Killing Data

The other day I cancelled the data plan for my phone.

For some, this might be the equivalent of suddenly deciding to live under a rock.

But it was a move that I needed to take after I realized how much time I frittered away scanning Twitter, Facebook, news sites, etc. looking for something to fill the time while I commuted, waited for the lights to change, went to the bathroom... It allowed me to avoid thinking for any length of time because I could always jump to something else in a bid to be entertained or somehow educated and kept up-to-date on what was happening in the world.

The moment of realization really began with a ride on the Seabus. I looked up an saw every other person madly texting or otherwise glued to their phone. For the rest of the ride home I left my phone on my hip and just watched, at the same time thinking about the necessity of being always connected to the Internet.

And it's not necessary.

Not to be confused
with...

I used to think what a time saver it would be to have the ability to send and answer emails while on the move, even though I hate using the touch screen to peck out messages and the fact I rarely responded to email while en route, I successfully fooled myself into thinking it was somehow better. Or needed.

Layer the fact that the data plan accounted for about half the phone bill, I wondered why I hadn't already cancelled it.

I'm in front of a computer all day and wifi hotspots are abundant, why did I need data for my phone?

I'll admit that it can come in handy when looking up a phone number or trying to access some other piece of information, but I always have the option to switch on data for brief periods to grab information. In an emergency situation, mind you.

... Rodin's Thinker.

I find that I'm thinking about things more, even if it's just base level like, "Man, that dude over there stinks. When was the last time he bathed? What kind of bacteria is swimming under his armpits right now?" Maybe if I can figure out that small thing, some greater truth might be revealed. Maybe. Whatever the case, my battery charge lasts a lot longer.

So, in summation: data cancelled, more money in my pocket (in theory), and more time to think.

Come to think of it, I'm probably less on edge as well because I'm not constantly reading horribly tragic news stories so add, "Happier" to that list.