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Friday, July 19, 2013

OT: Further adventures with John's new cell phone

It's happened, people. My Luddite boyfriend has become a cell phone geek, with his new Samsung Galaxy S4. Every time I talk with him, he's going on about something new he learned how to do with his phone. I have to say it's pretty damned amazing what this thing can do.

But last weekend took the cake.

On Saturday, the TV had been on all day on CNN. John is fascinated with legal proceedings, and had been closely following that trial, that verdict, etc. (And NO, we are not going to discuss that trial here. No exceptions.) Anyway, once the verdict was delivered at around 7 PM our time, I figured we were done. But after we came home from dinner, CNN was back on once again and we were watching rehash, recaps and reactions.

Finally, at 9:45, I grabbed the remote and said, "Sorry, honey, but enough of this already," and changed the channel.

John didn't say a word. He just gave me a measured look, then reached into his pocket, withdrew his phone and started fiddling with it. "What are you doing?" I asked. He ignored me and pointed his phone at the TV.

The channel changed back to CNN.

"What???" I screeched. "How the hell....?"

Grinning, he showed me the screen. Apparently he'd found some sort of app that turned his phone into a Universal Remote. Sure enough, I looked at the screen and saw a basic remote control, with on-off button, volume, channels and mute button. I was speechless.

(And yes, he let me change the channel back to another program. He was just showing off.)

So let's review. This little device is a phone, a computer, a TV, a music player, a still and video camera, a remote control, a GPS unit...what else? Sometimes I feel like I'm living in the middle of a sci-fi movie. I think of all the technological advances I've seen in my lifetime alone and it makes my brain explode. I'm old enough to remember dial telephones that did nothing but make and receive calls, and when color TV was a huge deal. It's fascinating.

For those who have been asking, John is in the throes of the endless preparation and research necessary when one is facing heart surgery. Long, complicated story, but in a nutshell, he could probably have a much less invasive surgery to repair his existing valve, but his HMO is resistant to that and would rather go the easy route and just replace it. So he's in the middle of second opinions and tests and outside networks, and preparing to fight his HMO. It's not going to be pretty. But he's hanging in there. He's tired all the time now, but still very functional, still exercising. He's a strong and stubborn cuss, that love of mine.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

15 comments:

  1. Erica, what's a "dial" phone? :-P~~~~

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  2. Great story. Thanks for sharing. I think I'll aim my iphone 4S at the tv and see what happens, although I'm guessing this will require an app purchase. Our first TV with a remote was a Zenith that sometimes went haywire. Believe it or not we sometimes had to slap spoons together to duplicate the frequency that would turn the TV on or off. By the way, you would think the HMO would go for the less invasive and presumably more cost effective repair of the valve.

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  3. I would say that if it had a large flat area at one end like the back of a hair brush , it would be the finest phone ever made to deal with brats who steal the remote ! :-P chuckles

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  4. Bobbie Jo -- oh, hush. :-Þ Reminds me of a cartoon I saw recently -- two little cell phones who see an old-fashioned rotary phone and excitedly exclaim, "Grandma!!"

    Sweetspot -- our first TV didn't have a remote. You got up and changed the channel (hence the birth of the expression "Don't touch that dial!"). For the HMO, the replacement is much easier than the repair. The repair is less invasive, but much trickier and requires a lot more expertise than simply cutting one thing out and replacing it with another.

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  5. D -- perhaps. I'll bet some have used their phone this way. But I think hands and proper implements would be a lot more effective. :-)

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  6. That's the coolest sounding option EVER for a phone. If you don't mind me asking, what did it cost?

    I know how you worry deeply for your loved ones but John has half the battle won before surgery based on his healthy lifestyle AND determination to remain strong. A friend of mine recently underwent double bypass surgery and was up walking around the hospital the next day. He's nowhere near the great condition of John.

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  7. Kelly -- it depends on where you buy it, what phone plan you're under, etc. John's plan is Verizon and he qualified for an upgrade, so I believe the phone cost him either $150 or $200, and he had a $50 mail-in rebate. It can cost several hundred dollars more if you don't have a plan, I think.

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  8. Erica, I recently was invited to a senior center birthday party were one lady was celebrating her 100th Birthday. So far she has lived from 1913-2013. In that space of time, the Wright Brother's flew their first airplane up to know where we have rocketed to the moon and Mars. She has seen the light bulb, telephone, radio, TV, and computer, etc. being invented. Now being an optimist, I hope one day that people like us 'spanko's can be excepted as quote "NORMAL" people. And that you can publish a book about spankings, without being embarrassed, in giving your real name. XXX Luv ya.

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  9. Six -- one would hope. In the meantime, I'm happy being able to share my first name, at least, and the things that mean a lot to me. :-)

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  10. Hi Erica -- John's new cell phone is so COOL :-) I am surprised that he didn't give you a good spanking for changing the channel on him, Hehehe LOL. I know John will do good with his heart surgery,because he leads a healthy lifestyle :-) Wishing you and John a nice weekend.Much Love and hugs from naughty girl Jade

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  11. Jade -- John and I don't play anymore, honey. You know that. He doesn't have the energy. I am hoping he will regain it, eventually.

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  12. Very nice and fun post
    Always
    Ron

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  13. It is wild the things phones can do these days. I think it's also made all of us a more impatient society, and sometimes a more impolite one. It is hard to have a conversation with a person anymore without everyone just on their phones talking to each other. "Hello? I'm right here!" Pros and cons. I hope John gets everything worked out.

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  14. Lea -- I bless their convenience, but also curse them. People don't know when to turn them off and pay attention to what they're doing.

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