reader app or something. The reason for the Kindle’s popularity in its niche is the e-ink screen. Some people may find reading ebooks on their phone to be acceptable, while others find the more limited dimensions and LCD glare and brightness of a smartphone to be annoying.
- GW150914 8y ago
  ”Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" I’m that way, as are more than a few people I know if you freely substitute “book” or some other e-reader for Kindle.

ken 8y ago

It sounds like your solution to "Didn't remember to bring X {the book you're reading}" is "Remember to always bring Y {your smartphone}". This isn't an argument for X or Y. This is why you shouldn't go somewhere you know you'll need to sit in a waiting room, without anything to do. From as early as I can remember, my mom would tell me "Bring a book!" It worked. I'm more likely to remember to bring a book than my phone. Besides, what would you do on your smartphone? If I have some specific work that needs doing, I'll bring my laptop, because that's more effective.

exodust 8y ago
The point is obviously that you already carry a phone everywhere. If you're arguing that we should always carry a book too because our phone is only a phone, then you've lost me. Simply take control of your smartphone and configure it so it doesn't do all those nasty things you don't want it to do.

jriot 8y ago

Sit there and think.