Frozen in Our Tracks: Dependence & Planned Obsolescence

The Story

This week the temperatures have been the coldest on record in my area. Sub zero wind chills have necessitated school cancellations and adjustments to nearly every one's routines to compensate.  This includes the various feathered and furry creatures who congregate at the bird feeders outside of our home.

Last night, with a new dusting of snow, I noticed how pristine and clear the various animal tracks were on the driveway. I was curious to see if I could identify those who had gathered earlier to partake of the seeds and suet. I was able to identify various bird prints, squirrel, and deer prints on the driveway.  Beneath the feeder, however, it was harder to identify individuals as the mass of impressions looked more like the remnants of a dance party!

Seeing all of the tracks initiated a series of questions in my mind. What responsibility do I have to ensure the animals come to the feeder continue to have seeds to eat? What would happen if the seeds ran out? (I've read elsewhere that birds who get used to a feeder can actually starve if you do not continue to put out seeds for them to eat.) I also thought about the tracks and about whether they make particular birds or creatures more vulnerable to their predators.

The Technology

The other day during the cold snap my iPhone went on the fritz - the "swipe to open" feature was not working. This challenge meant I was unable to answer incoming calls or to access any of the apps or data stored on my phone. In my previous "New Snowfall: Fresh Start" post I shared the story of a friend's iPhone quitting and explored the possibilities for starting over with a clean slate. Now needing to heed my own advice, I decided to mindfully explore the problem with curiosity.

I first stopped at my phone carrier's local office. The young staff woman worked through a set of checks in order to determine that the issues were related to hardware (as opposed to the troubles being the responsibility of the service provider). She was helpful in suggesting several options for getting help locally. I then went to a local coffee shop to read through the Mac Forums to learn more about the problem, and to see if I could resolve it myself.

After unsuccessfully trying some potential fixes for the issue, I decided to visit the Apple Store. I booked an appointment online and arrived to a space that felt very different than any of my prior visits. I was greeted by multiple workers who were focused on selling me a new device, prior to attempting to diagnose and repair my malfunctioning touch screen. My question to the "genius" assigned to my case about her knowledge of the term "planned obsolescence" produced a confused look and then our subsequent move to a table where it said " it would be quieter." After some discussion I did choose to purchase the phone replacement - and to subsequently rethink my current relationship with smartphones in general, and with Apple specifically.

Connections

Synchronously this week, a friend posted an image on Facebook that commented on the disappearance of pay phones. According to the Pew Research Center 56% of adult Americans now own a smart phone - with those not owning a cell phone at all, down to 9% of the population. Smartphones are not only popular, they are enticing, creating what I would call an addiction in their affordance of access to a constant diet of amusement and information.

In many ways, the birds and squirrel's extreme reliance on the bird feeders this week is like the challenges I had with my iPhone. Many of us have become accustomed to having a smartphone and no longer pay for a land line - hence the disappearance of the pay phone. When my phone was out of service, while I had other devices to get to the internet, I had no alternatives to respond to my incoming calls.

In other ways the two stories are different. Where the birds and squirrels I'm supporting this winter still retain their wild ability to forage for food (I hope!), I believe we humans may be on the verge of becoming frozen in our tracks. Without pay phones or land lines, we are easy prey for the phone companies and cell phone creators. When our "food source" mysteriously disappears, we are forced to purchase plan upgrades and replacements - at what feels to me to be an alarming rate.

I recommend its time for a thoughtful responses - to encourage the creation of new options other than upgrades and purchases. I would enjoy hearing about your ideas in how we might proceed. I'll share my responses as I mindfully construct my own steps forward.

Phone booth image courtesy of Pixabay: www.pixabay.com