u/jbriones95

Good day everyone. As you know, RCS is the bane of the Dumbphone community's existence. However, some good news came out of a recent messages update from Google.

Tell your friends that use Android to enable this setting. They enter into the conversation, click the three dots for conversation details, and then enable only send SMS & MMS.

They can do this for group chats and regular 1:1 messaging. It will solve 99% of the issues. Only Android so far. Hopefully Apple gets this update soon as well!

Every so often, there are some conversations in this sub about "dumbphone purity." Many people say something along the lines of "if it has access to apps, it is a smartphone."

First, let's take that claim from the historical perspective. Mobile phones were introduced to the masses in the 90's. By 1999, there were already WAP browsers and basic email clients on Nokia devices. By the early 2000s, Blackberry brought email, browsers, and some games to their own handsets. The key difference between these early apps and the ones found on smartphones is that they were not meant to hook you for hours end on scrolling algorithms.

In 2008, phones changed. They became touch first, app store driven, and filled with distraction. By 2020, many of us were fully addicted and dependent on the smartphone culture and that's when dumbphones started to become part of the conversation again. But the issue since that early renaissance has been that our collective thinking has skewed to infighting and definitions as to what is considered a dumbphone.

People critique the prices of dumbphones like the Light Phone 3 or Mudita Kompakt. Others say that the Dumbphone 2 or Sidephone are not really dumbphones because they have access to WhatsApp, Signal, or other tools for daily life like 2FA. Those same people say that we need to go back to calls and texts only like the early 2000s, but they forget that early 2000s phones had way more apps than just calls and texts. They also forget that a lot of these phones in the early 2000s were expensive.

This is why, in my opinion, our community cannot make it past a small niche. We have to recognize that the real enemy is smartphone culture and addictive apps.

It's ok if someone here has a few apps that they find valuable for their daily tasks. Yes, we would want an ideal where WhatsApp didn't become the default messaging application for Europe, Latin American, and India. Of course, it would have been amazing if email, 2FA, and slack weren't required for some jobs. And please let's not get started on how annoying and better the world would be without QR only restaurants, subway systems that only work with an app, or schools that only communicate with parents via apps.

But like the dumbphones in the 2000s adapted to business and real-world needs, the current lineup of dumbphones is doing the same. For example, the Light Phone 3 is currently building a library of distraction-free apps with their SDK. Or the Mudita Kompakt, yes, it can run some smartphone apps, but the e-ink will be so difficult to use that it is not going to keep you hooked. Also, the sidephone or dumber mini run email and slack, but are people really going to scroll in a 2.8-inch screen (maybe some will do, but the great majority won't).

I am all for people learning how to live without smartphones and their apps. I am all for workarounds. I am all for eliminating digital dependencies. However, I think anyone trying to reduce their smartphone dependency and fighting against smartphone culture is welcome in this community. It may not be your cup of tea, but that's the reality of the situation.

TLDR: Scheels may be coming to Littleton IF city council approves an economic deal that shares tax money with them.

Last night, I received a message about a new Scheels potential location here in Littleton. I found out that city council is voting on this matter on Tuesday, September 15th, at the regular Tuesday meeting.

I have seen their stores in CO Springs and Johnstown and they seem to be very popular with tons of visitors, so I was curious and got to research the city package for the meeting. I will break down three documents: Mineral Place economic package, the presentation, and the incentive analysis.

Here are the economic package details:

• Scheels charges sales tax like any store. The city collects it.
  • The city then gives back:
    • 5.33% of the sales tax to RIG with a cap of $25M
    • 54.67% of the sales tax to Scheels no cap for 30 years
• The city keeps the rest of Scheels tax (40%)
• If voters approve any new sales taxes later, the city keeps 100% of that money. It doesn't get shared.

Then, we have the incentive analysis:

• Originally, this land was supposed to be Costco and small retail pads
• With the Scheels deal, the small retail would go away
• Financially, it breaks down like this if we take "average revenue" per store per year based on the document and publicly available data. I used Walmart and Lowe's as examples given that those would be the largest stores compared to Scheels and I put them at 0% shareback, which probably won't happen, but just to compare.

Retail Type & Incentive	Annual Sales	Taxable Sales	City Tax (3.75%)	City Keeps	Store Keeps
Mineral Place Pads (50%)	$28.2M	$14.1M	$528K	$264K	$264K
Costco (50%)	$300M	$162M	$6.075M	$3.038M	$3.038M
Scheels (60%)	$135M	$135M	$5.063M	$2.025M	$3.038M
Walmart (0%)	$112.5M	$50.6M	$1.898M	$1.898M	$0
Lowe’s (0%)	$56M	$50.4M	$1.890M	$1.890M	$0

I believe this is decently accurate table given how Scheels behaves vs Costco, Walmart, and Lowe's. It's so interesting to me that Scheels makes more revenue $$ for the city at 40% than Walmart or Lowe's, but it is also not surprising because Walmart sells grocery items that don't get taxes.

Two other things stand out for me out of this decision:

1. No cap: This means that if Scheels goes through the roof in projections the city only gets to keep 40% of that money. I would personally want a cap even if it's astronomical like $200M or something like that. A cap ensures that if this becomes the next destination in the metro area like it has become in CO Springs and Johnstown, Littleton gets to keep some $$. Costco has a cap, Scheels should too.
2. 30 years: Long time. Even the Costco deal got 10 years only. 15 would be my preferred number or 20. 30 is a mortgage and that just doesn't sit well with me.

Anyways, I hope this post provided some info if you weren't aware and hope you can contact your representatives if you think this is a good deal or not. After all, this is money that the public would be foregoing (note: we are not paying anything thankfully, we are rebating) and the public should have some sort of input in the matter. Hope it helps!

Long weekends are notorious for their leisure time. In theory, that’s a great thing! More time to relax, spend time with friends, or organize your life. However, many people end up looking at their screens more than usual because of the long stretch of unoccupied time.

That’s why I wanted to put this reminder out there: Dumbphones are helpful in the journey against distraction, but they are not the full solution. They probably comprise about 20% of the journey, where the other 80% is filled with meaningful offline activities that you get to enjoy alone or with others. For example, today, I got to try Yoga for the first time. I am more of a weights or cardio person myself, but I got a free class offered to me via email and I decided to go check it out.

It was fun and quite difficult (also it was hot yoga which made it extra hard). I stretched parts of my shoulders and legs that I didn’t know existed. But what I loved the most was the sense of community that came afterwards. Everyone talking to each other, laughing, and catching up from previous sessions. It reminded me that the best way to fight online distraction is not through a device, but the community around us.

Anyways, hope you have a great weekend and if you happen to read this during the holiday tomorrow or another time, I encourage you to get off the screen and find people that you can play board games, explore your region, or simply chat with.

Happened to travel this weekend and needed to get from an airport to the Amtrak station to continue my journey.

I went to he rideshare tool. It quoted me a $29.99 ride for about 8 miles in a semi-rural area. Not horrible. First, it allowed me to compare between Lyft and Uber. I picked Lyft because Uber was $42. Then, it gave me the license plate and name of the person picking me up.

Then, it switched. New driver details showed up. Waited about 10 minutes. The driver called me to figure out where I was. Got dropped off. All throughout, I received updates via the app and text messages from Tremp. Easy to use system. Good stuff. 5 stars

Can't wait for even more Light Phone official and community apps!

I am currently in Michigan traveling and with the whole Colorado Connector news that it is going on the ballot, I decided to get on the MI equivalent for Intercity rail.

After all, these are similar trains (speed, comfort, number of stops) that would be operating in Colorado from Pueblo to Ft. Collins if the ballot passes.

Pro's:

• Speed: The train goes steady at around 80mph. Some sections are faster at 110mph. The CoCo is expected to reach 80mph, so I think the journey should be pretty good.
• Cost: My journey was about $30 from Niles, MI to Troy MI. Renting a car would have been way more expensive. Glad to have this option.
• No Driving Stress: It's so much nicer to not have to drive for me.
• WiFi on board: Catching up on some email and preparing for this week. The speed of the WiFi is ok. Nothing amazing.

Cons

• Uber connection: When I arrive at my destination, it'll be too late to catch the light rail or bus to my hotel. I could walk 2.5 miles, but it will be late and I have luggage. Anyways, the extra $20 do suck. I think this is what most cities in CO will have to work through. Creating connections between the station and where people want to go (downtown, museums, etc.)
• Seating: I've been on the CA Zephyr. Those seats are a bit older, but have much more space. The seats on the Wolverine are comfortable, but I wish they had more recline. My trek is 3h 30min, so nothing crazy but if I were doing the full Chicago to Detroit or Pueblo to Ft. Collins, a bit more space would be nice.
• Cafe Car: Options are a bit meh. I get that it is nice already to have snacks, but I'd appreciate something fresh like fruit or veggies. Most of the options are chips and sweets. It's ok, but it also depends how long you'll be on the train. I say bring your own snacks.
• Edit: There are more food options apparently, but some of the healthier options were sold out during my trip. Sad. Maybe next time I get nicer options.

Anyways. Seeing the Intercity rail trip here in Michigan has solidified my thoughts that the CoCo Train is a good idea for Colorado. This train is packed, it is a great way to travel, and I see tons of people with luggage so I think it appeals to travelers and tourists.

First time in the Wolverine! Great ride so far and very comfortable for coach. Quite full as well.

I can't wait to see how this Intercity rail concept does in Colorado with the Colorado Connector!!

Hello everyone. I used the Light Phone 3 for 3 days all over Hong Kong, here are my thoughts with ratings (ratings are evaluating of how the tool works, not the overall thought on whether the tool has all the features users need). Smaller sample size than my previous trip, but still good enough.

• Phone Calls: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Clear call quality throughout the region with SoSIM. No complaints.
• Texting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Works with SoSIM. I even sent a successful international text to Japan but who knows if it depleted all the balance lol.
• Directory: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Found all of the places that I was looking for. Given that this uses the Google Maps search engine, it works with no issues in HK (next week when I finish Mainland China, that will be a different story, stay tuned.) Again, first switch the location to Hong Kong in settings and it works great.
• Podcast/Music: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. No issues as expected.
• Directions: ⭐⭐⭐⭐. So much different than Japan or US. It has all the subways with timetables and accurate live times when online. Even when I was offline, it gave me the correct way to get to different locations and a accurate timetable. Subway and buses only, no high-speed rail or routes to Mainland China. One star deducted because I think it should be able to get me at least a rough idea of how to cross to a different country.
  • Transit: Tap to pay works on buses and trains. You can get an Octopus card as well.
• Hotspot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Pretty good. Fast speeds, VoLTE only though. Still, all-day battery life even with 2-3 hours of usage.
• Calendar: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Switch time zones easily. No issues.
• eSIM: ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Airalo and SoSim worked with no issues. Make sure to activate eSIM before arriving to the destination because otherwise you'll be stuck like me trying to find a supported WiFi network. Some APN fiddling with Airalo, but I was already used to that from Japan. Also, for SoSIM, you have to give them your passport info, otherwise, they won't let you activate the calling and SMS features.
• Weather ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. It does what it's supposed to do.
• Authenticator**⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.** It does what it's supposed to do.

The best part of the HK portion is that you really don't need a smartphone. They still use cash everywhere or the Octopus card (reloadable with cash). I think this won't be the case in the future, but we'll see.

Any questions are welcomed. Excited for the community library coming soon! So many tools from the community that will make this experience much nicer (like QR passes for flights, audiobooks, transit oriented apps, etc.)

LP3 link: https://www.thelightphone.com/shop?ref=josebriones
LP3 link non-ref: https://www.thelightphone.com/shop

For those interested in getting more information about this project, here is the link to RSVP for the CoCo Train Town Hall: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/987155/

It’s extremely tempting to think that the solution to screentime issues is simply the gradual reduction of the metric on your iPhone’s settings. After all, when you go from 8 or 9 hours of usage to 2-3 hours in front of your phone, the progress is hard to deny. Take a look at this person’s story.

At first sight, it seems like a rotund success. However, what many fail to reflect on and what I want to encourage you to think about today is: where did the time actually go? Many people1 are successful in reducing their phone screen time just to end up using other devices (television, laptop, tablet) as their medium to distraction. Therefore, instead of focusing on a metric that tells us how much we look into a screen, we should track the one that keeps us away from them. This metric is measured with endorphin release, mud in our boots, and sweat from the dance floor. It’s the metric of a life well lived, one that researchers call “Green Time.”

Green time is defined as a human engagement with the natural world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a walk in the woods or a weekend camping, it can be as simple as leaving your phone at your desk while you take a 5-minute walk, devoid of digital distractions, around the neighborhood. Green time, moreover, is one of the highest predictors of positive mental and physical health outcomes in adolescents and young children. In adults, it leads to better sleep2, blood pressure, and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

https://preview.redd.it/9uyn8i02tygh1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=e8b85229254732f2c4f26f2c73e78b654a44497c

So why is society not focused on extoling the virtues of green time and instead focuses on demonizing and fixating on screen time? Because it sells. It is the narrative and motif of the individual vs big tech. It’s the “buy my product”, it will cure your 8-9hr a day disease. It’s the simple reality that a consumerist world demands a complex solution instead of embracing the free one outside of our doors.

Yet, it is not so with you dear reader. I want you to reframe the problem of screen time and not see it from the “I lack” perspective. You have heard these statements before:

• I lack the willpower to beat my screen addiction (therefore I need a dumbphone3, app, etc. to do it for me)
• I lack the wherewithal to switch from my always-connected job (thus, I will conform to the status quo)
• I lack friends or family that support my digital minimalism goals (and as a result, I must bow to their demands to use WhatsApp, email, or [insert peer pressure app here] on their terms)

Yet, while these are difficult realities that we contend with in the modern world, we do not lack. These hardships empower us to reframe, rethink, and repurpose our lives, so that we can engage with the world instead of merely observing others doing so.

You and I have the opportunity to embrace the local walking trail, the library book club gathering, and most importantly sitting with our thoughts in boredom as the gateway to a “greener” life. A life that you get to enjoy, not by gloating on an Instagram reel, but by savoring the health, vitality, and peace that greet you when your head hits the pillow.

A greener life is one that you can choose today. Just leave the devices behind, lock them away for a day or a week, and choose to enjoy the natural world as our ancestors did: unmediated by any technology. Trust me, after a few weeks, you won’t miss the online chaos.

You can read this and share it on the Moving Offline newsletter: https://josebriones.substack.com/p/stop-tracking-screentime-track-greentime

Hello everyone!

I posted a few weeks here and got tons of feedback from you. The livability index now allows you to adjust your own weights for the options depending on what is important for you!!

https://jbriones95.github.io/Livable-Index/

Always welcome other feedback if there is more data that you'd like to include in this map as it may help you select a property that is suitable for you or a living area.

Many of you may have watched my review a few weeks ago of the Dumber Mini. It is a fantastic device with a team that cares about the software and hardware and the dumbphone community as a whole.

Thanks to u/ReturningRetro and the Dumber Mini team, we now have the device fully functioning in the United States (T-mobile only as of right now, though I expect AT&T MVNOs to work as well in the future). I have been testing this week and it is such a joy to continue using this device. It is highly customizable, has protections against doomscrolling (in settings), and allows most people to get their perfect transition device with software that is open source and private! Bonus, it is well priced :)

Either way, I wanted to let the community know if anyone had apprehensions about the device from the USA Market perspective. I expect them to be able to deliver a proper device in the US later this year with working software and hardware.

As always, I try to partner the sub with brands to give a small discount where possible, here are those links.

Dumber Mini with discount: https://dumbermini.com/JOSE_DUMBPHONES
Dumber Mini non ref, no discount: https://dumbermini.com/