Effect of Technology?

[gwinter]

I was reading a review about external TV tuners for PC in a magazine. At the end, there's a table which summarizes the features of each product. Each column also contains 2 small photos, one shows how the product looks like, the other, is a backside shot to show the connectors available. As I was squinting to look at the tiny backside shot to make out the connectors, I instinctively tried to "click" on the photo to look at a larger version. I didn't move physically, but the thought was very real, nevermind that the cursor was not even there. It took me at least a good 1 second to realize what I was trying to do, that I am not looking through a web browser. Should I "unplugged"? Have you ever "instinctively" try to pull up your HUD to check on someone's Whuffie (http://www.craphound.com/down/)?

[JackTheTripper]

Listen to me VERY CAREFULLY!

1) Go to the park
2) Take off your shoes
3) Walk through the grass
4) Lay in the sun for a while
5) Maybe play with a dog or strike up a conversation with someone watch the birds and the squirls or something

**** VERY IMPORTANT ****

1) Leave all electronic devices at home when doing this. Phone, PPC, Laptop, Pager, whatever.
2) If you do talk to someone, get their name and phone number, NOT THEIR E-MAIL OR INSTANT MESSENGER HANDLE


There is a real world out there.

Thank you for your time.

[davidspalding]

A few years ago, I reached for my AT&T digital phone/answering machine (one of the early models), and wished that it had a drop list on the redial display, to recall the last 5, or 10, phone numbers dialed. I was so used to the Mac OS and Windows 3.x interface, and fast-forward fax software on Windows (Delrina Winfax Pro? anyone remember?), that I found my cool, desktp phone to be a dinosaur. Why couldn't I just bring up the third previous number dialed and call it again? Waaah.

Now my Nokia cell, my primary phone, has this and more. Thank you, designers and engineers....

Thanks also for the link to Cory Doctorow's site, I grabbed his book to read this weekend.

[Kati Compton]

Ummm... at one point after playing DiabloII for too long, I was driving to the grocery store and wondering why the overlay map wasn't on my windshield....

8O :oops:

[Pat Logsdon]

At one point several years ago, I'd played Tetris so much that I was playing it while I was reading - trying to fit the pieces into the spaces between the words. Needless to say, that was an annoying week. :D

[Jacob]

This thought scared me a bit - this was back when Grand Theft Auto 3 had just come out and I was playing it a fair bit.

I was in a taxi going somewhere and I saw a construction site with this ramp where they were not quite finished a highway overpass.

My first thought was "That would be a great jump to drive over!!" :twisted:

Thankfully, I've never SERIOUSLY considered doing anything like that...

[Crystal Eitle]

I was once reading a book (a real, physical, paper book) where the text was in this cutesy hand-written style. So emphasized words, instead of being in italics, were underlined.

I knew I was in trouble when I thought I could click on the underlined words. :oops:

[JackTheTripper]

OK, I'll probably get crap for this and I should heed my own advise, but here it goes....

How many people have had an IM conversation with someone.... in the same room?

*Raises hand* :oops:

[Kati Compton]

*Raises hand*

But really only under certain situations:

1. As a joke
2. To avoid other people in the room being in on the conversation
3. Because the person I needed to talk to is on the phone for a business call, and interrupting verbally is not allowed.

It can actually be quite useful.

[Jacob]

How many people have had an IM conversation with someone.... in the same room?


I have ... it's understandable if you're in a computer lab and talking will disturb others.

It's just ... when you are the only two people in the room, it's kinda sad.

[Janak Parekh]

Well, I dispute that it's not useful or embarrasing -- I do it all the time amongst my officemates; we share URLs and use it to discuss quietly when someone's on a phone, for both work and fun. :)

--janak

[JackTheTripper]

How many people have had an IM conversation with someone.... in the same room?


It's just ... when you are the only two people in the room, it's kinda sad.

This is what I meant. And the other person is not on the phone.

[Janak Parekh]

This is what I meant. And the other person is not on the phone.
What if you find a neat website, and want to show them? Do you guys just read out the whole URL?

--janak

[Jacob]

This is what I meant. And the other person is not on the phone.
What if you find a neat website, and want to show them? Do you guys just read out the whole URL?

--janak

That's a different case - but I've done things like sent a message just saying "Hey, wanna go get something to eat?"

[Janak Parekh]

That's a different case - but I've done things like sent a message just saying "Hey, wanna go get something to eat?"
And they're not on the phone? OK, that's lame. :lol:

--janak

[Kati Compton]

What if you find a neat website, and want to show them? Do you guys just read out the whole URL?


Ah, right. Use #4 for same-room IM'ing.

[gwinter]

How many people have had an IM conversation with someone.... in the same room?

"W?BIC!" ?

There was a time when I was sharing an apartment with a couple of friends. The guy living next door is also a friend of ours who happened to just bought his first mobile phone. Sometimes he came over in the late evening for a chat, and quite often one of us is preoccupied with something in our room. Dinner time came and he'd call the person in the room for dinner on his phone. Unbelievable... :lol:

[Abba Zabba]

OK, I'll probably get crap for this and I should heed my own advise, but here it goes....

How many people have had an IM conversation with someone.... in the same room?

*Raises hand* :oops:

I have...In the same dorm room. I had a roomate studying for a diieq midterm.

[Brad Adrian]

But really only under certain situations:

1. As a joke
2. To avoid other people in the room being in on the conversation
3. Because the person I needed to talk to is on the phone for a business call, and interrupting verbally is not allowed.
4. Because I can.

[Kati Compton]

4. Because I can.

We already knew what your reason was going to be... :D

[davidspalding]

There's a fifth reason, corollary of four "Because I can":

Because the other person is on teh phone, with a customer, with ticketing software open and typing notes, and AIM pops an annoying, interruptive window on the screen. Wait until the person is talking, discussing a technical details, and .... SEND.

<im>&lt;DING!>"Hey, isn't it annoying when these windows pop up on your screen unannounced?!"

... then hearing the person stutter, cough, and regain composure in the phone conversation. Mua-ha-ha-ha. >:)

[andrewlwood]

i do this sort of thing all the time:

Trying to rewind bits of tv/radio programs that I missed while I'm out of the room (don't have TiVo, don't want it)

I posted on brighthand one evening about trying to move a fly off my screen with my mouse cursor too - for about 30 seconds. Didn't work.

I constantly irritate my friends in the UK by IM'ing them through my 5450 bluetooth connection late at night when people ask me what my PDA can do.. So there's another example of 'because I can'. I try really hard not to use IM or even the telephone with people at work, so that it forces me to get out of my seat and walk around at least a few times a day.

But I've done the phoning people in the house thing - on a saturday morning when youthe first housemate went to make a cup of tea, a quick call to ask for one.