Modern Communications

[Bob Ames]

Am I the only RailUK Forums Member that does not possess a Smartphone nor subscribe to Facebook or Twitter ?

Why do people feel they have to be constantly online wherever they are including on a Train. What is wrong with reading a Newspaper or Book.

A lot of people seem to have become slaves to modern technology, which seemingly impinges on their "downtime". Christ, some people are unable to have "a crap" in peace these days.

Is there a downside to the world of instant communication, in the form of less privacy and an addiction to keeping in touch with the latest trends.

How many of the mobile conversations and other interactions are actually necessary and of an urgent nature ?

Any other "luddites" out there ?

<sarcasm>

Am I the only RailUK Forums Member that does not possess a Railcard?

Why do people feel they have to be constantly on a Train. What is wrong with walking or cycling.

A lot of people seem to have become slaves to modern transport, which seemingly impinges on their "downtime". Christ, some people are unable to bash on a Voyager in peace these days.

Is there a downside to the world of instant travelling, in the form of less exercise and an addiction to orange stock.

How many of the bashes and other journeys are actually necessary and of an urgent nature ?

Any other Mel C fans out there ?

</sarcasm>

 

[ExRes]

Is Mel C the one who was in Braveheart ?

 

[Kite159]

I have a smartphone, but the internet is mostly switched off unless I'm using it, so no instant emails, no instant facebook notifications etc

Only time I tend to use it on the move is to check NRE/RTT/ TOC-Twitter to see if anything is happening

 

[Butts]

<sarcasm>

Am I the only RailUK Forums Member that does not possess a Railcard?


</sarcasm>

I am with you - I had to give mine up last year and it has reduced my 1st Class Jollies quite considerably :cry:

 

[yorksrob]

Why do people feel they have to be constantly online wherever they are including on a Train. What is wrong with reading a Newspaper or Book.

To keep up to date with RUK of course ! Though I am a stickler for a proper newspaper on my morning commute.

Is there a downside to the world of instant communication, in the form of less privacy and an addiction to keeping in touch with the latest trends.

Yes. None of it works properly. They keep on churning out more and more gadgets which all do the same thing as far as I can tell, yet trying to get internet reception anywhere in this Country seems to be like getting blood out of a stone.

 

[SS4]

Am I the only RailUK Forums Member that does not possess a Smartphone nor subscribe to Facebook or Twitter ?

Doubt it. Some people are just uncomfortable using them. I don't use Twitter but I wouldn't like to be without my smartphone.

Why do people feel they have to be constantly online wherever they are including on a Train. What is wrong with reading a Newspaper or Book.[/quote]

Size and Mass. Both of those are bulky unlike a phone or tablet. One can get what's in the paper online easily enough if you so wish.

A lot of people seem to have become slaves to modern technology, which seemingly impinges on their "downtime". Christ, some people are unable to have "a crap" in peace these days.

But what is "downtime" grasshopper? Am I "up" because I'm streaming youtube instead of watching a video from my hard drive or a portable TV?

Is there a downside to the world of instant communication, in the form of less privacy and an addiction to keeping in touch with the latest trends.

Sure is, privacy especially in the wake of Snowden yet the technology is there to encrypt SMS/devices/emails (granted many people don't bother and NSA/GCHQ likely have backdoors in the keys). The other main one is the erosion of time away from work; when before you could leave the office at 5pm and that'd be that, one may now be expected to reply to emails outside these times. Another one is the lack of battery life for the most part.

How many of the mobile conversations and other interactions are actually necessary and of an urgent nature ?

Any other "luddites" out there ?

Very few but it's entertainment for the most part

 

[Hyphen]

Anyone who uses SnapChat needs to be executed at dawn

Oh, I don't know. It's at least more use than Yo!
(a social network that only allows one to send the word "Yo!" to their friends. Apparently it's possible to understand the social context of the "Yo" via other means)

That said, I did find myself signing up to Emojli this week - a social network that only allows you to send emojis (Unicode text versions of an emoticon/smiley)...

 

[ExRes]

Goodness gracious me, how on earth did we manage before all these earth shattering inventions came to be ............

 

[DaveNewcastle]

There is a lot of knowledge which is not available in electronic form, and there is little prospect of some of that ever becoming available to the general public. There are several distinct reasons, such as withheld copyright, lack of commercial benefit of exploitation in digitising, lack of access to markets, lack of robust original media and others.

I have found myself grabbing a book in unusual situations a few times in recent years, knowing that there would be no other opportunity for me to learn the exact words that had been wriiten, and therefore make a good guess at what was intended. Also, in some of my sleepless nights, I've been transcribing some books which have not been digitised elsewhere. I've made one of them available, and perhaps I'll release the other sometime, but in the meantime, the facts listed in them are only availble in rare hard copies.

 

[BlythPower]

No smartphone, no Facebook, no Twitter for me. Most trains (Pendolini being the exception) are equipped with windows* which assist greatly in passing the time on journeys.

* No, not the Microsoft version.

 

[Aldaniti]

I used to enjoy the days when I could board a train, have a drink and a snack whilst watching the country pass by, and all in a relatively quiet and comfortable environment. It gave the opportunity for some thinking time and is something I do genuinely miss. These days I have to travel by train three or four times a year from Preston to Birmingham International with Virgin on employers business and it is a thoroughly miserable experience. I must confess to having a smartphone though - but no Facebook or Twitter nonsense.

 

[meridian2]

50 years ago people were probably moaning about the new-fangled telephone, where people could instantly contact you in your home without having to wait three days for a letter to be sent. Disgraceful!

I am quite happy to read a newspaper, or a book, or use Facebook, Twitter or a site like this!

Not quite the same thing though, is it? A telephone was viewed as a milestone for safe communication, speedier communication, and the fact that you always had someone 'on the other end of the line'. It became a necessity for daily living, not to mention it revolutionised the emergency services.
I doubt you could apply the same plaudits for a 'smartphone'.

 

[carriageline]

Whilst the smartphone hasn't been as revolutionary as the telephone, you can't say it hasn't changed our lives, and the way we work/communicate/play.

When I was a telecoms technician, iPads and iPhones revolutionised the way we worked, cut our paper usage down to 0, sped the most tedious of jobs up tenfold, improved communications with various people, and above all, always had access to technical information and the ability to research on the job. Quality control and customer satisfaction went through the roof, and the companies costs dropped a fair amount.

I can communicate with friends easier than ever, and have all the knowledge and information I need at my finger tips.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SS4]

Goodness gracious me, how on earth did we manage before all these earth shattering inventions came to be ............

Because ignorance is bliss. SMS has never had an equal for messages which do not require an instant reply and before someone mentions a phone call SMS has no accents and can be referred back to providing proof (without having to ask GCHQ ).

Speed and seems to be the main advantage of technology and with accessibility (you don't need to be in the office to receive an email)

 

[D2022]

Point number one for me is my hatred of Windows. I will avoid using a computer as much as possible. I use Android and Android alone.

I read books, but on my phone. I have the Google Play Books app and it is fairly decent.

As for texting, it is far easier and more convenient for me to text someone than to ring them.

Facebook is a social thing, I keep in touch with other people who share my hobbies, see what the family up north are upto, share pictures of goats smiling and generally interact with people.

Don't do twitter.

I get far too many work related emails and emails from forums including this one. It's handy to flick through and delete/respond to them as they come.

Above all my phone is my music. I enjoy listening to music when I'm on the train or cycling. I have an Xperia Z1 with the Walkman features and it has about 16gig of music on it.