Smart Phones and Tablets
I know the technology of 2013 is/was intended to make our lives better, or at least easier. I dislike most of it. Ok, I hate an awful lot of it.
I know I am going to ruffle some feathers here, but I really don’t care. I hate my “smart phone” and the Twin’s tablets. Before you get all riled up, about my use of the word hate, I will explain. I believe my “smart phone” and the Twin’s tablets were created just to make me crazy.
In my construction life my employer bought a new “smart phone” for my use; a complete waste of time and money. He thought we could text each other and not need to talk. I understand “texting” if a text does not need an answer.
I have had to teach my subcontractors, that if you need an answer from me do not text me, I will not answer it. As Ivy will tell you, I am distracted enough just holding a phone while I drive, you don’t want me trying to read it.
My “smart phone” has map (GPS) apps, listen to the radio apps, order pizza apps, game apps, and read bar code in stores apps. I have NEVER used ANY of them.
Tell me you haven’t seen a person walking down the street, staring intently at the phone in their hand and walk into another person, a light pole, or in the path of a bicyclist on the sidewalk. That is what can happen when the phone is “smarter” than its owner.
Then phones have their own language. What the heck is lol, OMG, LMAO and many others. I have news for you, I am accomplished speaker of construction language. I will try not to share construction language with you, if you don’t share “texting” language with me.
My kids tablets are equally upsetting to me. I thought it was a good idea when Santa brought each of my kids a tablet for Christmas. I thought it would encourage and make it more fun to read books. Well, they do use them for reading. It is the side effects that bother me. Personally, I have never needed to recharge a book that I am reading. Even though recharging a tablet SHOULD be simple enough. Just plug the tablet into the charger that comes with the tablet. WRONG! At our house we never know where our charger is. Three tablets should come with three chargers, NOPE! Not at our house! We cannot find one charger, and no one knows where to look or who had them last. If I had to guess, I would think Boy Twin might have something to do with where they are.
Last night Boy Twin informed the family he did not know who took his tablet. Earlier in the night I noticed his tablet was outside in the dump box of our Bobcat Club Car. (A mini dumptruck/golfcart, two seats, four-wheel drive, carries stuff around the ranch) I asked why his tablet would be outside and please put it away. Oh, he put it away.
Later in the evening:
Boy Twin: Has anyone seen my tablet? Me: Where did you put it when I asked you to put it away? Boy Twin: I put it on the seat of the Bobcat Car. Me: I drove the Bobcat car, I did not sit on your tablet.
It is now dark and starting to rain. With flashlights, the family went outside to look for the $149 tablet which was to replace a few $6.95 books. We looked everywhere including starting to check the pastures where if he had left it on the Bobcat car it might have fallen off as I was driving through the pasture.
Ivy found the tablet outside on a seat, not of the Bobcat car, but the seat of an ATV. Boy Twin exclaimed, “Oh yeah, I remember I put it there because Girl Twin wouldn’t help me…………….”
At least we found it before it was destroyed by the rain.
Today in the store, I was looking for a charger for my “smart phone”. The charger for my “smart phone” is compatible with the very tablets Santa brought the children for Christmas. Guess what! Yep, the charger is gone! The children have no idea where it is. Everyone is wondering what happened to it. The Twins are sure we can get another one! The Twins have seen them at Wally World!
You know, my grandparents lived a long time. They never made a call on a cell phone and read books made of paper. They seemed really happy.
Hmmmm.
Our crazy lives!
Monner
