STOP LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE!!!

[Carborendum]

So, my family has realized that we all suffer from screen addiction.  Whether it is gaming, youtube, forums (a- hem) or whatever is out there, we spend way too much time on our phones and computers.

My eldest son who is about to return from his mission next week told us that he does not want a smart phone.  He just wants a simple phone that makes calls and that is all.  What is interesting is that my wife has been asking us as a family to start making the same transition.

So, I tried looking up various phones to see how we could achieve this.  The thing stopping us is that there are genuinely useful utilities on a phone that are simply not available on the true dumb phones (GPS, Calendar with scheduled meetings, multiple alarms, Church apps...)

Long story short, I bought a flip phone that has a fully functional android operating system.  But the processor is so weak and the screen size and keyboard size is so small that it is really slow, and it is difficult to use.

The idea was that if we REALLY needed the functionality of a full android, we could get to it.  But the operation of the phone and the tiny screen size made the process very uncomfortable.  So, that was the deterrent.

I've now had it for less than a day.  And so far it is working.  I have used it a LOT less than my Samsung.

But you know what is funny?  I really like this phone.  So, while I don't look at the screen, I'm still admiring the phone in my hand.  Just the phone itself.

So, my son yelled at me,"Dad!  Stop looking at your phone!"  

*****************

FTR, it is a CAT S22.  It is a freaking rugged phone.  I could drop it onto a concrete floor and I wouldn't even see a scratch.

Edited October 24, 2023 by Carborendum

[Ironhold]

In addition to being high-functioning autistic, my high-end and low-end hearing are both better than normal, to the point that I'm into the range of hearing generally associated with canines. It's true that my mid-range has been damaged by loud noises over my lifetime, but my high-end and low-end are so sharp that once upon a time I could tell when one of my flip phones was done charging because the electrical current passing through would make a different noise the second the battery hit 100%. 

Total silence can leave me scrambling to figure out if I actually heard something or not, and if so just what I heard. 

This is one of the many reasons why I made it a point to sync my iPhone to my iTunes account and download some radio apps, as being able to listen to music keeps me from hyper-fixating on what I might or might not have heard while also giving me a bit of a mental boost. 

[LDSGator]

41 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

I'm into the range of hearing generally associated with canines.

You can hear better than a dog?

[Ironhold]

10 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

You can hear better than a dog?

There is a limit to the upper and lower levels that most people can hear. 

A lot of animals, however, can hear at levels that exceed what most humans are able to do. For example, your hypothetical dog whistle is meant to sound at a pitch that is beyond what the average human can hear but within what most dogs can hear. 

My high-end and low-end are past what is normal for humans and into at least the lower portion of what many animals can hear. 

Yes, I can literally hear dog whistles, as can a few other people I know.

[LDSGator]

6 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

There is a limit to the upper and lower levels that most people can hear. 

A lot of animals, however, can hear at levels that exceed what most humans are able to do. For example, your hypothetical dog whistle is meant to sound at a pitch that is beyond what the average human can hear but within what most dogs can hear. 

My high-end and low-end are past what is normal for humans and into at least the lower portion of what many animals can hear. 

Yes, I can literally hear dog whistles, as can a few other people I know.

Very cool. Thanks. 

[Carborendum]

27 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

Yes, I can literally hear dog whistles, as can a few other people I know.

I used to be one of them.  But my entire range from upper down to lower have all gone bad.

I can still hear "sounds" at various frequencies.  But unless it is isolated, I have trouble distinguishing what the sound is.  For example, most people can hear several conversations around them at moderate tones while focusing on only one.  I hear a jumbled mess because I hear all the sounds, including some sounds that no one else hears.

No, I'm not schizophrenic. 🙄

[Ironhold]

17 hours ago, LDSGator said:

Very cool. Thanks. 

A few years ago I was part of a tabletop RPG group with my usual crew and a few new players. 

One of the new players decided to pull out a dog whistle in the middle of the game one night and start playing around with it. 

Myself and another rather big dude in the group made it clear that we could actually hear it and were getting quite annoyed. Thus, it would be best for everyone if he put it away and didn't bring it back to the table. 

Never saw that whistle again. 

[Phoenix_person]

On 10/24/2023 at 1:42 PM, Ironhold said:

In addition to being high-functioning autistic, my high-end and low-end hearing are both better than normal, to the point that I'm into the range of hearing generally associated with canines. It's true that my mid-range has been damaged by loud noises over my lifetime, but my high-end and low-end are so sharp that once upon a time I could tell when one of my flip phones was done charging because the electrical current passing through would make a different noise the second the battery hit 100%. 

Total silence can leave me scrambling to figure out if I actually heard something or not, and if so just what I heard. 

This is one of the many reasons why I made it a point to sync my iPhone to my iTunes account and download some radio apps, as being able to listen to music keeps me from hyper-fixating on what I might or might not have heard while also giving me a bit of a mental boost. 

I'm also high-functioning autistic and listen to music very frequently to help me focus. I even bought a headband/sleep mask with built-in headphones to help me sleep, because apparently Amon Amarth and Screeching Weasel are more calming for me than silence. 😅

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

consider removing all the apps that you don't need.

[Carborendum]

16 minutes ago, Emmanuel Goldstein said:

consider removing all the apps that you don't need.

Not so easily done.  And there is much more to it than that.

I don't "need" Google Chrome.  But I can't uninstall it.  Same thing with virtually all the Google apps that come pre-loaded.  You can't even deactivate many of them.  I tried doing that with both Chrome and the Assistant.  But there is no way to do that.  I looked up instructions to delete or deactivate.  No way to delete.  And the deactivation instructions didn't pan out.  The steps outlined in the instructions weren't available on my phone.  So, the Assistant keeps popping up even though it says that it doesn't come up unless you ask it to.

And with children who are smart enough to simply reload and re-install, that isn't happening on their phones.

Additionally, I'd like to know when someone is trying to get a hold of me.  So, I'll check the alerts for text and email. But I just don't want to feel like I have to respond at that moment.  When I get a break, I'll check it.  But with my Samsung, it is too easy for the alert to trigger a Pavlovian response to respond immediately. But with a minor deterrent (e.g. it's just too frustrating to do that right now) I don't hear that bell ringing.

Additionally, there are a lot of apps that I want/need to have (like Chrome) for important things.  But I just don't want it available for recreational activities.

I have a moment of pause.  I open up Youtube as a brief pass-time.  With the Samsung, I want to watch the next video and the next and the next.  it's Pavlovian.

With the CAT, I see one video.  Then the screen is so small that I don't see anything that pulls me in.  So, I set it down and go about my next item of business.  Automatic deterrent.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Carborendum

[zil2]

23 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

No way to delete.

Well, technically, if you root the device, you can, but that's not so easy, and then there may be dependencies with some apps...  It's practically a career.  But you can remove the shortcuts, install your own launcher app (or even your own homescreen app - some launchers do both) and then hide all the icons for things you don't want or need.  FWIW.

[Traveler]

When you guys get older and smarter you will come to realize the importance of being able to say, with some level of believability, I am sorry honey, I did not hear you.”

 

The Traveler

[JohnsonJones]

On 10/27/2023 at 8:53 AM, Traveler said:

 I am sorry honey, I did not hear you.”

Oh dear, my wife already says that to me quite a bit.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

On 10/27/2023 at 8:24 AM, Carborendum said:

Not so easily done.  And there is much more to it than that.

I don't "need" Google Chrome.  But I can't uninstall it.  Same thing with virtually all the Google apps that come pre-loaded.  You can't even deactivate many of them.  I tried doing that with both Chrome and the Assistant.  But there is no way to do that.  I looked up instructions to delete or deactivate.  No way to delete.  And the deactivation instructions didn't pan out.  The steps outlined in the instructions weren't available on my phone.  So, the Assistant keeps popping up even though it says that it doesn't come up unless you ask it to.

And with children who are smart enough to simply reload and re-install, that isn't happening on their phones.

Additionally, I'd like to know when someone is trying to get a hold of me.  So, I'll check the alerts for text and email. But I just don't want to feel like I have to respond at that moment.  When I get a break, I'll check it.  But with my Samsung, it is too easy for the alert to trigger a Pavlovian response to respond immediately. But with a minor deterrent (e.g. it's just too frustrating to do that right now) I don't hear that bell ringing.

Additionally, there are a lot of apps that I want/need to have (like Chrome) for important things.  But I just don't want it available for recreational activities.

I have a moment of pause.  I open up Youtube as a brief pass-time.  With the Samsung, I want to watch the next video and the next and the next.  it's Pavlovian.

With the CAT, I see one video.  Then the screen is so small that I don't see anything that pulls me in.  So, I set it down and go about my next item of business.  Automatic deterrent.

My son has a google phone and my wife can completely or partially block the use of all apps.

[Carborendum]

4 hours ago, Emmanuel Goldstein said:

My son has a google phone and my wife can completely or partially block the use of all apps.

good for her.

[Still_Small_Voice]

A terrible thing one can do is buy their kid a smart phone.  I believe children should wait until they are sixteen about to get a smart phone.  And then they need to pay for all of it with money they work to earn.  Someone I know bought their son a phone when they were fourteen.  It has done nothing good for them from what I see.

[LDSGator]

1 hour ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

A terrible thing one can do is buy their kid a smart phone

I’m not a parent so my opinion on this is worthless but I completely agree with you.