# Can you remember life before this technology of the 2010’s....



## Hepato-pancreato (Oct 31, 2018)

The ease of making a phone call.
Classic example I was watching the sweeney ( from my boxset DVD’s)
When over the police radio Regan was to call the commander ASAP. He stopped at a phone box. Then realised the receiver cable was cut. Then had to find another.
Or the internet where we can communicate with fellow diabetics and creonistas etc....
As a computer literate pensioner. They could live life without leaving the house. Pay all bills online,shop online, script online, arguments from either side on the good or bad technology has brought us.


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## trophywench (Oct 31, 2018)

The online lifestyle is very unhealthy - you can't exercise all that well (unless 'home' is like Windsor Great Park) nor can you meet people - at least years ago when if you wanted to read anything you had to either go to the library or a bookshop, you needed interaction with other human beans to do that, it kind of required determination to become a reclusive billy no mates - now it would be far too easy and it's not good for mental health in general.

IMHO anyway.


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## Ralph-YK (Oct 31, 2018)

trophywench said:


> it kind of required determination to become a reclusive billy no mates - now it would be far too easy and it's not good for mental health in general.


Oh, it's always been easy.  I know of people who were.


Hepato-pancreato said:


> The ease of making a phone call.
> Classic example I was watching the sweeney ( from my boxset DVD’s)
> When over the police radio Regan was to call the commander ASAP. He stopped at a phone box. Then realised the receiver cable was cut. Then had to find another.


I remember.  Though it's not really any better now with my family, even though they have smart phones, Skype and Facebook messenger (you can sent texts and use them for voice & video calls).  It's a real problem trying to get in touch with any of them.


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## eggyg (Oct 31, 2018)

Today’s technology has its good points and bad points. Last week on holiday our nearly 12 year old granddaughter nearly had a melt down because she ran out of data and apparently was doing a 200 day snapchat streak with a friend. No, I haven’t a clue what that means, anyways she was happy when the free WiFi kicked in when we went for breakfast! On the plus side I started my Christmas shopping and bought myself a book today in the comfort of my own home. Good old Amazon! I can’t imagine not been able to communicate with whoever, whenever I wanted. It does mean young ones probably won’t have received love letters like I did when Mr Eggy worked away in Acton in the late 70s and it was too expensive to use the phone in his digs.


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## Ralph-YK (Oct 31, 2018)

eggyg said:


> It does mean young ones probably won’t have received love letters like I did when Mr Eggy worked away in Acton in the late 70s and it was too expensive to use the phone in his digs.


Love texts.  For example:


> " "


(There are a load of emoji/smilies this site does have or allow.  Got this off the next, so the size.)


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## Robin (Oct 31, 2018)

One thing I noticed when my kids were at home and having friends round, was that the front doorbell was redundant. Friends would text as they approached the house, child would come downstairs and open the door just as friends' feet hit the front step.


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## nonethewiser (Oct 31, 2018)

Never ceases to amaze me when seeing someone use a mobile phone on the street, know that they've been around 20 years or more but just the same.

We had a phone box in the next street to where we grow up, on a night the queue would stretch down the street, wasn't until the mid 70's that parents had a home phone installed, thought we were right middle class when they did.


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## Amigo (Oct 31, 2018)

It’s gone crazy! We had a young window cleaner cleaning Velux windows in our roof the other day and when we looked up he was texting whilst working without even looking at the glass! We had visions of him falling off the roof (and immediately taking a selfie to put on F/B!)


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## trophywench (Oct 31, 2018)

Things like that and colour tellies or whatever, marked milestones in your life - getting a fridge in 1967 was one of those for my mom and dad, whereas we started our married life with one in 1971.  Second hand of course, no way could we afford new.  People now seem to think new everything is essential.


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## MikeTurin (Oct 31, 2018)

I think we reached the tipping point on making phone calls few years ago. I had a Nokia 6120 (still have in a drawer), small but not too much sensitive antenna clear audio and mic, fallen ftom 1st floor on concrete and only broke the plastic cover, you could dial a number without looking at it...
Now I fint that latest smartphones are way too big, and the voice quality is lower. Besides, if now you like to make a call, nowadays more and more people don't answer at the cellphone, and this linked to the landline disappareance is becoming a problem.

I remember when I was 16 that I tried to listen ton New York's AM bradcastings, and that required to connect a capacitor and a coil to the radio tou use the telephone wire as a long wire antenna and tuning inbetween european channels. Then I started to use a satellite receiver, much better quality. Nowadays one have only to go on some streaming site and decide what to listen.


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## Flower (Oct 31, 2018)

I was awarded my Communications badge by the Brownies for using 2p to make a phone call home from a red phone box. I can remember one of the older Guides with us saying '2p or not 2p that is the question' .


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## travellor (Oct 31, 2018)

I just tell Alexa to connect the call for me.


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## eggyg (Oct 31, 2018)

Ralph-YK said:


> Love texts.  For example:
> 
> (There are a load of emoji/smilies this site does have or allow.  Got this off the next, so the size.)


You can’t keep them though Ralph and read through them when you are supposed to be having a sort out! Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t all soppy, some of them are just about everyday things like what we had for dinner, now you would just take a photo and put it on Instagram. We weren’t married at that time and didn’t live together, God forbid, and were in the process of buying a house and I had to deal with all the paperwork, I had to post things for him to sign and he would post it back and I would post it to the solicitors, now we would just use emails! So on the whole I think things are better.


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## missclb (Nov 1, 2018)

I can honestly remember wondering what we'd use the world wide web for, when we have books!!  I'm clearly not an early adopter. 

Even more scary/exciting (delete as appropriate) is what the world might be like in another 20-30 years?!


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## chaoticcar (Nov 1, 2018)

If we didn't have Skype how would I talk to my daughter every week in Congo ?
  Carol


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## chaoticcar (Nov 1, 2018)

When I was a teenager we had a phone cos my Dad worked for Post office telephones ,it was a party line (anybody remember ?) If next door were on the phone you could listen in !
  Carol


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 1, 2018)

eggyg said:


> You can’t keep them though Ralph and read through them when you are supposed to be having a sort out! Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t all soppy, some of them are just about everyday things like what we had for dinner, now you would just take a photo and put it on Instagram. We weren’t married at that time and didn’t live together, God forbid, and were in the process of buying a house and I had to deal with all the paperwork, I had to post things for him to sign and he would post it back and I would post it to the solicitors, now we would just use emails! So on the whole I think things are better.


Yes, they're not really the same.  It's what we have now I guess.  And you'd get not just less text, you'd get Less, with emoji instead.


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## eggyg (Nov 1, 2018)

Guess what happened today? I left the house without my phone!  Normally wouldn’t really matter but Mr Eggy dropped baby granddaughter and me off at soft play and I was to call him when I needed picked up! Also I wanted to take photos of her as it was her first visit. Luckily I had the pushchair so decided to walk home as it was a nice day. Never crossed my mind about pushing a buggy up a hill with dodgy shoulders! Even if I could have found a payphone I didn’t have any change, how much is it these days? We arrived home , hot and hungry, me not the baby, she was fast asleep! Mr Eggy just thought we had stayed there for lunch and wasn’t even worried! I did consider asking someone if I could use their phone but I am stubborn and not cheeky enough!


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## KARNAK (Nov 1, 2018)

Nice thread, some lovely memory comments, mind you BT are coming tomorrow to disconnect 2 cans of Vimto and a piece of string .


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## mikeyB (Nov 2, 2018)

All the time I was a GP there was no such thing as a mobile phone. So, while on call, if I responded to a call I had to use the patients phone to phone home to see if there were any more calls. Latterly, a bleeper system alerted me to another call. Still had to use the last callers landline, mind. Never caused any problem.

I dislike being obtainable every hour of the day. It’s not the way human beings or society works, or at least should work. Mr eggy demonstrates that attitude nicely. Not heard from Mrs eggy, so assumes she’s scoffing scones somewhere, so puts feet up. The mobile phone would have disrupted that.


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## Wirrallass (Nov 2, 2018)

chaoticcar said:


> If we didn't have Skype how would I talk to my daughter every week in Congo?
> Carol


You can make a free video call by using WhatsApp tho I don't know if it would work to the Congo?! Worth a try maybe?

WL


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## Wirrallass (Nov 2, 2018)

chaoticcar said:


> When I was a teenager we had a phone cos my Dad worked for Post office telephones ,it was a party line (anybody remember ?) If next door were on the phone you could listen in !
> Carol


We shared a telephone line with someone else back in the late 50's early 60's ~ and you're right Carol about listening in to the other party. It was a case of saying "sorry" if we picked up the phone while they were on the line!

WL


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## Ljc (Nov 2, 2018)

We had a party line for a while.  I remember when using a telephone box having to press button A or B afterwards. 
We also had a police telephone box in our street when we first moved to Tooting


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## nonethewiser (Nov 2, 2018)

Not sure if the service is still around, but if you went to a phone box and you had no change you could reverse the charges to the person you were calling.


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## Robin (Nov 2, 2018)

nonethewiser said:


> Not sure if the service is still around, but if you went to a phone box and you had no change you could reverse the charges to the person you were calling.


You had to dial 100 to call the operator, and ask for a reverse charge call, then they dialled the number you wanted and asked if they’d accept it.( and I think they charged double). Not sure operators exist any more, I remember having to go via the operator to phone my aunt, because her part of town didn’t have an automatic telephone exchange. You waited for the operator to answer 'number please' and gave her ( it was always a female) the number. Similarly for long distance calls, before STD, where STD stood for Subscriber Trunk Dialling, and not something you need antibiotics for.


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## nonethewiser (Nov 2, 2018)

Robin said:


> You had to dial 100 to call the operator, and ask for a reverse charge call, then they dialled the number you wanted and asked if they’d accept it.( and I think they charged double). Not sure operators exist any more, I remember having to go via the operator to phone my aunt, because her part of town didn’t have an automatic telephone exchange. You waited for the operator to answer 'number please' and gave her ( it was always a female) the number. Similarly for long distance calls, before STD, where STD stood for Subscriber Trunk Dialling, and not something you need antibiotics for.



Well remembered.


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## Carolg (Nov 2, 2018)

Flower said:


> I was awarded my Communications badge by the Brownies for using 2p to make a phone call home from a red phone box. I can remember one of the older Guides with us saying '2p or not 2p that is the question' .


Was there not a saying about press button”a” etc to help us remember.?


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## Robin (Nov 2, 2018)

nonethewiser said:


> Well remembered.


If only I could remember my current mobile phone number with such clarity!


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 2, 2018)

wirralass said:


> You can make a free video call by using WhatsApp tho I don't know if it would work to the Congo?! Worth a try maybe?
> 
> WL


Should work anywhere you've got good enough internet.  Unless it's been blocked in that country.  You can do voice calls and video calls with Facebook Messenger too.  There's an Android app just for Facebook Messenger, separate to the Facebook app.  I really don't like Facebook though.  Ugh 
I'd prefer to use Skype where I could.  Except the people I know are awkward s^&%$


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## chaoticcar (Nov 2, 2018)

Ralph-YK said:


> Should work anywhere you've got good enough internet.  Unless it's been blocked in that country.  You can do voice calls and video calls with Facebook Messenger too.  There's an Android app just for Facebook Messenger, separate to the Facebook app.  I really don't like Facebook though.  Ugh
> I'd prefer to use Skype where I could.  Except the people I know are awkward s^&%$


I am very happy with Skype ,without today's technology it would take 3 months for a letter (even if it got there) ,and I would have to take out a mortgage to phone through international operators !(even if I got through ) .My Granddaughter thinks that my husband and I are very good with technology ---for our age 
 Carol


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 2, 2018)

chaoticcar said:


> My Granddaughter thinks that my husband and I are very good with technology ---for our age


It's the properly old people who did all the serious computer work back in the 60s, 70s and 80s


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## MikeTurin (Nov 2, 2018)

For Halloween I attended a music and theater in a really small pub with a small stage. The musician/DJ couldn't put his theremin and synthesizers for the gig, so recorded the music on a 1/4 inch reel to 1970s reel tape recorder. At the end of the show he sold some demo cassette tapes and one 3" tape reel.
On inside the cassette there was a website and username and password to download the mp3s, but the idea was interesting.


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## Mark T (Nov 2, 2018)

At The IET Savoy Place they have the 100 engineering ideas display, which has such gems as:


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## Ljc (Nov 2, 2018)

In the late 60s I had a portable reel to reel tape recorder.


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## mikeyB (Nov 2, 2018)

So did we. With the microphone used to record the Sunday top twenty from the radio.


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## mikeyB (Nov 2, 2018)

Mark T said:


> At The IET Savoy Place they have the 100 engineering ideas display, which has such gems as:


The selection includes 11 items the Romans were familiar with and one the Ancient Greeks.


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## travellor (Nov 3, 2018)

Not only did I use 8" floppy discs, I used reel to reel as well.


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## nonethewiser (Nov 3, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> So did we. With the microphone used to record the Sunday top twenty from the radio.



Of course the mic would also pick up the inevitable chatter in the background.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 3, 2018)

travellor said:


> Not only did I use 8" floppy discs, I used reel to reel as well.


I used real to real, punch cards and punch tape.


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## C&E Guy (Nov 5, 2018)

Some great comments above.

My dad and I went into town one Saturday night to see a demonstration of colour tv. It was amazing. It was several years before we got one. Only the wealthy people had one.

We thought that a push button phone and an answering machine were so American as they had them on all the tv shows.

Just when mobile phones were coming in, I remember speaking early one morning to a colleague in Australia when he was driving home from work. The sound was so clear, it was as if he was in the next room. It was incredible.


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## WHT (Nov 5, 2018)

Ralph-YK said:


> Oh, it's always been easy.  I know of people who were.
> 
> I remember.  Though it's not really any better now with my family, even though they have smart phones, Skype and Facebook messenger (you can sent texts and use them for voice & video calls).  It's a real problem trying to get in touch with any of them.


Doesn't matter the Technology.....it's the people! And hear many people today say "why do we always have to be on call at a moments notice!? Why are we tethered to mobiles?!" then you look at the flip side of it all and think even with all this TECH available still people refuse to interact/communicate!
Although saying people don't interact - that depends if they are shown how to use TECH. You can't use something you don't know how to use and for a lot of older folk Tech is a mystery and something they see as they can do without as have always upto that point ''not used it'' so why change? Love it when see older people using a mobile. A phone is an invaluable resource today. The positive as to the negative (always on call) .... alternative SWITCH IT OFF! LOL!


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## WHT (Nov 5, 2018)

...Waiting outside a phonebox for the person to finish their call, before we got the chance to make our call. Interviews; giving them the number to a phonebox near you. Explaining couldn't afford a private phone (cost too much). However having found myself in a situation where I was without my wallet and without my mobile was stranded.....however made it back on foot in the dark!


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## Northerner (Nov 5, 2018)

WHT said:


> Doesn't matter the Technology.....it's the people! And hear many people today say "why do we always have to be on call at a moments notice!? Why are we tethered to mobiles?!" then you look at the flip side of it all and think even with all this TECH available still people refuse to interact/communicate!
> Although saying people don't interact - that depends if they are shown how to use TECH. You can't use something you don't know how to use and for a lot of older folk Tech is a mystery and something they see as they can do without as have always upto that point ''not used it'' so why change? Love it when see older people using a mobile. A phone is an invaluable resource today. The positive as to the negative (always on call) .... alternative SWITCH IT OFF! LOL!


I only gave in to getting a smartphone about a year ago, still not entirely confident with using some of the features  I've been a computer programmer/analyst since 1985, so it's not like I'm not tech-savvy!  I think that, as an older person, I'm a lot more cautious about what I allow the phone to 'know', like bank details, personal info etc. - some of the apps seem to require you to sign away your first-born child when you install them, and I find it quite shocking how trusting (or ignorant?) a lot of younger people are with their private information, and what they will share without even thinking about it


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## travellor (Nov 5, 2018)

I think its numbers.
There are so many billion people out there now, it all gets lost in the mix.
So the chances of your data being exploited are still low. 
It was a lot easier to listen in on a telephone line, or listen to an analogue mobile, than to crack encrypted data now.


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## Northerner (Nov 5, 2018)

travellor said:


> I think its numbers.
> There are so many billion people out there now, it all gets lost in the mix.
> So the chances of your data being exploited are still low.
> It was a lot easier to listen in on a telephone line, or listen to an analogue mobile, than to crack encrypted data now.


I don't know, there are so many reports of companies getting their databases hacked and your data can be held by hundreds of different places these days  When they get hold of thousands, or millions of people's information they only need a tiny proportion to get taken in by spam and malware  Didn't happen with analogue systems.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 5, 2018)

Organisatios have other ways to get you're details. I've had scam emails, my addresses gained from my looking for work & providing my email address (it's only used for job applications).  Think of the info on your cv.  
Last week I actually had an email from an advertiser. "Come for an interview and presentation. Bring your passport, full bank account details (inc sort code and account number), driving licence, mot, insurance, and a whole load of other info. And photocopies of everything for them to keep. Big RED flags saying scam.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 5, 2018)

Northerner said:


> I think that, as an older person, I'm a lot more cautious about what I allow the phone to 'know', like bank details, personal info etc


Maybe someone who's actually thought about it.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 5, 2018)

Northerner said:


> I find it quite shocking how trusting (or ignorant?) a lot of younger people are with their private information, and what they will share without even thinking about it


I've not heard a story about it recently. There was a thing about young people posting all sorts of info on Facebook. Apparently some actually thought of it as private.  It's completely public!


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## Robin (Nov 5, 2018)

Northerner said:


> - some of the apps seem to require you to sign away your first-born child when you install them,


We’ve got a standing joke in our family, every time we get pages and pages of Apple/Facebook etc Ts & Cs that have to be agreed before you can do anything. Someone turns to my eldest child and says, 'sorry, I’ve signed you away again!'


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## Martin Canty (Nov 5, 2018)

Having been living in a big city for the last 5 weeks & working in Downtown Tampa I was amazed about how many people walked around with their noses absolutely glued to their cell phones (doesn't really happen where I live).... Sure, I had mine with me & if I was getting a bit to eat I would catch up on FB, but otherwise it would remain in my pocket & if I made or took a call I'd find somewhere out of the way to stand & talk.


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## travellor (Nov 5, 2018)

Well, I've just applied for, and received, my Visa to travel to Istanbul.

All done online, with passport information, credit card information, but then printed out 2 minutes later.
Good or bad?


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## Northerner (Nov 5, 2018)

Martin Canty said:


> Having been living in a big city for the last 5 weeks & working in Downtown Tampa I was amazed about how many people walked around with their noses absolutely glued to their cell phones (doesn't really happen where I live).... Sure, I had mine with me & if I was getting a bit to eat I would catch up on FB, but otherwise it would remain in my pocket & if I made or took a call I'd find somewhere out of the way to stand & talk.


I was on a train the other day and when we came into a station I 'people-watched' the departing passengers as they passed the window. Without exception, every single person under 40 had their nose in their phone  

I rather liked this cartoon from Private Eye:


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## mikeyB (Nov 5, 2018)

People like that are the bane of my life in a wheelchair. They don’t even respond to the beep of the warning horn, presumably because they think it’s somebody’s phone alert. I’m just waiting to inflict the first ruptured Achilles’ tendon.


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## WHT (Nov 14, 2018)

Northerner said:


> I don't know, there are so many reports of companies getting their databases hacked and your data can be held by hundreds of different places these days  When they get hold of thousands, or millions of people's information they only need a tiny proportion to get taken in by spam and malware  Didn't happen with analogue systems.


companies = money; so is more likely a company would be hacked rather than an individual account...unless it's the opportunist thief sitting at a cafe 'scanning info' etc; I loved 'tomorrows world' when it was on and now it's 'gadget show' although somewhat ''overpriced'' in what it delivers. I digress!


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## WHT (Nov 14, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> People like that are the bane of my life in a wheelchair. They don’t even respond to the beep of the warning horn, presumably because they think it’s somebody’s phone alert. I’m just waiting to inflict the first ruptured Achilles’ tendon.


Ever saw the programme ''off their rockers'' is about older people in public playing pranks. One of them entails someone dressed as a nun in a mobility scooter with an air horn and blasts it at unknowing walkers! 
I was a walking phone zombie till the day I 'hit into someone' cos I wasn't looking where I was going; now I stand to one side or don't bother taking my phone out of my pocket till I'm stood still. I learnt my lesson as the 'embarrassment' of hitting into someone due to my own ignorance of not  'looking up' and 'paying attention' made me PAY ATTENTION!


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## WHT (Nov 14, 2018)

@mikeyB  you shouldn't have to but maybe a bike bell would be better! apart from that 'EXCUSE ME PLEASE' in a loud voice always works. I'm a shorty so moving through packed buses at busy times of day can be quite challenging! However, should the driver suddenly start off driving again before I've got to the doors then I YELL AT HIM TO STOP! But that was when I lived up north.


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## Ralph-YK (Nov 14, 2018)

Northerner said:


> I don't know, there are so many reports of companies getting their databases hacked and your data can be held by hundreds of different places these days  When they get hold of thousands, or millions of people's information they only need a tiny proportion to get taken in by spam and malware  Didn't happen with analogue systems.





WHT said:


> companies = money; so is more likely a company would be hacked rather than an individual account...unless it's the opportunist thief sitting at a cafe 'scanning info' etc; I loved 'tomorrows world' when it was on and now it's 'gadget show' although somewhat ''overpriced'' in what it delivers. I digress!


Well, an organisation's database could hold details on a lot of people; thousands in one go!


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