Big picture inspection mirror

[WmRMeyers]

I don't own a, spit, cell phone or a, double spit, selfie stick and the first time it occurs to me to buy either I'm going to eat my gun!

However, I must admit to using my camera, the kind you can't make phone calls on, to flash photo nameplates in dark corners so I could read what is printed there.

I used to use a polaroid camera to do photos of stuff I was taking apart. Got to be kinda expensive. Did it with film cameras, too, since I was doing some of that stuff for the USAF. Carried a pager, i.e., electronic leash for much of that time. About the time I got out of the USAF, the digital cameras started being more common, and cell phones got smarter and more storage. I really don't like the communications functions on the phone all that much, but I've got a 500gb memory card in my phone, 13,000 books of fiction, and most of 400gb of books on metalworking, machining, mechanics, and such, on the phone. Recently got the next in a long line of tablets, 10.5" screen, 1tb memory card, and have all of my library that isn't still stuck on paper on the tablet. Camera in the phone is better than the one in the tablet, and I use it extensively for keeping track of things I'm working on. Gone to the trouble of getting a 10" ring light for the phone, need another, bigger one for the tablet. You can always turn off the transmitters and receivers, cut the leash, as it were, and just take advantage of the photo, display, and storage capabilities. Though I used the phone to look up info on working on my neighbor's yard blower earlier today, too. Was much handier than walking back to the house to use the desktop computer. I would expect you, of all people, to be using the tech to work FOR you!


Bill

[mklotz]

[QUOTE=WmRMeyers;227796...snip... I would expect you, of all people, to be using the tech to work FOR you! [/QUOTE]

I have plenty of reference material stored on my desktop computer and I refer to it frequently when working at my desk. OTHOH, I feel no need to carry that information with me when I go out for dinner. Yes, not having a cell phone denies me the dubious advantage of taking pictures of my food or forwarding the latest cat video to everyone on my email list but I can live with that. Cell phones make people even shallower than they normally are; I don't want a part of it.

As much as possible, I want the reference material stored in my brain. That way, that intriguing part of the brain that solves problems in my sleep, will have plenty of ammunition with which to work. Besides, you're never going to find a reference that shows you how to invent new tools or prove geometry theorems.

There are unquestionably legitimate uses for cell phones but my personal observation says that, for the majority of people, they are just an addictive tool they use to enhance their shallowness.