Maybe its just me....

[Fozzer]

...but I seem to be one of a dying breed who still uses; "e-mail" for corresponding with folks.

Even my close friends and family no longer answer my e-mails any more!

It seems that everyone, and his/her dog, is using Mobile Phones for "texting" now.... ....!

I type long, interesting/comical, etc, e-mail messages, including pictures, videos, etc, using my Desktop Tower Computer with its full size QWERTY keyboard and mouse, to type and edit my daily correspondence to my Family members....

...and if I am lucky enough to get a reply, (rare), its just a few words typed in haste with little buttons on an annoying Mobile Phone!

Every day, I get to hate Mobile Phones, and their visible users, more and more!

Apparently, I am an; "Old Fogey" who still uses a Land Line Telephone!.... ....!

All this Facebook, Twitter, etc, stuff, I find annoying!

Paul.....Maybe I'm getting old?..... .... ....!

[Anthindelahunt]

I am the same Fozzer.I use Emails and very rarely
get a reply.I don't have a Mobile phone and will never
own one.Just watching people hanging from their mobile
phones ,makes me want to scream at them...

I will stick to my landline.The only calls I get are from Indians
wanting to scam me.That is why I have an answering system
turned on.I don't pick up the phone,till I know who is calling..

Wish I could go back to the 50's and 60's.

Anthin...In the same boat as you Fozzer...

[Fozzer]

Anthin..... ....

I think my family look upon me with sadness and contempt now, with my using out-of-date; "Old Technology", as they fire-up their; "Smart Phones" with its in-built super-computer!

What I need, when I am typing, is a proper, full size QWERTY keyboard and a full size monitor screen, to see what I am typing, and the results!

Fiddling with text button tabs on a tiny little screen, whilst not looking where I am going, doesn't suit the way that my mind works!

These folks step out in front of me whilst; "typing" when I am riding my Motorcycle.... ...!

I think I will leave New Technology to the new breed of Youngsters now...

...I'm getting too old for this sort of stuff!.... ...!

I spent a whole working lifetime (before I retired in 1984) as a very good Electronics Engineer in the days of Thermionic Valves and Cathode Ray Tubes and hard wiring (no Printed Circuit Boards) when individual components could be replaced when faulty.

All this complex, computer chip, throw-away electronics stuff has left me far behind now!

I will be buried clutching a pencil and writing pad.... ....!

Paul..... ....!

[Sinkrate]

All this Facebook, Twitter, etc, stuff, I find annoying!

Paul.....Maybe I'm getting old?..... .... ....!

No; it’s not just you Fozzer. I only communicate via e-mail and on-line forums. My phone is normally disconnected (too many nuisance callers and phreaks) and the mobile I keep for emergencies usually has a flat battery! On-line communication is non-intrusive and can be attended to whenever it is convenient. I was a slave to the telephone for most of my working life so if I never use one again it will be too soon!

[Tug002]

I hate the texting ritual too. I have a phone that I use for emergency situations while out driving about. I just used it today to call the shop when my bus broke down and they were able to tell me how to do a quick fix so I could make it back to the garage for a fix. My family is also bugging me about getting a new phone and I tell them that it works when I make a call and the GPS works fine in it. I don't need the phone to talk to me and tell me where to turn as I can still read a map. My phone is only 8 years old but I will have to get a new one when the battery will not charge any more as they don't make the battery for it any more. Texting, face book and surfing the web on a phone is not for me. It makes me shake my head in wounder when I see someone watching a movie on that tiny little screen. I don't even like talking on the phone to begin with, I would rather go and see the person and speak to them face to face for a good conversation.

Keep smiling
Tug

[Hawkeye07]

Paul, you can add me to the "Dying Breed" membership too. I'm amazed with the current generation of teenagers. They are on their phones texting away with their friends but if you ask them how their friends are doing in school or what their parents do for a living you get the standard reply "I don't know." It seems the more they "yak-yak" the less they know about each other. I think this "total" communication environment we're living in is having a reverse effect. People are getting dummied down worse than ever. And don't even get me started on all this "Fake News" crap.

I've had only a land line for eons and my computer is hooked up to it for internet service. Anyone wants to contact me they know to call that number. Now my wife has a fancy iPhone with text and wifi and it has come in handy quite often I must admit but when one of the offspring texts her it's like the whole world has to stop long enough for her to answer it ( with her one finger poke the keys routine. She takes forever! ) What really riles me are situations like when we pull into a store parking lot and all of a sudden she gets a text. It could be total B.S. chit chat about nothing important but she just has to answer it. Fine, but now I'm also stuck waiting for her to finish so we can go about our business. I'll tell her "Answer it later, you don't need to respond right this second." I might as well be talking to the dog. I've arrived at the point where I'll just tell her I'll see her in the store.

Now having said all that... after months of deliberation I broke down today and bought a Tracfone. For those who aren't familiar with it the Tracfone is a basic wireless phone which you purchase along with a "Airtime/Refill Card. You have so many minutes for a certain amount of time. The one I got is for 60 minutes and 90 days. Why did I get it?
Just so when I'm out and about doing errands or at my friends hangar the wife can contact me for important stuff like picking up something from the grocery store on the way home or the daughter will be late getting out of school so don't go at your usual pick up time. I haven't decided if I'll let the daughter know the phone number yet?
Other than that no one else is getting the number. The offspring want to talk? Call the home phone.

[Jean Loup]

NOT ONLY YOU: all of us (with FS2004 religion) are rowing with you. I have an LG F7 because to communicate with my son Álex in Shanghái, has to be trough WatsApp. The regular e-pone Company TELCEL does not allow direct service. Then we go SKYPE on our Laps (with micro & earphones conected). The very same Lap I use for my FS2004, GW3 & FSX flight's. No video, Skype starts stuttering with video & finally disconects. Otherwise, it sits turned off into my room. That way the LG F7 does not fall into a bucket full a wáter & is never forgoten into a friends car, or in any store or restaurant. Same with my Lap: outside of home it's not so safe to be in public with any Lap, produces instant & free income.

[Fozzer]

...but I must admit.... .....

I do actually have a; "Mobile Phone"... ...£25 purchase....NO Contract!...Simple; "Pay as you go"..!

If I don't use it, it costs me nothing!.... ...!

(I just have to make ONE call every 6 months just to keep the connection alive)

Purchased for me by one of my lovely Granddaughters many Moons ago, just in case I break down on my Motorcycle, to enable me to phone the (AA = Automobile Association) Recovery Service to get me...and my Bike back home!

It is permanently switched off, and only carried with me when I am on my bike...so it doesn't cost me a Dime/Penny!

I love the power it gives me when I know the bl**dy thing will NEVER ring as I wander silently around Sainsbury's Supermarket doing my shopping, or in the check-out queue.... ...!

If anyone asks for my; "Number" I give them my Land-Line telephone number, 'cos I know they're never going to ring THAT number with their costly, Contract, Mobile Phones!... ....!

Its amazing just how peaceful and tranquil life is, when you haven't got a bl**dy; "Mobile Phone" in your pocket/handbag..... ...!

I don't call folks...and they don't call me!.... ...!

Its nice being a Hermit.... ... ...!

Paul....Fone Home.... ...!

[Jetranger]

Just the other Nite I had 2 hot chicks in my bed, getting me a piece

and she stopped to answer her stupid Cell Phone,,,,, only to find out,,, it was the other chick next to me callin' her

Gesshhhh can't even gat laid without the Dizzy broads answering their dumb cell phones !!!!

Miss the good ol' days of the 70's & 80's,,,,,,,,,

[pilotwin7]

...
Paul.....Maybe I'm getting old?..... .... ....!

[zswobbie1]

I'm 62 years old, & have grabbed so called 'smart' phones with open arms. Obviously, I'm using email at work, for official communications, & to chat & pass on useful links to friends.
Facebook is great when used correctly. We use it as a showcase of our museum, the various projects we are doing & to pass on information. I also have quite a few Facebook pages that I 'belong' to, that have a lot of info & groups that I'm interested in, such as vintage planes, steampunk & other stuff. It also lets me have instant access to family & friends, all over the world, & also to touch base & find childhood friends as well.

Whatsapp is great. We use it for instant communication within my business, as well as using it within another business to instant reply client information requests. We also use it as 'groups', consisting of family all over the world having instant communications, as well as for any emergency. We also use it for calling family & friends, all over the world.

Guys, the days of tin cans & a piece of string has long past. Modern devices really make life easier for us. Thank goodness the 70's & 80's have long gone, & technology is not only for teenagers. We just cannot sit in our caves & let the world go by!

[Hawkeye07]

I'm 62 years old, & have grabbed so called 'smart' phones with open arms. Obviously, I'm using email at work, for official communications, & to chat & pass on useful links to friends.
Facebook is great when used correctly. We use it as a showcase of our museum, the various projects we are doing & to pass on information. I also have quite a few Facebook pages that I 'belong' to, that have a lot of info & groups that I'm interested in, such as vintage planes, steampunk & other stuff. It also lets me have instant access to family & friends, all over the world, & also to touch base & find childhood friends as well.

Whatsapp is great. We use it for instant communication within my business, as well as using it within another business to instant reply client information requests. We also use it as 'groups', consisting of family all over the world having instant communications, as well as for any emergency. We also use it for calling family & friends, all over the world.

Guys, the days of tin cans & a piece of string has long past. Modern devices really make life easier for us. Thank goodness the 70's & 80's have long gone, & technology is not only for teenagers. We just cannot sit in our caves & let the world go by!

Instant communication is fine but tell me how many hours a day do you spend on your smart phone and Facebook? Does anyone ever think of picking up their "Smart Phone" (Personally I think that might be an oxymoron.) and having a conversation with someone else? We're getting very impersonal and lazy with all our technology. Facebook? Oh yes, I don't have time to get prints of the kids pictures and send them to you via snail mail so why don't you take time out from your day and download my pictures and take them to a photo shop and print them yourself. I don't want to be bothered dialing up individual family members so just stop want you're doing and take a look at my Face Book page. It's all about me you know. We are losing the art of interpersonal communication according to several studies out on the subject. It's amazing how many "techo teenagers" lack basic interpersonal skills. The subtle mannerisms and facial expressions that supplement our conversations are lost on many of them. Sarcasm, innuendos, "left handed" compliments are pretty much beyond their comprehension. Raising a 17 year old daughter and observing her and her friends is quite the eye opener. As for world wide communication, when our older daughter was in the U.S. Army and stationed over in Germany we/she would call about once a week or ten days. Our international call plan wasn't that expensive at all, surprisingly. And we actually talked and heard each other's voice! I do think Skype is better than texting by the way.

[Anthindelahunt]

Well said Hawkeye.Well said.

Anthin.

[zswobbie1]

Well, now you can talk via WhatsApp, Skype & a few other so-called smart phone apps, on a daily basis, far cheaper than normal landlines.
There are also SOS apps that can be loaded onto phones, so it is far safer for kids now. Do not always blame the kids, it is their parents job & responsibility to train then right.

As I said before, it is a great business tool. My staff are all in a WhatsApp group, so, when I get an urgent email (on my mobile) from a client ordering goods & services, I can act immediately... I message the team on the group, & everyone immediately knows what to do. A phone call will take longer & a lot could be last in translation when messages are passed on.

I love the GPS on my phone, far quicker than looking up an address in a book, that I do not carry around with me. My phone has a Kindle reader built in, & I can read anything anywhere, whenever.
Banking is also a pleasure, immediate access, without standing in line, after trying to find parking, etc....

The list goes on.... Oh, I also watch movies on my phone, (free, not pirated). It's actually NOT too small. Take a seat & look at your TV, hold your fingers in front of you, apart, on either side of the TV screen, yup, you will find the gap between your fingers is about the size of the phone screen. Add headphones, & you have your own private movie theatre, disturbing nobody.

Remember what Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, in 1943 said.. I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- . "Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons." -- Popular Mechanics, 1949.

Imagine 5-10 years time.. We cannot keep our heads in the sand!

[Hawkeye07]

Well, now you can talk via WhatsApp, Skype & a few other so-called smart phone apps, on a daily basis, far cheaper than normal landlines.
There are also SOS apps that can be loaded onto phones, so it is far safer for kids now. Do not always blame the kids, it is their parents job & responsibility to train then right.

As I said before, it is a great business tool. My staff are all in a WhatsApp group, so, when I get an urgent email (on my mobile) from a client ordering goods & services, I can act immediately... I message the team on the group, & everyone immediately knows what to do. A phone call will take longer & a lot could be last in translation when messages are passed on.
I love the GPS on my phone, far quicker than looking up an address in a book, that I do not carry around with me. My phone has a Kindle reader built in, & I can read anything anywhere, whenever.
Banking is also a pleasure, immediate access, without standing in line, after trying to find parking, etc....
The list goes on.... Oh, I also watch movies on my phone, (free, not pirated). It's actually NOT too small. Take a seat & look at your TV, hold your fingers in front of you, apart, on either side of the TV screen, yup, you will find the gap between your fingers is about the size of the phone screen. Add headphones, & you have your own private movie theatre, disturbing nobody.
Imagine 5-10 years time.. We cannot keep our heads in the sand!

Hey zswobbie1!
Let me clarify something here...No, I don't blame the kids. They are simply using the technology that's at hand. The problem is that while they are interacting with the technology they are losing the ability to interact with each other. It's more of a case of use it or lose it just like any other skill set. I think the current technology is amazing in many ways but only up to a point. You explained in your posts how much you use your cell phone. Pretty much for everything right? Lose your phone and then what?
Phone craps out, then what? Battery power used up, then what? Wifi not available, then what? We, as a society, are becoming way too dependent on our technology.

I tried this: "Take a seat & look at your TV, hold your fingers in front of you, apart, on either side of the TV screen, yup, you will find the gap between your fingers is about the size of the phone screen." I have a big screen TV and I am not carrying around a phone that size!!