Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
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renjuzone
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Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by renjuzone »

While similar videos surface often, and it is ironic that I am sharing this from my phone, but - as bogleheads, sometimes it is easy for us to be quite driven by things, that while being important, shouldn't define us. This video is a reminder for me (and everyone else here) to take time to stop and smell the roses!!

http://bit.ly/1fPZ0dc

Have a great day everyone!
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CountryBoy
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by CountryBoy »

WOW! and thank you!
chaz
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by chaz »

I use a dumb phone.
Chaz | | “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." Woody Allen | | http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
dl7848
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by dl7848 »

I ran across a Peanuts book the other day. It was amazing to see the types of activities the characters engaged in -- gazing at cloud formations in the sky and making out the animal shapes; flying kites on a brisk, spring day; play-acting and pretending to be different characters (Snoopy). It made me really nostalgic.
Last edited by dl7848 on Wed May 07, 2014 12:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
BenBritt
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by BenBritt »

Great, thank you.
leonard
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by leonard »

So, interacting by phone is different than in person. Saved everyone 5 minutes.
Leonard | | Market Timing: Do you seriously think you can predict the future? What else do the voices tell you? | | If employees weren't taking jobs with bad 401k's, bad 401k's wouldn't exist.
michaelsieg
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by michaelsieg »

So, interacting by phone is different than in person. Saved everyone 5 minutes.
The problem seems to be deeper than that. I recently went to a playground and it is mind blowing how all parents and nanny's are just watching their cellphones and no adult is talking to each other. In the meantime some kids are trying to get the attention of their caregivers - most of them didn't succeed... some author recently wrote a book about this problem in child education - there was a recent interview on NPR about this but I don't remember the author's name.
So, thanks for posting this - it is just soo easy to constantly fidget with these phones....what my wife and I have been doing, we put the phones down when we come home after work until the kids are in bed - I think as a consequence, we spend better quality time with them.
S&L1940
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by S&L1940 »

chaz wrote:I use a dumb phone.
got myself a 'pay as you go' phone (ATT) and liked the functionality of a fourth generation "smart phone" over my ancient dumb phone. but I do not ask my phone questions about Humphrey Bogart movies made between April 3rd 1939 and May 14th 1940 or check baseball scores or collect cute cat photos. Simply make and receive calls at a cost of $100 a year...
already found my dream girl, 55+ years ago at Rockaway Beach; read my emails and Boglehead posts at home, so a diminished smart phone works for me!
Don't it always seem to go * That you don't know what you've got * Till it's gone
davebo
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by davebo »

michaelsieg wrote:
So, interacting by phone is different than in person. Saved everyone 5 minutes.
The problem seems to be deeper than that. I recently went to a playground and it is mind blowing how all parents and nanny's are just watching their cellphones and no adult is talking to each other. In the meantime some kids are trying to get the attention of their caregivers - most of them didn't succeed... some author recently wrote a book about this problem in child education - there was a recent interview on NPR about this but I don't remember the author's name.
So, thanks for posting this - it is just soo easy to constantly fidget with these phones....what my wife and I have been doing, we put the phones down when we come home after work until the kids are in bed - I think as a consequence, we spend better quality time with them.
As a 36 year old parent of 3 kids under the age of 6, I feel like we get conflicting messages. Baby boomers will rip on us for being "helicopter parents" and not allowing our kids to fully explore the world on their own; we're always there ready to catch them if they fall.

Then you have all these articles where people are chastising parents for looking at their phones too much and not paying attention to their kids. "You're missing them laugh and smile! They'll never be this young again!". WTH?!?!?!? I've been with my kids all day long playing with them, coaching their soccer team, playing catch with them, playing board games, reading to them. But the one time I'm just letting them play at the playground I'm getting a hard time for it!

And for the record, when my mom took me to the park or the local swimming pool, I remember her (and many other adults) reading books and magazines. Burying her head in a book the entire time we were playing or swimming. So what's the difference?
dl7848
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by dl7848 »

davebo wrote:

As a 36 year old parent of 3 kids under the age of 6, I feel like we get conflicting messages. Baby boomers will rip on us for being "helicopter parents" and not allowing our kids to fully explore the world on their own; we're always there ready to catch them if they fall.

Then you have all these articles where people are chastising parents for looking at their phones too much and not paying attention to their kids. "You're missing them laugh and smile! They'll never be this young again!". WTH?!?!?!? I've been with my kids all day long playing with them, coaching their soccer team, playing catch with them, playing board games, reading to them. But the one time I'm just letting them play at the playground I'm getting a hard time for it!

And for the record, when my mom took me to the park or the local swimming pool, I remember her (and many other adults) reading books and magazines. Burying her head in a book the entire time we were playing or swimming. So what's the difference?
I would take parenting out of the equation. That's a complex issue that shouldn't be reduced to one's choice of media or communication device.

But there does seem to be something different about being "wired" as opposed to doing a quiet activity like reading. We need someone like Marshall McLuhan to help us figure it out. I'm not sure how much merit his ideas had, but in his book Understanding Media, he divided things into "hot" and "cool" media and they differered in the amount of active involvement required by the user. I'm not sure that's the dichotomy here, but I do notice a different emotional state when reading a book (even on an e-reader) verus interacting with a computer. In fact, when I'm in a room at home with a computer on, I feel a sort of tension -- like maybe I should be interacting with it. When I turn the computer off, I feel a sense of peace.

So I think there's something to all the concern about us being wired all the time, but so far, the evidence is anecdotal.
moneyman11
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Post by moneyman11 »

Someday all the people who remember what it was like before "smartphones" will be gone and this will no longer be a discussion and no one will care.

That is how society moves forward.
ajcp
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by ajcp »

michaelsieg wrote:
So, interacting by phone is different than in person. Saved everyone 5 minutes.
The problem seems to be deeper than that. I recently went to a playground and it is mind blowing how all parents and nanny's are just watching their cellphones and no adult is talking to each other. In the meantime some kids are trying to get the attention of their caregivers - most of them didn't succeed... some author recently wrote a book about this problem in child education - there was a recent interview on NPR about this but I don't remember the author's name.
So, thanks for posting this - it is just soo easy to constantly fidget with these phones....what my wife and I have been doing, we put the phones down when we come home after work until the kids are in bed - I think as a consequence, we spend better quality time with them.
I miss the good old days when people interacted with each other instead of something else to occupy themselves.

Image

:wink:
likegarden
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by likegarden »

My wife and I each have a cell phone, powered down, mine in the car, used only in emergencies, like after a car battery failure or for ordering pizza. Why would someone look at this small screen when a large screen of a PC has so much more information and functionality.

I worked with a guy who did not give the company his phone number at home, so he had the weekend and evenings for himself.
Last edited by likegarden on Wed May 07, 2014 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ab80
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by ab80 »

I agree with the video (to some extent... not sure about the whole romance angle, but whatever). I'm in my 20s, so I'm a bit of an outlier in my generation, but the iPhone is the single most depressing thing I've ever seen. I used to teach at a couple of different colleges, and it's hard enough to motivate students already. Throw in the fact that they sit there looking at their phones the whole time -- this shouldn't even be an issue in teaching. These people are supposed to be adults. I can't remember the last time I was at a red light and looked around to see people's eyes looking at something other than their phone. The iPhone is a disease. Even when communicating with my friends, it seems like everyone is too scared to actually make a phone call as opposed to sending an SMS. There are also some positives of connecting to people through facebook, but there are so many people out there who convince themselves that clicking like or posting a short comment here or there is actually working on their social life.

I don't think people not chatting on a bus is an issue, but people are just going to use their GPS on their phone when looking for something as opposed to asking a local standing right next to them where that something is.

There's also the concern about all of your data being mined, and these smartphones make everyone want to give away all of their info via facebook, instagram, etc. And whenever you install apps, it wants access to so much info. The paranoid side of me makes me refuse to get a smartphone for that reason, as well.
dl7848
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by dl7848 »

ab80 wrote:I
There's also the concern about all of your data being mined, and these smartphones make everyone want to give away all of their info via facebook, instagram, etc. And whenever you install apps, it wants access to so much info. The paranoid side of me makes me refuse to get a smartphone for that reason, as well.
Plus, the wi-fi signal is being usd to track people as they shop in some stores.

But I separate the privacy concerns from the other concerns.
michaelsieg
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by michaelsieg »

davebo wrote:
And for the record, when my mom took me to the park or the local swimming pool, I remember her (and many other adults) reading books and magazines. Burying her head in a book the entire time we were playing or swimming. So what's the difference?
I totally agree that kids don't need constant hovering - but what struck me when I was at that playground is that none of the parents were talking to each other - everyone was glued to their cellphones.
Usually when a group of adults get together (like at a pool or a playground) you would think at least some of them talk to each other - the absence of interactions other than with the electronic devices was what struck me.
michaelsieg
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by michaelsieg »

ajcp - That was really funny - what a great image of good old times!
dl7848
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by dl7848 »

michaelsieg wrote:davebo wrote:
And for the record, when my mom took me to the park or the local swimming pool, I remember her (and many other adults) reading books and magazines. Burying her head in a book the entire time we were playing or swimming. So what's the difference?
I totally agree that kids don't need constant hovering - but what struck me when I was at that playground is that none of the parents were talking to each other - everyone was glued to their cellphones.
Usually when a group of adults get together (like at a pool or a playground) you would think at least some of them talk to each other - the absence of interactions other than with the electronic devices was what struck me.
The smartphone users get a "vibratory" effect that the others don't:
...researchers at the University of Worcesters found smartphones are so addictive many users now hear "phantom vibrations" because they are desperate to receive new messages.
:D

Here's the full link:

Internet addiction affects the brain 'like a drink or drug problem'

Obviously, not everyone that uses a smartphone or web browser becomes an addict, but I would venture to say most of us have felt the impulse to constantly check on things online -- something we don't do with magazines or books.
davebo
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by davebo »

michaelsieg wrote:davebo wrote:
And for the record, when my mom took me to the park or the local swimming pool, I remember her (and many other adults) reading books and magazines. Burying her head in a book the entire time we were playing or swimming. So what's the difference?
I totally agree that kids don't need constant hovering - but what struck me when I was at that playground is that none of the parents were talking to each other - everyone was glued to their cellphones.
Usually when a group of adults get together (like at a pool or a playground) you would think at least some of them talk to each other - the absence of interactions other than with the electronic devices was what struck me.
I don't know, to be honest I don't necessarily agree with that. When I've been at my son's soccer or baseball games, most of the parents are watching and chatting with other parents and the same with the park I see people burying their heads in their smartphone when they are in public places where they don't know anyone e.g. airport or standing in line at chipolte. I don't really see that as a big deal. Even before smartphones, I don't remember that many people just striking up random conversations with strangers.
Fallible
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by Fallible »

dl7848 wrote:
davebo wrote: ...
But there does seem to be something different about being "wired" as opposed to doing a quiet activity like reading. We need someone like Marshall McLuhan to help us figure it out. I'm not sure how much merit his ideas had, but in his book Understanding Media, he divided things into "hot" and "cool" media and they differered in the amount of active involvement required by the user. I'm not sure that's the dichotomy here, but I do notice a different emotional state when reading a book (even on an e-reader) verus interacting with a computer. In fact, when I'm in a room at home with a computer on, I feel a sort of tension -- like maybe I should be interacting with it. When I turn the computer off, I feel a sense of peace. ...
Interesting and good thoughts (liked the earlier "Peanuts" post, too) and I agree it would be nice to know what McLuhan might have thought about it all, how he might apply his idea that it wasn't media content, but media itself that mattered and in so many ways. My guess about the difference between reading a paper book and a computer version is that with the book, you're interacting quietly with yourself, your thoughts and feelings about what you're reading, whereas with an e-book, you're on a computer and always aware somewhere in your mind that you can instantly and infinitely go other places, that there's more out there for you, tempting you.
"Yes, investing is simple. But it is not easy, for it requires discipline, patience, steadfastness, and that most uncommon of all gifts, common sense." ~Jack Bogle
Andyrunner
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by Andyrunner »

now that my iphones wi-fi broke and battery wears out pretty fast, I never use it for its smart capabilities....

Now I just read my book while sitting on the park n ride to work...I have tried to strike up conversations, but not many people are interested, they are too busy on their smart phones.
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pennstater2005
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Post by pennstater2005 »

Put down that smartphone as he gets his message out through social media. I know, he said stop watching this video at the end.
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Petrocelli
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by Petrocelli »

It is ironic that this advice is posted in a forum where people spend countless hours of their lives.

We should probably shut down our computers too.
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new2bogle
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Re: Put down that smart phone; Log off!!

Post by new2bogle »

Ironically watched on my smartphone.
Topic Author
renjuzone
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Post by renjuzone »

Love the discussions everyone!
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Bustoff
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Post by Bustoff »

I jog at the high school track. It's not uncommon to see groups of kids sitting around or walking together out there, but they are not conversing or interacting, they are all staring at their phones.

BTW, been rear-ended twice by drivers on cell phones.
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