Will you be ordering the new iPhoneS or C ?

I don't dispute that smartphones have many uses. Just that none of those uses are useful to me. Living alone, I don't need a shopping list that a wife or kid could edit remotely; the iPod Touch (same size as a smartphone) has too small a screen to be comfortable for taking notes, browsing web sites, or showing off pictures; I exercise for 45 minutes or an hour and mark my paper calendar so I know how many days it's been since I had a rest day; they don't issue coupons for the things I buy; I don't need to check my investment portfolio every five minutes; my main car does not have any gas mileage; I'd never dream of watching a movie on the microscopic screen; I don't use twitter; I don't have a girlfriend or wife to buy flowers for...

It just has no use for me, personally.

And when I travel, I'm usually places where there is Wi-Fi but no cell service. My iPad Mini is perfect for travel: big enough for web browsing, email, journaling, and showing off pictures, yet small enough and light enough to carry easily. And it plays chess frustratingly well (Shredder app... there are, of course, others) on a big enough screen. Chess on a smartphone-sized screen does not work for me. I cannot "see" the position when the board is that small.

At home, I do not need to carry a computer with me. I do like having a phone, though, so a stupid phone is perfect for me.

So I have no plans to buy an iPhone any time soon. My iPod Touch is still my preferred device for listening to music and podcasts, as it fits easily in my pocket while cooking or walking.

I like gadgets and do not disparage smartphones or the people who use them. But, useless for me.

 

Do you live in Siberia all alone?

 

I've been on just about every dating site except eHarmony (they reject anyone who admits to being an atheist) for years. I've never gotten so much as a reply out of any of them (except the occasional scam message from Russia) so I don't think FTD is going to be getting my business in this lifetime. From time to time I peruse the ads on backpage-dot-com, but the one time I got up the nerve to actually phone someone, she never returned my message. I probably sound like a complete dork whenever I try to talk to a woman I'm interested in, whether it's face to face or over the phone.

Maybe I'll buy a smartphone when they come up with an app that makes me sound like I'm not a dork.

 

It's spelled "S-p-o-k-a-n-e."

 

IIRC, 6 is just around the corner and even it still won't have the features of the Samsung galaxy S4/Note lineup. Maybe best to wait for the 7? ...

 

You could always learn Russian

Mail order brides, Russian Brides - Rose Brides

 

I've been off the market for over 10 years. And she's not Russian

 

Escorts are people. Like all people, some are crooks and some are not. Saying that they'll all rob you is like saying that all Black people will rob you. As for diseases, these are probably more prevalent among non professionals than among sex workers, who are far more likely to be taking precautions. Anyway, I'm too shy.

In other words, I should lie, and hope that once the woman finds out the truth she will not regard me as a dirty lying scumbag.

As for what religion I was born with: both my parents were atheists; only one of my grandparents lived long enough for me to know him, and he was an atheist. Of course, nobody is born with any religion. Most parents shove their own irrational beliefs and superstitions onto their innocent and credulous kids, a practice I regard as child abuse, similar to subjecting them to second-hand smoke or injecting them with drugs. I am afraid I could not convincingly pretend to adhere to any religion, except perhaps Pastafarianism. It's hard to not accept a religion that promises a beer volcano in heaven. Maybe I should try telling them I'm a Pantheist, and hope they don't know what that means. (It's an atheist with a reverence for nature.)

I love Nicole Kidman. That was a great movie! Of course, the more likely outcome of sending away for a Russian bride is that you send her lots of money and she never comes, because "she" is actually a consortium of Russian gangsters.

If I was going to order a mail-order bride (I am not going to!) I'd be more like to consider Thailand than Russia. Then, when we went to visit her family, I'd have opportunities for good scuba diving. I've actually considered diving there, but the 25-hour trip, including 12 hours in one plane, is too much for me.

 

I'm a firm believer in "there's someone for everyone", people shouldn't try so hard. Maybe if they didn't our divorce rate wouldn't be >50%...

 

No. I just said that your generalizations are unfounded. I've only ever phoned an escort once. She never returned my call.

I am very flexible. I have yet to meet a religious woman who will date an at heist. I suppose they are out there. I've never met one.

Baloney.

Half the people who give me advice say "Don't try so hard." The other half say "You won't find someone if you're not looking." In my 65 years (or, say, the half century since I became interested in girls) I've done both: I've looked hard, and I've just lived my life without looking. Some of us just don't appeal to anyone. All my female friends think I'd make an excellent husband, but always for somebody else, never for them.

This is totally off topic. My fault for mentioning my status. Let's let the thread go back to "Will you buy a new iPhone?" I won't. Cool gadgets that I have no use for. When my flip phone dies or doesn't hold enough of a charge I'll replace it with a similar one. Now, if they put a Retina display on the next iPad Mini I'll look at it, and if my eyes can see enough of a difference I might upgrade.

 

I am however looking forward to updating to iOS7. A change, however slight, is always welcome after a few years with the same feel.