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I've been rocking the flip phone since March - went through a few different models till I landed on this utilitarian workhorse; the Sonim XP3800. This thing feels like it can stop a bullet. The battery lasts for 3 days. Service is 5 bucks a month. remixed my brain: -got lost a few times (feels amazing + found my way back) -bought an iPod mini (eBay, refurb 256gb)Ā  -forgot about 1 million people that I didn't need to remember -missed brat summer entirely (found out in late September, loved the album) -learned how to wait and do nothing -minimized unnecessary / instantaneous communication -started taking photos with real cameras again -started reading again -stopped impulsively buying instagram shirts -phone can be turned off during the charging cycle (not possible with iPhone) -regained control over the flow of information into my brain -restored my relationship with the computer as an appliance bound to one physical location Am I a better person for this? Probably not. Is this all of this a bit loaded and pretentious and boomer esque? Definitely. But it feels good to know that I have the freedom to say no to smart phone tech that has been foisted on us as an essential to living for the sake of convenience - convenience which has a cost. I could go on and on and on about this but I would highly recommend that everyone gives this a shot for while even if it's just an experiment. You will be surprised by how you feel after a few weeks. Ā 
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Dec 11, 2024

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dude- need to know more about this refurbished iPod! it still works with iTunes??
Jan 20, 2025
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starrymar you can get them on eBay! Or DIY. https://www.iflash.xyz thereā€™s a strong modding community now so they replaced the old hard drive with flash memory and changed the battery as well. works perfectly with iTunes still and can fit more music than I will ever need lol. Itā€™s like a better product now than itā€™s ever been.
Jan 20, 2025
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propanecowboy consider me influenced šŸ«”
Jan 20, 2025

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I made the decision to "downgrade" to a flip phone and I genuinely think it is the best decision I've made in a long time. It's weirdly connected me to my inner-child. Which, in retrospect, I reckon I should have expected. The camera quality sucks in the best way, but I carry my Canon camera around too in case I need to capture something more important. I've been calling my friends more because T9 texting is a drag. Haha, I've been texting like "do u wanna c a movie l8er?" I talk to strangers more when I'm waiting in line, when I can't look something up. I've been writing questions in my journal because I can't look it up in the moment, I have to get onto the computer later in the day and satiate my ever-flighty mind. Don't get me wrong, it sucked at first, but the intrigue absolutely helped. It has just been a fun way to spend the summer I guess. Screen time is down, my boredom has breed creativity, and I feel far more present in the world. If you've been thinking about trading your smart phone in for a dumb phone, take this as a sign. I recommend it immensely.
Jul 15, 2024
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felt the same way, was sick of it. got a flip phone i could slip my sim card into, activated it. first two weeks i was kind of itching for the smartphone and the little dopamine hits. after a while things started changing. i started reading for fun again, my attention span improved significantly, i carried a little journal everywhere to jot down my thoughts. in every room where everyone was on their phones, i felt like i was the only person actually present, paying attention. i found so many beautiful ways to fill the time. strangers praised me for my bravery lol. when i had to drive or go somewhere i didnā€™t know how to get to i would write down the directions on a post it note and carry it or stick it to the dashboard. you will literally feel smarter for relying on your brain to figure things like this out instead of being on autopilot all the time. you can carry your smartphone around to use as an ipod/pocket camera and in an emergency it will still work on wifi. i asked friends to look things up for me (business hours, weather, traffic, phone numbers) when i was out and about. if people texted me id tell them to call me if they wanted to talk. it was a great decision that only ended bc i did an extended trip abroad where i needed my phone to get by, but i am going to go back to the flip again soon. i highly recommend! nothing compares to flipping a phone shut to hang up a call. it taught me how to enjoy true solitude again. do it!!!
Feb 27, 2024
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Iā€™ve converted to a flip phone and itā€™s honestly so fun lol. I think the way we have access to everything, and everyone, in milliseconds is rotting our brains and making us such an entitled society; entitled to other peopleā€™s time and energy on demand, their lives, business, etc. but I also think the way we get sucked in with links from app to app, ads, videos, and doomscrolling, everything is designed to be addictive and it leads (at least for me) to less productivity and more procrastination. I think having to work just a little harder, even to do something as simple as research something, can be good for us. So what Iā€™ve done is essentially converted my iPhone to a wifi connected iPod touch like from the old days. Iā€™ve left on certain apps like FaceTime, banking apps, Spotify, kindle app, I kept this one to use occasionally and all my saved recipes on my phone of course, etc. but I leave it in my room and just use it in the morning or before bed for reading or checking emails, music for working out, stuff like that, and leave it at home for everything else. Screen time of course is way down which is nice, itā€™s also really nice to not feel like I constantly need to be checking something, opening a message on an app, etc. I also have found so far and think it will continue to help me not spend so much money impulsively on things I donā€™t actually need. Aside from all of the benefits, I think in general I just find it funny and all of my friends think itā€™s hilarious lol. Iā€™ll have to figure out what Iā€™ll do for airports, maybe bring the old iPhone with me, connect to airport wifi, scan boarding passes with it. Iā€™ll figure that out when I get there.
Feb 26, 2025

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Feat. Weird ceramic Superman and protein granola and yes I had a psychedelic experience watching Star Wars the other night when I was stoned
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Not to beat a dead horse but google has now foisted integration of itā€˜s Gemini AI into basic gmail / drive functionality. Donā€™t offload your critical faculties to a super computer. Write that email. Use your brain. Every time you feed this thing it will get ā€œbetterā€ and you are training it to replace you.
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