Rage against the machine or: How come I can't use it?

Well, I had a load of notes about how annoying I find technology, only I have just managed to delete them all - along with a load of my other blog notes. Wonderful.

I wish we all still had to write letters, or, at a pinch, phone our friends. I honestly hate mobile phones and the grip they seem to have on me, and other people. A few months ago, while sitting in the garden with our youngest, I was, as is unfortunately often the case, sending a text to a friend. Upon finishing I suddenly realised that I now had a hair-clip in my hair. "How did that get there? Did you put it in?", I asked our daughter. Turns out she had, without me even noticing. Oh, the shame.

Unfortunately, I am exceptionally bad at using any mobile phone if it is even slightly modern and complicated. Thus, when we were driving one time, my husband's phone rang. It was his mother. I tried picking it up in time, but failed. The phone rang again. Still his mother. More desperate this time, I tried again. Still no luck. When I tried phoning her back, all I managed to do was send a text (to somebody else) with a pre-typed message in it. So, if you ever phone me and I appear to hang up, or not answer, do not worry. It is nothing personal, I am simply incompetent. Or maybe I just don't like you : 0


The way in which people become so addicted to the feeling of being constantly connected to the wider world, through their phones and laptops, is worrying. Sadly, this often means neglecting the people closest to them. Why do people feel the need to update others on their every move instead of just enjoying their life and spending time with their families? Even worse, it seems to be increasingly socially acceptable to stare at the phone in your hand, rather than actually talking to the friend you are supposedly spending time with. This is still not as bad as speaking at a conference, only to find the live Twitter feed screened behind you, filling up with comments about how boring your speech is. Sounds too rude to be true? Sadly not, this really did happen to someone.



While I am not on Facebook, Twitter or any of the other social networks, and while I do not enjoy being online (yes, really), I do sometimes find myself being addicted to the web. Hence why I am currently spending hour upon hour searching out various fabrics, wallpapers, tiles and accessories for our new house. No wonder my husband seems increasingly to have given up any control of the budget!