I can't wait until the my two youngest get their own phones, at least I might get some peace
Ha ha ha! Hull! Check out my cheapo Chinese smartphone thread!
Time to be part of the problem...
http://www.chinavasion.com/china/who...h_Screen_Blue/
Time to let that antisocial behaviour flourish
Sent from my GT-P6800 using GeoClicks mobile app
Smartphones are mini computers which I find useful for checking email, exchange rates, local maps and browsing the web to find info. Social media like facebook, google+, instagram, myspace etc does not interest me and I don't find it useful. Similar video here with over 41 million hits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OINa46HeWg8
I liked the thread in the video where the guy only met the girl because he was lost and had to ask for directions. These days I rely almost exclusively on Google Maps to find places - hard to imagine life without it - but yes, I certainly ask fewer people directions and interact less with real people and more with machines to do everyday tasks... online shopping reduces the need to interact with shop assistants and cashiers; ditto online banking. We play with our phones on the bus and the MTR and never make conversations with strangers ... never even see strangers! I wonder how many nice sunsets I have missed looking down at my phone and not staring out of the window watching the world go by.... (actually i do make a point of putting the phone down around sunset because we really do get some great sunsets here).
There are lots of ways technology is now interfacing between us and the real world. I wonder sometimes what that is going to lead to.
On the other hand how many couples meet on the internet who would otherwise never have done so.
I'm sure all the criticisms that are currently being levelled against mobiles were also used against email, personal computers, televisions, radios, cars, electricity...
Society evolves. The benefits will always outweigh the disadvantages or else we wouldn't do it.
Taiwan considers fines for smartphone-addicted pedestrians
Taiwan is considering ticketing people who cross the street paying more attention to their iPhone than the cars around them. No, seriously. Taiwan currently has over 14 million mobile internet users, many of whom lawmakers consider "addicted" to their phones. The hope is a fine would curb that addiction (quite literally), and cut down on pedestrian deaths. According to the government, Taiwanese drivers often don't yield to pedestrians (even when they have the right-of-way). The "chaotic traffic" is already a dicey situation for those on foot. When you add a phone into the mix, your chances of survival get even worse. Distracted walking infractions would only apply to people in roads (walking off a pier while checking Facebook is a-ok), and would cost just $10 a piece. If the chance of being flattened by a motor scooter isn't enough for you to pause Angry Birds, our guess is a small fine won't do the trick either.
Only up to a point only though.
I don't think anyone here is suggesting we should ban or get rid of smartphones and go back to the simple days of Nokia. These Samsung, LG or Apple phones of course have brought benefits. No one is disputing that. The focus here are the disadvantages. The more relevant question is how to minimize the pitfalls with new technology.
Last edited by Watercooler; 08-05-2014 at 09:06 AM.