Living in the Future

[cimorene]

I can almost substitute my phone for everything I used to carry around - or could imagine carrying around - with me: camera, mp3 and video player, flashlight, kitchen timer, ebook reader, shared grocery list with my wife's phone that updates automagically.

Earlier today I simultaneously ran a timer for my tea which was steeping, uploaded some photos I'd just taken to Picasa, and calculated modifications to a crochet pattern for a different yarn gauge by switching back and forth between the unit converter (inches to cm and vice versa) and the calculator. Day before yesterday it occurred to me to download a counter app to keep track of which row I'm crocheting, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet because I'm working in the round just now (on a hat, after finishing these beautiful scale-textured fingerless gloves last night).

Comments

[torachan]

In Japan, they use phones as debit cards, too! They're linked to your bank account and you can just wave them at things to pay.

(My phone is not very advanced, since I'm not willing to pay the high monthly fees for a smartphone, even if I were willing to pay the initial cost of the phone itself.)

[cimorene]

Yeah, some of the high-end phones here have the ... I forget the word... but they are made so that they could be upgraded to be used that way, apparently. But of course, the infrastructure isn't there - you need the chip readers that can read from a swipe. But I read an article about how people are working on it.

[anatsuno]

yeah. It's really amazing.

[pierydys]

http://www.slate.com/id/2287738/pagenum/all/#p2

Well, why not.

[cimorene]

Holy Shatner!