Had reason to receive a call from my local Dr's surgery this week after waiting over two weeks and after the usual mundane questions ( I wont bore you)
She asked if I had a smart phone
Ummm I'm android , why? I ask
Well the next consultation will be by zoom she says
I have a lap top, I say (will android take a zoom call, I haven't a clue)
Ok we will have to send you a link she says,
Is it one to one I ask?
No she says it will be a group meeting with up to 8 others.
Ive decided not to join in as l and dont want to sit there going around in circle's listening to other peoples problems, as well as mine,
I will probably finish up thinking I'm doomed!!!
I'll wait and see if it gets any worse and then visit wait to get a call from the doc on his smart phone!!!
She asked if I had a smart phone
Ummm I'm android , why? I ask
Well the next consultation will be by zoom she says
I have a lap top, I say (will android take a zoom call, I haven't a clue)
Ok we will have to send you a link she says,
Is it one to one I ask?
No she says it will be a group meeting with up to 8 others.
Ive decided not to join in as l and dont want to sit there going around in circle's listening to other peoples problems, as well as mine,
I will probably finish up thinking I'm doomed!!!
I'll wait and see if it gets any worse and then
Damian
Moderator
I have not embraced smart phones at all, not because I do not like them, but I refuse to have my personal details on something which I may lose or have stolen from me.
Also, having seen how a lot of the population seem to have the things permanently in their face, whatever they are doing, without thinking about what is actually happening in front of them is shocking.
On several occasions I have had people actually walk into my car as they "didnt see it",,,really !!!! Its big, red and 2 tons of killing machine,and you didnt see it !!!!
I have also witnessed a mother pushing a child in a pushchair just push the child in the chair off the pavement in front of a car !!!!! luckily the driver was more switched on than she was and stopped just in time.
I recently went into a supermarket where I was bombarded by one of the employees who went into great detail about what their "app" did and did I want to sign up to it.........he was left with nothing to say when I said...Yes as long as you supply the phone and pay for it for as long as I have it.!!
Also, having seen how a lot of the population seem to have the things permanently in their face, whatever they are doing, without thinking about what is actually happening in front of them is shocking.
On several occasions I have had people actually walk into my car as they "didnt see it",,,really !!!! Its big, red and 2 tons of killing machine,and you didnt see it !!!!
I have also witnessed a mother pushing a child in a pushchair just push the child in the chair off the pavement in front of a car !!!!! luckily the driver was more switched on than she was and stopped just in time.
I recently went into a supermarket where I was bombarded by one of the employees who went into great detail about what their "app" did and did I want to sign up to it.........he was left with nothing to say when I said...Yes as long as you supply the phone and pay for it for as long as I have it.!!
I have a "Smart phone" and I do use most of the facilities of it.
But when trying to buy new lights for my aquarium, the sales girl mentioned that this certain brand of lights could be operated from my phone through an App. I could change the colours of the lights and the timing etc.
No thanks I just want something on a timer. I walked away.
But when trying to buy new lights for my aquarium, the sales girl mentioned that this certain brand of lights could be operated from my phone through an App. I could change the colours of the lights and the timing etc.
No thanks I just want something on a timer. I walked away.
I did mention that I use Whatsapp text for contacting relatives overseas otherwise costs will be astronomical for us and them.
One of the problems with smart phones is that the majority of the population refuse to see them as a tool, and instead see them as their whole life. Kids arent kids anymore, instead of being out playing football and doctors and nurses 
they hanging around drug infested playgrounds trying to see how long it wtakes to wear out their thumbs. This is a generation that no longer speeks English, puts on an un-natural accent (dont you just hate that), cannot spell, has no social skills and even speaks in text abbreviations, such as LOL and OMG. There is a lot to hate about smartphones, but there is a lot of benefit when one remembers it is only and aid, not a living entity.
they hanging around drug infested playgrounds trying to see how long it wtakes to wear out their thumbs. This is a generation that no longer speeks English, puts on an un-natural accent (dont you just hate that), cannot spell, has no social skills and even speaks in text abbreviations, such as LOL and OMG. There is a lot to hate about smartphones, but there is a lot of benefit when one remembers it is only and aid, not a living entity.I assume that most people subscribing to this thread have made their own choices whether or not to have a mobile phone or use online services. However, there are a good number of people who for various reasons cannot have access to a mobile phone, tablet , computer etc or online services. The more we are pushed to do things on line the bigger the digital divide becomes.
The pandemic provided an indication of the extent of the digital divide. With schools closed children were being taught at home and needed access to a computer, smartphone, tablet whatever and of course the internet. In our region we became aware through local charities that some families did not have access to any of this and so we organised a gathering of unused equipment to donate to those in need.
Also keep in mind that there will be regions where internet and mobile phone signals are very flaky or non-existent. I'm fortunate enough to be able to have the technology I need but the service is not always available. At home my mobile works on certains days if I hang out the window and this is frustating when security checks need to send a text message and there's no signal. Until fibre broadband was run out here the wet string implementation was equally variable. (That was a joke but with some truth as on wet days the internet would often grind to a halt)
As for Smartphones - well Smartphones designed in some cases by Dumb People - well some apps anyway . Yesterday my Sat Nav app started speaking Mandarin for no obvious reason as it was ok the day before. By the time we'd stopped laughing I was heading up Princes St in Edinburgh which is for taxis and buses only. Fortunately the lorry driver in front of me must have had the same app as he made a u-turn and I followed.
Remember technology should work for us - not the other way around.
The pandemic provided an indication of the extent of the digital divide. With schools closed children were being taught at home and needed access to a computer, smartphone, tablet whatever and of course the internet. In our region we became aware through local charities that some families did not have access to any of this and so we organised a gathering of unused equipment to donate to those in need.
Also keep in mind that there will be regions where internet and mobile phone signals are very flaky or non-existent. I'm fortunate enough to be able to have the technology I need but the service is not always available. At home my mobile works on certains days if I hang out the window and this is frustating when security checks need to send a text message and there's no signal. Until fibre broadband was run out here the wet string implementation was equally variable. (That was a joke but with some truth as on wet days the internet would often grind to a halt)
As for Smartphones - well Smartphones designed in some cases by Dumb People - well some apps anyway
. Yesterday my Sat Nav app started speaking Mandarin for no obvious reason as it was ok the day before. By the time we'd stopped laughing I was heading up Princes St in Edinburgh which is for taxis and buses only. Fortunately the lorry driver in front of me must have had the same app as he made a u-turn and I followed.Remember technology should work for us - not the other way around.
Wow! So everyone else on the bus or train can hear my conversation or see who I'm talking to but no one will be able to decrypt the data going over the ether.
That’s a particularly jaundiced view of the current generation, which in part may be accurate but doesn’t recognise the vast majority that are just getting on with their education, work or lives.One of the problems with smart phones is that the majority of the population refuse to see them as a tool, and instead see them as their whole life. Kids arent kids anymore, instead of being out playing football and doctors and nurses
Agreed, sure both my daughters use their phones, probably more than I would like. But as parents we have set boundaries (which they try and push) and limits.
My oldest has autism and Tourette's and finds communicating face to face very difficult. She has just turned 18 and in the last very difficult 2 years has completed a BTEC in Health and Social Care and then Art and design.
For a good chunk of the last two years she has been unable to see her boyfriend (they went on their first propper date last night!), could not celebrate her 18th Birthday, could no go to the pub or a club with her mates..... all the things I took for granted at that age.
Without a smart phone I'm sure she would have gone crazy.
My youngest has used her phone to keep in touch with her friends over all the craziness. But once things got a little safer she has enjoyed a couple of sleepovers and is out most days on her skateboard.
As for language, yes it changes and evolves. We used to go to see a film, but kids go to see a movie. I might not like it but that's how it is.
PS my youngest will take her GCSE's this year the pressure is immense. If watching her fave youtuber for 20 minutes helps her to decompress, then good for her
Agreed, but you are looking towards your own families. Take a walk down an inner city housing estate one night. You wont see any artists easels being setup around the playgrounds. You will see a feral generation, and I dont blame the kids, nor their parents. Lets go back beyond them to the grandparents, the first generation that couldnt give a rats about work, decency, morals and everything else that belongs to society.
DO I have a jaundiced view, you betcha.
I come from a generation where a man would stand to let a lady sit, or open the door for her. Where you would wade in to help somebody in danger, not stand around and video somebody getting beaten just to earn yourselves a few views on youtube. Where you would earn what you had or go without. Save for it rather than get into debt.
And from a time when you didnt have to chain everything down, put wheel locks on it or trackers in it.
Does this make me a miserable old codger? I dont think so, I just have a strict moral code that I live my life by and can take pride in that. Thats something I dont see in a large majority of the younger generation, and I am not just referring to kids.
DO I have a jaundiced view, you betcha.
I come from a generation where a man would stand to let a lady sit, or open the door for her. Where you would wade in to help somebody in danger, not stand around and video somebody getting beaten just to earn yourselves a few views on youtube. Where you would earn what you had or go without. Save for it rather than get into debt.
And from a time when you didnt have to chain everything down, put wheel locks on it or trackers in it.
Does this make me a miserable old codger? I dont think so, I just have a strict moral code that I live my life by and can take pride in that. Thats something I dont see in a large majority of the younger generation, and I am not just referring to kids.
I wasn’t just thinking about my family, or those of friends or neighbours, when I said your views were jaundiced. Narrowing it down to inner city areas clearly then excludes the rest of the country from your view. But then you open it up again to the “large majority…..” and not just kids.
I grew up in a inner city area of Leicester, the Highfields, which had a large diverse population drawn from wartime refugees and new immigrants from the commonwealth. It had a certain reputation such that people being rehoused were only given limited options on specific estates. In short if you came from the Highfields you were a problem. I don’t recognise some of the social graces you refer to as being in existence then within our community. In fact failing to lock your bike would have attracted attention for certain as a means to get home without having to jump the bus.
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OC, i think we are looking at different things.
I too grew up on one of those estates, my home was Moss Side, Manchester. It had awful social problems then, it is now almost a no go zone. We were rough and handy, but we still had a moral code. There were things that were taboo. And yes, we had a modicum of respect, such as the bus seat thing. Stealing never came into my mind, and that was passed down from grandparents through my parents, but perhaps I was fortunate to have a full family hiererachy to take example from. Not all my peers had that example. Both grandfathers and my father too were regulars, and what I see as my moral code came from them, and then from my own service days.
But I certainly was no goody two shoes, I had more than my share of scraps and I was drinking in pubs from a very young age, but I still had respect for others then, and I still do.
I too grew up on one of those estates, my home was Moss Side, Manchester. It had awful social problems then, it is now almost a no go zone. We were rough and handy, but we still had a moral code. There were things that were taboo. And yes, we had a modicum of respect, such as the bus seat thing. Stealing never came into my mind, and that was passed down from grandparents through my parents, but perhaps I was fortunate to have a full family hiererachy to take example from. Not all my peers had that example. Both grandfathers and my father too were regulars, and what I see as my moral code came from them, and then from my own service days.
But I certainly was no goody two shoes, I had more than my share of scraps and I was drinking in pubs from a very young age, but I still had respect for others then, and I still do.
Whilst I consider I am a dinosaur I was fortunate enough to have one of the first commercially viable mobile bricks back in 1991. It had a lovely spiral cable that plugged in whilst in the car. I could pick it up on the move😵💫😵💫😵💫.
I currently use an iPhone 6, basic, but it talks to my new I pad. They mirror one another which I like. SWMBO has the I 12. Now that is a serious piece of kit. I guess it’s a bit like the modern car. It takes a day to understand and read the manual. Once done the scope of what is available is pretty fantastic.
I do buy apps, eg compass, and would you believe a protractor. On line banking is so simple yet, I am assured by B bullet proof. I have learnt many new things for communication and data transfer. Whoever designed these things could make millions if he/ she applied the same principles to caravan manufacture.
I currently use an iPhone 6, basic, but it talks to my new I pad. They mirror one another which I like. SWMBO has the I 12. Now that is a serious piece of kit. I guess it’s a bit like the modern car. It takes a day to understand and read the manual. Once done the scope of what is available is pretty fantastic.
I do buy apps, eg compass, and would you believe a protractor. On line banking is so simple yet, I am assured by B bullet proof. I have learnt many new things for communication and data transfer. Whoever designed these things could make millions if he/ she applied the same principles to caravan manufacture.
I do find it astonishing that in UK we still have so many areas where mobile coverage is virtually non existent. I’ve travelled down the eastern borders of Turkey and had as much communication capability as I required, at times even picking up Iraqi and Iranian networks.I assume that most people subscribing to this thread have made their own choices whether or not to have a mobile phone or use online services. However, there are a good number of people who for various reasons cannot have access to a mobile phone, tablet , computer etc or online services. The more we are pushed to do things on line the bigger the digital divide becomes.
The pandemic provided an indication of the extent of the digital divide. With schools closed children were being taught at home and needed access to a computer, smartphone, tablet whatever and of course the internet. In our region we became aware through local charities that some families did not have access to any of this and so we organised a gathering of unused equipment to donate to those in need.
Also keep in mind that there will be regions where internet and mobile phone signals are very flaky or non-existent. I'm fortunate enough to be able to have the technology I need but the service is not always available. At home my mobile works on certains days if I hang out the window and this is frustating when security checks need to send a text message and there's no signal. Until fibre broadband was run out here the wet string implementation was equally variable. (That was a joke but with some truth as on wet days the internet would often grind to a halt)
As for Smartphones - well Smartphones designed in some cases by Dumb People - well some apps anyway
Remember technology should work for us - not the other way around.
Back in 2015 we were away and one of the dogs took very ill with suspected meningitis but which type they couldn’t diagnose. She was so critical that there wasn’t time to send her to the animal hospital. So we agreed treatment. This was all done talking to the vet from Haa in Bhutan. 36 hours later she was discharged for continued care with my daughter. This time I FaceTimed our daughter and the dog heard my voice and slowly got off the softee, so we then spoke to her and she came towards our daughters phone. That FaceTime was from the Phojika Valley using a monastery overspill wifi.
Yet this May in Hutton Le Hole, a tourist hot spot, the mobile signal was so poor I had to walk around half a mile just to be able to get a text away. Good job 999 wasn’t needed as I’d be knocking up the site owner for the landline.
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You should have gone to the Chocolate factory near the cl site, good coverage there.
I guess it depends on your service provider. My walk to get a text signal took me along the footpath that is alongside the Rural life museum. Go far enough and miraculously you might get enough for a 2G type chat akin to a Stanley Unwin discourse.
Many people overlook one thing when they say 'there is no signal.' No, there is no signal <on their system> but there may well be on others. Just look at the OfCom coverage checking site and you will see what you mean.
OC comments about coverage along the Turkish border, but he overlooks the fact that when outside the UK your phone roams. Whilst your home service provider may have a preferred SP in another country, if there is no signal from that preferred SP your phone will roam onto whatever system it can find. I know of an organisation in the UK that has Manx SIMs in their important users phones so that when not on the IoM their phones will roam and effectively (nearly) always have a signal wherever they go.
OC comments about coverage along the Turkish border, but he overlooks the fact that when outside the UK your phone roams. Whilst your home service provider may have a preferred SP in another country, if there is no signal from that preferred SP your phone will roam onto whatever system it can find. I know of an organisation in the UK that has Manx SIMs in their important users phones so that when not on the IoM their phones will roam and effectively (nearly) always have a signal wherever they go.
I didn’t overlook the fact that phones roam, not that I used the Iranian or Iraqi networks, but wasn’t there a proposal here to require phones to be able to use another provider if the signal from the main provider wasn’t available? Was it business resistance or economics that prevented it? Some years ago when with BT there was a system where I could use another subscribers wifi from outside their premises providing I gave permission for my WiFi to be used similarly. It was very useful on a site just outside Tavistock where the mobile signal was non existent. But a nearby mobile home development had landlines that provided owners WiFi. So by standing outside one of the statics I had a form of useable comms.
There was a call sometime ago to get UK Mobile Network Operators to work together and allow roaming within the UK. I have no doubts this is technically possible but hasn't been implemented for business reasons.
The Ofcom coverage checker is less useful in my area than the operators own coverage checkers but since both are based upon post codes they are still inaccurate in some locations.
As a First Responder I was issued with a mobile phone with an Isle of Man sim card which, as mentioned previously, would roam to provide better coverage but was still not 100%. We then got issued with Airwave radios - supposedly better coverage and with the 'promise' to fix areas not covered. It proved to be no better.
The reliance on the mobile network is getting more critical. BT want to switch to Digital Voice (VOIP) by 2025 and eliminate the conventional hard wired exchanges. Of course this means having access to fibre, which again is not 100% coverage or indeed taken up by everyone. But one major concern for our area is that Digital Voice will not work in the event of a power cut, something we regularly get, especially in winter times. Couple this with poor or no mobile signals means that emergency services cannot be contacted easily.
Under Ofcom guidance BT and other providers are supposed to provide battery back up units for use in power cuts to keep the ONT and Router alive for a minimum of 1 hour. BT are reluctant to issue these to all and sundry naturally, since many people have mobile phones, but being classed as being in a vunerable area (power cuts and no reliable mobile service) they agreed to provide them to myself and friends and neighbours FOC. Five months on I still hadn't received them and only through intervention of our local MP did BT finally decide to compensate me to get my own.
Services like broadband and mobile phones should be classed as utilities in much the same way as electricity is since we are being pushed more and more to use them.
The Ofcom coverage checker is less useful in my area than the operators own coverage checkers but since both are based upon post codes they are still inaccurate in some locations.
As a First Responder I was issued with a mobile phone with an Isle of Man sim card which, as mentioned previously, would roam to provide better coverage but was still not 100%. We then got issued with Airwave radios - supposedly better coverage and with the 'promise' to fix areas not covered. It proved to be no better.
The reliance on the mobile network is getting more critical. BT want to switch to Digital Voice (VOIP) by 2025 and eliminate the conventional hard wired exchanges. Of course this means having access to fibre, which again is not 100% coverage or indeed taken up by everyone. But one major concern for our area is that Digital Voice will not work in the event of a power cut, something we regularly get, especially in winter times. Couple this with poor or no mobile signals means that emergency services cannot be contacted easily.
Under Ofcom guidance BT and other providers are supposed to provide battery back up units for use in power cuts to keep the ONT and Router alive for a minimum of 1 hour. BT are reluctant to issue these to all and sundry naturally, since many people have mobile phones, but being classed as being in a vunerable area (power cuts and no reliable mobile service) they agreed to provide them to myself and friends and neighbours FOC. Five months on I still hadn't received them and only through intervention of our local MP did BT finally decide to compensate me to get my own.
Services like broadband and mobile phones should be classed as utilities in much the same way as electricity is since we are being pushed more and more to use them.
I‘m not sure, but I think that the networks have an agreement whereby they share networks if a 999 number is used. Older phones I have had, actually said across the top. “Emergency use only” when there was no signal from the network it was signed up to. I think they may also be usable for 999 if the bill hasn’t been paid.
In fact, I am sure that is the case, just found this.
In 2009, UK mobile phone networks introduced “Emergency Call Roaming”. This means that although a mobile phone might display a ‘no signal’ message, an emergency call will attempt to contact to another network. However, you will be unable to receive a call on that network, even if the inbound call is from emergency services.
With regards to the. roll out of fibre broadband. Great news in many ways, but I worry about the priorities behind it and getting it into outlying and rural areas.
We have had Virgin fibre since it first appeared and it works very well. At present we get 200 mbps and I could upgrade, but no reason to.
For the past month, and still ongoing. City broadband is being installed.
Why?
Surely there are more needy locations,
John
Used the above to do a check and no provider offers coverage in our area. We are with Three and when you check their coverage map, it shows you can get signal outside however outside we cannot get any signal. I have to drive out of the village to a small hill. We are about 8 miles from Worcester town!
If down in Brean in Somerset where it is dead flat, signal on most networks is terrible. Ofcom shows no signal yet thousands of holidaymakers go there every year and it is only a couple of miles from Weston Super Mare.
Where we are this weekend shows OK but not Good coverage, however cannot get more than 3 bars on either phone. If you zoom out of the map very few areas have Good coverage, even OK coverage is limited as the majority os areas seem to be in areas with Some problems or No coverage.
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