Monday, March 2, 2015

Love It or Hate It. Technology is Here to Stay by Melinda Curtis

What kind of relationship do you have with your smart phone? Love it? Hate it? Can't live without it?

Don't get me wrong. I love my smart phone. But I think cell phone companies are deceptive. A smart phone is like a young child - you must teach it to make it be as smart (or smarter) than you are. You must monitor it to make sure it is actually behaving correctly. And you must have a sense of humor, otherwise, when you least expect it you'll have a meltdown. All because something the smart phone was supposed to do, didn't happen.

For example, I have a weather app on my home screen. It often blinks and tells me I'm in Orlando, Florida. Now, don't get me wrong. I like Orlando. But I live in California. I've often - with blinding trust - checked the weather and rushed out of the house thinking it was going to be 85 degrees, only to find the high was in the 50s. You must be alert (and smart) to use some of these apps.

Another joy is teaching your smart phone your vocabulary. Come on now. You know what I'm talking about. You text your daughter and say, "I love you." And send it quickly (because we're all in a hurry). And then you do a double take because auto-correct sent this message: I Lubbock you.

If there's one thing my smart phone has taught me, it's to slow down and look twice. And isn't that the best advice?

My experiences were the inspiration for a story line in Always a Bridesmaid. I'd love to hear what fun you've had with your smart phone. 

In the meantime, if you sign up for my mailing list at www.MelindaCurtis.net you'll receive a FREE novelette: Cinderella Fell for a Fella.

10 comments:

  1. If you click on the screen shots they are readable! Who knew they'd be that small...?

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  2. OOOH, technology. It smells my fear, it knows my weaknesses, it exploits them. Sigh. My three year old laptop, a Toshiba killed itself last Thursday (I swear I had nothing to do with it!). I lost absolutely everything to a fried motherboard. Fortunately, I had online backup so I was able to download everything onto my lovely new Lenovo laptop -- which took three days! Now I have to learn a new computer and a new system. Oy!! I know it's unacceptable for an adult -- with grandchildren -- to curl up in a corner and weep over technology, but that's what I feel like doing.

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  3. My nemisis is auto-correct. Ever hear of a heart attach? Guess that'd work in a Romance, but not so much in a hospital :)

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    1. Judy, I hate auto correct. It showed in Always a Bridesmaid. Example: I'm live in Vegas. Are you making porn tonight?

      LOL! That was my heroine trying to say: I'm leaving Vegas. Are you making pork tonight?

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  4. I wish my auto-correct errors with my daughter were that innocent. We end up in tears sometimes!

    I also wish I could do half what my almost-three-year-old granddaughter can do on my iPhone and iPad. She came out of my room one night with my iPad and took pictures of all of us. I couldn't figure out how she knew my password, only to find out she knows how to take pictures while it's locked. I don't.

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    1. Oh, Aileen. My daughter borrowed my phone and started talking to it. "Google, find vacuum repair." I had no idea you could talk to my phone.

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  5. I don't use my smart phone very much compared to a lot of people. I use it mainly for phone calls and texting. I do love SIRI that allows me to dictate my texts. I occasionally have funny substitutions in texts. One that always makes me laugh is when I texted to my daughter to meet in the restaurant Chiquitos and the text said cheeky toes. I purposely left that in to give us both a laugh.

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  6. I need to learn how to talk to my phone! I've never done it. But its a dream come true to be able to check email, anywhere and anytime. I love that!

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  7. I love my smart phone - but sadly, it is far smarter than the user! Fun post, Melinda. Thanks for sharing!

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