The Dean's Mobile Lifestyle Tips: Anti-Mobile Lifestyle Tips | Yoko Sato (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2007.06.14
This time's theme was a shock. What was shocking was the phrase, "with 'mobile' as the keyword, which has now become a daily necessity..." To be honest, I don't really understand "mobile." And now something I don't understand is supposedly a "daily necessity"!
It's not good to be unfamiliar with or not use something considered a necessity. So, trying to pretend I knew a little, I asked the young people around me various questions. I tried asking things like, "Mobile is that thing where you can turn on the bath with a beep from your cell phone while you're out, right?" or "It's that thing where you can turn on the lights in your empty house from afar, isn't it?" but they all just gave me troubled looks. Apparently, that's not it. What I understand now is that "mobile" might be that thing where you use your cell phone to check train schedules for your upcoming trip, make reservations, or look up weather information. Is that really a necessity? I want to say that while it would certainly be convenient to have, I'm not having any trouble without it. In my case, the day before, I sit down properly and use my PC to look up the route to my destination for the next day or check the weather forecast. In other words, I do use a computer. You could say I lack mobility because I only use things connected by wires, but it's quite comfortable. So I want to say, isn't that good enough?
In general, talking or checking the time while walking might look cool in TV commercials, but in reality, it's dangerous. You might get so absorbed in your conversation that you fall or bump into someone, and it's startling when you see people on the street suddenly start talking loudly, making you wonder what happened.
That said, it's true that it would be more convenient if I could use my cell phone a little better. My cell phone habits earn me considerable disapproval from those around me. I sometimes don't notice when it's ringing. When it's on my desk, I notice it because it makes a strange buzzing sound and rattles. But once I put it in my bag, I often don't realize it's ringing. So, while it may be "mobile," it doesn't always function as a "phone" for me. However, if you'll allow me to make an excuse, this is also the fault of the mobile phone industry, which pays no attention to women's clothing. Men have the convenient inner pocket of their suits, and even a fairly unobservant person would likely notice it ringing there, but women have no such place to carry it on their person. I wish they would design phones that are easier to carry with women's attire. If they did, perhaps even I would be more motivated to use one.
(Posted: 2007/06/14)