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EE_
6th June 2015, 03:48 AM
Why I Ditched My Smartphone And You Should Too
Iron Sheik 06/04/2015 Big Brother & Police State

(Thomas Dishaw) As a blogger and concerned citizen I try to put my money where my mouth is. I believe voting with my dollars is a way of life, therefore I do my best to only support companies, products, and people who I truly stand behind morally and politically. I came to an understanding long ago that the only way to get a point across criminal corporations is to affect their bottom line.

Over the last few months I have been having discussions with friends and family about getting rid of my smart phone and downgrading to a cheaper, less traceable flip phone. Sounds crazy, right? Most people think so, but at these critical times when everybody is distracted by their smartphones, a major social breakdown in society is happening . What used to be sounds of conversation, laughter and happiness surrounding us has been replaced by an eerie silence only filled with email and text alerts. We have become slaves to our devices, almost never looking up in fear of missing something from our glowing screens that continues to sell us propaganda and unhappiness for pennies on the dollar. Most acknowledgements like “Hello” or “How are you” are returned with dirty stares and confusion from people forced to look up from their personal enslavement devices.

So this really got me to start thinking “why am I paying a AT&T to spy on me?” I give them $110.00 a month for access to my own personal information, but what am I getting out of this deal? This is the question I often asked myself. I carry around a big brother tracking device that sends everything I do to EVERY alphabet agency on the planet, and ANY corporation that would pay a dime for my psychological profile and buying habits. You may be thinking, like a lot of people, “well if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn’t care.” Well I have everything to hide and I do care, and so should you.

smartphone-collection

PEOPLE LIKE ME ARE DANGEROUS

I decided I needed to make a change. As most continue to go high-tech, I made the unpopular decision of going lo-tech. After weeks of toying with the idea of ditching my smartphone I finally did it. Called AT&T, dumped my $110 a month service and switched to NET 10 for $35 a month unlimited phone & text (no internet). With that move alone I am already saving $75 per month and almost $1,000 per year. But more importantly I’m proving to myself and others that you don’t just have to put up with these phone companies because it’s the status quo. There are other options that allow you to still be connected but without giving up your freedom of privacy. I know I can’t stop 100% of the unconstitutional spying but I can start by controlling who I support.

In a weird way I actually enjoy the stares I get from people when my Nintendo sounding ring tone signals an incoming call when I forget to turn the vibrate on. I know people are secretly judging me, but I don’t care. “He must be a drug dealer, a criminal, or that’s a second phone for his mistress.” “He must have bad credit, or even worse he’s poor.” The main stream media wants us to think this way. They used the same narrative when attacking Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who was caught talking on a flip phone. The media made fun of Jones, attacking his lack of style and financial stature as a reason for using such an “outdated” device. I’m sure Jerry’s having the last laugh as he is making million dollar phone calls from his secure satellite phone.

Over the last month I’ve noticed that I need my phone less and less. Prior to this my cell phone used to follow me in trips to the bathroom, at the dinner table, and in the bedroom. Now I find it easy to abandon on the kitchen table and barely use a full battery. The biggest shock to me is that I don’t even miss it. I’m getting more accomplished everyday, I’m not wasting time on Facebook or getting sucked into the smart phone trance that often distracts us.

Some things are taking a little while to get used to though. I don’t have the luxury of taking a quality photo with my flip phone. I can’t get driving directions with my navigation app. I can’t look up a business or phone number on the fly. Texting is really tough compared to ease of my old “big brother tracking device”. And yes people will notice the difference. I recently got a text from a friend saying we don’t talk as much, and I found that it was too much to type a whole explanation on my flip phone. I guess I’ll just have to explain in person.

I don’t like to make bold predictions, but I don’t ever see myself going back to a smart phone. I know over the next few years the temptation will be great with all the new technology that continues to be developed. But to me the pros outweigh the cons:

PRO’S

Voting with my dollars
Saving money
More productive
Cut the surveillance drastically
Eliminate the radiation risks
Engaging in more conversation
I’m not texting while driving
I’m less distracted and more aware of my surroundings
CON’S

Cant take a good picture
It’s a hassle to text
Can’t Email
Can’t surf the web
Can’t get driving directions
Can’t enjoy the internet from my bed
The pro’s drastically outweigh the cons, so stop being a slave. If the opportunity ever arises to ditch your cell phone try it. I guarantee it will be one of the best investments in time and quality of life that you ever make.
http://govtslaves.info/why-i-ditched-my-smartphone-and-you-should-too/

7th trump
6th June 2015, 05:59 AM
I just recently went with Scratch Wireless. They dont have a monthly charge unless you want to purchase a pass to use phone on Sprints towers where there is no WIFI. I dont use the phone while driving anyway and the study this company did found out that 80% of the time you use your smart phone is someplace that has WIFI. As long as there is WIFI the smart phone works no different than any other smart phone except it uses WIFI to connect for voice and data......or purchase a pass. I beleive its only 15.00 a month for a pass for unlimited calls, but its Sprints towers which arent all that great coverage.
Its cheap and no contract to sign and texting is available no matter if theres WIFI or not....and texting is free.

EE_
6th June 2015, 06:09 AM
http://www.scratchwireless.com/

expat4ever
6th June 2015, 06:28 AM
I havent had a cell phone is 6 years now. If you need one for business I understand, otherwise its a complete waste of time and money.

midnight rambler
6th June 2015, 06:31 AM
As much as I would like to, some of us are unable to entirely ditch so-called smart cell phones. For the past 10 years I've had a 2G Nokia 6010 that still works just fine and has proven to be extremely robust (10 years of hard use and it still works like new).

http://www.dummy-sammler.de/pics/Nokia%206010%20b.jpg

However there's a couple of issues with having an old 2G phone like the 6010. First of all 2G is being completely phased out by Jan. 2017. But the bigger issue is because I currently have a need to maintain communications at the same level as everyone else I have to have 'smart' phone capability such as sending photos immediately, timely email, texting, a 4G LTE data ability including wifi hotspot, etc. out in the field AND I must have the absolute best coverage available which means I'm stuck with AT&T and I HATE AT&T (even though my grandpa was a high up in Bell Labs holding a number of patents and other family made a career at AT&T as engineers). In fact I hate the entire cell phone scheme however I really have no choice if I expect to keep going, for now. So for now I recently got an unlocked Iphone 6 plus. Ouch. What a pain in the ass.

I can see where someone who is someone else's hired hand may be able to get by on some very iffy wifi connections (supplemented by Sprint(!)?) in their own personal lives, however when there are many people needing to be in contact with you and depending on you one really has no other choice than the full blown smart phone gig with the widest coverage which means either AT&T or Verizon.

Dogman
6th June 2015, 06:35 AM
I havent had a cell phone is 6 years now. If you need one for business I understand, otherwise its a complete waste of time and money.

Ahem !

Lot's of cash monthly, in my example of very, very little use personally! Maybe making one or two calls a month, if even that much!

Plus blood sucking contracts !

Haven't carried one nor needed one close to 17 years in my case and happy about it!

7th trump
6th June 2015, 07:46 AM
As much as I would like to, some of us are unable to entirely ditch so-called smart cell phones. For the past 10 years I've had a 2G Nokia 6010 that still works just fine and has proven to be extremely robust (10 years of hard use and it still works like new).

http://www.dummy-sammler.de/pics/Nokia%206010%20b.jpg

However there's a couple of issues with having an old 2G phone like the 6010. First of all 2G is being completely phased out by Jan. 2017. But the bigger issue is because I currently have a need to maintain communications at the same level as everyone else I have to have 'smart' phone capability such as sending photos immediately, timely email, texting, a 4G LTE data ability including wifi hotspot, etc. out in the field AND I must have the absolute best coverage available which means I'm stuck with AT&T and I HATE AT&T (even though my grandpa was a high up in Bell Labs holding a number of patents and other family made a career at AT&T as engineers). In fact I hate the entire cell phone scheme however I really have no choice if I expect to keep going, for now. So for now I recently got an unlocked Iphone 6 plus. Ouch. What a pain in the ass.

I can see where someone who is someone else's hired hand may be able to get by on some very iffy wifi connections (supplemented by Sprint(!)?) in their own personal lives, however when there are many people needing to be in contact with you and depending on you one really has no other choice than the full blown smart phone gig with the widest coverage which means either AT&T or Verizon.

The company I work for supplies me with a phone. People depend on me as well...matter of fact a factory depends on me and I'm only here because that factory has called me by name to be here for support.
My Scratch wireless is my personal use...I dotn really use phones that much outside of work and why pay 100.00 a month for what little I use it for? Most of the time its just a text anyway ...and thats free with Scratch. If I need to use the Sprints towers its a text to purchase a pass. I'll most likely save 80.00 a month using Scratch....thats a lot of silver stacking.

Shami-Amourae
6th June 2015, 08:01 AM
Just get a Tracfone Smartphone. Only turn it on when you need it. You get all the capabilities of a Smartphone you really only need and a fraction of the cost. It's basically $99 a year.

You can also get free calling services like Skype (and I think Google) and load it onto your Android OS and call for free anywhere you have WiFi.

Hitch
6th June 2015, 08:09 AM
I think I'm in a minority here. My smartphone is an amazing tool and has made my work life a lot easier. I got the cheap one, free with service, and I write the expense off for business reasons and save on taxes.

I work nights sometimes and try and sleep during the day. People can text me without waking me up. I get more rest. Also, right in my hand I can check tides, weather, navigate with a chart plotter. I can even locate other ships though an AIS app called shipfinder. The phone is an amazing tool.

If it wasn't for work, I'd probably go back to a flip phone though.

The problem isn't the phones, it's the addiction a lot of young folks have with them. They play with them constantly...even when they should be working. They are on the clock and playing with their phones the whole time. I leave mine inside, and check it for updates occasionally, but that's it.

Shami-Amourae
6th June 2015, 08:11 AM
I think I'm in a minority here. My smartphone is an amazing tool and has made my work life a lot easier. I got the cheap one, free with service, and I write the expense off for business reasons and save on taxes.

I work nights sometimes and try and sleep during the day. People can text me without waking me up. I get more rest. Also, right in my hand I can check tides, weather, navigate with a chart plotter. I can even locate other ships though an AIS app called shipfinder. The phone is an amazing tool.

If it wasn't for work, I'd probably go back to a flip phone though.

The problem isn't the phones, it's the addiction a lot of young folks have with them. They play with them constantly...even when they should be working. They are on the clock and playing with their phones the whole time. I leave mine inside, and check it for updates occasionally, but that's it.

It's funny since I'm the most technology reliant person there is, but when I leave my home I'm extremely low tech. Either I have a computer/laptop or nothing. I don't connect to the Internet with Smartphones unless I absolutely have to (like an Internet or power outage.)

Hitch
6th June 2015, 08:20 AM
It's funny since I'm the most technology reliant person there is, but when I leave my home I'm extremely low tech. Either I have a computer/laptop or nothing. I don't connect to the Internet with Smartphones unless I absolutely have to (like an Internet or power outage.)

This is good to hear, Shami. It's good and healthy that you can shut off the tech stuff. When I worked in IT I did the same thing, never looked at a computer when I got home from work. Young folks these days though, a lot of them have big problems.

I almost got into a fist fight with a young coworker over his phone. He broke it, completely flipped out and blamed me. He had a mental breakdown. His aggression got to the point of me accepting his threats after work and off the clock. He ran away, literally ran. I've never seen him since. I told work not to put me on any jobs with that guy again. Job's dangerous enough as it is.

BrewTech
6th June 2015, 08:45 AM
The wife and I have dumb phones, always have. The only "smart" device I have is a free tablet I got when I modified my cell phone plan to lower my monthly bill. They give it to you in the hopes you will suck up a lot of expensive mobile data to offset the cost of the free tablet. I leave the mobile data turned off, so my phone bill every month is 15.00 less and I don't have to carry my laptop around. Takes decent video and pictures as well. Guess I won that one!

Cebu_4_2
6th June 2015, 10:58 AM
Just get a Tracfone Smartphone. Only turn it on when you need it. You get all the capabilities of a Smartphone you really only need and a fraction of the cost. It's basically $99 a year.

You can also get free calling services like Skype (and I think Google) and load it onto your Android OS and call for free anywhere you have WiFi.

My wife and kid both have straight talk and its 49.00 a month. If you don't renew monthly It will only message through facebook or skype. No text or phone through wifi. Nothing else works unless you pay 49 a month. What are the options with these?

Twisted Titan
6th June 2015, 11:29 AM
I use the net alot to stay abreast of political andsurvial izsues

But i have ZERO social life..no tweetz,flake book or instasham

So unless somebody came to this forum im dam near invisible because im so boring

Dogman
6th June 2015, 11:41 AM
I use the net alot to stay abreast of political andsurvial izsues

But i have ZERO social life..no tweetz,flake book or instasham

So unless somebody came to this forum im dam near invisible because im so boring

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz !

;)

BrewTech
6th June 2015, 09:19 PM
I use the net alot to stay abreast of political andsurvial izsues

But i have ZERO social life..no tweetz,flake book or instasham

So unless somebody came to this forum im dam near invisible because im so boring

Boring is the new _____ ?

Shami-Amourae
6th June 2015, 10:46 PM
My wife and kid both have straight talk and its 49.00 a month. If you don't renew monthly It will only message through facebook or skype. No text or phone through wifi. Nothing else works unless you pay 49 a month. What are the options with these?

Well if you don't talk much on the phone my setup is a good, affordable option. Look yourself.

https://www.tracfone.com/direct/Purchase?payGo=true&app=TRACFONE&lang=en

You can usually get phones with double or triple time so you'd get 800 to 1,200 for $99 a year. You can do a Google search and get coupon codes for more minutes usually. (http://tracfonereviewer.blogspot.com/p/tracfone-promo-codes.html) I barely talk on my phone so that's all I need. Basically you're paying for time and minutes. If you buy a 3 month card your time is extended +3 months, and your minutes are added. They stay forever till you use them up (carryover).

You also can get the 60 minute cards which are 3 months @ $19.99. That means $79.96 for 1 years coverage.


Here's the phone lists (you do have to buy these):
http://www.tracfone.com/e_store.jsp?task=buyphone



This setup is not for people who talk a lot on the phone.

I mainly use Skype for phone calls anyways.

madfranks
7th June 2015, 01:08 AM
I recently got a text from a friend saying we don’t talk as much, and I found that it was too much to type a whole explanation on my flip phone.

So what he's really saying is that his smart phone allowed him to communicate with his friends easier, and yet he doesn't seem to mind losing this. Communication is no different than any other human activity, the less it costs, the more we do. Smart phones make communication easier, so we will naturally do more of it. I have used texting to stay in closer touch with a friend who moved out of state years ago. It was a relationship where I wouldn't be sending letters or making regular phone calls, but texting is lo-key and easy enough that we're still in touch.

EE_
7th June 2015, 04:39 AM
Tech-addicted humans have an eight-second attention span - worse than a GOLDFISH
21:57, 18 MAY 2015
BY JASPER HAMILL

Goldfish are often slated as the most forgetful beasties in the animal kingdom.

But it turns out they may actually have a better attention span than tech-addicted humans.

A study from Microsoft has found humans can now concentrate for just eight seconds - one whole second less than the blinged-up fishbowl swimmers.

Researchers tested the attention of more than 2,000 Canadians and were shocked to see modern life had turned them into slavering information junkies, dumbly ambling from hit to hit without actually taking time to think in depth.

According to Microsoft's results, humans have lost four seconds of attention span since the year 2000, when it carried out a similar study.

GoldfishesThese goldfishes aren't as stupid as they appear
However, with this new shallowness comes the ability to scan information more quickly and commit it to memory at an unparalleled pace.

Alyson Gausby, consumer insights lead at Microsoft Canada, said: "It is no surprise that increased media consumption and digital lifestyles reduce the ability for consumers to focus for extended periods of time.

"But, I never would have guessed that tech savvy consumers are actually getting better at processing information and encoding that information to memory.

"If there’s no need to stay tuned in, why not move onto the next new and exciting thing for another hit of dopamine?"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/tech-addicted-humans-eight-second-attention-span-5720422