Cell phone rant

Got a reply to my post below about the bale buster saying to send the video's from my phone to my email. While I appreciate the advice, and it just might work if I could do it, it really just got me to thinking. I've got about the least gizmo infested phone they make to fit my needs and I like it that way. The fact it does have photo and video capability is more a matter of 'that's what was available' more so than being what I wanted. Didn't have it for years and years, got by just fine without it, and would still be getting by without it if need be. They do make other devices to take better pics and video if I wanted to use them. That said, true it's handy at times, but way, way too prone to misuse by way too many people. Problem is everyone elses misuse tends to bleed over onto everyone else with the same phone capabilities. I've got to say the handiest thing on my phone right now is a LED light. Said for years that as much crap as there was on my old phone (was about 10 years old) that it looked like they could have at least put a light on it too. At least the designers were thinking a little bit about an actual useful function and not so much about fluff.....

Anyways, the way I see it, in my business, if someone is broke down and needs my services, I actually need to talk to them. Everyone I see with all of the bells and whistles (ie APPS)on their phones tend to waste more time playing games, and swapping BS email jokes, etc, etc than they do anything else. Heck even the texting deal turns into 5 minutes here, and 5 minutes there answering little one line texts where someone is trying to keep you up to the second on everything thats happening. Ninety nine percent of the time 'what's happening' is not that important, and can wait until nineyt nine percent of it happens before being relayed to you that it did in fact happen.....not a detailed account of it's going to happen, it's happening, it's happened and over........Thing is over the course of a day all that texting time adds up in a hurry. Personally I don't have time, and money to waste, dealing with everyone elses BS on a PHONE I use mainly for business. If something is so important that I need to know about it RIGHT NOW, call me. Heck I just might have important questions myself about the situation that I can ask, or imput that might be vital about the situation that also needs to be shared...without trying to type them in on a minature keypad with my hands covered in grease.

Can't remember where I heard it, but I heard a joke awhile back to the effect that Alexander Grahm Bell saw one of the newer phones with the keypads, etc on them and said, 'You know, one of these days they'll probably have one of those things where you can actually talk to each other on them....' Just goes to the fact of how far we actually came, and have now started to regress. With the phone we called and talked, with the advent of everything else now companies are more worried about having an APP for everything under the sun than they are about anything else. Sad when being able to play a stupid game on your phone is more important than many other things that really do matter........

Still remember when Jay Leno held up a cell phone in his monologue and said "Have you heard the newest thing? You can send a message by punching the keys on your phone- push the 2 once for A, twice for B, and so on. Its called text messaging." Then he turned to the audience and said in an annoyed voice, "Come on, people, its a PHONE! You can TALK ON IT!"

Of course, no one could forsee the reason it got popular- kids could pass notes in class, without the incriminating paper.

I just went through this with my father, and I totally understand the situation, with some similar dislikes, however, there are some things that I can't argue with in regards to advantages of a smart phone.

I can take clear photos, in your case, something you are working on ? I can take photos of parts, data plates, diagrams so on and so on, camera is very handy and you have it on you at all times, so when I get 6 atv's trespassing, catch em red handed and take a photo of the license plate, camera is just invaluable.

Access to the web, home pc goes down, has warning or error message, you can use the web to look it up and get started fixing your PC, done that already, very handy.

Access to the web, pull up parts diagrams and order right from where you are working, mind you have may have to clean grease and oil off your hands, and you know, its good to take a short break, don't care who you are. I've had many pieces of equipment on the bench, or what have you, got a parts diagram up, and ordered the darned parts right there, done. Had to get a CAD drawing of a joystick control from the MFR direct, to determine actual parts numbers, and ID the component first, done with a smart phone.

The apps you can get for things you can use certainly are useful.

Now I am told I can link to and access my PC at home, how handy is that ?

The texting, using your email, and other annoying common features, are what you make of them, I don't care for stupid text messages, things of no value that waste time, facebook access, and all the rest, all of that is what you make of it, I simply do not use it, and if my phone is in danger of being damaged or lost I put it in a safe place, I like carpenter jeans with that leg pocket, fits perfectly, won't fall out unless you are upside down, and you can grab it easily, like you that sometimes requires soap with pumice, water and a means to dry ones hands.

I realize all of the activity and or all this electronic stuff can be monitored or who knows what by big brother, but some of what I mention above really saves some time, very convenient, and it doet not take long to understand, if you can use a PC, you can use one of these to high advantage.

LED flashlights are incredible, I'd like that on my next phone, but if in fact you need a hand sized, extremely bright light, go on ebay, there's a 1600 lumen small hand held flashlight, chinese or similar, its incredible how much light, no mag light will compare, with batteries and charger I thought it was like $30, I've had one since this spring, its just indispensable, great tool, I can look down into my chimney now with out a light pushed into the bottom to inspect, any dark compartment on a piece of equipment will be totally illuminated, you can light up a small field at night and concentrate the light to a small beam. Its a MXDL SA-T68, have that deer to track after a late afternoon shot with the bow, getting dark, one of these will find that trail and it fits in your pocket easily.

You pretty much described my phone. When we got ours, they asked what features we wanted on the phones. Told them one the makes and recieves calls. Sale gal looked at us like we had 2 heads.

My wife and I went to a local tavern to eat last evening. (Seems like small town taverns always have the best chow at reasonable prices).

When we walked in, there was a guy in work clothes, as opposed to a Yuppie, sitting at a table in the middle of the dining area talking on a cell phone so loud that everyone in the place could hear every word he said. He basically overrode every other conversation in the place.

My wife and I sat down a couple of tables away. A waitress came and took our order. Then the waitress brought this guy's meal, and he continued to talk while he ate. The waitress brought our food and we ate. My wife and I finished eating, paid our bill, and left.

The guy was still sitting there talking. It had to have been an hour and he was still going strong.

Can't speak for anyone else, but at one point when I had a desk job with an insurance company, during a typical 8 hour day I would spend at least six hours on the telephone. When I walked out of the place at quitting time, the absolute last thing I wanted to see was a telephone.

You like the LED lights. Me I have a few small ones and the light is terabile, even if they make enough light it is so poor a quality you cannot see anything with them. Only good for having in your pocket when you are gone and it gets dark to try to find your car.

My phone is only capable of talk and nothing else, no text, no picture, no voice mail and it is all I want. Left Verison because they were wanting to put too much in and bill to high. I only have I think 50 minuts a month but if I hit 15 minuts a month that is all I use. Got Jitterbug and it does everything I want it to do for about $20 a month.

I've never had any cell phone of any kind and so far have been able to survive quite well.

I do fine the lack of consideration and basic etiquette annoying.

Dean

This one I mention above will illuminate things very brightly, you do not want the concentrated beam of light from one of these hitting your eyes,, reflect it off a light colored or reflective surface it will hurt your eyes, blind you etc. the body on this flash light is about 8" long, about 1" diameter, takes (2) 3.7 volt batteries, charger does not have UL rating listed on it, so I do not keep it plugged in. Its just incredibly bright and has plenty of battery reserve to keep it on awhile, you can mount it to a weapon, body has flat spots in it, be perfect for night time varminting, too bad someone in the US is not offering these, puts incandescent to shame. I had the pto out of my 850 ford and wanted to look inside the rear end, used this light to inspect things in there, just unreal how useful it is.

My cell phone has the ability to recieve text messages, but I did not subscribe to the optional, extra cost service that allows me to reply, so any text messages I recieve get deleted immediately. I might read them just to make sure it is not a grandchild needing some help, but everything else doesn't even get acknowledged.

While I generally agree with the lack of courtesy regarding phones and the need to be constantly in contact/broadcasting updates is annoying as can be. I will contend that the ability to text and e-mail is particularly valuable to me. These forms of communication are time and space independant, I don"t actually have to catch up with the person and vice versa. Many of these "apps" are incredible time wasters, but web, reading pdf"s/cad drawings, calculator, access to reference materials, etc. make the latest smart phones just another tool to do my work.

I wouldn"t just dismiss the usefulness of the new phones, they are tools that can be misused like everything else. A lot depends on the operator.

~Kirk

Yep used to be on the phone most of the day also. Had to alternate ears so one would stick out further than the other. Ear would get hot after a period of time so had to get an ear cooler. wink.

That's funny, I wear Carpenter jeans too, and I also carry my smart phone in that square pocket on my right leg! Lol, the otter cover kinda sticks to everything thought. I think the smart phones are pretty handy, you can have weather apps, cnbc real time quotes, fastline app, or check this tractor forum in the middle of a hay field. Ect, like they said, "Steve Jobs gave us the ability to carry a computer in our pocket." in our carpenter jeans, lol

I tell people they had texting way back when ,but then it was called a telegraph !!

Someone at work just last night asked me about my cellphone. I told them it was at home. They astonishing asked what I would do if I broke down going home. I told them that in the 1860's the Civil war soldier frequently marched 20 - 30 miles a day carrying several pounds of weight. & If I cant walk home; then I should stay home!!! I have a prepaid, talk only cellphone. I am happy that way.

P.S. I am only a few miles from work!

Great minds think alike ? LOL, well mines got some miles on it, but that style of jean seems to be a decent fit for work, those pockets will fill up with chaff if doing hay, but its a handy place to put your phone, I've done it for years, all those belt clip and similar always get knocked off, phone goes with it, not good.

How about the weather app or GPS, the weather app sure as heck can warn you about that t-storm about to pounce on you if you can't see far, I had it happen while putting up fence on the farthest corner of the one place, near that transmission line circuit that crosses Rt. 67 west of Ball$ton Spa, don't want to be near those metal towers and any of the trees, one look on the phone = wrap things up and get out of dodge !!

Yes you can check in the YT forum read at lunch or what have you, best is being able to scan CL and look for deals, timing is always key when it comes to that, smart phone is a very handy tool, having a camera that takes a decent picture sure is handy too, I have taken photos of every serial number of everything I own.

I hate talking on the phone (hard hearing)... We very seldom answer the phone at home unless we see that it is SWMBO's grandma or an aunt that will be the only one to call us if something is wrong with grandma or my family. Anyone else leaves a message and we call at our convenience. Neither of us have the time or desire to spend hours on the phone with someone that likes to hear themselves talk.

As for being in a public place and some idiot is drowning everyone out on a cellphone, or just being loud in general and you don't say anything about it, you deserve to have a lousy evening, dinner, or whatever... If you don't respect yourself and your rights, how can you expect anyone else to???

I'm always amazed at this subject on these boards. It always reminds me of my great grandfather railing against my Dad for putting a boiler and hot water system in our farm house, 'cause he just knew it would explode, kill us all and freeze up allowing it to soak the house and destroy it. Also my Grandfather who bought his first car with and automatic transmission and swearing it would be the ruination of motor transportation. Then again my grandfather always told the story of how my great grandfather screamed of how burning coal instead of wood in their stove would kill them all with coal gas.

Folks buy these semi-smart phones that will perform certain functions and not others, or they're not able to complete the function they want to do, or even worse buy half a contract and aren't allowed to perform these function and blame the technology.

The apps you claim are for playing games, will allow me fire up my phone, drive around a portion of a field, map it, determine the exact acreage and then plot it for soil samples and input application. Pretty neat game huh? I can also take pictures of a tractor section, walk into the dealership, show the partsman my situation and compare it with his book or computer. I can upload a parts breakdown, or section of a repair manual and take it under a piece of equipment and look as I'm comparing. NOW that's a game.

I also drive truck, I can get lost. Pull up an app and actually compare street level views to what I'm seeing out my window and know exactly where I am. Plot my course to my customer and have it direct me turn by turn as I watch the screen and compare it out my windshield.

You sit on your computer and swear that cell phones are the devil's toys, but you just don't seem to understand that the smartphones of today are not phones. They're mini computers that just happen to make phone calls.

Now if you really, really, truly, mean what you say and you hate cell phones that bad, let me remind you that you're PAYING for that beast in your pocket. IF you really want JUST a phone, and nothing more, then for crying out loud, get off this board and jump on Google and look them up. Better yet, grab your latest issue of the AARP magazine and look at the advertisements that they provide for just what you're looking for.

By the way, in spite of all the badmouthing of "APPS" I have to say, I've never paid for an app, nor have I ever downloaded a game app, because I'm just not good enough, or smart enough to play those games.

As for being in a public place and some idiot is drowning
everyone out on a cellphone, or just being loud in general
and you don't say anything about it, you deserve to have a
lousy evening, dinner, or whatever... If you don't respect
yourself and your rights, how can you expect anyone else
to??? No that's good people skills right there!

I use my iPhone a lot email and text works good as I"m out of the office often. Actually makes it easier on me. Even use the phone too. What"s really cool to me is the gmc app for our new truck. Wife"s office is huge,remote start wont work from her area. I have an onstar app on my phone I can start her truck from anywhere I"m at and have it thawed out this winter when she gets to it. I"m getting old enough to appreciate these things but still young enough to figure them out.lol

The wife has one of them smart phones, and it does all the good things, that you guys were talking about! She inatinally rationalized it, as being needed if she broke down, but 5 or 6 phones later, they got smaller, and done more functions, and now she can spend hours, messing with it, can neglect to fix meals, do the wash, and get mad at me because I ignore her when she finally is talking to me. When you hear yak yak constantly, and get told repeatedly, I'm not talking to you, I'm on the phone! Then I don't pay attention to her voice, when she decides to join the world of the living. I wish that it was just the wife, that I was refering to, but it is an awful lot of people that I know. Back in 89 the wife bought me a phone, that was the size of a walkie talkie, because she had one, and wanted to be able to call me, when I was on the lake bass fishing. After my fishing partners wife called him, for the 4th time in an hour, using my phone, to reach him, I threw it overboard in American lake, and have never replaced it. You should have seen Jerry's eyes when my phone sailed by his seat, and hit the water! Was well worth it.

BIG RUH, My cell phone is the same way, I only wanted one to make long distance calls. only time mine is on is when I am useing it to call some one. my prepaid phone costs me about $5 to $7 a month in useage time. do not like being tied to a phone of any kind.

I like my phone too. We don't have a land line in the house, just a cell phone in both my pocket and my wife's. No matter where we are in the world, one phone number will find me. I too check YT and craigslist on my phone, (how I found a NH 65 baler from Steve-WI on this board for my brother) I check the weather, look up parts diagrams and google pictures of machines like I'm looking at, check my email, etc...

That comes in extremely handy when doing a deal on parts or equipment and a quick response is wanted. All of the pictures I've taken all summer have been taken with my phone. When doing repairs like has been mentioned, it's handy to take a picture before you tear it apart as reference for reassembly as well as comparing to the picture on the parts website, or just looking up the parts right there while knee deep in mud.

While I can function without my phone, it is amazing how much better I can function when I have this information at my fingertips in the middle of a field. I text back and forth with my dad when we are filling silo bags or other forms of fieldwork. Can't hear the phone over the engine, but you can send a quick text and he checks his phone before he heads back out my way. (bring tool box, 3 wagons loaded, SOS, whatever)

Donovan from Wisconsin

I'm an old dinosaur, and my cell is just a stupid phone. It makes calls and it takes calls, and that's all I need---and very, very little of that. However, I do admire the guys like Ron, Billy, Don and Kirk who are able to utilize this great new technology in a smart, useful way. I'd guess that most of the people who are glued to these things have little or no practical justification for owning one.