I have a new smart phone

I also have a dumb phone that I hate having. I use it when I'm lost or late. It took me a couple of years to use 100CHF in my pay as you go phone. Mostly SMS telling my daughter where to meet me in the airport or my business partner to tell him I'm on the train and will arrive at 10:10. I won't give the number out except to people like my housemate or the person I'm meeting.

The phone is off 99% if the time. I only put it on to make connections, physical connections when meeting someone.

At one point I had it in a case that looked a Dalmatian. It made using it less onerous.

I do not want to be in touch with the world 24/7.

I'm not a Luddite. I am on the computer sometimes 10 hours a day.I handle hundreds of emails weekly FROM HOME. WHEN I GO OUT I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM. SO FAR NOTHING HAS BEEN SO IMPORTANT IT CAN'T WAIT AN HOUR OR SO.

Rick just bought me a smart phone and I threw a hissie fit in the bank office where it was being activated (it still isn't). Poor man.

I suppose it will be helpful for banking and tweeting from the conference I'm covering in Ottawa next week.

However, I do intend to encrypt it https://www.seecrypt.com/ to protect it from US spying.

I can wait until I get home to check the hundreds of emails I get weekly. I can wait until I get home to check facebook and any other thing that I use the computer for.

Strangely I don't mind talking on Skype. In fact my housemate will Skype me from the basement to my first floor workspace with nice messages like "want to go to lunch at ____fill in the blank." Rick and I talked for hours on Skype.

In other words if you want to communicate with me, please don't phone me (including my landline) use

• Facebook
• Skype
• Email

And best of all let's sit down over a nice cup of tea face to face with no buzzing, ringing interruptions.

Rick says I'm going to learn to love my smartphone. Stay tuned. Film at 11.