Disconnection

Introduction

I am not sure how many people consider that they are reliant on their phones or computers, but if you were not using some kind of device you would not be reading this.

While I don’t see my phone as life or death, I do rely on it for a heck of a lot of things, especially when a new month starts, but twenty years back I got my first mobile forced on me by my daughter Juliet.

But today was my first day without my phone and these are some of the things I discovered. I did take my Kindle Fire with me but continually having to find a wifi connection is a pain and the camera option is not that great and is a bit awkward to access.

You can hold your phone in your hand and it is easy to manipulate even though I have (or had) a Google Pixel 3XL.

My First Day Without My Google Pixel 3XL

The thing is I feel I am cut off from my friends, and this is mainly my friends in the Vocal Groups and across the pond. All of a sudden I cannot immediately message or receive messages. I have friends in Canada, Malaysia, the USA (mainly Texas), the Antipodes and many other parts of the globe. Before Vocal Facebook did not take up much of my time, but now it does, and losing that connection actually hurts a little.

I seldom wear a watch these days, though I have a good selection of timepieces, and I use my phone to check the time. There seem to be very few public clocks (that work) these days, a bit like phone boxes, and today I had a 2:30 appointment but had to just hope I would get there in time. I had set off in plenty of time and got there at 2:15.

Today because of my phone dying I didn’t eat and thought I’d pick up a sandwich from Gregg’s, but the money is on my phone app and I had no phone.

I kept thinking I’d left something behind because there was a space in my pocket where my phone normally is.

Another thing is I like the fact that my phone records my steps but no phone, no step recording. I hope this does not stop me from walking, but only I know how far I have walked, and you could say "Ah but really you were just lying on the couch".

The Google Pixel 3XL has an excellent camera and allows me to take lots of photographs, especially cats for #CatsofVocal on Instagram and Twitter and Cats of Vocal on Facebook. Again I am missing that option.

Our phones have so many apps we don’t use but so many we do use. I went towards the bus stop and then realised I would have to use the timetable, and couldn’t check if the bus was late or cancelled, but I actually caught one.

Another problem is sites with two-factor authentication that send you a text to log in. Some are sensible and give you the option of getting an email, but some are stuck with the text message which makes me stuck,

Concluding My First Day Without My Google Pixel 3XL

I am at home writing this and while I will be fine without my phone I would rather have it. I have learnt my lesson about buying transient phones, and have my computer and Kindle so it’s not like I am completely cut off, just a mighty inconvenience.