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October 09, 2007
In my dream, iPhone saves the day (sort of)
(This is a strange post, and I'll probably delete it. But for now, indulge me.)
When I got my iPhone, I told myself --no, I promised myself--I would not evangelize this device to anyone. No. I would keep my delights to myself. And I have.
So what follows is not evangelizing; I'm just sharing a dream I had last night . . . .
--My Dream--
I was in the countryside somewhere in Asia. I didn't have any friends with me. I was intrigued by the people, food, and the village. But I didn't know where I was or the language I was hearing.
So I had an idea: Use the map feature on my iPhone!
Somehow I figured the phone could triangulate cell towers and bring up the right map, and voila! . . . I would know my location. So that's what I did. I got out my iPhone and pressed the map button.
The iPhone whirred and flashed a few things on the screen, and eventually an image came up: it wasn't a map. It was a flag -- apparently the flag of that Asian country.
"Oh, rats," I thought. I didn't recognize the flag. I wished I'd learned world flags better as a kid, because the image was no help to me. I was still lost.
Then I had another idea: Use my iPhone's browser and search for flags online. Then I'd know my location.
So I fired up iPhone's browser . . .
and that's all I remember about the dream.
So my dream is not so unusual for me: a jumble of shifting experiences. What's notable for me, however, is that even though I was alone, my mobile phone was with me. It was my inseparable companion. And I turned to my phone naturally to solve problems.
Mobile phones are changing how we think -- our psychology. These devices are becoming part of us, part of how we cope with challenges in our world. This will become even more true each passing year, I believe.
Of course, my dream is not proof of anything. It's just one more personal anecdote about how much we depend on these little pocket miracles.
I don't know anyone more optimistic than I am about how mobile phones will change us and our world for the better. My Stanford lab has started a project to understand how we can use mobile phones (or whatever we call our mobile technology of the future) to bring about world peace in 30 years-- or sooner.
Yes, the Internet has opened new doors for relationships and sharing and understanding. But the real potential of connectivity emerges only when we use it in the context of our everyday lives--our everyday *mobile* lives.
Okay . . . you had enough of this rambling?
Me too.
--BJ Fogg
Posted by BJ Fogg at October 9, 2007 06:48 PM
Comments
Your whole post would sound less fanboy-ish if you just replaced every instance of iphone with "phone" or "mobile phone".
You can feel free to evangelize the greater good of mobile access, connectivity, etc. simply by dropping the "i".
Thanks,
'93 Alum
Posted by: Israel LHeureux at October 11, 2007 03:31 PM