I had to get a new cell phone recently. I know. I said just last week I was going to avoid silicon chips this Christmas. But this really has nothing to do with Christmas. And I really didn’t have much of a choice.
My old phone was probably about ten years old or more. I had no issues with it. And really, no intention of getting rid of it.
The company had other ideas. I was told that in early January it would stop working. It was too old. The operating system was too old. Wouldn’t you like to have a new phone?
I’m one of those weird people that doesn’t like to upgrade just because I can. I would rather not create more electronic waste in the world, if I can avoid it. I use the phone for very limited purposes. I get and send calls and texts. I don’t surf the internet. I don’t use apps. I don’t stare at it while wandering around bumping into things. I can find many others ways to damage myself, so I try to avoid what I can. And I don’t use it to watch movies and TV.
I know. I’m out of date. Your life is supposed to be on your phone. And I try to avoid to avoid that.
But I kept getting notices about the pending end of my cell phone. It made me feel a bit like I was in Mission: Impossible. This phone will self destruct in one month. So if I wanted to continue to be in touch, I had to have a new phone. So I got a new phone.
I won’t bet into the fact that the actual plan, which is the same plan I have been on for several years, was about half the price that I have been paying. It never seemed to occur to the carrier I might like to save money. But the thought that if the phone no longer worked and as a result I may stop giving them said money seemed to get them all in a tizzy.
And the things have grown. I had a fairly large phone. The new one barely fits in a pocket. If they get any bigger, they’re going to have to add straps so you can wear them like a backpack.
My first cell phone was a bag phone. One of those large, clunky things that you carried in a tiny suitcase. Subsequent phones got smaller. Much smaller. Then they started going the other way. Now we seem to be getting close to suitcase phones again.
For the first time in many years, I have a new phone. It will take a while to figure out how to use it. The don’t seem to come with instructions, so you have to figure it out on your own. Or ask someone much younger. That seems to work.
But I have time. If this one lasts as long as my previous phone, I should just about have it figured out in ten or fifteen years. Probably about the time I have to replace it.
