Cell Phone Etiquette

[Perry]

Dutch town lighting up footpath to save smartphone users from themselves

An LED lighting strip has been inserted into the footpath in a Dutch town to save pedestrians engrossed in their smartphones from walking out in front of traffic.Alderman Kees Oskam said pedestrians were distracted from paying attention to traffic by social media, games and music on their smartphones. As a government, we probably can not easily reverse this trend, but we want to anticipate it," he said.

Dutch road safety organisation VVN said it did not think the new lighting would be a solution, Dutch News reported. "What you are doing is rewarding bad behaviour," a spokesman said.

A NZ spokesman agreed, suggesting that a eugenic approach may be more appropriate.

[Perry]

More fone fun . . .

[Keys]

And, yet more:

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_zja9pepgU

Why did you add the link Perry? It was working as far as I could see.

[Perry]

The Empire strikes back!

[Perry]

In-Ground Street Signals to Combat Mobile Phone Zombies
31 Mar 2017

After a surge in pedestrian deaths last year, the switch has been flicked on the first in-ground lights to be installed in the central city at the intersections of Pitt and Goulburn streets, and Hay and Dixon streets, Sydney.

The lights at both intersections are part of a trial announced by the state government last year to stop mobile-phone zombies from ignoring red signals and walking into oncoming traffic.

Given the NZ disease that every person who has a mis-adventure can blame someone else, I think the phone companies should be held liable for the health and safety of cell phone carriers. Yes. That ought to do it.

[donna]

Ha - in an ideal world and they wouldn't be allowed to pass the cost on in our mobile plans.

cheers,

Donna

[Wayne]

Ha - in an ideal world and they wouldn't be allowed to pass the cost on in our mobile plans.

Why not - the H&S costs are passed on in new builds.

[Perry]

Research shows having your smartphone nearby could make you dumber
28 June 2017

Though our phones are getting smarter, new research suggests they're actually making us dumber. A team of researchers at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin set out to test the "brain drain" hypothesis: the theory that simply having your smartphone near you could impact your available cognitive capacity.

[Perry]

Beware. They live, breathe, walk amongst us and they breed, too.

[Perry]

Technology is impairing our ability to be alone, research shows
13 July 2017

There's been a lot of attention devoted to how technology is scattering our attention and corroding our relationships, but less to how it's impairing our capacity for solitude. To live a good life - and to become mature individuals - we need to be content with being alone with our own thoughts. That's because the only way we can come to understand who we are and think through the critical decisions about our lives is through the self-examination that occurs in solitude.

Creativity is one of the many benefits of solitude. But the benefits of solitude don't end there. One study by the psychologist Reed Larson showed that adolescents who spend time alone are less likely to be depressed, do better in school, and feel less self-conscious when they're by themselves. Paradoxically, it also strengthens our relationships. In studies of children at a device-free summer camps, the kids became more empathetic after spending time unplugged. "You have nothing to do," one boy said, "but think quietly and talk to your friends."

[Beano]

I turn mine off. Or (shock horror!!) have even been known to leave it at home if we are going out for the evening. I find it very rude to have dinner with someone who has their phone on the table ('on' or 'off' - makes no difference)

Surely people can survive a few hours without the need to take a call. Parents have no excuses either. Go back to the 'olden' days and leave the babysitter the number of the restaurant or wherever.

But can people wait a few hours to make a call
Eg . A tenant cannot exit the car park due to door failure ...can he wait inside the park for a few hours till we turn the phone on?
We can put up with a few hours of no calls ...can the tenant?

[Nick G]

I like traveling in the USA but wow people use phones like walkie talkies a lot there. One guy started doing it as we walked off a plane!

[sidinz]

Are you saying that landlords/PMs are required to be available by phone 24/7? Bugger that. Not lawful, either. (Thinking of driving long distances, etc.)

[Perry]

A couple of 5 March 2018 interesting items bearing on cell-u-litus.

Phones have ruined our ability to think straight

Beautifully designed 'dumb phone' can only make calls and send texts

The Light Phone 2 has 4G LTE connectivity, a USB-C charging port, a headphone jack, an E-Ink display and comes in black or white. It's only 6.5 millimetres thick and about the same length and width as a credit card. It will slip into a shirt or pants pocket with no problem. Because of its size and slimness, it even fits into some wallets.

[Perry]

Bye, Bye 2G

Clinging onto old phones

I used to be surprised when I saw people with older "dumb" phones but now I'm beginning to understand the attraction. The digital draw of a smartphone can get too much for people as they spend too much time staring at a screen rather than engaging with those around them. There is no such problem for those who own dumb phones as there is very little to do with them other than text or make calls.

Oh, I don't know. They have a camera, a torch, and . . .