Blog #1: Mobile Interface

I feel both of these readings were confusing, but also very interesting. Personally, I don't agree with everything the authors of the first reading said. We're raised not to talk to strangers from the time we're very young. So why is there criticism that mobile devices disconnect us from our environment, when we're raised not to connect with strangers in the first place? I do agree that mobile devices share some blame, but not all of it. Also, people naturally feel awkward in public places when they're in close proximity to strangers, so it doesn't matter if there are mobile devices to preoccupy us because we feel awkward either way.
I also feel that the positives of cell phones aren't being fairly addressed. When we're away from home, cell phones let us call the police in an emergency and, with internet access, find our way when we're lost. In this respect, I think the border between public and private is just being redrawn. This border changes with the cultural impacts of society.
With the second reading, I think it's a plus that "Thoughts were no longer geographically specific; that is, you didn’t have to travel to a particular place to read an inscription. Instead, the inscription came to you." How much would we have to go out of our way and spend our resources just to be able to travel to another place, when we could easily view the information on our mobile devices? It's not that we don't want to visit other great places, but we can't always afford the time or money.