I recently got an iPhone, and yes my eyes (and finger) have basically been glued to it ever since; or it has been plugged into my ears. So I guess I’m finally a full-fledged member of this “mobile” generation. These devices often get a bad rap as things that distract us and shorten our already short attention spans. And sure, I’ve paid more attention to the phone than is necessary since I’ve had it. But they aren’t all bad. In one hand, it’s a convenient distracting device that entertains you (allows you to screw off) in ways that have never before been possible, and in the same hand, it’s a tool that allows you to access “all the information in the world, right at your fingertips!” (as a friend remarked about the internet in 1999).
But I’d like to get back to the idea of mobility. Today I was at work without my car because my better half had a little accident and totaled the Hyundai, which means we carpool now. There is a nearby breakfast/lunch restaurant and I was wondering if it was within walking distance because I really wanted a smoothie and a muffin for lunch. The iPhone said the 1 mile trip would take something like 4 minutes in a car. It said it would take 20 minutes to walk there.
The point of this post, and to an extent this blog, is to remind you what (ironically) the iPhone informed me: walking just one mile takes about 20 minutes. I was thinking that walking a mile now and then without looking at a smartphone the whole time (or any phone or watch or using an iPod) would be a nice way to slow things down and step out of iPhone world for a bit. But then again, using the iPhone during such a walk would make it more bearable. You could play a game, text and check your email; you’d be sure to take the most efficient route, and perhaps most importantly you’d have a decent camera to document the interesting things you’ll come across and you can send them directly to overlooked.cincy@gmail.com and I’ll post them on this very blog from my phone!
So I implore you to go take a walk. With or without your phone. I don’t care.
Posted from my iPhone
(just kidding)
