How do you feel when you're cut off from your TV and internet?

hollydolly said:
I don't have grandchildren...I still managed to find my way around the Internet back over 20 years ago when we first got it..:)
Click to expand...
A few months ago we had a knock on the door. It was our next door neighbour, the mother and son. "Come in, come in," I told them. The young fellow stood their looking sheepish. Girlfriend problems, I thought, but bit my tongue. Not so! "Are you familiar with quadratic equations?" Mother asked. "Well it's been sixty years, but yes." "Can you help?" To their surprise I went and dug out my old school mathematics exercise book. "He never throws anything out," my other half said.

"You go on home whilst I have a quick read up, I'll be round in a few minutes." Twenty minutes later I knocked on their door. I contrived to get the young fellow on his own, he's about fifteen, a bright lad, quadratic equations should be a breeze for him. His mother had kindly made me coffee, so we set his homework aside and just chatted. Turned out his girlfriend just wanted to be 'friends,' no emotional involvement. I was right, girlfriend issues. I've been fifteen too, it's all so important at that age.

We set to with his homework. There can be nil, one, or two solutions to a quadratic equation, depending on whether the expression inside the square root sign, (b2 - 4ac), is positive, negative, or zero. This expression has a special name: the discriminant. Once I had the young fellow's undivided attention he was there. We went through his course work, I did the first one, explaining it as I went.

He, his name is Matthew, had no difficulty with the rest, well not quite, but he grasped the concept as soon as I had shown him. "Where's your problem?" I asked. He didn't reply, instead he said that he was grateful for my help. He looked at me and said: "If you are so smart, how come I have to sort out your computer and phone?" That's a very good question," I replied as I gathered my book and went home.
 
We're used to having those things. And electricity. When I had to have a new hard drive put in my lap top, I did miss the computer for those few days. If the cable is out, including the internet, I can read or something.
 

The thing is you become so used to technology. There was a 4 foot snake in my yard. I could have gotten in my car, drove to the library, checked out an outdated book of snakes, or google what my snake looked like, instantly- rat snake. Every night I watch episodes of Bob Ross, the painter. His voice and demeanor is a nice way to go to bed. And BTW, what are YOU doing right now?
 
Very Happy! Less is better when it comes to the internet and the TV; especially that TV. That's why I cut the cable over 23 years ago and have never missed it. It's a desert out there when it comes to intellectual programs!
 
After the Xmas blizzard in Dec '22,I couldn't watch any TV my cable bx died I was without it for a couple of days It didn't bother me because I don't watch much TV I watch in the evening maybe 1-3 hrs
When my 3 yr old Chrome laptop died on me last April that was different, my daily routine was out of whack for about 10 days
I didn't realize then how much I rely on using it. I was a happy camper when I got my new&update one
 
fuzzybuddy said:
There was a 4 foot snake in my yard. I could have gotten in my car, drove to the library, checked out an outdated book of snakes, or google
Click to expand...
That happened to me with a strange, daytime flying thing that drank nectar from flowers. I had to take a photo, drive over to Fotomat, wait 3 days to develop film then go to the library to look it up. (It was a Proboscis moth)
 
TV is a non-issue for me. I don't own one, and I haven't for years and years. I simply don't watch broadcast TV.

If my internet goes down on the other hand, I want to hunt down the person responsible and put them to death. In a move just over a year ago, I went without internet for 9 weeks. I adapted (eventually), but as soon as it was back on I was feeding the addiction.
 
RadishRose said:
I feel lost if not connected to the Internet or TV. It's a sad state to be so reliant on these I know, but I'm far to lazy to get out and do "things".
Click to expand...
what's left to do?..barely any cinemas left open.. entertainment as we knew it has all but disapeared.. ..unless you're lucky enough to live where there's a lot for seniors to do, and I certainly don't.

Granted I have lovely nature on my doorstep, but you know it all gets a bit samey after the first 40 years... 😇

The internet is a provider of everything we did before. It entertains us all in one place..Books to read.. news to devour..

Music to listen to, Youtube to learn.. Films to watch...travels around the world..to places even as tourists we would never see... I can visit any one of your houses if I knew where you lived, by sitting here in my own office room... never spending penny on a plane fare..

which brings us back to the ease of paying bills ..buying tickets for travel for shows, for entertainment of all sorts..... the other day I watched a full concert featuring Johnny Mathis where he played a New York Stadium at the end of July...

I got to see that Free.. a whole hour and a half.. that would have cost me a plane ticket and an astronomical amount of money for the concert ticket, and the hotel..pre internet..

I can save fuel and carbon emissions by not shopping most days, because I can stay at home and do it so much more easily. I don't have to sit in traffic jams, or spew exhaust fumes everywhere.. or pay fortunes for fuel when I can just sit at my desk and do it...

A medium to upload, store and show off photos... videos.....and all that's just the tip of the internet iceberg.. all, these things we can do in one day.... you could never do that in real life before the internet.. in one day

How would we have made such international friendships without forums like this ...how we have learned so much about how people in other parts of the world conduct their lives... and on a personal note, I have been very lucky, and made some fantastic friends on this forum, who have been my absolute Rocks..... . ... where would I have had that from relative strangers ..pre internet.. ?

Nope I'll stick with this internet now I've had it well over 20 years... a little walk.. just won't take the place of it..:D:geek:
 
Last edited:
I could care less about TV although I do have all the necessary apps for watching. I just waste so much time trying to find something that appeals to me and often disappointed. Phone is different. My family is all close and we stay connected. Electricity outages are the worst!!
 
Sippican said:
Cell phone hotspot network. Links to a PC
Click to expand...
Do you make your phone into a WIFI hotspot? Can that be done with an inexpensive android phone? Any drawbacks in doing this? Our power was out recently for fourteen hours, a neighbor mentioned her phone was a hotspot, so she was able to use her home computer even though the WIFI was out along with the electric. I'm pretty sure she has an expensive Apple phone, as she works all the time with her computer and phone.
 
I think after a day I would go bonkers! The good thing is that if Fios is down, I can use my MetroPCS hotspot. I found out the other day I can even use it to stream programs on my Roku. If cell towers are down at the same time though....refer to my first sentence. :sneaky:
 
SeaBreeze said:
Do you make your phone into a WIFI hotspot? Can that be done with an inexpensive android phone? Any drawbacks in doing this? Our power was out recently for fourteen hours, a neighbor mentioned her phone was a hotspot, so she was able to use her home computer even though the WIFI was out along with the electric. I'm pretty sure she has an expensive Apple phone, as she works all the time with her computer and phone.
Click to expand...
You would have to check with your provider.
The only drawback is if your subscription has a small limited data plan. Then you would eat up the data allocations quickly. If you have unlimited data, and your phone supports hotspot, you are good. Sometimes the hotspot is faster than your home network. You can stream movies as well.
 
I miss it of course, but I have plenty of other things to do. If I still have power, I would probably write on my computer. I could always watch DVDs on my television. If it is during the day, I could go outside and see what is going on out there.
 
Sippican said:
You would have to check with your provider.
The only drawback is if your subscription has a small limited data plan. Then you would eat up the data allocations quickly. If you have unlimited data, and your phone supports hotspot, you are good. Sometimes the hotspot is faster than your home network. You can stream movies as well.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
I have a hotspot to use. As for TV, I couldn’t care less if my hotspot syncs with my TV or not. I never tried it. I know it works with my cellphone because I bought the phone and the hotspot at T-Mobil.
 
.....well, I would miss it, but, I'd do some of the many chores I've put off for months.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top