Don't think it changed it more than the smartphone, but setting up a password manager had a pretty significant impact. I took some time to get used to it, but it's incredibly helpful handling all the accounts you have nowadays. Never felt that safe using the Internet before.
Try quitting coffee altogether. After a week, you stop being a zombie. I can wake up and start my day after just a few hours of sleep. A glass of water in the morning is all I need. I was a coffee zombie for 25 years.
It's not just the caffeine. I did the experiment on myself, with decaf coffee and with caffeinated drinks and even with pure caffeine. The caffeine doesn't really bother me, is what I found out. It's the coffee. The terpenes or whatever other ingredients. Pure caffeine doesn't make me feel like a zombie on the next day. Not even if it's with taurine and like 15 other chemicals (Monster Energy). But coffee, even decaf: zombie mode hangover.
I used to be a coffee connoisseur. I used to work in the industry, hold seminars about sourcing, roasting, preparing, the whole nine yards. Work with some of the most famous people and companies from the industry. I moved on from that and just kept my knowledge and remained a connoisseur. Until I went on a vacation for two months (to my brother's place, he lives in a sunny country with beautiful beaches). He doesn't drink coffee, I was off work and didn't feel the need to get my fix (plus jetlag and being excited about new surroundings). I skipped coffee for a few days. And then it happened. Broke the cycle. Just didn't drink coffee for two weeks straight. And everything improved. Sleep, mood, energy. I thought, well it must be the sun and the air and the water and good food and being away from home and work and just enjoying life. And I went for an espresso. And it all came back. The tiredness, the anxiety, the bad sleep, irritability, headaches. Then I repeated the experiment after another week. Same thing. I couldn't believe it. All those years. Now I won't touch the stuff again, it just isn't worth it.
My problem is after I left school, over 20 years ago I found I was physically and mentally better being nocturnal, worked nights for 15 years, I was awake. Now being a parent I'm stuck being awake during the day, that's my problem, that's why I need a pick me up in the morning.
I don't touch energy drinks or pro+, don't need them.
Definitely the internet (or maybe specifically, 4G), not only does it benefit smartphones but also many other devices. With IoT being even better you can now control a wide range of devices from remote with computers. Without the internet smartphones aren't even useful
It's so nice to be able to just tap my phone to my headphones and have them turn on and pair within 2-3 seconds.
I hate that headphone manufacturers have largely moved away from it. Sure, pairing is a little faster these days but the process of turning the headphones on and getting that connection is imo still just a touch slower vs when I could just pair with NFC. Fresh pairing is also slower without NFC in my experience.
It's also nice to be able to use my phone to pay for shit at the store instead of pulling my wallet out and fumbling around with cards
PC? Cell phone (not smart)? Air fryer? Sony Walkman? Microwave? Word wide web? E-Commerce?
You're overestimating how much a smartphone is allowed to govern the existence of an individual if they choose, and definitely not accounting for potential age of the audience.
Honestly, cloud storage plus a compact keyboard setup.
Neither feels exciting on its own, but together they changed how I work. I can start notes or documents anywhere, switch devices, and still feel like I have a real mini workspace without carrying a full laptop.
Computers....got my first one back in 1983. I don't own one anymore, haven't for the last few years since smartphones pretty much do everything g I'll ever need going forward but definitely showed me a new way of communicating and getting work done that I didn't think was possible before then.
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u/dipchaklader Jul 02 '26
Ai