h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Every so often, I buy a throwaway cell phone. Then I promptly forget to ever use it, or even recharge it. Meanwhile, the landline in my home continues to be dependable. I answer it about a dozen times a day, invariably saying "goodbye" quickly to whatever robocall or scam waits on the other end.

They're handy if you're travelling and you want to keep in touch. We've got an old house in France where there's no landline, so we need our cell phones.


I managed an ordinary cell phone - it was a smart phone which defeated me. They've probably got the computing power of a laptop, but it just makes them too complicated.

I recognise the connection-angst and lack thereof in the past. I used to go on three week not-organised camping trails, where we made one call home, at about one and a half weeks, to tell we were still alive and about our progress.

I bought my first smartphone when I found out that a dedicated gps device for geocaching would cost me twice as much as the smartphone that could do the same and more (like deciphering enigma code, playing music, taking pictures). Picking up phone calls took some getting used to, like you said...

Thought-provoking Entry indeed - thanks mvp

I have a nokia that makes phone calls and sends text messages, and I have a Samsung tablet for doing the 'smart' stuff and that works for me, but I do have a landline as well.

My mobile phone was sort of smart when it was born, as it did have the ability to access 'the internet' A87903282 but technology has definitely moved on since then

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with the technology.

The companies that make these gadgets like to see their profits keep coming, so they introduce newer and more improved versions of the gadgets every so often.

I have figured out that these tech companies are making us feel guilty about not being able to come out with new, improved versions of ourselves. The human genome does change, but it's a long, slow process. machines, however, can keep getting more and more advanced. Maybe we resent them for doing what we poor mortals can't do. But, we can't fight them, so usually we join them.