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                                             A Love Affair

The alarm went off on schedule. Prior to going to sleep, I set the alarm on my iPhone. I reached over to the end table and picked up the device to stop the beeping. After it stopped, I grabbed my eyeglasses, sat up in bed and went through my daily routine of browsing through my phone to check the weather, several news sources, emails, text messages, reminders, and appointments.

Once up, I grabbed the phone and took it into the bathroom before walking the dog. On my return, I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. While eating, I downloaded some podcasts and rechecked my email and messages. After breakfast, I headed back to the bedroom to get dressed. At no time did my iPhone leave my side. No TV or newspapers.

My iPhone is always with me, from the time I wake up in the morning, to lights out at night. Before leaving my house, I used to make sure I had my wallet first. Now it’s my phone. I place it in a pocket. The next step is to insert my AirPods into my ears. I take very little cash with me and most of the time, I leave my credit cards at home.

The intention of this piece is to highlight how often I interact with my phone. By no means is this representative of the many functions available on the iPhone but merely a typical day in my life. For the balance of this narrative, I will refer to it as my “companion.”

My activities during the day include walking and taking public transportation between appointments. In addition, I stop at a coffee shop or restaurant around midday. I order a drink from the Starbucks app in advance. In many restaurants, the check can be paid with my companion through a handheld device provided by the waiter. While there, I use my companion to check my messages and emails, but most importantly, catch up on my reading; all through my AirPods.

As I walk, with my AirPods on, I listen to music, the news, books downloaded from Audible or the local public library and podcasts. I am able to make a phone call by asking “Siri” to make a call. Incoming calls are announced, and I can either accept or reject the call. My companion stays in my pocket.

As indicated above, traveling around the city often involves using a bus or the subway. In both instances, there is no need to pay with cash or credit card. I hold up my phone to a monitor, and the fare is paid. As for a car service, all I need to do is access an app for Uber, Lyft. etc. to schedule a ride and pay for it. I can also tip the driver through the app.

As the day progresses, I continue to refer to my calendar, reminders, and notes all on my companion. My calendar reminds me of upcoming appointments through my AirPods and I am able to dictate reminders and notes, as well as checking the stock market.

At the end of day, I often stop at a market to pick up groceries. Once again, I pay by holding my companion up to the register. At the drugstore, I pick up prescriptions and pay the same way. No cash or credit card needed.
In the evening, if I need to do laundry, I pay with my companion. The same if I order dinner for delivery.

There are so many more things that I do with my companion, but as indicated above, my goal is to just share a normal day’s activities with my trusted companion never leaving my side.

Before going to bed, there is one last check of news, weather, messages, etc. before setting it on the end table, attached to a charger, loading up for the next day’s events.

                        What does your average day look like with your companion?

Podcasts – The Return of Radio

It was nearing 11PM over 60 years ago, in the early 1950’s, “The Golden Age of Radio.” My father was preparing for bedtime. He brushed his teeth, grabbed his little transistor radio and hopped into bed. This little handheld device was the major vehicle for news, talk shows, and programming. He was preparing to listen to the Barry Gray Show, the unofficial “Father of Talk Radio.”

Along with Barry Gray, some of the leading personalities on the air were newsmen Edward R. Murrow and H. V. Kaltenborn, Jack Benny, Groucho Marks, Fred Allen, Bob and Ray, Arthur Godfrey, Lawrence Welk, and disk jockey Alan Freed. A few of the leading radio stations in New York were WINS, WOR, WPIX, WNEW, WMCA, WCBS, WMGM, and WNYC. The morning and afternoon newspapers were the main source of news at that time.

As the years progressed, many of the radio personalities moved on to television. Live TV/News coverage became popular in the 1960s and CNN went live in 1980. News at 5/6 PM and 11 PM became the main source for news before watching late TV or going to sleep.

Personal computers in the home became mainstream in the early 1980s. It wasn’t until the mid-1990’s that newspapers started to digitalize their content for computers.

In 2008, Apple introduced the smartphone, and for the first time, content and communications were available on a handheld device.

There was a time when the first thing we did upon waking up in the morning was to read the morning newspaper while eating breakfast. That practice gave way to turning on the TV. Now, most of us reach for our smartphone upon waking up for the news, weather, and other digital content. Most surveys report that the average cable viewer is about 70 years old, while the average podcast listener is around 34.

Podcasting started to become popular in 2003/4. Now, with many of the major news networks experiencing at least a 50% drop in viewership, many high-profile media personalities are turning to podcasting.

Today, the first thing I do upon waking up is to reach for my smartphone. The TV frequently is not turned on until later. As I walk around the city between meetings or stop at a restaurant, I am listening to either a podcast or a book. Before I go out, the first thing I look for is my smartphone even before my wallet.

Yes, Welcome to the return of “Radio.”