OT: drowning devices

A week or two back, a friend lamented "drowning" her cell phone (accidentally, of course). I recounted this story to a few other friends and was surprised at how many expressed similar events (personally or among their family members).

By far, the toilet claimed the most victims. A couple lost items "over the side" on (small) boats.

No one complained about dropping anything in a *sink* (perhaps because few folks ever have a sink full of water?). And, no one complained of "death in a snow bank" (I guess snow doesn't melt quick enough to do damage?)

Cell phones are the typical victims. And, "falling out of their back pocket" (while lowering or raising pants, "before" or "after") was the typical cause. (Men's wallets seemed to suffer similar fates)

I assume PDA's are too "yesterday" to make the list. And, earpieces probably don't make it *into* the bathroom (site of most malfeasance).

But, wonder how often this happens and, considering the dollars involved in some of these devices...

Reply to
Don Y
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I have often wondered the same thing. Of course, I'm not particularly tied to my cell phone and certainly don't carry it around in my back pocket :)

Reply to
SeaNymph

Boat incidents are the most common here. Usually it ends up being a canoe or kayak going over and everything in it gets wet. #2 would be people jumping in the water with it in their pocket.

Some people have been caught in the rain and got enough water in the phone to kill it.

Part of the problem is people can't seem to walk out the door without having their phone with them. How in the hell did we get along before the 21st century when a cell phone would fit in your pocket?

BTW I do not feel the need to carry a phone and I don't.

Reply to
gfretwell

[snip]

I have known of people losing cell phones in the toilet, but I never have. It's always been the washing machine. I now have a rule to be sure where my phone is before starting the washer.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

Boaters or kayakers might want to invest a few dollars in a dry bag. I kayak, I use the dry bag and never had a problem.

Reply to
SeaNymph

And that's why I always check the pockets of everything going into the wash

Reply to
SeaNymph

I remember from personal experience! haha! If I wanted to make a phone call I had to find a pay phone, or ask to use a store phone (if they were allowed to let customers use them).

Reply to
Muggles

The only phone my wife ever lost was in a dry bag. The top didn't seal right and rain water got in. If it was out in free air, the water may not have penetrated the case but soaking in the bag killed it

Reply to
gfretwell

I just do not feel the need to be in constant communication with everyone. Even when my company was paying for a "car phone" I still had the lowest number of minutes per month, by a long shot and they were always business related. I do carry my cell when I am on long trips but not in my daily life unless I am sure I will need it. I use about 30 minutes a year.

Reply to
gfretwell

A guy on Freecycle gave me his non-working camera. He was on a cruise and had the typically small camera in his pocket when he got into a hot or cold tub. He got out "immediately" but I guess water got in.

By the time I got it, months later, there was visible water inside, but there was white salt on the internal coin battery. and after I removed the salt, the battery was, not surpringly, dead. Most cameras have both a replaceable coin or rechargeable battery and a smaller internal battery that holds settings.

I found excellent disassembly instructions online, but they no longer sell a battery that small with solder tabs. I bought the next size larger but I don't think it will fit**. I'm hoping they'll bring back the size I need. **I wouldn't mind if the case bulged out a bit so that the battery could fit, but I think the bulging out will also make the side of the top of the case too short, and I won't be able to get it on the body.

I've tried to solder to a coin battery without solder tabs, but I never got anywhere. Ideas??

Reply to
Micky

With me it started when my kids were younger. They were old enough for me to make a run to the grocery store, but having a cell phone with me gave us both piece of mind that if they needed me they could get hold of me. Now, I carry one because I don't like the idea of not being able to get in touch with someone in an emergency.

Reply to
Muggles

I hear that. I'm not real big on talking on the phone.

I would never take a company phone, although for years they tried to give me one. I don't talk on the phone when I'm driving, even though if the phone rings I can answer it with the button on the steering wheel.

Reply to
SeaNymph

All I can say is it hasn't happened to me. I'm not that attached to a phone though. I bought a rugged flip phone because I'm out in the fields where dust can definitely be a problem. They do make rugged smart phones also. There are others but Caterpillar lends its name to some.

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Reply to
Dean Hoffman

My interest is in wondering if "being waterproof" is a worthwhile characteristic for a device to have -- given that most "characteristics" translate into additional costs.

I'm sure someone who "flushed" his $600 phone would say "hell yeah!". OTOH, someone who would be unlikely to flush it would grumble at

*any* added cost! (i.e., can't you purchase an insurance policy for these things? so, why not do so?? ans: cost)
Reply to
Don Y

In my "surveys", I discovered *two* neighbors who had lost phones to the toilet. I would have considered that an unusual (i.e., rare) event.

E.g., I always have a wallet in my pocket and can't recall *ever* "losing it" to the toilet! Of course, it tends to be *in* my pocket and not something that I'm likely to be fiddling with...

Reply to
Don Y

In more professional surveys 19% of phone owners have dropped them into the bowl.

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Far more than I would have guessed. Mine is in a closed case secured to my belt.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Big number, eh? :> Of course, it is misleading for my purposes as it reflects folks who have *ever* drown their phone.

[A better metric might be the number of *phones* that have been dunked as you probably only make this mistake ONCE regardless of how many new phones you have over your lifetime]

I wasn't trying to limit the discussion to phones but, rather, devices in general. E.g., if I were to *guess* at this (before seeing any data), I would assume hearing aids would be the most commonly dunked items! I imagine they are "maintained" in the bathroom (cleaned? removed/inserted?) where you have a sink AND a toilet to worry about.

In hindsight, I suspect the phone is so commonly dunked because so

*many* people have phones (how many people have hearing aids?).

But, no one ever commented about dunking their hearing aid (there may be some vanity involved?). Dunno as I am only aware of a couple of people who wear them...

The other item I would have thought would see a large number of dunkings would be "earbuds".

Reply to
Don Y

We don't "respond" to incoming calls. SWMBO has a cell phone "for emergency use only" (after many years, it finally occurred to me that I should write its number down somewhere if she ever called me and I needed to call her back!). Our home phone goes straight to voice mail. So, if you want to get in touch with us, your best approach is email or knocking on the front door!

Years ago, I adopted a policy of refusing to field phone calls from clients. They would call when I was asleep, not home *or* busy trying to work -- in each case, an "interruption". And, would typically pose questions that needed careful consideration ("How much will XXX cost? How long will YYY take?") -- yet expected "estimates" in real time (then, would try to *hold* me to those shirtcuff estimates of incompletely specified tasks).

Email allows me to schedule my replies as convenient for me -- instead of having to rush to answer because Pavlov thinks I should! And, forces folks to think about what they are asking. It also gets rid of superfluous banter (E.g., now, if I ask about your kids, it's because I've decided to spend the time to formulate those WRITTEN questions -- knowing that a reply on your part would require a fair bit of effort, not just a few off-the-cuff comments to a half-hearted inquiry!)

Watching people with cell phones is disturbing. The urgency with which they react to the "ring" is almost as if the ringer was wired directly to their testicles ("Oh! Make it STOP!!")

And, the folks making the calls seem incredibly impatient: "What took you so long to answer?" "Where were you (and why didn't you have your phone WITH you) when I tried to call earlier?"

Some folks are stupefied when they ask, in disbelief, "Don't you have a CELL PHONE??" "Hell no! Why would we want *that*?!"

Reply to
Don Y

From what I hear, employers expect to be able to contact you "at any time". If I was given a cell phone, I'd store it in my desk -- "safe and sound"! :>

I have no idea if SWMBO's phone can be paired with the car's "phone interface". I see no reason to find out! Given how infrequently the phone is used... and, how little driving we do... it would just be one more thing to have to remember how to use WHEN you wanted to use it.

[And who would want to expose their contacts to yet another place where they can be "stolen"?]
Reply to
Don Y

I wear hearing aids and only take them out, clean & store them in my office nowhere near water. They come out before I take a bath and I don't put them in, either if my hair is wet.

Reply to
Muggles

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