Selfie Ricoh gr 2

#nophone

What Does it Feel Like Living Without a Phone?

Thoughts on a phoneless lifestyle:

Selfie Ricoh gr 2

Some thoughts:

  1. Smartphones are great for Google Maps and Uber
  2. For photography, I prefer RICOH GR II over shooting with a phone
  3. Smartphones without a phone/data plan are good productivity tools. It seems the optimal solution is to own a smartphone without a data plan for maximal productivity.
  4. iPhone XS is the best overall phone currently on the market (as a productivity device).
  5. You can make do without a phone in today’s world. For communication use email, to call family use a video chat platform, if you get lost and need directions ask a stranger for help.

Benefits of not owning a phone:

Texture
  1. More focus, fewer distractions.
  2. Fewer obligations come your way, thus you have less anxiety and stress in your everyday life.
  3. More money in your pocket (phones are expensive, data and voice plans are expensive)
  4. More shooting on my Ricoh GR II (I think the image quality of RICOH GR II at least 10x better than any high-end smartphone camera).

iPad Pro over phone

It seems the optimal solution is to get an iPad Pro (smaller one) over a phone. It’s far stronger as a productivity device, and a better “bang for the buck” in terms of money-productivity-value.

For example I’ve been really enjoying processing photos on my 10.5 inch iPad Pro, viewing my photos (the colors look epic):

The phone is insanely powerful (thus we should be very careful with it)

Currently me and Cindy share a phone (I consider it her phone).

Ultimately I think it is better to own a phone than to not own a phone. But perhaps we just need to learn to adapt to not get distracted by the phone.

I think a phone (with data connection) is almost like crack cocaine (but perhaps more addictive and worse for your self-esteem). We really need to be more skeptical of smartphone technology (in terms of how it is subtly changing our thought patterns and behaviors via these algorithms).

Is social media the true culprit? (Not phones?)

For example, by not owning my own phone, I spend no time on social media. And as a consequence my self-esteem is far higher. So perhaps the problem is social media. This is why I envision ARS to be an effective solution against traditional Facebook/Instagram.

When are you gonna get a phone?

Currently I don’t see any phones on the market which I consider “worth it”. For myself, I’d prefer not to own my own personal phone (if I don’t consider the device as perfect). Just my personal choice.

Truth be told when it comes to devices and technology, I’m insanely picky. I want the best or nothing.

Technology is like plutonium

I liken technology and smartphones like radioactive plutonium:

It is very powerful — and it can be used for “good” (nuclear power plants) or can be toxic (kill you).

So friend — my simple takeaway:

Be very very skeptical of any form of new technology or culture. There’s a lot of hidden downsides associated with our new technology, and technology is evolving at a far faster rate than the ability for our social structures and culture to adapt.

Live on!

ERIC