Yesterday I entertained an authentic simulation of having been robbed of my phone. It proceeded as follows.
In my first full day of Santiago, Chile, I headed for some site seeing and errands, at least a couple of which required bringing a phone.
Contrary to common wisdom of not carrying the device in the back pocket, I do it all the time, in every country.
Part of me doesn’t particularly mind if the phone gets robbed. Part of me expects this to happen sooner or later.
I entered a central Galeria in search of a place to eat. Virtually all the restaurant windows along the corridor presented full-sized, seemingly edible culinary renderings. Only in Japan do I recall this degree of diligence.
At one point I became actively engaged in a conversation with a waiter by one of the many such window displays. The selection made, he led me to a table.
I felt somewhat lighter. The back pocket was empty. Nor did I find the device in any other searched location. There weren’t too many options.
Conclusion? In the heat of the front-window conversation, mindless to all surrounding locomotion, the phone quiet inconspicuously visible from my back pocket, someone snatched it. This was inevitable.
I experienced an initial three-second shock. Then followed a realization that I’m hardly upset. I felt clear headed and even exhilarated at finally having been liberated of that burdensome gadget.
Waiting for the meal, I jotted a few notes to gain clarity on the situation.
The Android phone had a Brazilian SIM card still. Upon my return, I’ll have to acquire a new one. Check.
Don’t anticipate the need for Uber at any foreseeable future. Check.
Don’t care for the camera. Check. Some contacts possibly unsynced. Can later reacquire the missing. Check.
No memory card, no unsynced multimedia. Hardly any for that matter. Check.
Can make VoIP calls from the tablet (my main computer). Check.
Phone blocked with pin. Cannot operate without a complete wipe. Check.
Phone old, bulky and sluggish. Don’t care for it. Don’t count on it for most cognitive labor. Check.
Still have the Blackberry backup phone that can make calls and send SMS. This will do for now. Check.
I ate my meal with a mighty appetite. Then I lifted the hat off the table. Under it was the phone.
Questions, comments? Connect.