We love our phones...

brianlux wrote: »

Last-12-Exit wrote: »

brianlux wrote: »

backseatLover12 wrote: »

Yet, you can't view all websites on the smartphone. Hmph.
Not to mention that your phone is tracked and making you sick.

This is the part I don't get. Yeah, I do have a cell phone because my wife likes to have one when we travel and I like it when she takes it with her if she has to drive at night due to her detached retina but other than that, it stays off. Why do so many of you disregard the hazards to your health with these dang things?

Has cell phone usage ever led to any illness? I once heard of a battery exploding in someone's ear, but seriously, has this ever been proven?

"Proof" in the medical field seems to take a long time. I mean, when Michelle Obama wanted to grow an organic garden the Mid-America Croplife Association practically begged her to use chemical to show her kids how careful use of them is good. We're a slow nation to catch on. We still work harder to "cure" disease than we do to prevent it.

So, no, I can't say it's proven but their is a large enough number of really smart people studying these things who say that they are probably really bad for you that I don't see how it could possibly be worth the risk. Same with e-readers (and I don't just say that because I sell books)- there is a lot of concern that these are bad for the eyes. And this lap top is probably not the healthiest thing either so I'm going to take a break here and go watch this much needed storm outside. :-)

Dang it, where'd those smileys go?

Sorry Brian - much as I also value printed books, there actually doesn't appear to be any evidence that e-readers are bad for your vision; in fact, they may actually help low-vision individuals to read, and may cause less eye strain than printed books. Computer monitors, on the other hand, are generally bad for eye strain, but even then there's no permanent damage.

oftenreading wrote: »

brianlux wrote: »

Last-12-Exit wrote: »

brianlux wrote: »

backseatLover12 wrote: »

Yet, you can't view all websites on the smartphone. Hmph.
Not to mention that your phone is tracked and making you sick.

This is the part I don't get. Yeah, I do have a cell phone because my wife likes to have one when we travel and I like it when she takes it with her if she has to drive at night due to her detached retina but other than that, it stays off. Why do so many of you disregard the hazards to your health with these dang things?

Has cell phone usage ever led to any illness? I once heard of a battery exploding in someone's ear, but seriously, has this ever been proven?

"Proof" in the medical field seems to take a long time. I mean, when Michelle Obama wanted to grow an organic garden the Mid-America Croplife Association practically begged her to use chemical to show her kids how careful use of them is good. We're a slow nation to catch on. We still work harder to "cure" disease than we do to prevent it.

So, no, I can't say it's proven but their is a large enough number of really smart people studying these things who say that they are probably really bad for you that I don't see how it could possibly be worth the risk. Same with e-readers (and I don't just say that because I sell books)- there is a lot of concern that these are bad for the eyes. And this lap top is probably not the healthiest thing either so I'm going to take a break here and go watch this much needed storm outside. :-)

Dang it, where'd those smileys go?

Sorry Brian - much as I also value printed books, there actually doesn't appear to be any evidence that e-readers are bad for your vision; in fact, they may actually help low-vision individuals to read, and may cause less eye strain than printed books. Computer monitors, on the other hand, are generally bad for eye strain, but even then there's no permanent damage.

I get why people who travel like them, oftenreading, and even though I sell books for a living I'm not on an anti-ereader crusade, but I think at least some caution is advisable. My understanding is that the jury is still out on this one.

Am I a bit biased toward books? Ahh, ya got me on that one, haha! :-)

Yes. What he said. ^^^

Last-12-Exit wrote: »

brianlux wrote: »

This is the link bsL refers to above- worth checking out:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/21/snowden_slams_iphone_over_security_fears/

If those powers that be want to track anyone for any reason they will do it with or without an iphone but to build that into something you carry around? That's not for me if for no other reason than based on principal.

What to me is also really sad about cell phone/iphone use is that rather than just setting aside certain periods of time in the day to read email, post on sites like this and such, people are now walking around with these electronic devices and glued to them much of their waking hours. I know people who literally rarely go for more than a few minutes (not several minutes, let alone hours hours!) without tuning in to their device. It's a serious social sickness. When I go into town to work I see cell phone zombies walking around all over the place staring at their devices. The ramifications of this illness will prove to be widespread and very serious- of that I have no doubt.

I'm still unaware of what the illness is. People glued to their cell phone is not a social sickness. The sickness is the constant need to tell the world what kind of sandwich you eat or how long it's been since you took your last dump.

My brother and I used to gross each other out with who could make the worst sandwich using what ever was the fridge. He won: sardines and strawberry jam.

But seriously, yeah that's true. That kind of posting is probably a sign of loneliness and the constant use of electronic media only increases that loneliness. It's become a widespread social ennui and really, don't we all have a little of that? It's a tricky situation because on the one hand, this kind of media allows fast access to information and we can communicate quickly but remember the days of taking time to hand write a letter? That no only takes time, but it allows the brain more time to be reflective.

A number of years ago I started reading John Steinbeck's letters- a book called Steinbeck: A Life in Letters. At first I wasn't sure I get through it- 861 pages of letters. But no! It was great and I tore right through that book. I'm not sure reading 861 pages of text messages would have quite the same impact.