The brilliant sunny day put me in a bad mood. I was trying out my new smartphone as a camera; couldn't even see the world in general on the phone's screen, never mind the horses. Took lots of photos of nothing while daughter, Professional Bleeder (PB), photographed me doing just that. Then sent the pic to grandson Ian who cruelly asked: how long would it have taken grandaughter Ysabelle to say: "Put it away, Grandad, put it away."
Fortunately Ysabelle wasn't there but VR was. I expected her to remain in the car reading her Kindle. But no, she'd followed every race, knew who was fast and who was slow; only the handicapping system fazed her. Meanwhile, horses thundered past unphotographed, their drivers adopting a horrifyingly vulnerable legs-apart posture, uncomfortably seated in their vestigial chariots.
Finally the sun went in and I was able to make a fist of mastering the phone/camera and even to appreciate the spectacle. Races are commendably short, the programme was closely adhered to, and - unlike F1 - attempts at overtaking occurred regularly. Richy, as commentator, turned out to be one of the stars; speaking at 200 words a minute, he gave every competitor plenty of mentions and ensured duffers like me were properly informed. I even consumed an ice-cream cone on impulse. As did VR.
PB bought the ice-cream and took better photos so I used hers. Something of an unexpected rural idyll, a mile or so away from my doorstep.
Robbie, it was great to see you & the family at the races today.
ReplyDeleteAs you already know from experience, I can talk the hind leg off a donkey as they say. So the best place to put me is as the commentator!
I just hope you all had as good a day as we had running the event & that the bookies didn't take next weeks housekeeping!
As you know it's a sport I'm very passionate about & I'm so pleased you were able to come & see why I love my sport.
Thank You.
You have found the drawback as cameras for the ubiquitous "smart phones". It's the usual thing, try to make a piece of equipment do everything and it does nothing well.
ReplyDeleteMy mobile phone is just that - a simple phone (which is seldom used anyway). For photography (it was a character in Hancock's Half Hour who expostulated, "snaps! I paint with light!") I use an excellent digital camera which, as well as the back screen, has an optical viewfinder for those "sun on screen" moments.
Sounds like you had a good day out though.
Richy: Commentating is not just blabber, it requires a well organised mind. Good heavens, you seem to be blushing.
ReplyDeleteAvus: I've had a conventional mobile phone for a decade - used mainly in emergencies and when touring in France. I also have a digital camera with viewfinder. I have resisted smartphones because they seemed all-absorbing.
Then, quite recently, I saw the writing on the wall. When I drive into Hereford I park in the high-rise where new pay-in machines have been installed. A poster explains these machines' rationale; they will continue to take coins but will also be amenable to payment by smartphone. One of the banes of my life is maintaining enough change for small payments like this; anything that removes irritations as I get older is to be welcomed.
More writing on walls. I am just back from a villa holiday in France. Normally I would have taken a large sum in Euros and would also have used my UK credit card, thereby incurring swingeing conversion costs. The Post Office offers a special credit card which one loads up with Euros (or any other currency one wishes), run by MasterCard and which one may use to pay bills in foreign countries and draw cash from ATMs at nominal cost. Much greater security. A free app for my smartphone allows me to keep track of my payments so that I do not over-draw.
The smartphone cost £84 (ie, a good deal less than the camera) and I have a pay-as-you-go contract at £10/month. I didn't buy a smartphone to replace the camera, I merely tried it out at the races. My incompetence left things inconclusive. But note the photos taken by my daughter on her smartphone she's owned (in various versions) for eight or nine years. They're perfectly acceptable.
I don't expect to persuade you since it's clear you have fixed ideas about smartphones (as I had). But your fixed ideas are almost certainly out of date. I'd bet there's more than one app - which neither of us is presently aware of - that could ease your ageing life. But are you open to testing your convictions or do you prefer to wrap them round you like a comfort blanket?
Well reasoned reply, RR. But I simply do not have a need for a "smart phone". If I want to go into Ashford town (about 3 miles) I always use a bicycle as it is so much more convenient than having to drive in, find a parking slot and then trail around the town on foot (Walking can be difficult for me). Ashford still has coin accepting meters, should a car be really essential and on a bike I simply ride to where I need to go and lean the bike outside the establishment.
ReplyDeleteBut I find increasingly that shops never have in stock what I need. It is far easier to check on the internet, order there and have it delivered for a couple of quid (or even free), sometimes by the next day.
I do agree with you that the population at large seem to spend all their time wandering around, head down and eyes glued to their smart phones, especially the young.
Avus: Saying "I simply do not have a need for a smartphone" is like saying "I do not not have needs." I merely cited two services a smartphone can provide which were previously unknown to me and which I see as useful. There are many others, some of which may well surprise you. Did you know, for instance, that one app can identify most tunes you accidentally overhear. Not essential, of course, but don't you find that at least mildly fascinating?
ReplyDeleteBut here's a more practical service. My smartphone comes with free GPS. On the rare occasions you stray from Ashford you click Maps, the phone opens showing the street you are presently in and can then instruct you how to get to your destination. Not only is it free but because your phone is online the details are regularly updated. Now tell me you never stray from Ashford where you know all the streets by heart.
Your memory may be pin-sharp, mine isn't. I forget things and this is likely to increase. Having immediate access to Google when you're away from home may help jog your memory. That's an obvious asset, confirmation that knowledge is power provided of course that knowledge is accessible.
Yes you can access such info when you get home but suppose you're in the chemist's shop and you've forgotten the trade name of the product you're after. Do you never forget?
I was determined not to have a smartphone but it was a determination based on ignorance. Ignorance related to the stubbornness that is one of the failings of old age. Self-interest final broke through that stubbornness. Aren't you guilty of self-interest?
Sounds like a lovely day, despite the dratted smartphone.
ReplyDeleteJournalists and freebies--hadn't thought of that. But you did buy an ice cream cone, unless you weaseled it out of them!