Discovering that my smartphone had infiltrated my life

This is the result of a society that has evolved to serve the commercial interests of a few rather than the technical needs of many; indeed, most people are Lebonian cattle (cf. Gustave Le Bon, The Psychology of Crowds), not homo oeconomicus.

Digital identity should be a physical smart card, as has been the case for decades with mobile phone SIM cards, bank cards, etc every ID document and each of these, where issued by the public sector, should form part of a federated system of public administration ID that provides authentication services to citizens.

Digital signatures should be a key stored on the smart card, not a third-party guarantor using SMS OTP, scanned signatures, or other absurd analogues.

Yet this is not the case because most IT professionals know nothing and attempt to reconstruct with IT what they only understand through paper, thereby creating opportunities for a few to profit greatly from their ignorance, and nothing more.

I put off replacing my phone for a long time too. When I finally did it wasn't a big deal. Basically getting a SIM for a temporary phone gives me phone/text that handles 2FA except for work that needs authenticator.

The unexpected thing when I put WhatsApp on the new phone was that old messages weren't readable. They needed to do a key exchange with other participant but it never seemed to ever render. That was about the biggest inconvenience. If I hadn't installed WhatsApp on the new phone, I could keep reading old messages on web app. So it's good to grab the info you need before taking that step.

Today I had breakfast by myself without any devices. I was just looking out the window at nature. Quite a different and refreshing experience. (Even as a kid I used to read and reread the cereal boxes at breakfast.)

When my phone died, I was helpless. Does anyone have even 1 phone number they can recall from memory? I couldn't, forcing me to travel home to get my laptop to access my contacts. So I make my way home but, oh wait, I can't use the Uber app without my phone. OK, I'll get a taxi! Oh wait, nothing to make a phone call with. I'll take the bus! Thank god I have a debit card on hand to pay, but how do I find a bus station and route home without my phone?! I guess I'll borrow a stranger's phone and call a friend to give me a ride? Oh crap, I can't remember a single phone number!

I am very close to giving up and buying 2 or more working phones at any time, for the same reason I keep a spare tire in the trunk. I would love to see google's Pixel program try this, where you get 2 phones, but are only charged if you activate the spare.

It's is troubling to see Steve Job's dream come to it's full realization- these phones are not a luxury, or even a commodity. Living without a smartphone today is basically impossible.

Much like the author, I consider myself to not use my phone too much. That said, it's probably just as far from the truth for me as it is for him.

Microsoft Authenticator is the biggest offender that comes to mind - without it, I cannot work. My company requires that we share our location to access systems (it's to enforce compliance controls that data stays in the country), so I can no longer use an offline MFA strategy like a U2F token or a TOTP key - I _have_ to use Microsoft Authenticator.

I wish there was a better way to get me off of my devices. I need parental controls but for the parent.

Security by absurdity.

How much more complicated will this all get? How much can it?

Another anecdote: some gyms nowadays require an app to check-in and to get the door open. For me, gym is for relaxing, which also means no phone. The one I joined sounded slightly apologetic for charging me 10€ for a physical keycard.