I didn't get into this whole "smart phone" business until this past January. I gave it a try after my faithful and tank-proof Nokia went M.I.A on my way home for Christmas. Ever since then, my phone is on me almost 24 hours a day... minus the time I spend in the shower.
One of the great features about smart phones is their Wifi capability. I'm sure this is a feature we've all appreciated at some point. For those of us who's made the leap of technology, WiFi, in a way, brings us to a new dimension when we are in need of a change in time and space; be it on a bus, a café, or at the airport as you ponder about how your life will unroll in the next lil while.
But, I like the Wifi feature for a completely different reason; it quietly records my life, where ever I go.
Every time I connect to a network, my phone makes a note of the network name. Scrolling through the list, I recalled the places I've been to. I put myself back in the times I've wanted to reach out to someone or something through the World Wide Web. From JP's hostel in Taipei, wpa.mcgill.ca at McGill, Athletic Lobby in Guelph, Megabus42450 somewhere between Toronto and Montreal... those places, those times...
As life continues on and more places I go, the number of "D-Links" and "FreePublicInternet" and "Starbucks WiFi" piles up and overlaps, and someday, I will no longer remember which name belongs where. I'll forget where "ICOFFE" is at, or whose apartment "BELL242" belongs to.
But my phone will.
One day, the little bars in the WiFi icon will light and tell me: I was here. And someday, it'll let me know I'm home before I realize it.
One of the great features about smart phones is their Wifi capability. I'm sure this is a feature we've all appreciated at some point. For those of us who's made the leap of technology, WiFi, in a way, brings us to a new dimension when we are in need of a change in time and space; be it on a bus, a café, or at the airport as you ponder about how your life will unroll in the next lil while.
But, I like the Wifi feature for a completely different reason; it quietly records my life, where ever I go.
Every time I connect to a network, my phone makes a note of the network name. Scrolling through the list, I recalled the places I've been to. I put myself back in the times I've wanted to reach out to someone or something through the World Wide Web. From JP's hostel in Taipei, wpa.mcgill.ca at McGill, Athletic Lobby in Guelph, Megabus42450 somewhere between Toronto and Montreal... those places, those times...
As life continues on and more places I go, the number of "D-Links" and "FreePublicInternet" and "Starbucks WiFi" piles up and overlaps, and someday, I will no longer remember which name belongs where. I'll forget where "ICOFFE" is at, or whose apartment "BELL242" belongs to.
But my phone will.
One day, the little bars in the WiFi icon will light and tell me: I was here. And someday, it'll let me know I'm home before I realize it.
