How important are you? Technology rant....

[Plantman]

That you need to have your phone automatically download emails for you?

I recently switched from ATT and the blackjack, which automatically gets your emails for you, to Helio, which does not offer the auto download in their Ocean phone. You have to open your email account and hit download. Take about 5 seconds and I do that every couple of hours.

Man am I less stressed out. I am not a Doctor or a politician, and there is nothing anyone is going to send me that I have to see immediately.

My good friend gets up to 500 emails a day and he is constantly looking down at his blackberry to check the importance.

My wife is in sales/marketing and her damn thing is beeping or vibrating(no wonder ) all the damn time.

In both cases, neither of them are hardly ever responding with the thing.

My point is that besides being distracting while at dinner, driving or just being alone, do we really need to be that in touch with things instantly?

Look at all these damn kids that spend their time emailing or texting each other. Has anyone noticed they don't know how to deal with people?

It has suddenly become fashionable, to bring a damn laptop into a restaurant(with wifi) to work or to let your kids watch movies so you don't have to babysit them or entertain them.

What happened to kid playing in the street? There are 3 on my block who are always outside playing catch, wiffle ball etc.....oddly enough, those are the 3 who wave at their neighbors. The others, when they are out of the house, seem, to walk around in a daze, or look down when they talk to you.

Don't get me wrong, technology is great and I love the internet, but I think at some point it becomes too much!

I think we should just slow down a bit, just for the sake of slowing down.

But hey, that's just me.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Plantman

I think we should just slow down a bit, just for the sake of slowing down.

But hey, that's just me.

If they are happy at that pace, let them. You don't want it? Don't use it.

[OldPokey]

Originally Posted by Plantman

damn thing is beeping or vibrating(no wonder all the damn time.

Err.. Does anybody shut these things off? I turn my cell phone OFF when I don't want to be disturbed. I have yet to have an emergency arise that couldn't be dealt with AFTER dinner/concert/play/whatever.

[KarTek]

I shut my phone off after about 7PM. I do laugh however at the fact that I'm on here reading you guy's various musings much of the day...

Technology is so much a part of society that I saw a TV character in Japan who never talks to anyone because she's too shy... She just sends text messages...

[John Doe]

I got a blackberry for everyone in my firm when they first came out 5-6 years ago. I used it for one month and out it went. Now I have a mobile phone that won't text and has no camera. Everyone knows it, so it isn't a problem--they just deal with it. Suites me and most of my clients think it is cool. My wife has a blackberry, but spends very little time in the office and works from home alot, so she needs it then.

[Jordan G]

Originally Posted by KarTek

I shut my phone off after about 7PM. I do laugh however at the fact that I'm on here reading you guy's various musings much of the day...

Technology is so much a part of society that I saw a TV character in Japan who never talks to anyone because she's too shy... She just sends text messages...

The post is as ironic as my following reply - I also love/hate technology, my cell phone is permanently on vibrate and I loathe text messaging, etc.

But I'm here on an online forum discussing it and constantly hitting the "new posts" link to read up.

All in moderation I suppose.

[iwrock]

Originally Posted by Plantman

It has suddenly become fashionable, to bring a damn laptop into a restaurant(with wifi) to work or to let your kids watch movies so you don't have to babysit them or entertain them.

Never seen that.....

I have an iPhone.... I dont text. Its too hard on that phone. But I still send under like 500 texts a month.


My phone downloads emails every 15 mins. I need it because I do IT stuff, and problems are emailed to me.


But when I am with friends and stuff, or doing something, I dont check the email... I just use it as a phone.


You ever see one of those guys with a family in the restauraunt with a bluetooth on?? My friends and I call those people borg, as they have their little implant....

Me, I refuse to use my bluetooth headset. You wanna talk to me, wait until after I am done driving. The drivers seat is my sacred place, damnit. There, it is just me, my car, and the road.

[John Doe]

Originally Posted by Jordan G

The post is as ironic as my following reply - I also love/hate technology, my cell phone is permanently on vibrate and I loathe text messaging, etc.

But I'm here on an online forum discussing it and constantly hitting the "new posts" link to read up.

All in moderation I suppose.

That is why I have two computers on my desk--one attached to Amicus and one just to the net to deal with emails, check this and my other forum, ect..

[aklim]

Originally Posted by KarTek

I shut my phone off after about 7PM.

Exactly. Just like a TV, you can shut it off. Just because I CAN take a call 24X7X365 doesn't mean I HAVE TO.

[John Doe]

Originally Posted by W124.090

You ever see one of those guys with a family in the restauraunt with a bluetooth on?? My friends and I call those people borg, as they have their little implant....

Me, I refuse to use my bluetooth headset. You wanna talk to me, wait until after I am done driving. The drivers seat is my sacred place, damnit. There, it is just me, my car, and the road.

Well put!! Those bluetooth things piss me off--I'll be walking down the street and some guy will seem like he is addressing me because the implant is on the other side out of view and then look at me like I am a dumbass because I say, "Excuse me?"

[Dee8go]

Well, I'm a salesman, so the only thing worse than a phone that vibrates at inoportune times is one that NEVER vibrates. Fortunately, it's not too bad at night and on the weekends.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by John Doe

Well put!! Those bluetooth things piss me off--I'll be walking down the street and some guy will seem like he is addressing me because the implant is on the other side out of view and then look at me like I am a dumbass because I say, "Excuse me?"

Well, if the girl is pretty enough, you could use it as an ice breaker.

[KarTek]

Originally Posted by John Doe

Well put!! Those bluetooth things piss me off--I'll be walking down the street and some guy will seem like he is addressing me because the implant is on the other side out of view and then look at me like I am a dumbass because I say, "Excuse me?"

OK, that one had me laughing out loud at the truth of it! I have to admit I have a BT headset and it makes a big difference in safety when I'm driving.

Here at work, all the admins have 2.4G headsets connected to their phones that have about a 300 foot range. They all walk around away from their desks seeming to talk to themselves. At least the headsets have a light on them and you can see that it's activated.

The worst is the guys chatting on the phone whilst on the can. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. SHUT THE F UP, TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AND GET OUT!!!

[aklim]

Originally Posted by KarTek

The worst is the guys chatting on the phone whilst on the can. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. SHUT THE F UP, TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AND GET OUT!!!

Why? You need that throne?

What if he was on that throne for "other" business and he was on the other end of a 1-900 call? He'd still be taking care of business, right?

[Dee8go]

Originally Posted by John Doe

Well put!! Those bluetooth things piss me off--I'll be walking down the street and some guy will seem like he is addressing me because the implant is on the other side out of view and then look at me like I am a dumbass because I say, "Excuse me?"

I'll try to remember to take mine off when I see you, JD. I love it, but don't have it on when I am with someone else, usually. I feel silly wearing it, but when you need both hands while you're talking, it's terrific.