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I'm a bit extreme, but I don't own a smartphone, I never have owned a smartphone, and I never plan to own a smartphone. I already know what it will do to my bra
by chrismonsanto 13y ago
I'm a bit extreme, but I don't own a smartphone, I never have owned a smartphone, and I never plan to own a smartphone. I already know what it will do to my brain, because I spend all day at my computer, and it's a constant struggle to not waste time on the Internet. (Most of my best work has been done on pen and paper while taking a walk.)
Even when I'm not working, I like being disconnected. It gives me a chance to reflect on my life. Where I am, where I want to be. Ideas I have. I find it difficult to produce anything of value to myself or others when I am too busy consuming stuff through my screens.
I think the worst part of smartphones are the cameras. I had an epiphany one day at some aquarium in NJ. The aquarium was mediocre, certainly nothing worth taking pictures of. But yet every group of people had to take videos of the fish, had to pose with the fish with their friends, etc (who knows why, those people will never view those videos ever).
Of course all of this picture taking took so long that people got bored. Why not, they couldn't see the fish, after all. So of course, everyone got on their phones and goofed off, which made the crowds even MORE sluggish, which made the whole affair take longer, and which made the aquarium experience even more boring.
I think that if phones were banned at the aquarium people would have gotten in and out more quickly, seen more fish, and had more fun. It's ironic that the smartphone--which is supposed to be whiz-bang-wow-entertainment-whenever-you-need-it--contributed heavily to making the aquarium experience boring for everyone.
Sorry to ramble! This issue means a lot to me. For a funnier presentation of what I just said, check out Louis CK's standup (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd2sRC3K9Hs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd2sRC3K9Hs).
- eliteraspberrie 13y agoI don't own a smartphone either, and I don't normally carry a cellphone. I figure if everyone around me has one, I don't need one. The sad thing is when you meet new people and are expected to exchange phone numbers, it takes a little explaining to make sure they don't take "I don't have a phone" as "I couldn't come up with a more plausible excuse to never see you again."
- jafaku 13y agoI don't own a smartphone either, and in my work days (I don't work anymore) potential employers always thought I didn't know much about technology (or anything else for that matter), just because of this. They wanted people who used all the latest stupid "apps", and were connected to the matrix 24/7 through many different channels.
- gaius 13y agoPretty soon you won't be able to buy anything but a smartphone.
- keithpeter 13y ago"(Most of my best work has been done on pen and paper while taking a walk.)" You are fortunate to be on the maker schedule rather than the manager schedule[1]. As a teacher, I have to be on manager time while in the class and when in College. Creative thinking tends to be done at home/weekends. [1] http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html (I know most here will be familiar with the reference but just in case).