I interrupt my series of posts about How We Know because (a) I referred to John Locke in HWN #4 and HWN #5 and (b) I bought my first smartphone recently.
The great British philosopher John Locke said that the only knowledge humans can have is based upon experience. While trying to learn how my new smartphone works, what Locke said came to mind forcefully.
It is my first smartphone. My past experience with touch-screen devices and smartphones is scanty. There was and remains a lot to learn about where and how to do what I want or need to do. Trial and error has been frequent. Merely activating the phone to being able to make a call took a meandering path. I spent much time online in chat mode. I was instructed to take the battery out and restart the phone 2 or 3 times before succeeding. I didn't change carriers, so I thought activating the phone would be enough to access voicemail again. It wasn't near that simple. Also, my old phone didn't require a password to access my voicemail; my new one does.
Where to go and what to do has not been very intuitive. I even failed to answer my first incoming call in time. To make a call I had tapped the phone icon. So when the phone icon appeared for the incoming call, I tapped it to answer. That didn't work. I tapped harder to no avail. Then I read in the manual that I need to slide the icon to answer a call. Silly me!
In summary, my new phone has required a significant amount of experience, and it will take a lot more, before I know enough to use it proficiently.
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