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#291776 - 02/08/19 07:20 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: TeacherRO]
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
a pen

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#291798 - 02/16/19 10:12 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: TeacherRO]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
A cell phone is certainly at home in an urban environment and a cell is certainly improved by the apps that are loaded.

So, what are the most important apps to load on one's phone? I ask because I sometimes doubt that I am as smart as the phone I carry....
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#291799 - 02/17/19 12:53 AM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: hikermor]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
While true that smartphones and their relevant apps can be useful in an urban environment, we humans are becoming far too reliant on the convenience of tech.

It seems that when electronic calculators became everyday items available for just a few $$, I started losing the skill of doing simple arithmatic in my head. Likewise, the convenience of having a computer in your pocket that can also make a phone call, send & receive text messages and email is very attractive and compelling; but suddenly it’s not a nice thing to have, it’s a requirement. IMO, it’s a trap. People have taken a convenience and made it an essential element of their life. It’s time to step back.

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#291800 - 02/17/19 02:38 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: TeacherRO]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
chaosmagnet’s First Draft List of Apps to Equip Your Smartphone to Survive:
  • Web browser — particularly important for gathering information
  • A good weather app — not essential when one has a working web browser but works a lot better for me
  • Navigation app — I use one (Waze) for when I’m driving (and when I’m double-checking the route chosen by a cab driver or ride share driver) and another one (MotionX GPS) with offline maps if a data connection is unavailable
  • Communications apps — low bandwidth data may be available when voice is not, being able to communicate with your friends and family via multiple means can be very useful
  • First aid reference apps
  • Survival/CERT reference apps
  • Reading/games/other distractions apps — to stave off boredom when battery life isn’t an issue
  • Travel apps — Sometimes in an urban environment rapidly finding and booking a hotel room, getting a ride share pickup, and so on, can make things a lot easier


It’s been said and is worth repeating: The smartphone shouldn’t be a crutch that you use to excuse yourself from being willing to act to preserve your safety (mindset), aware of your surroundings, knowing what to do, practicing your skills so that you know how to do it, and having the right gear available to support those things. But it can be a useful tool, particularly in urban and suburban environments, that makes things a lot easer.

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#291805 - 02/18/19 11:58 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: chaosmagnet]
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
chaosmagnet’s First Draft List of Apps to Equip Your Smartphone to Survive:
  • Web browser — particularly important for gathering information
  • A good weather app — not essential when one has a working web browser but works a lot better for me
  • Navigation app — I use one (Waze) for when I’m driving (and when I’m double-checking the route chosen by a cab driver or ride share driver) and another one (MotionX GPS) with offline maps if a data connection is unavailable
  • Communications apps — low bandwidth data may be available when voice is not, being able to communicate with your friends and family via multiple means can be very useful
  • First aid reference apps
  • Survival/CERT reference apps
  • Reading/games/other distractions apps — to stave off boredom when battery life isn’t an issue
  • Travel apps — Sometimes in an urban environment rapidly finding and booking a hotel room, getting a ride share pickup, and so on, can make things a lot easier



I'd add
- ride apps (Uber, Lyft) and an account
- messaging apps (text, Skype, etc)
- Phone numbers in a separate (text) file
- govt info app or accounts (my highway departments twitter, for instance.)
- Link to the "L" schedule or other transportation info ( bus, rail, etc)


And I'm often surprised at how few people carry a charger or small battery.

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#291806 - 02/19/19 12:59 AM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: TeacherRO]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
Originally Posted By: TeacherRO

I'd add
- ride apps (Uber, Lyft) and an account
- messaging apps (text, Skype, etc)
- Phone numbers in a separate (text) file
- govt info app or accounts (my highway departments twitter, for instance.)
- Link to the "L" schedule or other transportation info ( bus, rail, etc)


And I'm often surprised at how few people carry a charger or small battery.


In my mind, ride apps were included in travel apps, as messaging apps were included in communication apps. In the cities I use mass transit in, they have apps for their schedules and maps.

A very good idea to include links/accounts/handles for important sources of information! Also totally agreed on carrying a small battery pack and a 120V to USB charger. I don’t rent cars as often as I used to but I also carry a 12V to USB charger.

I’m not clear what the utility is of having phone numbers in a separate file on the same device, please explain.

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#291807 - 02/19/19 03:21 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: chaosmagnet]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
Signing up for your local jurisdiction's emergency notification app can be very worthwhile. This service has been useful or us a couple o times...
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#291808 - 02/19/19 05:49 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: hikermor]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Should this be in Urban Preparedness, Natural Disasters & Large Scale Emergencies or (?) Fiction? Rare L.A. mega-storm could overwhelm dam and flood dozens of cities, experts say... Whoa, “biblical proportions”... This is the reason a full tank of gas should be considered one of the Urban 10 Essentials.

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#291809 - 02/19/19 11:55 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: TeacherRO]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
+1 to the full tank of gas. Rainfall in SoCal, to say the least, can be wildly variable.
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Geezer in Chief

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#292303 - 05/17/19 05:08 PM Re: The urban '10 essentials' [Re: TeacherRO]
teacher Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 988
cash and change

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