Mobility problems
I do my best to keep up with the times.
Some things such as my mobile phone though have me nearly bet.
A while ago, I started to have problems with it. I couldn’t charge it. It wasn’t that the phone was broken or anything, just that I couldn’t plug that fiddly power plug into it. No matter how hard I pressed, the plug just wouldn’t go into the socket. I reckoned there might be a bent pin or something, but if I pushed the plug in as far as it would go, it would just about work, provided it wasn’t touched and provided no one walked near it. The slightest movement and the plug would fall out again.
I was pondering this little problem one night while Herself watched the television when I noticed something – there seemed to be something stuck in the socket. Maybe this was what was causing the problem?
The socket is tiny – one of those micro-whatsits – so I attacked it with a pin. Sure enough, some stuff was jammed in there. Combining ferocious dexterity with a lot of blowing I managed to clear the stuff out. The plug now fitted perfectly once more.
Now when I am travelling, I tent to shove the phone in my shirt pocket. And I always put it in the right way up because that’s the sort of logical thing to do? The problem was that the little power socket was at the bottom so it tended to come to rest in whatever dust, fluff or other bits of crud that happen to be in that pocket. So now I have to invert the phone every time I put it in my pocket. I wonder why the designers never thought of this problem? Idiots!
But my troubles weren’t over.
I had another problem.
I now had a nicely charged phone but I couldn’t receive calls on it.
There is nothing wrong with the phone as such. It would ring away merrily playing the little unique tune I had inserted into it, but I couldn’t answer it. You see it’s a modern phone, and to answer it I have to tap the corner of the screen. But when a call comes in, a piece of security software throws up a little window asking me if I know who is calling and do I want to save the call. But the little window pops up right over the Answer thingy so I can’t access it. Five gold stars to the fucking genius who designed that little piece of ingenuity.
I have removed the security software. It was a right pain in the hole anyway as it was constantly nagging me about stuff that was running and that it was three whole days since I had run it, or whatever.
I now have a fully functional mobile phone. I can now answer it without a fight or a curse.
Not that it matters much.
I very rarely use the thing anyway.
I use my iPhone 6S all the time. I text people. I check things out by searching in Dogpile. I read blogs when I’m not at home. I check my twitter feed, again when I’m not at home.
I rarely ever use it as a telephone!
Maybe we should share just one device? I’ll use it for phone calls and you can use it for the rest?
I’m using mine a lot. Mine is a phablet and as such it does all sorts. Got a 3000mah battery. It only cost about £50. I’m really pleased. Couldn’t live without it!
Enjoyed your post – and all the others which I read but haven’t time to comment on.
Herself keeps nagging me to change my device but once I can make phone calls I’m happy.
Someone has been using my “Like” button!!
Just got 2 (one straight, one bent) Lorenzo (liked their motto – Made for real men with strong hands :)) ) briar pipes in in the mail. It’s an improved experience from the cheap Chinese pipe I’d used before. Not that these are expensive – about £11-12 apiece, but they are lighter and the bowl is a bit bigger so I don’t have to relight so often. Happy puffing 🙂
You know that you can go into the app and switch off the annoying screen? That’s what I had to do.
I am, it seems the only person in the world who doesn’t own a mobile phone and I have to admit that I become increasingly glad about that the longer time goes on. For starters, the technology has now moved beyond me. Back in the day when the mobile phone was just, well, a phone, I could just about manage to use one. Put in the number, then press green for “go” and red for “stop” to hang up. But these days, I can’t use the damned thing at all. My OH has a smartphone and whenever it rings and I am in a position to answer it instead of him, I can’t. “What do I press?” I cry in a panic. “Press the arrow on the right,” he’ll reply. But there is no arrow that I can see. I jab frantically at what looks like the bit of the screen that’ll result in the call coming through, only to be confronted with his entire list of contact numbers. “Where’s the back button?” I ask. “Move the screen to the left,” he orders. I try. The list moves to one side, then bounces back into view again. “It’s not working,” I state with authority. “Yes it is. Just move your thumb over it and press the caller’s name,” he replies. I try again. The contact list stares back at me stubbornly. Then I spot the arrow. It isn’t on the screen – it’s on the plastic casing at the bottom. I press it, convinced that this time I’ll be able to hear the caller. “Hello?” I say. Silence. “Hello?” Nothing. They’ve hung up – bored with waiting, no doubt. Then, two seconds later, the darned thing bleeps. A text has arrived from the caller. “Shall I open that?” I ask. He declines. “No. Just leave it, I’ll do it later,” he says. I can’t think why …
I still own my first mobile ‘phone. It is a Motorola which had to be installed in the car and came with a battery pack of “sack of potatoes” size. Sadly, when something changed, my expensive (£25 per month in 1985} gadget suddenly did not work. Naturally I complained and the company provided me with a “free” hand-held mobile. Now on its third generation, the ‘phone has almost nothing in common with modern systems. It is very easy to use, makes and receives telephone calls, battery lasts for weeks because I never use it and it costs about £10 a year when I regretfully have to top up the available credit. There’s no wiping the screen, useless apps, internet access or other rubbish. It does what it says on the tin – it’s a mobile ‘phone. A very valuable asset, but not an expensive toy to take over my life. Oh, and I can’t stand the idiots who enter a restaurant and immediately start doing something with their “‘phones”. Get real.