Mobile Phones.

What is it with people and mobile phones ?.
Went for my usual stroll around with the intention of taking some pub pictures for a Brighton pubs gallery, everywhere I went, dozy so and so's ambling along oblivious to all and sundry thumbs going ten to the dozen, bumping into obstacles and people.
I have 2 mobiles (dunno why) and hardly ever use them apart from when travelling, I had a text from T Mobile to say that if I used £5 of my
credit within the next seven days they would give me 100 free texts, whooppee doo, I've never sent a text in my life and don't intend to.
I put £20 credit on last September and still have £16.40, If they'd have offered me 100 free calls that would have been different.
I think people will be born with just thumbs eventually.

John

I couldn't agree with you more, I think mobile phones are the worst thing ever invented. I will admit to having one, but the only time I ever carry it is when I go on journeys. Then it is only carried for emergencies. The same as you I have a pay and go phone which I topped up with £10 last year and as far as I am aware the balance is still at that amount.

Even when I was working when they first came out I had one of the Motorola bricks, I never told anybody the number except a very few select business clients. I told everybody else I didn't have one.

Phil

Phil and John I can totally understand your feelings about mobile phones, but I must speak as someone who uses one quite a lot.
For one thing both my wife and myself work full time and it's very useful to be able to keep in touch.
I am involved with community work and I am able to keep up with my fellow committee members as and when required.
The phone I use is a Blackberry, which allows me to send and receive emails, and I get notifications when Text messages or emails come in. I can also access my emails when I am on my way home, which gives me more time when I get home. I can receive text messages and forward them as emails and vice versa.
My phone is my alarm clock and calculator It's my Dictionary and Thesaurus. I can access full internet and I also get notifications as to our wonderful Forum.
Oh yes, I sometimes make the odd Phone call. SB

SB

You sound like Wink Martindale reciting the "Deck of Cards"

Phil

DINOSAUR

Dinosaur I may be, but I'm not the one walking down the street with something that looks like an overgrown hearing aid clamped to my ear and looking like I am talking to myself saying " I'm at the bottom of the road just turning the corner".

Tell me something else if modern technology is so good why do the people using these things have to shout. It's as if they want everyone to be party to their conversation.

One more thing, if I can see that every second motorist I pass is on the phone, why aren't the police catching more? Or are they too busy on the phone?

Phil

That's not the fault of the phones Phil, That's the idiots using them.
I use mine as a tool. You wouldn't blame cars because someone had been speeding or drink driving. SB

SB

I take the politicians line and blame everybody and anything as long as it takes the spotlight away from the truth of the matter.

Phil

Did you ever consider being a spin doctor Phil.

Too late ,we've already got DR PHIL on the tv.

Also don't forget, an awful lot of OLD people put down people who use computers, usually when they wouldn't even know how to turn them on.
Some of us enjoy using them especially as it gives us the chance to annoy other people on a grand scale. SB

And you do it so well SB.

I'll give you NO RESPECT, oh mighty one.

Voltman.

SB

I have nothing against Computers, I have had one since my ZX80 in 1980. I paid £1500 for my first PC rig with a 1 Mb hard drive and a b&w printer.

The only difference I see between now and then is they are a hell of a lot cheaper and a little faster.

Phil

Thank you voltman

Phil,

I think you may be forgetting T'internet.

In the late 80s and early 90s you needed a 1200 kbps modem and a Compuserve account, or AOL, just to connect to bulletin boards mostly run by hardware (modem) manufacturers and Universities. Some manufacturers had direct dial lines to their own equipment which were cheaper to call, especially if they were local.
There was no WWW or email and the simplest pay per minute foray of few minutes cost more than a days broadband costs now.
If you knew someone else with a modem you could send each other files.

Re your ZX80:
My first device was a Sinclair ZX81 which I upgraded from 1kb RAM to 2Kb. I had to modify the PCB and when I had finished it didn't work because I had wrecked the RAM chip with static. Fortunately Radio Spares swapped the chip free of charge. I still have it in the loft, along with all the BASIC programs I wrote, stored on cassette tape. I wonder if they would still load?
Exciting Times.

Voltman