231. Smart Phone

I really love my smart phone. I don’t think I would have said that just a couple of years ago, so that’s why it has never (until now) been on my list. There are all kinds of things I use my smart phone for. It’s for more than just a phone and contact list. Second to that it’s a camera. I take pictures of everything and then I post those pictures on social media sites because I take so many pictures that I could never keep track of them and they get old and end up getting deleted. Who prints pictures these days?

And social media is a distraction for me that I use my phone for. In fact, I’ve had to reign it in because it’s way too easy to spend too much time on it. But I love it. I stay in touch with former students and family and friends. I use social media to let people know I’m alive and share crazy pictures I’ve taken. I use social media to have private conversations, share private photos, and just have fun. The great thing about so many of those social media apps is that you can delete conversations or photos, or in time they just disappear. You don’t have to feel like you’re being tracked for every off-color remark you’ve ever made.

I also use my smart phone as a stereo for my music. I connect the music I have downloaded to my stereo system I just purchased (see previous entry) or I use Bluetooth to connect it to the car stereo system. I listen to podcasts that I like. I use it to listen to audio books. My favorite podcasts are Fresh Air and This American Life. Right now I’m listening to a very interesting biography called Me and Robert E. Lee. I’m learning all kinds of new things about the south.

Sometimes I use my smartphone to identify myself as a COVID-19 vaccine recipient. I use it to download my flight boarding passes for plane trips. I use it to identify birds. I use it to read the Bible and news feeds. I use it to connect to various radio stations around the world and to listen to broadcasts in foreign languages so that I can learn them. I use it for my German dictionary and an occasional translation of other foreign languages. I use it for it’s maps and guides for direction. I use it to find things like food or museums. I use it for almost everything. I love my smartphone,