Saturday 12 November 2016

Tune in, turn on and drop out


An old friend has got in touch with me after two years back in the USA, because... you know why.

He looks like a Republican, he has the job of a Republican, he has the same somewhat negative attitude to the entire race of Arabs as most Republicans do, but he voted for Obama the last time and his Secretary of State this time.

He asked how things were going in the pub, and I related the story of how I came within an inch of being killed by the 6' 5" psychopath who thinks I have some sort of sexual intentions toward his young girlfriend. I think that will make him laugh, once he has got his head around it and believes me, and - let's face it - we all need something to laugh about right now, especially in the States.

They have begun to put up the parking restrictions for tommorrow's Remembrance Day march through the city, and the march will go under the unlit Christmas decorations which have been up for over a month now. A few hours after the last bang of the cannon which marks the end of the two-minute silence, some boy-band will turn them on and we can all laugh again without any feelings of guilt. This year it will be hysterical laughter.

The stress is beginning to tell on everyone, everywhere right now, and yesterday, the manager who is technically responsible for my safety and good behaviour on site, cleared his office and drove away, never to return. His predecessor of a year ago killed himself, so I heard on the grapevine. I liked him. He was a nice man.

I have found myself wondering if I should buy an old telephone which will work if there is a grid power-cut recently, as my iPhone will not last more than a few hours between charges.

When I go to bed, I like to turn the phone off and be out of communication when I sleep, but when I did that with the iPhone, it used up the remaining 40% of power anyway, and was dead when I tried to turn it on next morning. So what I have to do is charge the phone every night, and when the phone is charging it turns itself on, and I like to be in the same room as a device is charging in case it explodes. Maybe I should use one of those villages near here where they can get no signal at all, as a dormitory town?

I am beginning to admire H.I. for not using a mobile for all these years and I hope she will not regret diving straight into the world of smartphones - once hers is unlocked...

That 1960s Baby-Boomer title - oh the irony of it.

30 comments:

  1. By my bed there is a telephone and a satellite radio; I think I'm pretty advanced!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it was a satellite phone you would be bankrupt by now.

      Delete
  2. I just

    Big Brother likes your phones to be switched on 24-7
    It makes his job easier.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I bet it has a back door too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Note how I have shamelessly ripped-off a photo from the animal-husband in the hopes that the handful of people throughout the world who do not follow his blog may not have seen it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Gotten'? That's just the sort of Americanism which pisses me off. What's wrong with 'got', or 'had'?

      Delete
    2. Oh, sorry - I'm slow tonight. I'll GRAB something to eat, CATCH a bit of TV, then try and CATCH UP on some ZZZZZZs!

      Delete
  5. I think it is too late for HI now..you have seduced her into joining the smartphone army.
    My mister used to get furious with me for not having my phone on all the time...he would say 'why carry around a lump of plastic? turn the bloody thing on'...and of course now I never have the bloody thing away from me at all.....was the health and safety manager sacked or did he just go?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with your mister. Re the last bit, it makes no difference now.

      Delete
  6. Ever since 9/11, I keep a battery operated radio and flashlight handy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've had those since I was about 8, and still do.

      Delete
  7. You probably know this already, but there is a case you can put on your iPhone that holds an extra charge so if the phone runs out of power the case will take over. I had a 4s for years and this year got a 6s. I was shocked at how much longer the battery charge lasts. I don't play games on it or do social media, but it is always on and will have power for a few days. My sister plays games etc. on hers and it only lasts about a day before she has to charge it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't play games or any of that shit, and today I still have 80% battery at 7.00 pm. I turned off some of the satellite gizmos. I looked up the 4s, and everyone was complaining about battery life when they first came out.

      Delete
  8. I don't remember my iPhone 4 running out quickly ..... I guess it depends what you're doing on it !!!!! Maybe I'm just used to my 6 . By the way, I had an email from Dropbox .... was that you ? XXXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What did Dropbox invite you to look at? Anything to do with me? If so, it must have been an accident...

      Delete
    2. It didn't say so I didn't open it ..... I have never had an email from Dropbox ..... strange seeing as you mentioned it !! XXXX

      Delete
    3. I see a dasmith invited - that's nothing to do with you is it?

      Delete
  9. I thought there were all sorts of non electric ways for charging a phone, like a thing on your bike while you peddle - if you have a bike!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Could you put your phone inside a metal bowl or on a cookie sheet while it charges at night? That way it would not burn down the compact but adorable city apartment if anything went wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Things like this are usually complicated with you when with me they are so simple.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. The same is the reverse with many non-technical things which just involve talking to people. I cannot believe how your onine life is so complicated and messy, for example.

      Delete