

Life without a cell phone - ryandvm
http://www.theawl.com/2011/03/my-life-without-a-cell-phone-an-amazing-tale-of-survival

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Anechoic
I don't get folks who feel so chained to their mobile phones. I have a cell
phone. When I feel like using it to make calls, I make a call. When I feel
like using it to answer a call, I will answer it when a call comes in.

If I don't feel like answering a call, I simply don't. If the call is
important, the caller will leave a message and I'll return it at my leisure.
If the call is not important, often the caller will not leave a message and
I'll just forget about it. The cell phone is there for _my_ convenience and
during the times it inconveniences me, it gets turned off. It's just a tool...
control it, it doesn't have to control you.

I will say that I completely agree with her point about "glance[ing]
surreptitiously down at the corner of the table to see who is
calling/emailing/texting while we’re in the middle of a conversation." When
I'm talking to someone you have my full attention (except for certain
emergency circumstances which I will let you know about upfront) and would
appreciate the same courtesy.

~~~
danneu
Article sounds similar to the anti-Facebook camp who outline a hypothetical
'if I did have a Facebook account' world where every one of their Facebook
friends is spamming them with virtual Farmville goods and quips about Japan
deserving the earthquake because of Pearl Harbor.

In reality, it doesn't really happen. I have zero tolerance for people who
interrupt a moment that demands undivided attention (like a date) by
incessantly checking their cellphone. But all of my friends seem to have a
reasonable handle on that.

Uncourteous people are uncourteous people, but I certainly wouldn't evade a
technology for fear of my friends being uncourteous.

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jwhitney
"back then, the guy in the bar with the celly was the biggest douche in the
room"

Hey yeah, and now it's the girl who goes on and on about not having one. It's
a funny world.

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sardonicbryan
This is so ridiculous I have to rebut this point by point.

Her points:

1) Convenience: The closing line of this statement says it all: "... or borrow
someone else’s cell to make the call. Now that’s convenience."

There's a distinction between "life without a cell phone" and "life without
owning a cell phone."

2) Paraphrasing: "I can never lose my phone numbers because I remember them
and put them in a Rolodex and an addressbook."

There is nothing about owning a cell phone that prevents her from doing this.

3) Paraphrasing: "I will never be distracted by my phone while I'm with
others."

There is nothing inherent about owning a cell phone that forces people to do
this. If the author feels so vehemently that this is a bad thing, then surely
it couldn't be too hard for her to bring a cell phone around and ignore it in
social situations.

4) Paraphrasing: "I have a landline that gets perfect reception, which is much
better than an unreliable cell phone." There is nothing preventing one from
owning both a cell phone and a land line.

5) Paraphrasing: "Cell phones cause cancer." Maybe, but there has not been
strong evidence supporting this claim, IMO. See the other links shared so far.

6) Paraphrasing: "No one device can interrupt my life." Two words: Silent
Mode.

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oakenshield
Apart from one valid point (low attention span), this article reeks of
confirmation bias. Certainly, if you google "cell phones and brain tumor" and
go to the FUD sites, you will get enough fodder to peddle that viewpoint.
Here's a reliable source:

<http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones>

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ctdonath
We went thru this argument in the mid 1990s.

The year is now 2011. Life with a cell phone won the debate.

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ryandvm
I did this until last year when I broke down and got a phone because I wanted
to get into mobile development. It was worth it (financially), but the freedom
she talks about in not owning a cell phone is real - and I miss it.

~~~
singer
That sounds like a loss of freedom to me. How about the freedom to not answer
your phone when you don't want to be bothered?

~~~
mturmon
It's like that blinking light on the Blackberry -- ignorable in principle, but
irresistible in practice.

~~~
singer
Out of sight, out of mind. And put your phone in silent mode if you don't want
to hear it. It's all about self control. If someone does not have that, then
maybe a cell phone really isn't for them.

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kevinburke
Life without a cell phone is probably easier if you are a girl and even easier
if you are an attractive girl. Some people would probably suffer a worse
quality of life if they ditched their cellphones.

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danneu
This article reeks of the familiar vogue of people bragging about not having
Facebook accounts: It's probably not that hard for you if you have an
underwhelming social life, don't date, and aren't that connected to those
around you to begin with.

I lost my phone last month, but my contract restarts in 3 days so I've been
holding out to capitalize on the free phone they give me. I'm 22, and it's
been miserable because I have an interest in the opposite sex (among other
reasons).

And when I do have a cellphone, I possess the willpower to keep it in silent
mode until I wish to check it. Someone made the point that possessing a phone
instills the expectation in others that you'll respond to their pings in
within a reasonable amount of time. I challenge that. It doesn't take long to
train people to understand your mobile availability. And moreover, who's
keeping track?

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warfangle
I've been seriously considering cutting AT&T out, and just using skype over
wifi. I hardly ever make or receive phone calls - everything is SMS or email.

The thing that keeps me from it is the knowledge that, with a data plan, I
don't have to worry about getting lost. With a data plan, I can be certain my
contacts are backed up. With a data plan, I'll get that SMS when I get off the
subway and plans have changed. And that I'll never be able to get the same
data plan I'm grandfathered into.

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geekdesigngirl
I'm about to do this and am actually looking forward to it. I cut the TV cord
over 2 years ago and haven't missed it. There have been days I forget to bring
my cell phone in (it's an older Blackberry model). The only thing I've used it
for is to check my email and text messaging, all which is accessible on the
web.

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oregu
Don't bother explaining the advantages of cell phones. Just wait till she
breaks her leg, and there's no one around.

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naqabas
She doesn't seem very tech savvy. Who doesn't back up their phone numbers
these days? If I lost my phone tomorrow, I could just go online to my google
contacts and get them all back.

I can understand the liberating feeling. 1 year ago, I went to Europe for
three weeks and didn't take a cell phone or get one there. It was really nice
not having to worry about returning calls and just going back to basics.
However, I still think the convenience of cell phones for those few times you
really need it outweighs the liberating feeling of not having one.

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Ratfish
I've got a business idea. I'll make this thing, you'll pay heaps for it, then
pay each month to have it. Then, whenever someone wants you to do something
they can press a button and get you and get you to change your plans. I bet no
one likes my idea though. Additionally, I'm damned if I know how I fell into
the trap of cell phones. Sent from my iPhone.

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DLWormwood
If someone like me has somehow managed to cope with living in the US until
middle age without being able to drive a car, going without a cell phone is a
cake walk by comparison.

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araneae
Landlines only make sense if you own a home do your number won't change that
often. My apartment doesn't even have a phone jack.

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micampe
People can do without a mobile phone only because everyone else around them
has one.

