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I think that those of us who grew up w/o smart phones kinda miss the uncertainty. But I doubt that the current crop of youngsters share our nostalgia. They seem to enjoy being able to get the answers quickly.
I'm one of those that was right on the cusp of growing up with instant technology. I had an internet-connected computer from the age of 9 (though granted at that time it was on Gopher and Usenet, and not the web as we know it), but smartphones didn't really become a thing until I hit young adulthood. The thing about technology is that it's entirely optional for things like this. Sure, someone CAN pull out their smartphone and check things, but it's just as easy to not do that. Especially if that's explicitly stated at the beginning.
On the other hand, having access to that information to double-check and verify things is great. Think about all the bar bets you've made in the past. It used to be you would get in an argument with someone about, say, how many taxi cabs there were in New York. You'd bet the other person $5 you were right, and then you went home, and if you were really determined you'd call 411 or the city taxi commission, or more likely you would forget about it, and it would never be brought up again. Now, you make the bet, and five minutes later you have an answer. It's like people in the mountain climbing community who complain that things are too easy nowadays because the equipment has gotten so good. Well, nothing is stopping you from handicapping yourself if you want, and the fact that someone summits Everest with all the latest tools and gadgets in no way diminishes the achievements of everyone else.
My first internet connection was in 1988 when I worked at BBN Labs. It really wasn't until AltaVista around 1994 where there was enough information on the web to need to search for things. These days, I can't imagine life without Google. I've had 20 years of immediate access to all information. These days, I telecommute and there's really not much that I could do in an office that I can't do from my sofa. I've always been an information junkie. I've probably averaged 10+ Google searches per day for 20 years.
If I'm having a conversation with someone and we're debating some point, I just look it up. That's why I have a smartphone in my pocket. I don't think it "spoils the fun".
Or someone is Mountain Biking in the Pyrenees without their phone and misinterprets the sign that states "Attention! Zone De Falaise A Venir! And says "Cool, let me ride out to see the veneer!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lusiphur
The thing about technology is that it's entirely optional for things like this. Sure, someone CAN pull out their smartphone and check things, but it's just as easy to not do that.
It's like people in the mountain climbing community who complain that things are too easy nowadays because the equipment has gotten so good. Well, nothing is stopping you from handicapping yourself if you want, and the fact that someone summits Everest with all the latest tools and gadgets in no way diminishes the achievements of everyone else.
Hopefully they take your advice and go phoneless at times. Can you picture some hikers that rely only on the GPS or Compass App on the phone, they are deep in the wilderness and someone leaves bag with the phones in it out in a rainstorm. Could one of them use a manual map and compass? Triangulate with landmarks, the sun, stars? Would that individual be considered the handicapped one?
Happens pretty regularly out here in the Pacific Northwest mountain trails. Someone relying on a smartphone app has their battery die and search and rescue has to go find them because they didn't even bring a paper map and compass much less know how to use one.
Happens pretty regularly out here in the Pacific Northwest mountain trails. Someone relying on a smartphone app has their battery die and search and rescue has to go find them because they didn't even bring a paper map and compass much less know how to use one.
On the other hand, it happened plenty before smartphones were a thing. People would pack a light backpack and wander off into the mountains with no maps or idea of what they were doing.
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