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Not having a phone is extremism? That's rich! It is, however, a common attitude. The fact that I don't have a phone is generally met with incredulity. Sometime

by jimfl 16y ago

Not having a phone is extremism? That's rich! It is, however, a common attitude. The fact that I don't have a phone is generally met with incredulity. Sometimes I like to trick co-workers by connecting to my VoIP phone with a SIP client on my laptop and calling from my desk extension. "You're still at work!?" I mostly notice not having a phone when I meet people after work for cocktails, because I arrive on time, and sit alone in the venue, getting a head start.

Mz 16y ago
If you are in the US, living without a car is also "extremist": http://www.novemberwest.com/blog/?p=288 http://www.novemberwest.com/blog/?p=288
- greenyoda 16y ago
  Depends on which part of the US. In New York City, there are lots of people who don't own cars, and it's not considered strange at all. They take subways or buses to work, and rent a car on the occasional weekends when they want to get out of the city. Even if you can afford it, it's hard to justify owning a car and paying for the parking space if you're only going to use the car a few days a year. (Some NYC residents don't even have driver's licenses.)
  - Mz 16y ago
    Outside of a handful of large cities (like NYC, SF and maybe a few others), not owning a car is generally viewed as something only poor people do. It's not viewed as a personal choice in most parts of the US. And most parts of the US have pretty bad public transit. (In a former life, I wanted to be an urban planner or some such. American urban planners, who talk a lot about transit oriented design and pedestrian friendly design, often have long commutes and I've seen them ridicule carless-by-choice folks in their midst.)
Psyonic 16y ago
In the modern business world? Seems a bit extreme to me. You'll have to explain that you don't have a phone constantly. Doctor's office: "Where can we reach you with your test results?" Sorry, you can't. Mechanic: "What number should we call when your car is ready to go?" Yeah, about that... Just because it was once considered a luxury doesn't prevent it from becoming a normal part of society. You're certainly free to reject social norms, but compared to using a bit of self-discipline, it's a bit extreme. Another way to look at this: How does Sebastian get away with using Skype? Because everyone else has phones. If everyone did this, getting in contact with anyone would become much more complicated. Also, Skype on an always-connected device is a phone, so that's not really a replacement anyway.

by jimfl 16y ago

Mz 16y ago

If you are in the US, living without a car is also "extremist": http://www.novemberwest.com/blog/?p=288 http://www.novemberwest.com/blog/?p=288

greenyoda 16y ago
Depends on which part of the US. In New York City, there are lots of people who don't own cars, and it's not considered strange at all. They take subways or buses to work, and rent a car on the occasional weekends when they want to get out of the city. Even if you can afford it, it's hard to justify owning a car and paying for the parking space if you're only going to use the car a few days a year. (Some NYC residents don't even have driver's licenses.)
- Mz 16y ago
  Outside of a handful of large cities (like NYC, SF and maybe a few others), not owning a car is generally viewed as something only poor people do. It's not viewed as a personal choice in most parts of the US. And most parts of the US have pretty bad public transit. (In a former life, I wanted to be an urban planner or some such. American urban planners, who talk a lot about transit oriented design and pedestrian friendly design, often have long commutes and I've seen them ridicule carless-by-choice folks in their midst.)

Psyonic 16y ago

In the modern business world? Seems a bit extreme to me. You'll have to explain that you don't have a phone constantly. Doctor's office: "Where can we reach you with your test results?" Sorry, you can't. Mechanic: "What number should we call when your car is ready to go?" Yeah, about that... Just because it was once considered a luxury doesn't prevent it from becoming a normal part of society. You're certainly free to reject social norms, but compared to using a bit of self-discipline, it's a bit extreme. Another way to look at this: How does Sebastian get away with using Skype? Because everyone else has phones. If everyone did this, getting in contact with anyone would become much more complicated. Also, Skype on an always-connected device is a phone, so that's not really a replacement anyway.