Identity Crisis

 

noun: identity crisis; plural noun: identity crises

"a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person's sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society"

 

I logged into my bank to pay some bills. I do this from my computer, which allows me three alternative ways to log in. Normally I use a special bank card that I put into a card-reading thingy that I connect to my laptop by a cord. I also have a smaller cordless bank thingy that I'm not sure how it works, but somehow codes get sent back and forth by pushing the right buttons, and if I do it right, that works too. (I haven't been using the little fiddly thingy much lately though, as I find the card-thingy easier to handle.)The third alternative is Mobile Bank ID, which involves an app on my smartphone, and scanning of QR codes. The Mobile Bank ID is nowadays also used to access an increasing amount of other apps and websites where one needs to prove that one is who one claims to be. (I'm still a bit sceptical of the general idea of using my phone for Absolutely Everything, though, so have so far avoided using bank apps on the phone.)

 

Anyway. A week or so ago I received a message from my bank "reminding" me (I had no idea!!) that my current Mobile Bank ID will expire in a few weeks. However, the message also said I could renew it by logging into my bank. They made that sound easy, so I thought I'd just do that today in connection with paying my bills... 

 

Of course I should know by now that there's no "just" about these kinds of things - but sometimes I still let optimism take over...

 

It did seem simple enough to start with - until I was suddenly asked to now prove my identity by taking a photo (via an app) of a valid physical ID. And then learned that in this particular context, my driving licence, which in the Real World has served me as allround ID for around 50 years by now (renewed without much ado every 10 years), no longer counts as valid ID in this particular context. To prove my identity to the new Mobile Bank ID, I now need either a physical Passport or a physical National ID card (valid within the EU). And as I haven't travelled abroad for a very long time, and for all other purposes so far have got along fine with my driving license, I don't have either of those... 

 

So I had no alternative but to interrupt my application for the new Bank ID by clicking on the alternative "I don't have the right ID" ... 

 

For a while I feared that this might leave me without any identity at all within in digital world... But luckily it seems that the system reverted to letting the old bank ID tick on until the automatic expiration date. (Phew.)

 

So I hurried on in search of What To Do and Where To Go; and managed to book an appointment at our police station next week - to be photographed and fingerprinted and whatever else it takes to get the required National ID... 

 

To my relief, it seems that the physical police will still accept my driving license to prove that I Am Who I Am. (Because if not, it seems the only alternative would be to ask my brother to drive down here to confirm it in person. And I'm not actually sure if he has any ID besides his driving license to prove his identity either...)

 

The whole circus now makes me think I should probably also make sure to both renew my driving license next year (in spite of doubting that I'll ever actually take up driving again), and get a passport as well (even if I have no travel plans). On second thought, probably better to wait a year or two with the passport, though - or else the ID card and the passport will keep expiring at the same time...

 

I'm not going to ask everyone to describe your own country's ID systems in detail - but I do feel curious to know if you too are feeling the increased pressure/requirement to use your phone for Everything... As much as I love my smartphone, for the most part I still mostly use it as a combination of camera, audio book player, handy encyclopedia, and to receive text message notifications. For other online things, I usually prefer either my laptop or my tablet... But these days, it seems the goal is a separate App for "every purpose under heaven" * (but one Bank ID to join them all)...

 

* "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." 
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

 

Hello Again

 

Image by Bing Image Creator

1st August was not only "Hello August" (cf. previous post), but also an "Hello? Hello? Helloooo?" kind of day for me...

I got a phone call from my brother, who rang me on my "landline" number (nowadays on fiber cable broadband) to inform me that he was unable to get through to me on my mobile. At his end everything just went black and silent (no way to leave a message) - and at my end there was no indication whatsoever that anyone had been trying to reach me, or that anything was wrong...

While still on the cable phone to my brother, I tested making a call from my old spare mobile to the new one, and the same thing happened. No call came through. I then tested the other way round - and that worked just fine! So I could make calls, just not receive any... That made it even harder to guess how long it may have been like that. (Could be a few weeks without me having wondered about it, as I wasn't expecting anyone in particular to call, and I was still able to make calls myself.)

What did come to mind was that at the beginning of July I had changed from "cash card" to a monthly subscription. I know I made some outgoing test calls after that change, to check that everything was working. But I'm not sure it occurred to me to also test the other way round - as I've never heard of a phone only working in one direction...

After having finished talking to my brother, I googled "no incoming calls" and found that obviously, the situation must be more common than I thought - as I easily found various tips on things to check if this situation arises.

I followed a number of them - starting with restarting the phone, and then following a list  of different settings to check. The last thing I did was to reset my "phone network" settings, and after that, it was working again. (At least I can now call myself from my other two phones, so I assume others can as well.)

If it was about the phone network settings, it still mystifies me how I was able to make calls, just not receive any... And I still don't know if it was caused by some automatic update gone wrong, or something I happened to do myself... Ah well. I suspect I'll be calling myself a bit more often in the near future, just to make sure. ;) (And I think I'll be keeping my two extra phones as well, although I'd been thinking of giving up at least one of them.)

As you can see above, I asked Bing for an illustration. Below are some more, just for your entertainment. Obviously Bing is still having serious problems with arms, hands, legs, people holding things - and even defining what a "phone" is... (My basic simple instruction was "woman waiting for phone to ring"...)

Making Progress...

Getting acquainted with my new phone is still taking up a lot of my time - and I keep oscillating between frustration and revelations... ;-)

Out on a short chilly walk on Sunday (just my usual turn around the cemetery for exercise) I had my first attempt at shooting some outdoor photos. Or so I thought. Turned out when I got home that what I had actually done was shoot some very short, shaky and blurry videos (of things not supposed to move!). 

Being used to actually pressing a physical button to take photos (even on my old phone), I guess I probably pressed the "screen button" on the new phone too hard...

Yesterday was sunny (even if still rather chilly), and a better day for outdoor photography. I managed a few shots in and near the park downtown; and then at home also experimented with creating collages. Some crocuses had shown their face again after the snow-shock that must have buried them the other day; and I spotted a couple of more unusual ducks among the usual mallards in the river.

I think they must be goosanders (Lat. Mergus merganser, Swedish: storskrake)

The white ones, bottom right, are snowdrops with snow dropped on top of them... (The crocuses were in a sunny spot, the snowdrops in a shady spot.)

- - -

Some of my other experiments have been related to sound rather than images. The new phone turned out to have no headphone jack; so the day after I bought the phone, I decided to also invest in a couple of new wireless (Bluetooth) earbuds. They don't even have a cord between them to keep the pair together... So far I haven't dared use them outside the flat! ;) They're surprisingly comfortable, though.

The photo on the left is a shot from my TV screen today (watching an episode of Foyle's War). Just as a reminder how far technology has come in the past 80 years or so...!

You turn them on/off and change volume etc by tapping on the earbuds themselves. I've still not quite mastered that art... Sometimes if I want to increase or decrease the volume, I manage to turn them off instead. Or suddenly an automatic voice cries "GAMING MODE" in my ear...  It seems I'm also supposed to be able to answer a phone call by a tap, if I happen to be wearing them when the phone rings. (That still remains to be tested.)

Getting the earbuds also inspired me to look into how to transfer music to the phone from my laptop (where I have pretty much all my old vinyls and CDs saved as mp3-files). Grasping how to do that turned out another headache. I'll just sum it up by saying I tried things more than one way without success... Finally, yesterday, I somehow managed to transfer two (2) albums, though - still hadn't got a clue why only those two (out of several more attempts) were successful!

Somewhere in between, it also occurred to me to explore Spotify (music streaming app). Wow... Somehow I've been under the impression that the free version of this app would also involve lots of unwanted ads and interruptions. (Perhaps in the beginning it did?) But I find now that it does not! And so easy to find old favourites... And once I started marking those, the app started making automatic playlists for me, and bringing up even more suggestions that I hadn't thought of... But you can also listen to full albums. (I bet some of you are laughing at me now. You probably knew all this since like forever.) Anyway, I got spellbound for hours yesterday afternoon, just exploring this whole world of old/new  music... Conclusion at the end of the day: No need to have tons of music files downloaded now - only perhaps a few, if I also want to be able to listen offline sometimes.

Still... Always unsatisfied with unsolved mysteries, today I returned to the problem of how to transfer music from the computer - and think I managed to figure it out. Somehow, after the two successful downloads yesterday, I must have broken off the procedure and failed to start over correctly. Like it seems essential that I turn on the phone first, before connecting it (by cord) to the computer... Never mind the rest of the steps, as it probably varies between devices anyway (which apps are involved etc). Suffice it to say that I have now also downloaded a limited number of my own albums for "offline" listening. 

However, in the process, I've probably also developed an addiction to continue exploring Spotify...

Update: Day Four

It's Day Four after my old phone suddenly died on me. (Yes - an incident dramatic enough to start a new "calendar"...) If you read my previous post you already know that I spent Saturday evening and most of Sunday searching online for a replacement, but finally managed to pre-order one at a store in my town where I wold be able to pay for it when I went to pick it up. 

So on Monday, around 11 am, I set out on this errand. It had rained earlier in the morning but the rain had stopped by the time I had to go out. I have about 15 min walk to the station, from where I took a bus "across town" (another 15 min or so). I had received instructions to go round the back of the huge store to pick up my parcel. Never having gone through this procedure before I felt a bit lost, but I found my way there all right, and there was no queue and no problems. Then I went back to the main entrance and into the store to ask if they also had some shell/cover to to fit the new phone. They did, and a good sturdy one too. (Just looked it up online and find it described in English as a "smart full body protective shell stand holder cover"...

I was able to catch the next bus back (buses 30 min apart on that line), and then walked back from the station again, so the whole errand didn't take me more than around 1½ hour.

So far, so good. Meanwhile, however, I'd also found out (already on Sunday) that my old SIM card was the wrong size for the new phone. I was able to order a new card with the same number to be sent to me, but I still haven't got that. As we only get mail delivered every other weekday now, and it didn't arrive today, my next chance is Friday... Can only keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best! (I.e. that they really do send it directly to my postbox, and not to be picked up... Because they usually inform about that by text messages these days; and as my phone is not working, no such messages would reach me...) 

Left: My new phone - Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
Right: My old phone - Sony Xperia Z3 (from 2014)

While I can't complete the set-up of the new phone without the SIM card, I did nevertheless start the process already on Monday afternoon. Got the phone charged, connected it to my WiFi, and got started on trying to get acquainted with how to download apps etc. Phew... I continued with this all day yesterday, and almost felt my own brain having a melt-down in the process. Everything seemed to be in a different place than on my old phone, and as soon as I had managed to find where they'd hidden things, or figure out how to do this or that... it all seemed to slip right back out of my memory again, so that with the next app I had to start from scratch once again...

I've struggled on, though, and by now I think I've managed to recreate most of the apps from my old phone, and get them sorted in an order with which I feel vaguely familiar... 

The all-important Mobile Bank-ID one can't be recreated until I also have the SIM card, though. (I could go on quite a bit more about that but I'll skip that for now.)

As can be seen from the photo above, the new phone is somewhat bigger than my old one - and also a bit heavier - so feels a bit clumsier to me, but I suppose I'll get used to that. You can also see that it has no less than four camera lenses on the back (+ flash +one front camera). I've not yet had time to explore the camera functions much - I just snapped a few shots of some new plants I bought yesterday:

 

 

A Saintpaulia (African Violet), for my living room window, and a small yellow kalanchoe for my ceramic Easter rooster (which I had since before).

And a bigger yellow kalanchoe for my kitchen window.

After having installed my Audible app on the phone yesterday, I also found myself impressed with the sound from this new phone. I've not yet tried it with music, but I'm sure it will get along very well with my audio books...

I'll hold off more "reviews" until we get a bit better acquainted!

A Rose

My phone surprises me sometimes by playing around with my photos without any active help from me.  This is what it did with the only photo I took the other day when out walking. It then pinged me and asked if I thought the fancy edit was worth keeping. I decided that it was!

Sharing with Ruby Tuesday

Big Brother

My “old” phone (to the left), smart though it may still look, has been making more and more complaints lately about its memory being full, and therefore refusing to update apps. Apps on the other hand are sprightly multiplying little things (getting their energy from only-Google-knows-where) which keep on calling for my attention: “Hey, there’s a brand new version of me available!” they take turns reminding me, on a more or less daily basis. “Please update NOW or you’ll soon find yourself ex-communicated…”

Finally I succumbed to the pressure and had to accept that after little more than three years, I have to let my “old” Xperia Arc retire from active service and replace it with Big Brother Xperia Z3 (to the right)…

The Z3 is also on the market in a compact version, more the size of my old one... Decisions, decisions! I’m still not sure whether I made the “right” choice. Time might tell – or possibly leave me undecided for another three years; who knows! The smaller size was/is definitely easier to fit into a pocket or handbag. On the other hand though, I do tend to use the device more as a mini-computer than as a phone... And then a bigger screen does have its undeniable advantages. (So the big one was what I finally bought.)

Until next week I’m actually not able to use it as phone. I decided I wanted to keep my old number, but to do that, I still had to order a new SIM card; as for mysterious reasons, the bigger phone requires a smaller card than the small phone...

As an afterthought it occurred to me that I might still want a new cash card number for the old phone though. That way, I will still have the option to use that one as “safety phone” sometimes when the big one feels unnecessarily clumsy to carry with me. (When I’m only out for a short walk, for example, I very rarely use the phone - I just like to know that I can do so…)

Anyway, I have now received both the new small card with the old number for the new big phone, and a new big card with a new number for the old small phone… But as I found it safer (of course) to set the activation date later rather than sooner, the Big Switch won’t be taking place until next Monday.

In the meantime, I’m getting acquainted with and sorting the wifi settings and apps etc; which so far seem to be to my satisfaction. I’m even almost feeling optimistic that perhaps somewhere down the line it might save time rather than  just consume it. (That’s probably naïve of me, but where would we be without Hope?)

The Z3 is also said to have a really good camera, and  to be waterproof; so when I’ve got the phone part working I’m also looking forward to taking it out for some experimental photo walks!

Hearing Voices

Do you remember how, not all that long ago, it took some getting used to, that more and more people seemed to be talking to themselves in the street, on the bus, or anywhere?

What I’m referring to is, of course, the introduction of mobile phones. Now, in 2012, I don’t think anyone reacts any more. The streets could be full of people just talking nonsense out loud to themselves, and we’d just assume they’re talking to someone on the phone, even if they’re not actually holding one.

So what’s next? I’ll tell you! It’s now the mobile phones that have started talking to themselves, all on their own. At least mine has! Maybe I’ll grow used to that too eventually, but I’m not so sure I want to…

Four or five times over the last few days, I’ve suddenly been alerted by the sound of talking. When one lives alone, it’s rather scary to suddenly hear voices coming from another room in the flat. If I had a clock radio that would be my first suspect – but I don’t.

The culprit is my Xperia mobile phone.
Or the app installed on it for playing mp3-audio books – Mort.

Mort seems to like reading so much that he has now taken it upon himself to decide when it’s reading time, rather than leaving that up to me. He also doesn’t seem to like it when I abandon one book for another. Or else it is just that he’s really eager to finish one particular book for himself… Anyway, just now he seems quite determined to finish a certain story by Martha Grimes even though I chose to skip to another title.

I thought I’d be able to put a stop to the nonsense by removing that particular book from the phone yesterday. And I thought I had succeeded in doing so…

… until today at 2.30, while I was lying on the sofa in the living room, resting after a walk… suddenly, my handbag out in the hall started talking. It was reading aloud again. From The Man With a Load of Mischief. The book I thought I had deleted from the memory card…

The only way to stop Mort from reading on (when he has started by his own choice) seems to be to shut the phone off completely and then restart it. Then it kept quiet for two hours. However, at 4.30 it started reading again – where it left off. I’ve checked the alarm settings, they do not seem to indicate that I’ve set any alarm by mistake. Pressing the stop button does not help. And if I try to switch to another book – well, then Mort switches into multiple personality mode and manages to read both books aloud at the same time!

I guess I shall have to try some uninstalling and reinstalling of the app and see if that helps…

Straight Out Of the Phone

For Straight Out of the Camera Sunday:

A countryside view taken with my new phone (Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc), from the neighbourhood of my parents’ old place. (The picture is not of our house.)

---

The end of the week has been a lot rainier than the beginning, but I almost welcomed it – I was beginning to feel in need of a few days to just rest and do indoors things in my own home.

I’ve also tried to catch up a little on my blog reading; and moreover, I think I finally got my email problem ‘sorted’. Most of you are probably not aware that I had one! But the thing is I got into a bit of a confusion when I started using the smartphone to read emails, because I couldn’t access all the folders in my yahoo account from the phone. This led to an experiment with re-directing blog comments to gmail instead. But I wasn’t really happy with that solution. (Besides having to check two different accounts, I found gmail very confusing.) However, one learns as one goes along… Today I had a ‘duh’ moment and finally found the right ‘app’ to download, so was able to get back to sorting my mail the way I’ve got used to. Yippee.  (Yes Yahoo is a silly name but it’s been my main email service since ‘forever’ – even before I got my first dial up modem at home back in the mid 90’s!)

A for Android (ABC Wednesday)

ABC Wednesday is starting over again this week with the letter A. How appropriate. That gives me an apt excuse (as if I needed one!) to show you my brand new Android phone.

I’ve been thinking about getting one for a while now but since I’m rarely away from home more than a few hours at a time, it has seemed rather unnecessary. However, when my brother demonstrated his new Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc to me when he was here, I got hooked… It was smaller and lighter than any I had seen before. After getting acquainted with it, it didn’t take me long to make up a whole list of excuses to get one myself – a.s.a.p.!

For one thing, it will be good to have it when I have to go out to the House on my own, as we don’t have any computer/internet there now (except when my brother is there). For another, even at home I’m beginning to see the advantages of being able to quick-check emails and Facebook and “whatnot” without turning on the computer. Moreover, it can be used for listening to music and audio books, and for taking pictures and watching films, and…

How do they fit all that into a thing that weighs only 117 g?!

I remember the first so-called mobile phone I ever saw “in real life”. It was 1986 or 87. A gang of us were going out for dinner in the evening, and one married couple brought this thing which was about the size of a car battery*, in case their babysitter needed to reach them. (*A last century car battery, that is. Maybe those have been getting smaller as well - I have to confess I haven’t looked under the bonnet of a car in a very long time!)

It looked something like this:

http://4urfone.blogspot.com/2009/10/old-mobile-phones.html