Phonelessness and Other Fears

Scott Hardie | June 13, 2011
A new essay comments on how fear of technology is actually fear of aging, something that has been on my mind lately. I'm the same 33 years of age as the author. After spending my twenties being ahead of the curve with Internet use, I feel like I'm now falling behind, due to lack of a modern mobile device. I can't really afford one, but even if I could, a big part of me doesn't want one. I was raised with the old-fashioned manners of paying attention to people around me, and it bugs me to be out with a group of friends who spend half the time staring at tiny glowing screens in their hands. What I need to accept is that their behavior is normal, and mine has become unusual. It is now rude not to be in constant touch with people trying to reach you online. I fear how much further I could fall behind if I don't start to catch up soon. Although my programmer habits must follow my user habits to some degree, I'm not really worried about falling behind there (a mobile-optimized version of this site is on the way); this is really just fear of becoming old and out of touch as a member of society.

Tony Peters | June 13, 2011
my opinion of smart phones and other like technology is that they are just tools. well tools or toys but if I think of them as tools then it is a tool that I have no need for at present. I have enough toys right now and don't need more

Scott Hardie | June 13, 2011
That's part of it for me, too -- not seeing the usefulness in them. But possessing such a versatile tool in your pocket wherever you go clearly must confer some benefits. I didn't grant much potential to GPS, Facebook, or online radio before I got into those, and they've all proven very useful (yes, even Facebook). The more I think about it, the more out of touch I feel.

Tony Peters | June 13, 2011
I can see that, for me I just don't have the need for those tools, my wife has an Ipad that she uses all the time, I carry a sketch book and a Moleskin. Granted I live with an Ipod ad headphones because Music is my muse but technology is more of a distraction for me these days

Samir Mehta | June 14, 2011
[hidden by request]

Lori Lancaster | June 14, 2011
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Scott Hardie | June 15, 2011
The faster things get, the more impatient everyone is. I don't play many single-session turn-based games online (as opposed to multi-session like Rock Block) because players have demanded that I hurry up, within seconds of it becoming my turn. AI opponents don't put up much of a fight but at least they're polite.

I had not heard of Alamo Drafthouse before the recent voicemail that went viral (NSFW), but it sounds like my kind of theater. The other night, we paid a ridiculous $19.50 to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Voodoo Thingy Blah Blah and sat down just before the posted showtime, then waited through 15 minutes of commercials, then another 20-25 minutes of trailers, then another 2-3 minutes of "adnouncements" by the theater chain. If that had been an Adam Sandler movie, it would have been past the halfway point by then. Luckily, once the actual movie started, we didn't get any talkers or texters, one advantage of living in a city where you and your companion are usually the youngest people in the room by a few decades.