What would you not be able to do if your phone died ?

[Robson Valley]

With the passing of my partner, I've inherited a huge collection of audio cassettes, CD's and an indeterminate number of video VCR tapes. Shelf after shelf of recording and play back equipment.

She had abandoned many text books out here just as soon as she saw me building book cases. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling, 48" wide and 7 shelves each. Packed solid and the book piles upstairs are growing vigorously.
Music books (guitar, violin, mandolin, piano, bluegrass banjo) are quite skinny things. I actually measured just shy of 36" of those.
My best estimate for downstairs is 2,000 titles. Maybe another hundred up here that ought to get put away.

Art supplies? Watercolors, acrylics, pastels, aquarelles, pencils and Sumi-e. Papers? sheets and block after block. A whole tool box of airbrush stuff + 4 airbrushes.

If you read this far, you can see how tactile my reference materials are. Something about having what I want to hand.

 

[Dave Budd]

For me my phone is used for people to get hold of me (mostly that means customers wanting stuff or delivery drivers trying to find me!) and occasionally ordering things over the phone if it is likely to be easier than online.

Otherwise my phone is a camera, calculator and clock. I could have all of those devices individually, but why would I bother? I think that if I didn't need one to run a business I could happily get by without a phone, mobile or otherwise. I'm not just a luddite, I'm a hermit too!

 

[nigelp]

I wouldn’t get any work without a phone. Away from home I can answer enquiries by email, phone or message, manage my work schedule, invoice, receive payments, manage my website etc.

 

[Nice65]

I don't know if this is of any use but we're also in a bit of a dead spot. In an emergency we can put a phone or mobile router in a bag and hoist it up on the end of a prunings saw pole. Then connect to it via Wi-Fi on a tablet or other phone. Sounds a bit of bother but the other option was a very expensive aerial and mobile router.

Cheers for that. I’m very tempted by the signal boosters for 4G.

 

[TLM]

I've seen some people actually paying for things in shops with their phone in a contactless way rather than using a credit or debit card.

Just wait until you catch someone paying with a watch or ring.

 

[gibson 175]

Phone going down wouldn't bother me tooooooo much ,but losing the internet connection to the house would be a big hassle for bank financial,legal and lots of stuff we do online.

 

[Tiley]

I'd miss the photos taken on my 'phone and would have to rethink some of the very few bank transactions that I use it for but, apart from that, I think I'd almost be happier without it.

 

[walker]

I wouldn't be able to read the forums on bcuk

 

[walker]

I admit I'm like you, and the books and stuffing the brain, works fine
I don't think the youngsters use their phones as a crutch for a weak classroom education, just that it's a very different time and to them, the phone makes books mostly unnecessary for many things. A bit redundant. I think I must have about fifty 'plant' books, at least, my son has a phone, iimmc ? Thing is though, so long as it's on an app then it's fine, but the apps don't have the detail, the accumulated knowledge of a lifetime, and I wonder just how little they actually 'know'. If someone puts out something false and it's taken up, does that become truth ?

Honestly ? I am beyond reluctant to trust something that keeps it's brain where I can't see it or have a sound opinion of it, etc., tbh, I think the phones make folks lazy about learning, but then, I'm of a generation that grew up loving books.

I keep my brain where you carnt see it

 

[Laurentius]

If I did not have my mobile, I would not be able to go down to the old red telephone booth at the local shops and ring up a Dr to come out and see me if I fell sick out of hours.

 

[bobnewboy]

If I did not have my mobile, I would not be able to go down to the old red telephone booth at the local shops and ring up a Dr to come out and see me if I fell sick out of hours.

I doubt I could get that even if I had a mountain of telephones, both fixed and mobile }

 

[crosslandkelly]

Like JF and OT, I really wouldn't miss mine. I rarely carry it, drives swmbo nuts.

 

[swyn]

My ‘phone is a superb tool.
It is an iphone 12 and I can stretch myself to use it as an asset for home life and for work.
I can use it to research, I can use it to contact my scattered family and I can use it as a simple calculator.
As someone who struggled with writing and ‘rithmatic this is one of the best things on my person, ever!
Not sure I’d be stuffed without it but I’d certainly struggle.
A wayward tractor driver has taken out a BT Openreach box rendering our whole area in an internet black hole for the next few weeks.
Luckily I’m at work where in town the 4G network works fine so I can update my ‘tings as required, pay folk who need paying and etc.
Writing a cheque is so old and such a waste of everyones time in todays world and where the ‘ell can you cash it?
S

 

[nigelp]

I bank cheques on my phone banking app!
(Edit - I get cheques from older folk that don’t like to have cash at home and their children have a record of where money goes and no risk of getting ripped off via banking scams)

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

I use mine for the forum (various forums), it's also my research device for various things - car related, injury treatment (that tends to stay in my head after though luckily).

It's also used to contact a lot of my friends, most of whom live around the globe. It's also how people can contact me (unfortunately for work, but fortunately for family)...

I'm not reliant on it, but I like to use it for OS maps and plotting routes for interest purposes, tells me estimated times and all that jazz...but that kind of on foolproof walks, I'd never use it as my primary navigation tool for walking.... satnav however...

 

[draybo]

I don't have a phone and I can do plenty

 

[BJJJ]

I use mine as a mobile office. Banking,emails, skype etc, and the camera is frequently used. A very useful tool.

 

[Herman30]

In my country it would be very difficult without a mobile phone. To log in to a whole lot of official services we need the phone for log in. And when shopping on-line phone is also needed for the security code when paying.
I have a laptop computer at home which is my main intenet surfing unit but without my phone I could not do it outside of home. And our train (and cross country buss) on-line bought tickets go to the email and from the stored in my phone so that would make traveling a lot more complicated.
Our society is getting more and more paperless and everything is moving to the phones in form of applikations.

 

[Paul_B]

Nothing! I'd just buy another one.

Seriously though it's a tool so what would you do with a tool if you suddenly broke it or put it beyond use? If your favourite work knife broke would you not just replace it? Or repair it?

I own two axes like some people's phones I don't actually use them much. If I broke them I'm not sure I'll replace. I don't play down their usefulness for others because I don't really use them much. I accept that they're a tool for people who have use for them.

IMHO the mobile phone has a big role in modern life. Emergency use include calling for help, navigation, identification of someone (use the ICE before the contact you want emergency services to call in a emergency), accident detection for cyclists, etc. Communication use includes means to share photos from holidays to family events, sharing files/images/links, phone calls, texts, video calls, etc. Sport uses too. That's before you get into plant ID, research through the Internet, reading and gaming. There's no other tool that can do all this in a portable format. Then there's work use. I work at a site with a few joined sheds and doors between them. If you're walking around looking for someone you can end up following each other around the factory. A quick mobile call and you've either got your answer or you've found them to chat. Plus there's no way to transfer calls to where someone might be. Business contacts often call mobiles now not landlines.

However you shouldn't let it take over. Like anything else.

 

[Markgh]

Last weekend I watched my son use his phone to identify a plant in my garden, and I thought to myself, "but he ought to know that", and it's kind of niggled away at the back of my mind all week since.

I have a confession to make. Thirty years ago I bought myself a big herbal, one on white paper pages, with no photographs, just decent drawings of the plants....and I write in it in the margins. I write about how I used it, where it grew, when I gathered it, how effective it was, etc....and I add in details of folklore, traditional uses, other uses too. So, I do write in books

My son and his girlfriend are very capable people, but they're stashing knowledge in a totally different way. If my house burnt down I might lose mine, but most of it's in my mind anyway. I don't think folks who use their phones stash the same kind of stuff in their minds.

So, what would you not know, be able to do, if your phone died ?

Navigation to plant recognition, and uses ? Even guestimating the time with any accuracy ?

M

Well it's a different wold now days and most kids are brought up with a phone in there hand lol maybe even born holding a phone I must admit I use the phone a lot and is a essential piece of kit for a work day, and givern my position at work my off days. I also use it for hikes and as your son dose plant Id etc I carry a back up battery so if organised you shouldn't flatten the battery, but every thing I do on the phone that is essential like mapping etc I have a back up method, also for family reasons I need to be contactable so the phone actually make bushcraft an activity I'm able to do with a phone .