Death of the phone call...

[Techman]

Originally Posted by Craig Sawyers

They key is to get the NHS app and order repeat prescriptions that way, a week before you are going run out. Then wait for the text.

Fortunately, I'm still virtually 100% fit, but do need to use the repeat prescription 'on-line' thing for just one little annoying ailment, but I do it on a proper computer (PC) and not via a phone app - yet!

As I understand it, I think there's something in place whereby your prescription can even be delivered direct to your front door at no cost to you, but I enjoy the walk to the pharmacy and I can also get a few bits at the local shop, too...then have a walk round the village - probably why I'm quite fit!

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by Techman

As I understand it, I think there's something in place whereby your prescription can even be delivered direct to your front door at no cost to you!

Yes thats how I get my drugs; the only problem is that the Pharmacy2U people have a tendency to package them in too-big-to-go-through-the-letterbox boxes/jiffybags.

Cue confusion!

[Mods: apologies for perpetuating a distinct thread-drift! Maybe let's get back to discussing the death of phone calls now?]

[Techman]

Originally Posted by Techman

My recent router upgrade now means that I can no longer dial out with my vintage phones. I know I can get a 'converter' to make them still work, but I can't really be bothered anymore.

Just getting back to phones again, at least I can still receive calls on my old Bakelite (and other types of) vintage phones, but if I'm totally honest it's just the novelty value of using them and in reality they mostly just sit there as ornaments on display. If I do end up ditching the land line altogether, then that's all they'll be anyway.

My new phone contract is £9 a month (at the moment) with unlimited calls and texts, plus 40GB of data per month. If I went over to this totally and ditched the land line altogether, then I might have to be careful regarding my YouTube viewing, which is mainly music related, but also a lot of varied technical and other stuff, too.

[Techman]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

Indeed, on occasions when I had visitors, if the phone rang I'd ignore it - they might say "Aren't you going to answer that?" and I'd reply "no, I'm already busy talking to you!".

For the last decade or so when I still had a landline, I left it with the ringer muted and calls would go to the voicemail, which I might check once a week if I could be bothered.

I've actually done this on occasion. The other thing that I sometimes do if I don't want to be disturbed is to just pull the plug out of the main land line socket. However, this has come back to bite me when I've then forgotten about it and seen the connector still hanging there disconnected a day later and on checking 1471, finding that I've missed a call that I could have really done with taking. I used to run an answerphone on the land line, but found it a bit of a pest in the end and kept it switched off. It seems that my new mobile phone contract includes an answerphone facility by default and I've noticed that there's one message on it from the other day, no idea what it is, as I haven't listened to it yet. I need to get that answerphone turned off!

[dave walsh]

All these honest responses illustrate very well the length and breadth of this subject and it's various aspects. The recent very useful SIM frustration thread [John10b 9/11/23] highlights that, along with the withdrawl of Landines, many "providers" are now not at all happy with "pay as you go" anymore as users don't talk enough to boost profits8 I possibly had the last [original] vodaphone clamshell until it died. I admit to not being very mobile motivated but I do have Doro now. I don't have it actually with me all the time and survive. I do use computers and "mobile" phones on a limited basis not as a lifetime support but of course the number of people with my approach is miniscule. It is quite alarming to look around and see how algorithm addicted the general population is and how emotionally dependent. Sitting on a train can be like a Sci Fi film with 40 people all staring at the screen. It's a sort of cross between infantaliation and zombification!

I don't have a problem with e-mails as long as I'm not bombarded [unlikely] and find them very useful as a record and verification. If you just txt, message or speak it may possibly be retrievable but not that easily It's good to have a direct record-one they can't pull the plug on! People do that themselves anyway [unless you've saved it to a "cloud".....at least one of which dissolved with all the data]. All those thousands of mobile txts and "snaps" that people take on the "latest" phone, not as a record but a "Look I'm here" signal. Digital is convenient but even if your device updates itself most people just loose or throw them away!

It may not be just the Phone Call that is dying but the overall psychological make up and condition of humans who often seem to be helpless without the perceived safety of the [prison] "cell" phone and "virtual reality" [as opposed to "real reality" perhaps? AI was not taken seriously [like climate change] but it is now for sure. It seems to be morphing towards humans while we are endlessly distracted and seemingly moving into something artificial ourselves but of course, I hope not! I'm not sure the difference between male and female conversations is all that different anymore [Paul p5*] and the obssession with the [mobile] phone is pretty much universal overall.

My favourite story is still Professor Higgs Bosun's son telling his dad to get a moble, so people could contact him. Dad said, "I don't want people contacting me when I'm thinking about the Universe!"

Dave W

John Lennon "Across The Universe". 1969

"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup"

[Cobaltblue]

Its all been said and not really a topic for this forum anyway so with that its time to put the receiver on hook.

Cheers

Mike T