As some of you may know from my lack of comms, a couple of weeks ago I crushed my phone at work. It still sort of worked, but the screen was a psychaedelic vision of swirls and lines of every colour known and as yet undiscovered.
Sometimes I could get a hint of a text or a missed call through the fog, but I had to give up and I changed my answering machine message to direct callers to the office and slung the phone in a drawer at home.
I didn’t do anything about it for a few days, and found myself totally free of being “able to be got” for the first time since ’95 I think. Oh my god. The joy, the bliss, yes it was mighty. The inconvenience be damned.
Folk quickly adapted and just sent emails. I didn’t miss any important items, it just took a few hours longer to deal with it.
I don’t have a hands-free for using in the motor, I just let the phone ring out. I’m kinda holding onto the notion that the pace of life has been synthetically enhanced, stronger, faster, but without the red track suit. Well, I’m not holding on any more, I’m standing on top of it, hands on hips, hair blowing in the wind.
Who made the pace of our lives this frantic blur of unnecessary necessity? We’re all running. even if we’re sitting down, we need it now, tomorrow is too late. By the weekend? That means we’re writing threatening emails.
It’s rubbish. Rubbish. And I hadn’t really noticed it.
But, I got a new phone yesterday and I’ll no doubt slip back into the groove. The torture of trying to get all the numbers and photies out of a phone with a blank screen by simultaneously pressing menu buttons on my phone and Joyces’ similar model (successful, surprisingly) will help the feeling to linger on for a while I hope.
i hope the new one is a lightweight model!
If both the old one and the new are Nokias you might want to try Nokia PC Suite for backing one up and copying over to the other – assuming you can connect them to the PC okay. That’s what I’ve done since about 1999 as I’ve changed, upgraded or out-right lost phones (you can back them up the same way).
And yes the whole “pace of life thing”. I agree it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about myself lately.
It seems that, by coincidence, Ryan Jordan has been having similar thoughts. And further very gear centric ones.
or if you are with 02…sign up for thir blue book service its free and backs all your numbers and pics up FOC.
As someone who has innumerable comms devices (all but one from work I should add) I couldn’t agree more that the secret is learning to ignore the call, text, email … I still marvel at how people will stop talking to you face to face to answer the telephone.
I’m not sure I agree with the comment on Ryan’s piece on gear though. I’ve been backpacking for thirty odd years and still love talking endlessly about gear. I just think it’s another facet of my enjoyment of the ‘outdoors’. I am still very much learning as well!
“I still marvel at how people will stop talking to you face to face to answer the telephone.”
Aye, me too, it’s one of my pet hates. I feel like shaking them and saying “Oi, I was here first…”
Equally, folk at work look amazed if the phone rings and I don’t answer it. But isn’t that what voicemail was invented for?
The phone is half the weight of the broken one! I also press “silent” on my phone through the fabric of my pocket much more than I answer it.
And yes, I’ll be backing up this time…
The Ryan Jordan stuff is interesting, it comes across as a bit patronising, his style. He’s decrying advice from others, presumably his own kitlists are exempt and to be taken as gospel?
Advice is good, kitlists are good, it gives you a starting point if you’re new to the game, or a fresh perspective for the experienced. I’d rather read someones experiences and opinions on something that’s unfamiliar than take a chance and sit there thinking. “Oh, should have brought…”
However, I shall read more and see if I can get a handle on him.
Ah yes, that great feeling when one uses the ‘silence’ function and the world looks on in shock and envy.
Anyway keep it up, we need you here saving us from dodgy gear.
Here, I need saving from dodgy gear too. You should see some of the stuff I’ve got on test just now :o)
I’d love to! If you need ‘saving’ at any point just let me know ;-)
The bad stuff is going away by courier next week thankfully.Read all about my horror later :o)
Ryan certainly has a “I know best” kind of style.
But hey – he started BPL.com so A) He does know quite a lot and B) I think it often takes that kind of person to start a successful business from scratch like that.
Fully agree though that I’m more than happy to hear from all and sundry regarding what kind of kit they bring and also that kit is interesting no matter how much actual using it you’ve done.
Maybe all that selling kit has made him tired of talking about it? ;)
Maybe all that selling kit has made him tired of talking about it? ;)
Overload? I have an inkling on how that could happen :o/