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I loled reading through this thread I imagine this is what a retirement home conversation would amount to in real life.
...except this is not a bunch of geezers complaining about how young people are crazy nowadays.
This is a bunch of preparedness-minded people and survivalists reaffirming how important it is to not be distracted, to be able to remember details, and to not be dependent upon an electronic object.
This forum is Self-Sufficiency and Preparedness, not Consumer Electronics (as has been pointed out before).
This forum is Self-Sufficiency and Preparedness, not Consumer Electronics (as has been pointed out before).
An argument could be made that to be self sufficient and prepared in todays world, not how things may or not be in the future, that being able to use every tool available to you including electronics is the intelligent thing to do.
An argument could be made that to be self sufficient and prepared in todays world, not how things may or not be in the future, that being able to use every tool available to you including electronics is the intelligent thing to do.
As a tool, yes.
As a crutch, it becomes a liability when you can't do a job without it.
We are about 7 months away from getting rid of the smart phones and looking forward to that day so no big deal here.
I've survived for more than 20 years without watching television and survived my first 40+ years without a cell phone or a smart phone, I'm sure I can adapt without withdrawal.
Some of the most productive times in my life were when I was young, poor, single and without a television.
However.
I spent an amazing amount of time under the hood of a mid 60's german car trying to chase down a fuel injection problem that would have been solved in two minutes on youtube. I also spent loads of time sorting out how to properly repair plaster with horse hair and brown coat that had delaminated from lath. Again, probably about a two minute search online.
Fun fact: If you don't have a TV and don't want one, don't tell people that you don't have one! Once folks find out that you don't have a TV every jackwagon shows up trying to give you one...you must assimilate!
I know people who are what I would call addicted to phones. I do not think they would be any less competent without them in a SHTF situation.
Also being on good with technology does not in and of itself mean someone is not competent in other areas.
They may well be competent in many areas; I would certainly hope they would be. What this thread is addressing is an unwarranted dependence, an inability or unwillingness to put the toy down, a state of distraction wherein the person feels compelled to check the phone constantly for a message, or a Facebook post. That is what I mean by "addiction". It's not a good thing.
Otherwise, I agree that being able to use a variety of tools, very much including a cell phone of any type, in a dispassionate manner, is a good thing. That means the individual is able to switch between tools quickly when required to, and has no preference for one tool over another, except for its utility for the task at hand.
That is a far cry from what we often see today. These phones are not being used as "tools" by people who can't put them down. They're being used as toys, as boredom-reducers, as crutches, as virtually the sole source of the owner's comfort and sense of security. That's addiction.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CSD610
We are about 7 months away from getting rid of the smart phones and looking forward to that day so no big deal here.
I've survived for more than 20 years without watching television and survived my first 40+ years without a cell phone or a smart phone, I'm sure I can adapt without withdrawal.
Same here, two decades without TV. I gave it up due to overriding boredom and aversion to constant advertising...only to find that the ads have followed me to the internet!
I spent an amazing amount of time under the hood of a mid 60's german car trying to chase down a fuel injection problem that would have been solved in two minutes on youtube. I also spent loads of time sorting out how to properly repair plaster with horse hair and brown coat that had delaminated from lath. Again, probably about a two minute search online.
I agree that Youtube is a great research tool. It is very different than TV. You can learn to do an amazing number of things there. But, not all of it is 100% accurate. And I don't spend all day watching it, or feel any compulsion to check it out regularly, because of some innate need or desire!
Cigarettes. Very tough to quit for some, and some people will put up with a lot to get a smoke. I remember coming through MN/St Paul in the winter. Temp. was about zero. At the airport there was a line of people standing out in the cold, so that they could have a smoke.
Seriously? You either need to get out more, or look around more. It exists in Billings and SLC just like any other town. Saying "Orientals" is offensive and outdated enough, but to suggest that they are on their phones more is both wrong and offensive.
There are few Orientals around Billings and the number in Salt Lake isn't great. That's the real reason as Orientals are not only the heaviest users but apparently causing others to use them as well through example. It's similar to what I call the chopstick index. In areas with large Oriental populations chopsticks are commonly placed on tables in Chinese restaurants. In more traditional areas, however, there's not a chopstick to be seen.
I ask my readers who eat Oriental food whether they see chopsticks on the tables in their areas or see knives, forks, and spoons (Oriental soup spoons are very much like those of the Occident so don't seem to matter). Then consider the use of smart phones where you live.
I've appended links to smart phone use in the Orient.
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