Tuesday, October 30, 2018

No longer a contender

I've taken myself out of the running for "last person standing without a smartphone."

For years, I've never been able to justify having a smartphone because:
1. Cell service at the ranch is a crapshoot. 
Sometimes I get one bar of service; most times there's no service.
2. I rarely leave the ranch. Having a monthly bill for something 
I would use the 8 hours a month I'm not here seemed ridiculous.
3. My burner phone has served me adequately on the rare occasions I've needed it,
and it's fun to pretend I'm Walter White. 

Then my ipod died and I could no longer listen to audiobooks.
Then I wanted to use Instagram, which doesn't play well with my desktop.
Then my friends started harassing me. 
I'm talking about you, Ethel and Brigitte and Danni.
And Danni. And Danni. And Danni. She was relentless on her recent visit
and convinced me that a smartphone would be useful even without cell service.
I could run it off my wi-fi and be less of a Luddite.

On the left, my burner phone, with its history of numbers written in silver Sharpie on the case,
because no way in hell could I remember them, or how to answer a call for that matter.
 On the right, my new-to-me iphone 6s, in its Barbie-doll-esque case. 
(Rose gold is a lovely color on a metal phone, not so much on plastic.)

I spent too many hours last weekend setting it up.
It now does everything but let me call someone.
One needs a SIM card for that, which won't get here for another week,
because one can't order a SIM card until one actually has a phone with an IMEI number
to provide to a carrier who sells SIM cards. 
Did you hear how loudly I typed that sentence?
Danni calls it "angry typing," having borne witness to
a live chat session between me and the ATT guy.


But who cares about using a phone to make calls when you can use it to listen to audiobooks
while walking your dogs, say nothing of taking pictures of your dogs at the same time.
Too bad there's not an app for untangling leashes.


 Alan: Your finger is covering the lens.
Me: Don't be a smartass. I'll get the hang of it eventually.


 The camera quality is good enough for internet things, and
Alex is getting very good at her sit-and-stay, don't you think?



We still have a ways to go on the leave-my-stuff-alone command,
as well as how to use the iphone camera in low-light conditions.


 One weekend with a smartphone and I've already turned into one of those people
who gets so distracted by the stupid thing that she forgets what's important,
like supervising her puppy.

30 comments:

  1. The quality of photo is ridiculous (ly-good, I mean). The only thing I really miss from a real camera is the ability to play with depth of field... An elf with an Iphone... there are no ends to the wonders of this world :)

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    Replies
    1. As my hubby, who owns three semi-pro Nikons, says: "and you can't even make a phone call with my cameras!"

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  2. a year ago, I had the same phone you had, from Trafone, they contacted me and said they were upgrading and I got a real deal on smart phone, just like you I don't even know how to answer it but I use it all the time. have fun

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  3. Carson, you are not the last person standing without a smart phone :)
    I am carrying a really old flip-phone in case the parents/bro need to contact me.
    Most of the time the battery runs down and I discover it when I open it "SHUTTING DOWN" it tells me. .

    Looking forward to all the new blogs/instagrammy things!

    M in NC

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  4. Still holding out -- don't want to become one of "those people".

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  5. Oh my gosh.....welcome to the world of the smart phone! You will really enjoy the camera and ease of posting to social media....I predict that very soon you will want to update to a newer model with an even more powerful camera and new features! I have an even older iPhone (5s), and I am itching to upgrade to a 7 or 8.....just can't make myself fork over the money yet. Enjoy!

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  6. Good Work Danni! mine is a bottom of the line android, but the pictures are just fine for government work. i'm guessing you didn't really need that pillow. Can we get JCC's response to the camera please? It's been a while since we've seen that sweet face. Alan is looking very well. Do they have their winter coats coming on?

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  7. Yay for the smartphone! I have had one since the very first Blackberry and love it, but my approach is to get the least expensive Samsung phone they have and keep it til it dies. A good case and screen cover are key, I have dropped every phone a ton of times and never broken one. So...pink Barbie case is worth it. Have fun with all the apps and tools it offers. Just know, if you think there should be an app for that, there is. :) Lisa G in TN

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  8. Have that same iPhone 6s purchased July 2015 to replace the one I killed falling into shallow water near horseshoe crab breeding area in South Carolina. Love it. My MLB at Bat app lives there. Even though my Reds stank most of the time this year, could keep up with them at a glance. Even listen to the radio broadcast on my phone.

    Love your pics. Welcome to what my old buddy Ted from law school would call Smoove (twenty years or so ago).

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  9. I am standing at attention and I salute the last of the dinosaurs!👨‍💻

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  10. A good friend helped make the switch to smartphone when he said, "Think of it as a handheld computer, not a phone". That flipped the switch for me.

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  11. Thank you Danni and Ethel and Danni. And thank you Carson for blogging about it!

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  12. Yay! Finally! Woo hoooo
    Ethel

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  13. I am a true dinosaur as I am still holding out. I will hold out until they don't support these old phones and I am forced to move over. I don't want another, as one mentioned above "hand held computer". Way too many distractions!

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  14. I still don't even have a burner phone, let alone a smartphone....If you are a dinosaur, I wonder what that makes me?

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  15. what did the puppy destroy?

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    Replies
    1. The first pillow I ever crocheted. Oh well - it had a lot of mistakes in it anyway.

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  16. I am going to have a cocktail tonight. I am celebrating YOU. Welcome to the 19th century...I mean 21st.

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  17. Not the last, I don't have a smart phone either. I've got a drug dealer phone from kroger that cost $9. Works for me, heh.
    LaurieB

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  18. Congrats! Writing this comment from the farmette, where there is also no reliable LTE signal, so the phone runs off of my wifi. Despite that minor inconvenience �� I wouldn't want to live without my iphone. Best feature: Audible. Listening to books being read has become a welcome antidote to the oppressively negative outside world.

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    Replies
    1. I couldn't agree more about Audible. I can listen on the phone speaker, which seems so much safer than wearing headphones on our walks. Have you listened to "Where the Crawdad Sings"? I'm almost done. It takes place near your neck of the woods - great story.

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    2. Too funny - I just listened to that last week lol. The author captured this part of the world beautifully. May I recommend A Gentleman from Moscow? Definitely in my top three lifetime books.

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    3. Just added it to my wish list. Thanks!

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  19. An American in Tokyo10/30/18, 10:50 PM

    You can call people (for free!) using your smartphone and wifi!
    Most chat software has the option for free calling.
    Most everyone here uses it instead of regular calling nowadays!

    PS - I love the picture of Alex outside on the bench! Beautiful shot! (Too bad about the pillow though!)

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  20. I expect I will be the last one standing. I just bought a new phone - another pay-as-you-go flip phone - after my old one could no longer receive a signal. I have no need for a hand-held computer, as I have a tablet I can take on a trip if I think I might need to google something, and a garmin navigator for my car for directions. I think I use my phone less than 10 minutes per year - usually to make a call back home to a pet sitter.

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  21. I see there are a few more dinosaurs and Luddites amongst your readers...hahahha.... ....I'll probably be the last one standing. I doubt I will ever bother with one ....who really needs one? What's wrong with remembering things the old fashioned way whilst shopping in the veggie aisle? What's wrong with not picking up the phone every time it rings? ... I don't even pick up the darn land line if I do't feel like it. What's wrong with not telling the world your whole life while chatting anywhere and everywhere without a thought to what you are doing or saying out loud? ...hmmm... nothing. that.s what. ....

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  22. Until retirement I had both a Blackberry and my own Iphone. Purse was always heavy with two phones and their chargers. Now only the Iphone. With more time on my hands I am discovering podcasts which are delightful company on a long walk (try Conversations with Richard Fidler - ABC Radio Australia). As for photos - I take way too many as a camera is always close at hand.

    The photo of Alex on the bench is terrific!

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  23. Ha! Danni talked me into FB and then left ;) (I get it , though)
    You'll love your new phone . They do come in handy and once you get all th phone stuff sorted out, you can call over wif :-)
    Looks like I will be making a Saturday morning stop to Instagram since more of my friends are heading that way :-)

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  24. PS: love the porch lighting!!
    JaneK (forgot to sign my previous comment but you probably figured it was from me. My ancient iPad makes it hard for me to log onto google account )

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  25. I am a die-hard hold out. Will never own one. I get disgusted with how easily we have accepted the lack of face to face social discourse.

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