I got a smartphone today

Thanks to my wife, who gave me my birthday present early, I've now joined the legions of people around me who own a smartphone and can do more than just talk with their wireless devices.  Coincidentally, WXYZ posted Texting taking a back seat to photos and videos sent through smartphones tonight, showing what I'll doing with my present.


Yes, that's what I'm looking forward to.  Now I can text back to the people trying to communicate with the person who used to have my number that my name is not Earl.  After that, I can do what my wife does, send pictures to our daughter.

Of course, I'll have to be careful, as Bob Shepard of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, pointed out in Turning off technology.

Anyone not reading this on a tablet or smartphone probably has some sort of portable electronic device in their pocket or purse to stay connected.  Maybe too connected, say experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“There is more and more evidence that our electronic devices can be addicting,” said Despina Stavrinos, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at UAB. “Certainly our research shows they can be dangerous.”

Stavrinos runs the Translational Research for Injury Prevention Lab at UAB which studies distracted driving, particularly among teens.  She says people who text while driving are 23 times more likely to have a motor vehicle crash.

“We call texting while driving the perfect storm, as it takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel and your mind off of concentrating on what you should be doing – which is driving,” she said. “But it’s not just texting that can be an issue. Checking e-mail, talking on the phone or accessing a map program can also be distracting and dangerous.”

In another coincidence, Kunstler posted Returning to the ‘Real’ — The virtual is not an adequate substitute for the authentic in which he excoriated all kinds of technology, including smartphones.

Personal computers, now including phones and tablets, prey on our genetic weakness for novelty and rob us of our waking hours when we might be doing more satisfying things than email.

He continues his rant over at Peak Prosperity.  He may get the people discontented with modern society excited, but I think this will have as much effect on the general public as his mini-rant about visual displays in cars, e.g., none.