Wednesday 12 March 2014

Two Very Useful Things

I got two new things this week...


1. A compass.

I haven't owned one of these since I studied for my Maths GCSE which was rather a long time ago! I don't remember throwing my old one out but I probably thought "what would I ever need this for now I'm no longer doing Maths?"... and now here I am designing and making things for a living and drawing lots of circles.

I have a really useful little template (stolen from my dad) for drawing small circles but have (rather embarrassingly) been drawing round circle-shaped things in my house (rolls of tape, small glasses, coasters, etc) whenever I've needed a larger circle for a pattern. Finally buying a compass feels great, and I've already used it a couple of times this week. Next up: getting round to buying a protractor!

2. A "new" mobile phone.

Yes, that is a Nokia 3310. My previous mobile lasted me about 10 years, getting very occasional use when I needed to send texts like "my train is 30 minutes late!" when meeting up with friends. It served me well for many years but recently texted its last text. I ummed and aahhed about upgrading to a smartphone but decided that I just wanted to stick with something simple, not least because I'm already finding it hard keeping the distractions of email and social media out of my non-work time as it is without being able to access the internet on my phone!

Then I borrowed my dad's old Nokia to use during a recent weekend away, remarked to him how lovely and simple and back-to-basics it was and he surprised me with one of my very own. He is the best! This phone is great! I can send texts, check the time, set an alarm, what more could a girl need? :) 

13 comments:

ewlyn said...

This Nokia was my very first mobile almost 15 years ago :D I still have it, though I am not sure if it is still working :)

Fan sels said...

Same phone here, it's the best!!!

Manu said...

And you can even play SNAKE on it :D

Ariadne said...

I had this NOKIA and really would prefer to go back to it as these new smartphones with the touchscreens are so so silly!AriadnefromGreece!

Charlotte said...

i really need a compass too - I also draw around miscellaneous round things. It's ridiculous!

bairozan said...

I wanted this Nokia long time ago but got a different brand instead :( Anyway, I am happy with my smart phone right now, though I can understand how you feel :)

Maud L said...

I had that phone too but eventually the battery died. I think yours and your father's must have replacement batteries. Now I also have a simple phone, a Samsung flip phone, love it.

Bugs and Fishes said...

Ah, I'm glad to hear it's not just me who has a love for these simple older phones!

Manu - yes! Snake = awesome :D

Maud - yup, this has a brand new battery.

Charlotte - get thee to a WHSMITH! :) I can't believe it's taken me so long to buy a compass, esp as they're so cheap. I have even been known to draw round circular things and then reduce/enlarge them using my printer/scanner to make them the correct size. Drawing them at the right size in the first place = sooo much easier!

Deanne said...

yay for drawing around cup objects :)
and yes smartphones are great for ease of use and getting details as and when you need them, but they do invade on your 'home time' alot!

Kate said...

Oooh I loved this phone! Have you checked out the cool "picture" messages?! I had it more than ten years and through several replacement batteries until even that wouldn't help it keep any charge :(

I have now got the next version up- it takes blurry pictures! Hooray for retro phones, I hope yours lasts you many happy years!

Bugs and Fishes said...

Kate - ooh, I shall have to look for those!

I thought I might miss having a phone with a camera then remembered I last used mine about 7 years ago and have never ever downloaded any pics off my phone and onto my laptop so I think I will probably cope without one, haha :)

Tumus said...

We're fancy here with our Samsung Galaxy S4's, but I must say they take AMAZing pictures and because I upload to facebook and instagram (which can also post to your Flickr) and I think you can even get a Flickr app to upload your phone pics to your account, it's much handier sometimes.
I often have my phone on my workbench and find myself taking more pictures with it for small things these days because I can instantly upload it to just about anywhere. I'm so bad about taking pictures and then taking ages to getting around to uploading them to our desktop PC.

There's even an app called Dropbox which automatically makes copies of your phone pics and stores them in your own personal "cloud". It's a great back up in case your phone gets stolen or you accidentally wipe your memory/SD card.

My only gripe with smartphones is I really miss the textile feel of a touch pad. I HATE texting on a flat hard screen, such a pain.

Still, those Nokia's are like the most ridiculously durable phone ever. I always remember the scene in Jurassic Park when they hear the Nokia ringtone and the Trex is RIGHT behind them *lol*

Bugs and Fishes said...

Oh yes having an easy to use, easy to carry about camera was one of the only things tempting me to get a smartphone, esp as my current digital camera is super clunky! That and all the apps that don't have a desktop equivalent.

I'm sure I'll give in and get one eventually but for the moment, the old skool tech will suffice :)