A friend of mine once noted that if you have the technology you should use it. At the time, I think the statement was based on a barbecue add-on. A side burner for mushrooms or something.
I just spent a few days with some good friends and their families at a spectacular property on Gabriola Island. I have been lucky to visit this unbelievable place since I was a teenager. Things have changed over the years, that's for sure.
At the time of my visit, there were five adults and five teenagers enjoying great weather and a variety of sightseeing opportunities. Just "chilling" on the deck was the most popular activity. Prepping various meals and cleaning up after them was a fantastic opportunity to talk, laugh and generally socialize.
During the intermittent periods between excellent outings and meal prepping there were always well told and intriguing stories of summers gone by. Some sunshine, good food and saltwater also seems to lend to a think-tank environment. We would laugh our heads off at ideas we were coming up for products and services and often felt compelled to do quick Google searches on our phones. Thankfully the cabin does not have a network to join but this fact spawned the question whether it should have one.
It was suggested the network could be used sparingly for important things like checking Scrabble words and helping with crossword clues.
Yes, all 10 of us had smartphones and we were looking to be "smart" at various points of the day. Whether it was checking for work-related mail or important texts telling friends what we were doing now, we were all guilty of checking in periodically.
At one stage there was a near crisis when the phone chargers could not be identified. A short walk through the small cabin would show that every outlet had a white charger plugged in for fear of losing connectivity with our "providers."
Some people need and benefit from the technology and they will use it prudently.
Working remotely is an idea that is still in its baby phase. If you are someone who can contribute to a company or business from a phone or laptop over a wireless network, then maybe working while on "holidays," at least for a portion of your trip, might be beneficial for you and the business.
I know my biggest fear on returning from a couple of days off is dealing with e-mail and other missed correspondence.
Recently there has been a quest to quell incessant mobile phone use. I almost ran over a lady walking her baby in a stroller the other day as she was oblivious to me while she was holding her phone close to her face talking while listening with headphones. Smart. The quest is called "phubbing," as in snubbing. The PH is for phone.
So when that goof five rows up from you at the theatre lights up like a Christmas tree when text messages come pouring in, he or she is snubbing the movie, and snubbing the people around them.
The stroller lady was phubbing her baby, herself and me.
We definitely need to be smart with our phones because it would seem they are controlling us when it should be the other way around.
Check out www.stopphubbing. com.
