It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.

Clive James

Today it seems that everyone has a cell phone, even my nieces and nephews received smart phones when they were 10 years old. One might wonder what does a 10-year-old need with a phone? The answer depends on the perspective. For the parents it satisfies a safety concern, for the kids it satisfies their addiction to the latest video games. Unlike a computer, the smart phone lets them play anywhere at any time – 24/7.  

If I had had a phone at 10, I would have been able to call my mom at Magic Mountain when I wandered away from our after-ride meeting spot. Realizing I was lost, I did the adolescent most responsible thing, I wandered around the entire park looking for them. I checked the parking lot and was happy to see they didn’t leave without me. So I checked all of the other rides. Thinking they might be hungry like me, I check the restaurants to see if they were eating without me. I finally gave in and faced the truth. I was lost. So I went to the Lost and Found booth to see if my parents were waiting there. They weren’t, as they too where busy wondering the park. The officer was able to reach out on my behalf and bring us together. 

All could have been avoided had I stayed where I was supposed to wait and had I realized that the people getting off the ride were the people who went into the ride before them. The other solution, I could have just gone on the ride, but then I would not have gotten the Mickey Mouse rain jacket the police officer provided to a scared and rain-soaked 10 year old. At the end of the day when time had soothed the anxiety pains and Mickey was still keeping me warm and dry, I began to think it worked out pretty good for me. I still have a tendency to wander off the beaten path and get turned around, but my trusty cell phone has made getting unlost sufficiently easy to the point that I now am no longer burdened with the ‘I will never be found syndrome’. 

I remember buying a 20-foot phone cord that would let me take the desk phone from the office to my bedroom for 14-year-old girl talk privacy. I was later excited when we bought our first wireless receiver. I could then talk anywhere in the house and even on the front porch with just a handheld phone receiver, WOW. Now, my iPhone has advanced from a wallet sized phone that allows phone calls from most anywhere in the world to a small, advanced computer. Even more amazing, I can dictate a letter into my watch and have it sent as a text message and even answer a phone call on my watch. We have advanced to the point where we need on-line classes to learn how to use our phones to monitor our sleep and our wellbeing, how to take and edit photographs and videos from our professional-grade phone cameras, and how to use all of the programs that make life easier. 

My dad brought home the newest iPhone 12 ProMax this week. It is a bit heavier, wider, has a better tri-lens camera for landscape photos, has more memory, and a battery that lasts longer. However, the new Siri may need some improvements. My dad decided it was time that Siri got his name right. He felt confident this new Siri on his phone was up to the task. 

He asked Siri, “What is my name?” It told him, “Dobson.” It believes my dad’s name is, actually, the name of his place of employment. When my dad asked to change his name, Siri wanted to know the nickname he wanted to change. After dad said, “Dobson.” The phone seemed to go dead. We sat at the table for a minute or more when my dad, thinking he needed to start over, said, “Hey Siri.” The phone said, “Hey Siri,” back. Then my dad’s Ipad awoke with, “What can I do for you.” Every time someone said, “Hey Siri”, Siri, responded with my dad’s new name, “Hey Siri” and it started another device. This went on for about 10-15 minutes before Siri was reprogramed to acknowledge my dad’s name is Dennis and not “Hey Siri” or “Dobson.” 

Moral: 1) Be patient as Siri is always learning too. 2) While cell phones are great, don’t forget to take some time to live as if cell phones don’t exist and spend more time communicating in person at a CDC socially acceptable distance. 

Feel free to share your stories in the comments below or at zsmisadventures@gmail.com and your story may be used in an upcoming blog. Stay Whimsical.