Why does my phone think I'm a giraffe?
I don't know if this has happened to you, but it's happened to me. I downloaded the latest update for my phone a week or so ago. I'm always kind of loathe to do updates; for some reason, the people who put the updates together decide they always wanna change the layout of the phone, how the programs work, and add and delete apps on a whim. Still, I know it's important to keep your devices up to date, so I usually grin and bear it.
One of the changes on the latest update is on the text message page; for some reason, my phone now wants to assign a picture or a letter to each person on my contact list. For the people sending me messages, it's the first letter of their name. When Loraine sends me something, she's represented by a big “L”; when my Mom does, she's a big “M” (because she's in my phone as “Mom” and not “Darlene”, something my phone is apparently not smart enough to know). The last time the phone updated it asked me for a picture so my photo would pop up next to what I wrote whenever I replied to or sent a text, but because I never do what everyone else does I refused to do it. Every time I sent or received a text I was just represented by a “J”.
Well, apparently the latest update of my phone didn't like that. Apparently, the latest update of my phone was determined to make me do what I didn't want to do. Apparently, the latest update of my phone took one look at me and knew exactly what it was going to do.
The latest update of my phone has replaced the “J” that used to indicate me with a picture of a giraffe. And no, I have no idea why.
I mean, I know my “phone” doesn't have a mind of its own. It just does what its programmers tell it to do. For all I know, EVERYONE with my particular phone and particular operating system (at least those that never put a personalized picture up) has had their “J” replaced with a picture of a giraffe. But I just find it funny that someone who on the tall side and who inherited his grandfather's long and gangly limbs has a generic “J” replaced with a picture of the animal to whom he most bears a resemblance.
I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Although these days, with all privacy and hacking concerns you have to deal with, and with the growing specter of artificial intelligence, you never know.
So now I have a dilemma. Do I cave into my phone's peer pressure and and actually give it a picture of myself, or do I just leave the picture of a giraffe as the representative of all I am and ever will be? On one hand, I do value my individuality and wouldn't want to cave into my phone's pressure, just because everyone else is seemingly doing it. On the other hand, do I wanna be a giraffe for the rest of my life (or until at least the next time my phone updates)? That's a hard choice, and one that may require some thought.
Unless, of course, I pursue a third option—going out and buying another phone, one that won't turn me into a giraffe. That would be worth however many hundreds of dollars it would cost, right?
8-)
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Before I go I have to wish my favorite brother in the world a happy birthday. Since he's my ONLY brother he wins that title by default, but it's still his big day today. So if you happen to see someone who looks like me, only slightly taller and (ahem) with a lot less hair, his name is Marc.
Wish him a happy birthday.!
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