Luxuries? Yes or No?

[Snow_Fox]

I know plenty of extremely successful people(talking millions here folks) who don't even know how to use a computer, let alone a smartphone.

There are also a lot of successful people that dropped out of school.

Doesn't mean we should start encouraging people to do it.

Also doesn't mean they aren't the exception instead of the rule.

 

[Snow_Fox]

I think I phrased it best earlier, just because something is not a dire necessity to survival does not mean something isn't a necessity in another sense.

I was speaking to my girlfriends father recently. I was actually amazed, the man didn't look dumb or anything but, he is definitely older.

He had no trouble what so ever discussing his laptop with me knowing the difference between a hard drive and an SD card. Now that might seem like a pretty low bar but, there are ALOT of people my age who don't know a hard disk drive from a stick of ram or CPU.

Is this a necessity to know this? Hell no. Is there a benefit to knowing all of this? Indirectly.. yes there is a huge benefit.

If you know what the components of a computer are, how to troubleshoot and fix them. You develop logical skills. My parents got screwed over pretty bad one time getting a computer fixed. Shortly after that, my brothers and I learned to fix the problems our selves.

It has lead to a love of computers which will probably last my entire lifetime. Its allowed me to develop problem solving skills I wouldn't have otherwise. It has given me the ability to troubleshoot stuff with ease that your average person is going to be confused about forever.

This transfers over to school. With a comp and a net connection, I learned to quickly research any given topic. I have learned more about cause and effect and how to look past any given immediate issue and get a deeper grasp of the situation.

This isn't just limited to computers however. People have problems with phone's, I can solve it in a matter of minutes after they spent hours trying.

I was told growing up flat out, technology is the way of the future. That is where the world was moving, and that is what is needed now.

It is only going to move more that way.

Can you survive without technology? absolutely!

You can also survive in alaska.

Just because you can doesn't mean its a great idea or we should all start doing it.

Said it once, I'll say it again. I don't believe it is my or anyone elses responsibility to pay for any man or any mans child to have a blackberry or iphone.

Are the kids without phone's going to be disadvantaged? Depends, are they at least getting acquainted with some technology somewhere?

Even if they are being disadvantaged is it my job or anyone here's to correct it? hell no.

One reason as horrible as this may be that it doesn't bother me there are people growing up with a disadvantage is the question arises, How many of them are going to take advantage of what they get?

There are plenty of people my age who are technologically "special" even if they have the phone/computer and whatever else.

Is it a disadvantage? yep not going to pretend its not.

However, there is some leveling out of the playing field. (I believe) when it comes to people who care.

I will take a person who is willing to work and put forth the effort any day, over the person who just doesn't care.

Sadly, a lot of people out there have every advantage in the world and utilize it none.

IE. My parents who ask me some off the wall question when they have google on their phone.. and believe me.. there are a lot of people growing up with the web in their pocket..

And completely ignoring it....

I mean... maybe the grass is always greener on the other side.. but, I view the smartphone as a powerful tool I could use on a daily basis.

While a lot of people out there just seem to think of it as an excellent way to play games/watch porn or whatever else..

 

[UBRocked]

Absolutely all 3 are luxuries. You may need them for business, but that's really a different can of worms. Besides, if it's a business need, then it isn't costing you out of pocket, and I believe a luxury is something that you pay for but don't need. And in personal life, it might be very nice to always be connected and have the internet in your pocket, but you can live without it. At least we used to live without it 10+ years ago!

Here's an example of that for ya. I carry two smartphones, one for work and one for personal use. Am I allowed to use my work phone for personal use? Yes. Is there a limit on that usage? No.

So why do I carry two phones? Two reasons:

1) I don't want to change personal numbers if/when I change jobs.

2) I've had my personal phone for a number of years and now I'm afforded the "luxury" of playing with two devices

Stupid? Perhaps. But it's the way I roll If I couldn't pay my bills, it would be the first thing to go. That's why it's a luxury.

 

[Snow_Fox]

Well to be fair there is a pretty big amount of logical sense in doing what your doing.

If the company would let you keep the number for work, it would be different.

However, it would also be dumb to assume your staying with that company indefinitely.

Plus they do say don't mix business and personal.. (or was it pleasure?)

 

[UBRocked]

Well to be fair there is a pretty big amount of logical sense in doing what your doing.

If the company would let you keep the number for work, it would be different.

However, it would also be dumb to assume your staying with that company indefinitely.

Plus they do say don't mix business and personal.. (or was it pleasure?)

Anything that is not work related is pleasure!

Yeah, I think what I do makes sense but only because I can afford the extra monthly expense. Granted, there may be more productive ways to spend my money but I do enjoy my phone and outside of a few frills, I am not very extravagant and don't spend that much money on myself.

my current job has taught me one thing, it's to keep work and job seperate.... I never understood why having a personal phone and work phone was an option.... but even companies that say (we don't monitor or don't care what you surf" always has the possibility of changing their mind at a moment's notice and when they see the one time you five years ago, when you opened a forwarded email that showed that donkey doing bad things to a pretty mexican girl.....

I can only imagine what can questioned with inet on a phone.

Yeah, someone is always watching. But you have me worried with the whole donkey thing LOL

 

[Snow_Fox]

Anything that is not work related is pleasure!

Yeah, I think what I do makes sense but only because I can afford the extra monthly expense. Granted, there may be more productive ways to spend my money but I do enjoy my phone and outside of a few frills, I am not very extravagant and don't spend that much money on myself.

So? You at least have logical reasoning.

Yeah, someone is always watching. But you have me worried with the whole donkey thing LOL

Crimes against nature is waht its called.

 

[MJM128]

Life is a luxury.

The only things that are not luxuries are: food, water, shelter. Everything else beyond that are luxuries.

Why? I don't follow your logic. If life is a luxury why are food, water, and shelter not? Since i'm assuming that those are necessities for life, but yet life is a luxury? That doesn't seem to make sense to me. I know i'm being nit picky here.

 

[barely_legal_lover]

still, as bad as my english was in the example.... I don't want that on my work phone, no matter what the boss says about not caring. The moment he wants justification to fire you, I don't want THAT (or anything like that) being their justification.

 

[Snow_Fox]

still, as bad as my english was in the example.... I don't want that on my work phone, no matter what the boss says about not caring. The moment he wants justification to fire you, I don't want THAT (or anything like that) being their justification.

I was mostly teasing although I will say that you are right, not worth it to mess around in the company.

 

[mikedt]

I Happened to be in a Debate this Week over Cell Phone Luxuries and After Talking to Friends and Family have Become Very Curious as to What Other Android users Think.

Smartphones - Luxury or Entitlement?
Texting Plan - Luxury or Entitlement?
Data Plan - Luxury or Entitlement?

All are luxuries. After all the human race has lived and worked happily for thousands of years without the things.

We can't live and work without food, air and water though. These are definitely essentials.

 

[EarlyMon]

I think the word I'm looking for aside from luxury - privilege.

Driving is a privilege - it has to be earned. Call it a luxury all you want - most of us would have no food, clothing or shelter without a job and having one requires a means to get to work.

And in sprawling America, that entails driving.

I maintain that a smartphone can - for some - entail a cost-effective way to merge service costs through technology confluence.

In many cases, things a theorist might call a luxury are impractical to live without - antibiotics being a good example in the literal sense.

The hyperbole comes from giving the counterpoint to luxury as entitlement, and stopping only there.

There's just more to it.

 

[Snow_Fox]

EarlyMon is on to something.

It is sort of an extremist view to argue that the only necessities are "food, water and shelter".

I mean.. using this logic.. if someone were to have their arms and legs cut off, you people would argue "they were luxuries anyway, you don't need replacements!"

 

[UBRocked]

I think the word I'm looking for aside from luxury - privilege.

I agree, privilege is a much better word to describe these types of "luxuries". When I hear luxury, I think Yacht.

Except that I would consider my Yacht a necessity!

 

[EarlyMon]

I agree, privilege is a much better word to describe these types of "luxuries". When I hear luxury, I think Yacht.

Except that I would consider my Yacht a necessity!

I would consider an invitation to an old rag sailor a necessity. And just so we agree - BOAT stand for Bring On Another Thousand.

But on topic - yeah - it just seems we're missing a word somewhere in all of this - and I've been wracking my brane (sic) and it just ain't happenin'.

 

[Rotundjere]

Luxury :-D

 

[UBRocked]

I would consider an invitation to an old rag sailor a necessity. And just so we agree - BOAT stand for Bring On Another Thousand.

But on topic - yeah - it just seems we're missing a word somewhere in all of this - and I've been wracking my brane (sic) and it just ain't happenin'.

Invitation? Sure thing, but right now I'm vacationing elsewhere and I left my boat in Malibu. Maybe I'll see if I can borrow Trump's vessel while the deckhands get mine ready...

I do think that too many people feel more features for lower prices are warranted. I get the sense that some (certainly not all) people see the big carriers as money hungry corporations that overcharge for features. Perhaps this is where the word "entitlement" first got thrown into the mix.

I would caution those people to realize that weather they feel these devices/features are necessities, luxuries, or entitlements...the ever expanding phone capabilities, faster and more reliable networks, etc. are built from profits not losses

Back in the day, I may have paid less (no 3G or 4G data plans = a lot in savings)...but I had a lot less features. I remember being able to access a limited web browser and a very limited selection of poor quality video clips on my Nokia 3650 and I thought I had such a powerful device!

Overpriced talk and texting plans paid for data expansion. Talk & text prices decreased over time as overpriced 3G data plans paid for 4G expansion. I see a pattern here.

Hopefully 3G plans will drop in price as 4G expands so more people can have more affordable ways to stay connected. But you still are only entitled to the services you agree to pay for...