Modern Life is Good-ish

[Colin B]

Modern Life is Good-ish


Fifteen years ago, I bought my first mobile phone.

It's one of the 'pay-as-you-go' ones with Orange/EE.

When I've replaced it, I've swapped the sim card over to the new phone each time.

They rang me recently & told me that my 'credit top ups' averaged out at £15 per month & would I like a contract for £9.99.

I declined.

I only use it to receive calls, receive & send texts & play 'Wordfeud'.

I got to wondering what was eating up the £15 a month !

My son-in-law reckoned there were 'apps' that used up credit, even with the phone switched off !

So, next time I ran out of 'talk time' I didn't top up.

I'm still doing with it what I've always done, but with no charge now !

So, whoever was getting my £15 a month, they aren't any longer !

Daft, I call it !

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[John]

Interesting. So what would happen if you needed to make an emergency call to one of your family while you were out, or needed to call me next time we were meeting up and you were running late?

[Colin B]

Interesting. So what would happen if you needed to make an emergency call to one of your family while you were out, or needed to call me next time we were meeting up and you were running late?

Well, there are still public phoneboxes !

Or, with my family, I could send a text - or chat via 'Wordfeud' !

And you could always call me if you were wondering where I'd got to !

[Bob]

Playing Wordfeud is not free, is it? While playing you are using data, if I'm correct.

[John]

Interesting. So what would happen if you needed to make an emergency call to one of your family while you were out, or needed to call me next time we were meeting up and you were running late?

Well, there are still public phoneboxes !

Getting rare and almost always smelling of pee. Well, one has to go somewhere when there are no public toilets around.

Or, with my family, I could send a text - or chat via 'Wordfeud' !

Texts could fail or they might not be aware one has come through. I don't know what Wordfued is.

And you could always call me if you were wondering where I'd got to !

I may not even know where I was.

[Colin B]

Playing Wordfeud is not free, is it? While playing you are using data, if I'm correct.

Well, that may be true.

But if it is, where are they getting their payment from for my use of it ?

Don't say I'm running up a bill that I don't know about !

I don't know what Wordfued is.

It's like the word game 'Scrabble' only under a different name.

Players can also send messages to each other.

[Bob]

You won´t be getting a bill from Wordfeud, no.
When you are not on wifi, but you are playing Wordfeud, your phone uses data. And data is not free.
Wordfeud itself is being paid for by the adds that keep appearing on your screen while playing. People who do not want the adds can buy Wordfeud, for only a very small price, EUR 0.99 here in Holland if I´m not mistaken.

Until late last year I was totally hooked on Wordfeud! Sometimes up to 6 or 7 games per day! I played at every opportunity I had, and I was always the last player to make a move each day with each of my opponents before I could put the damn phone away and go to sleep ... man, this was getting to become a serious problem for me!
But, and this sort of thing always happens to me, I got a new phone in October and decided not to install Wordfeud, and the weird thing is that even though I went cold turkey, I do not miss it at all!

[Colin B]

You won´t be getting a bill from Wordfeud, no.
When you are not on wifi, but you are playing Wordfeud, your phone uses data.
And data is not free.

Ah, yes, I can only play it when there's wi-fi available.

At home, at my daughter's house, at my son's, on the bus & in the cafe !

The only places where I want to play it anyway !

I'm still wondering who got my £15 a month for all those years...

BTW - We've more-or-less stopped using the word 'Holland' over here !

It's been replaced by 'The Netherlands' !

[John]

You won´t be getting a bill from Wordfeud, no.
When you are not on wifi, but you are playing Wordfeud, your phone uses data.
And data is not free.

Ah, yes, I can only play it when there's wi-fi available.

At home, at my daughter's house, at my son's, on the bus & in the cafe !

The only places where I want to play it anyway !

I'm still wondering who got my £15 a month for all those years...

BTW - We've more-or-less stopped using the word 'Holland' over here !

It's been replaced by 'The Netherlands' !

Aww heck, so now it's The Netherlands and Barrett is it? What about Hollandaise sauce? This lot are going to find it difficult - http://hollandandholland.com/

[Colin B]

BTW - We've more-or-less stopped using the word 'Holland' over here !
It's been replaced by 'The Netherlands' !

Aww heck, so now it's The Netherlands and Barrett is it? What about Hollandaise sauce? This lot are going to find it difficult - http://hollandandholland.com/

You're becoming quite the pedant, John !

All right, we've stopped using the word 'Holland' when referring to the country which we now call 'The Netherlands' !

Odd fact:

Within 'The Netherlands', there is an area called 'Holland' by the Dutch !

[John]

BTW - We've more-or-less stopped using the word 'Holland' over here !
It's been replaced by 'The Netherlands' !

Aww heck, so now it's The Netherlands and Barrett is it? What about Hollandaise sauce? This lot are going to find it difficult - http://hollandandholland.com/

You're becoming quite the pedant, John !

Becoming?I was born like it.

[Colin B]

You're becoming quite the pedant, John !

Becoming?I was born like it.

Ha ha ha !

It can be useful at time, I guess !

[Bob]

Odd fact:

Within 'The Netherlands', there is an area called 'Holland' by the Dutch !

That is correct. I am from way up north of my country, and we here refer to what is generally kwown as ´The Randstad´ as Holland.

All Dutchmen refer to their country as ´Nederland´ which means Low Country (Netherlands originates from that). Low as in below sea-level.
But the word Netherlands is actually a plural form. Belgium and Holland are commonly referred to as The Low Countries.

[Colin B]

I have been to your country, Bob !

I saw Papendrecht, Dordrecht, Rotterdam & even bought some cheese in Gouda !

[Colin B]

Regular long-term readers will be aware that I am an avid gardener [cough].

My son designed & laid out my garden some years ago as a wildlife 'haven'.

But he married & left & it's gotten a tad overgrown since then.

My son-in-law reckons there's a WW2 Japanese soldier hiding in the 'jungle' !

When I asked a gardening company if they could clear it for me, they sent a man round to view it on Wednesday last.

Things were going fine until I drew his attention to some Japanese Knotweed which we've had for some time.

Throwing up his hands, he declared that his company couldn't touch it & made a quick exit.

I called out to him, as he headed out, to ask what I could do.

He called back that I needed to find a company which specialises in, & has a licence to deal with, this particular weed.

I found some suitable companies online & asked for quotes [Apparently I'm legally required to take steps to deal with it].

This was the first reply:

Survey to determine the extent of it: £300

10-year insurance-backed guarantee that it's been eradicated [without this any potential buyer won't get a mortgage]: £2,760

To physically remove the weed & its roots: £4,800

A grand total of £6,550.50 !

Modern life is not looking so 'good-ish' now !