Privacy Issues

[Mr.B]

"That's a dude in my avatar by the way....." lol

Uhh....does he know that?

[Mr.B]

iPhone Separation Linked to Anxiety, Poor Cognitive Performance

Get this....a news story this a.m. that you can now get a smartphone app that you can tap onto when you get into a spat with the spouse, or whatever you're living with....supposed to do magical wonders for reconciliation.....oh brother! that's poor performance.

Every time I see the utter non-sensical dependence that humans place on their hand-held technology, I think about this song....and it appears that there may be some prophecy in it!

[JTA]

iPhone Separation Linked to Anxiety, Poor Cognitive Performance

Get this....a news story this a.m. that you can now get a smartphone app that you can tap onto when you get into a spat with the spouse, or whatever you're living with....supposed to do magical wonders for reconciliation.....oh brother! that's poor performance.

Every time I see the utter non-sensical dependence that humans place on their hand-held technology, I think about this song....and it appears that there may be some prophecy in it!

The thing I hate about smart phones, email, etc.. is the expectation that you should always be connected and available for work, even when you're on vacation or off work.

I don't play that game though unlike some of the other tools I work with, and I don't give two shits if it makes me seem like a bad employee. When I'm off work leave me alone.

[Mr.B]

"Get this....a news story this a.m. that you can now get a smartphone app that you can tap onto when you get into a spat with the spouse, or whatever you're living with....supposed to do magical wonders for reconciliation....."

Update on this....WLOS-13 is going to have a news item on this Monday night the 9th. on the 11:00 news.

This ought to be good..

[JTA]

"Get this....a news story this a.m. that you can now get a smartphone app that you can tap onto when you get into a spat with the spouse, or whatever you're living with....supposed to do magical wonders for reconciliation....."

Update on this....WLOS-13 is going to have a news item on this Monday night the 9th. on the 11:00 news.

This ought to be good..

Dang a little too late for me. Actually, scratch that... good! Haha!

[bannination]

"Get this....a news story this a.m. that you can now get a smartphone app that you can tap onto when you get into a spat with the spouse, or whatever you're living with....supposed to do magical wonders for reconciliation....."

Update on this....WLOS-13 is going to have a news item on this Monday night the 9th. on the 11:00 news.

This ought to be good..

Speaking of WLOS-13, for some reason one of the top search terms for the forum is "Tammy Watford gay".

Dats just weird.

[Mr.B]

".........one of the top search terms for the forum is "Tammy Watford gay"......Dats just weird."

What a waste of good feminiminiminimity.

[Mr.B]

"Mr.B is an expert on femininity, nttawwt."

That's right...I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body.

[Mr.B]

0-2 “Agrees”

"You are either living in a monastery or have the patience and self-restraint of a monk."
I would say restraint. My phone is off more than it's on; my life doesn't revolve around it.

"Alternatively, technology simply scares you."
The author writes a sensible article, then insults the non-addict with a stupid remark. The only thing about technology that scares me is those who text and drive. The thing about technology that bugs me are those inconsiderate clods who just have to answer their idiot boxes in a grocery line or restaurant and yap loudly about their latest facebook post or make everyone think they're so important.

I saw a guy driving on I-81 once with an open laptop mounted on a bracket, another open laptop lying on the passenger's seat facing him, a sheet of paper in each hand; while also holding a cigarette. He was trying to drive, smoke, read the papers, and alternately look at each laptop while driving well above 65 mph. (I was doing 65 when he passed me) He was drifting back & forth, but he stayed in his lane. I dropped back and let him go, surprised I didn't see him off the road somewhere later on.

I guess some people value their toys or their job more than they do their life.

[O Really]

I got a 5 and, depending on the "definition of 'is'" maybe 7. Let's see if there is a reasonable perspective to that score:

Salience

A behavior becomes salient when it is deeply integrated into your daily routine.

1. The first thing I reach for after waking in the morning is my cellphone.
I don't use a bedside clock - the mobile is my clock.
2. I would turn around and go back home on the way to work if I had left my cellphone at home.
Might as well - wouldn't be able to do much work anyway.
Euphoria

Who knows what the beep, buzz, whistle, or stylized ringtone might have in store for you? The feeling of anticipation or excitement that precedes and/or follows the use of your cellphone is a mood modification that can result in euphoria.

3. I often use my cellphone when I am bored.
Or waiting for something, or sitting on the john... "Flipboard" is better than carrying around a pile of magazines.

4. I have pretended to take calls to avoid awkward social situations.
No
Tolerance

As in the case of drug and alcohol abuse, tolerance addresses the need for an ever-increasing “dose” of the behavior to achieve the desired “high.”

5. I find myself spending more and more time on my cellphone.
More apps, more laptop issues...
6. I spend more time than I should on my cellphone.
No
Withdrawal symptoms

The feelings of irritability, stress, anxiousness, desperation, and even panic that often occur when you are separated from your cellphone are good examples of withdrawal symptoms.

7. I become agitated or irritable when my cellphone is out of sight.
Not really "out of sight" but it's irritating for it to be temporarily misplaced.
8. I have gone into a panic when I thought I had lost my cellphone.
Not a real "panic" but serious concern. Much like one would feel to think he'd lost his wallet.
Conflict

A common outcome of cellphone addiction is conflict. Do your spouse or children complain that you are always on your phone? Do you allow texts, calls, and e-mails to spoil your vacations and personal time? Are your work activities interrupted by playing games, visiting Facebook, and countless other forms of entertainment offered on your cellphone?

9. I have argued with my spouse, friends, or family about my cellphone use.
No
10. I use my cellphone while driving my car.
Well, duh - that's why it's called a "mobile" - always on bluetooth or earbuds, never texting
Relapse

When we acknowledge that our cellphone use may be undermining our well-being, we attempt to stop. But then we slip back. We relapse.

11. I have tried to curb my cellphone use, but the effort didn’t last very long.
No
12. I need to reduce my cellphone use, but am afraid I can’t do it.
No

I have no problem "admitting" to being a power user, but it really is a compilation of many tools, not just a "cellphone." Wonder what kind of mobile the author uses.

[O Really]

Uh, OK - here, hold my beer while I turn off the phone.

[O Really]

"Bubba drinks and drives so I should be able to use my phone," is pretty weak.

Would be, if that were the argument. It was just a joke, however, relating to "famous last words." "hold my beer" is one, so is, "hey Honey, watch this."
Etc.

My real argument is acknowledgement that any distraction can create a hazard, including distraction inside and outside the car that affect the driver. Almost all driving is distracted to some degree or another but distractions can be managed. I've been using a car phone since they were called "car phones" back in 1990 or so. I'm aware it can be a distraction and I use it cautiously.

[O Really]

... 1. The first thing I reach for after waking in the morning is my cellphone.
I don't use a bedside clock - the mobile is my clock.

Do you do anything else with it besides turn off the alarm or check the time?
I rarely use the alarm, but I just check the time. Probably the author of the test would ding me an extra point for "reaching for my cellphone" in the middle of the night. I don't look at email until I'm having coffee and reading the paper - electronic version, of course.
... 6. I spend more time than I should on my cellphone.
No

Do addicts easily admit there's a problem?
No, but do non-professional people who find "addiction" problems in others ever accept reasons with alternate conclusions?

[neoplacebo]

I'm good. I've never had a cell phone. Really.

[Mr.B]

"I've been using a car phone since they were called "car phones" back in 1990 or so."

Do you remember these?






Bell-Atlantic Nynex Mobile

[O Really]

I do remember those. The first one I had (the firm's, not mine personally - they cost several thousand dollars) looked like those WWII phones. Had a box with a receiver that looked like a landline. It was a major upgrade to go to the "brick." I had one built-in in the car, but when I got the Motorola flip phone, bulky though it was, I thought I was in tech Nirvana.

[Mr.B]

"I do remember those. The first one I had (the firm's, not mine personally - they cost several thousand dollars) looked like those WWII phones. Had a box with a receiver that looked like a landline. It was a major upgrade to go to the "brick." I had one built-in in the car, but when I got the Motorola flip phone, bulky though it was, I thought I was in tech Nirvana."

Back in '95 I bought a used 1990 Lincoln Town Car from a widow in Flat Rock. Absolutely loaded including a car phone. It was identical to the bag phone in the second photo. I tried to get it activated, but there were to many hoops to jump through to do so, mainly due to the change in carriers (somebody had bought somebody else out, then they got bought out, Ford no longer had access data, yada, yada) and the obsolete phone electronics.

At first I too thought I was in tech Nirvana...that bubble busted, like, in a hurry!

We've got a friend who recently retired from Mission hospital. In the 90's, she carried a company-owned bag phone like the one in the 2nd photo. The battery for that thing weighed more than the phone, car charger, and bag all put together....technocracy sure has changed, ain't it?

I spend more time reading Vrede's bitchin' and pizzin' at me in this forum than I do using my phone....nttawwt, huh, Vrede?

[O Really]

Not all distractions have the same risk, this one has been thoroughly studied, and I'll bet there are few other distractions you engage in for the sheer number of minutes that you spend driving while on the phone. The crash data is clear and your claim of exemption from it is not only unsupportable but also gives others the excuse to imperil my friends and family. On this, you are no different from a climate change denier.

Oh pu-leeze. I'm not denying the data, nor claiming exemption. Nor am I claiming the author isn't a professional. I'm saying there are a lot of reasons a person might use a mobile (that is much more than a "cellphone" in many ways without being literally "addicted." If I read a paper magazine, use a paper map, look up a word in a hard-copy dictionary, check the TV weather forecast, find a film schedule and showing, most people would say I've done five separate things. But if I read Flipboard, Google Maps, Wikipedia, Weatherbug, and Moviefone, some would say I've only done one thing - "used my cellphone for X amount of time."

[neoplacebo]

I never had a need or desire to have a cell / car / portable phone. I don't particularly like to talk on the phone anyway, and won't pay extra to do so. If someone wants to call me on the phone, chances are they have my home phone number, and should I not be there when they call, I will probably be there pretty soon. I consider this to be privacy.....mine. Most of the calls I get are from 800 numbers that I don't recognize and don't answer or return the message they may leave. I believe folks have become susceptible to the idea that they need to be "available" all the time to any and all callers. I think it's ridiculous. I can maybe understand why a doctor or a priest might want a cell phone, but I myself am secure in that I don't do surgery or counseling. I suppose I could do counseling , but you'd have to call me at home. Thanks. Wait; I've changed my mind. I don't consider it appropriate to do counseling (or surgery) on the phone; you will just have to come over or invite me to your place. I also don't do counseling or surgery on Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Instagram, Toastergram, Tripper, Flitter, Flopper, or Flipper. And I think the "do not call" list is the greatest thing ever invented and urge everyone to take advantage of it.

[Mr.B]

... Vrede's ... Vrede?

It's adorable how you mimic my posts.