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Global Citizens

~ a blog for Tourists, Expats and Locals

Global Citizens

Tag Archives: iPhone

A child of one’s time

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by katti in blog

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

addict to communication, child of my time, imessage, iPhone, skype, water damage, Why on earth

Did you ever wonder how we not only managed to survive, but even managed to be happy in the previous century, let’s say 10-15 years ago?
Maybe you still remember how it was, maybe you don’t. Depending on your age, probably. My kids definitely don’t understand how we did it back then, how we managed to meet up with people or arrange things without cell phone. Now we send 5 to 10 messages back and forth before we actually see each other in the street or in a bar. How else can you meet up?

In those days you still had to ask people if they had a cell phone, if they had an email address. It was more an exception then a rule. A cell phone was used to make calls or to send text messages. Things have definitely changed a lot over the last few years. Now a cell phone can not only be used to call and send text messages, you can also Viber, Skype, Whatsapp, iMessage and a lot more, over the 3G network. It has certainly expanded our vocabulary, that’s for sure: ‘Shall we Viber today?’, ‘Send me a whatsapp!’, ‘Let’s Skype now!’.

Sometimes I wish I was more the conservative kind of person, sticking to the simple phones, but mostly I am just annoyed or stressed when a family member or a friend from overseas complains not being able to contact me, and then I wonder how they can live on their (non-communication) island with their non-iPhone. I know, it is ridiculous, but one can get addicted to the constant ringing, buzzing, singing phone, addicted to the constant being in contact with friends at the other side of the world. Wether this be business or pleasure, exchanging interesting information or just goofing. It’s just contact. And I love it.

But what happens when you, accidentally of course, knock over a glass of water on your phone? I have been through this before once, and after about 24 hours of apparent dead, it started working again, so this time I stayed really calm and decided to enjoy the day of silence. One thing I learned in Argentina is to have patience. Never panic. It was only my daughter who was upset, shouting “Mom! This must be the 6th time you do this!!!” and I wonder, isn’t it usually the moms who reproach their kids doing something wrong, exaggerating the facts, and not the other way around?

But then one day becomes two, two becomes three and I realise that, communication-wise, I am back into the previous century for an indefinite period. My phone is broken, dead, kaput. And they don’t sell iPhones in Argentina. I am back to a call-me-only phone, and read-emails-on-my-computer. I will (have to) get used to it. My friends will get used to it.

But then I woke up and we are out of internet. It’s not just us, it’s the whole street, so we should not be feeling bad about this. We are not alone. If ever this can even console us. Patience will make us strong. Again. Fortunately there’s free wifi everywhere here in town, so I guess we will be going out a lot.

I am definitely a child of my time…

blackberry vs apple, the battle.

15 Saturday Oct 2011

Posted by katti in blog

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

blackberry, iPhone, Why on earth

For a couple of years now, we have been fighting this war in my family. I am one of those fanatic apple fans. I threw out windows years ago, and couldn’t be more happy when they brought out their first iPhone.

My husband has a blackberry. A blackberry is for professionals. For “real” men. An iPhone is for women or pussies. At least that is what he claims. So that is where our war started. How dare he insult my iPhone?! We have blackberry messenger, we have unlimited battery. We have… well, that’s where the advantages stop, I guess. Did you ever sit next to a blackberry user writing an email, tiktiktiktiktiktiktik, doesn’t this drive the calmest iPhone user insane? How can they bare it?

But well, they are professionals, aren’t they, the blackberry users. And all these apps we have, well, professionals don’t have time for games, do they?

This war has already caused us so much fun and that it would almost be a pity if it will end with my husband buying an… iPhone. Yes. Not quite, but almost.

How impressed he is with his new iPod touch, which is about the same as an iPhone but without the telephone and without the 3G. His professional mails do arrive on it, yes it is possible to type a text with male fingers, waw these apps are amazing!

And then the impossible happened. The blackberry system crashes. First the server in the UK, and then the 2nd one in the US. For a whole week there was no internet, no mails, no blackberry messenger. Only an iPod touch to communicate in this virtual world.

I want to bet that the first one to buy the iPhone 5 when it comes out, will not be me, but my dear husband. Who cares about professionalism anyway, when it comes to the all in one iPhone. This is a war he can not win.

Time for a “wePhone”? (via pretty/curious)

11 Friday Jun 2010

Posted by katti in blog

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

communication, culture, iPhone, Why on earth

I just found out how the Reblog function works, and bumped into this article, which is so true!

Many people ask me why we have moved to a third world country. Once being part of the first world, and now living in the 3th world, I realise that Jessica (see blog at bottom) is so right about this, and this is defenitely one of the reasons why we moved here.

We have never been se wealthy, and our (1st world) society really is based on consuming.  Working hard to be able to consume even more, and loosing oneself in it. No time for friends, no time for nothing.  Changing the Levi’s for Sevens. Right. Been through that too. The deeper inner crisis of the soul…I couldn’t have said it any better.

Since I live here I feel like I connect more to family and friends back home. I have never received so many phone calls on my birthday like this year! We now sit down to talk. Chatting (over Skype/MSNS or other) was only for ‘those who had time’, (which was a bad thing). Now that I have moved to the other side of the world it seems acceptable, even for the ‘working people’ to chat with me. Distances have brought us closer.

Here in Argentina family and friends are still the most important thing in life. They aren’t so much into material things. Here it is really OK if you have a very old cellphone! No one even knows what a Seven is… What a difference!

It will take a while before the iPhone is released here in Argentina (voices whisper it will be september), but the iPhone mania is stonger than ever. Me too I look forward to holding it and more over – using it! Comunications has no limits, thanks to Steve Jobs…

A great article, Jessica!

Time for a "wePhone"? Prince Charles doesn’t like how things are going. We are a rapidly growing population,* and he believes that, if the West has its way, that growth will mean more “soulless consumerism” that lies at the core of our “deep, inner crisis of the soul.” It’s hard to argue against that. We do, after all, live in a time when thousands will line up to preorder the latest gadget but balk at the idea of gathering in a public place to protest an unjust war. … Read More

via pretty/curious

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