How to tell if you're retired

[bill_schubert]

I've got a new phone.  My Pixel 5a.  It has very successfully replaced my Pixel 3xl.  The only thing I miss about the 3xl is the xl.  Well, and the wireless charging.  Just saw an Ikea table idea with built in wireless charging.  Just toss your phone on there and it charges.  This is the way everything should work.  Actually, it should just charge anytime it is in the house through the wireless network.  Having to plug it in seems so 20th century.

But, yeah, with a new phone comes minor screwups occasionally.  Somehow my do not disturb was turned on and did not turn back off.  So that is everything but alarms and phone calls from people in my list.  It is what my phone reverts to at night.  In this case I'm not sure how it was turned on but I was riding my bike and realized I didn't get a notification that my garage door had closed after I left.  I checked to be sure and then it occurred to me that I'd not received any notifications.  Best as I can tell I'd not received any for a couple of days.  

I looked and the "Do not disturb" toggle was turned to on.  Once returned from the ride I pondered.

Now was the conundrum.  If I'd gone two days without my life being unsettled by not having notifications then why turn them back on?  I'd have noticed them being off after about 10 minutes a few years ago back when I was employed and the puppet of everyone. But now?  

Then I realized that I had missed the beginning of a conversation with susandennis and one with my son.  The only reason I noticed them was when I sat at the PC.

An absolutely good enough reason.  I toggled the "Do not disturb" switch and was immediately inundated with VERY IMPORTANT NEWS stories, among other things including the fact that my garage door was closed.

So I need to work on who, what, where and when but there are people and streams I don't want to miss. 

Comments

[stainsteelrat.livejournal.com]

This is why I didn't progress to a smartwatch. I don't néed.to know I've got a new email that much, I've always got new email.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

I had a Gammon watch my sister gave to me when she moved on to a new one. One of the reasons I stopped wearing it was the notifications. I don't much like talking with people who have one and constantly refer to their wrist every few minutes. I'm looking at maybe a fitbit but would never turn on the notifications. Really bad habit.

[amw.livejournal.com]

The way i deal with notifications is simply to mute every single app that ever gives me a notification i don't want. That basically just leaves me with email and Skype. I haven't figured out yet how to make my email address only receive important emails. Unsubscribing from useless mailing lists seems like a full-time job.

I am in the market for a new phone. My Pixel 3a has a mashed screen and with all the riding and camping i'm doing i am finally ready to drop the coin on a waterproof phone. Can you just get the 5a from anywhere in the US, or is it part of this bizarre wartime waiting list thing? It's not sold in Canada, so i couldn't get it when i was there.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

The 5a is available. I ordered mine on a Thursday and it came on Saturday. It was fully set up by Saturday afternoon. It's in all the big box stores as the online Google store. The 6 is coming out sometime soon so the 5a is passé.

[sleepybadger.livejournal.com]

I got so sick of the constant notifications that I went in and shut off notifications for everything except actual text messages. Are there times it might be helpful to get a notification about a particular email or when it's my turn at scrabble? Sure. But I have no interest in slavishly checking every time it dings.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

Good plan. Slow scrabble.