Most difficult part of dating a FSUW/foreign person?

[ML]

I don't have an iPhone, probably the only one still left without one...

I don't have one or anything like it.  I only have a simple phone.  And, I don't even turn it on most days.  I only use it to be able to call someone when I am away from home to tell that I will arrive home or at office at such and such a time, that I am running late, or . . . heaven forbid, when my car breaks down, etc.

I turn off my home phones (I have a master switch just where the phone line comes into the house) almost every evening and when I go to bed.

Many of my friends and business associates get ticked that they cannot contact me 24/7.

And I dislike it when I get email from them that says 'Sent from my I phone' that contains no opening salutation, that uses one letter or number to spell a word, that doesn't have a closing and signature at bottom, etc.

I don't have caller ID on my home phone, and only got an answering machine last couple of years when I started selling off acre lots.

[Misha]

A smartphone is a wonderful thing. Yesterday, I drove into Vancouver and had to find an address in a city I had never driven in before. Google Maps in my iPhone gave me precise directions how to get there. Without my phone, I would have driven around in circles, taking three times the time to get there and certainly getting lost more than a few times...

[Ooooops]

I don't have ...

Ok, you won, ML - you are much woolier than I am.   

[Ooooops]

Google Maps in my iPhone gave me precise directions how to get there.

You don't have GPS in your car???   Welcome to The Mammoth Club!   

[Misha]

You don't have GPS in your car???   Welcome to The Mammoth Club!   

No, but at this point I would not even want it. Why pay extra for something that is already on the smartphone that I have with me all the time. Now, I just have to see how to get fairly priced service when I travel to the USA 

[Ooooops]

No, but at this point I would not even want it. Why pay extra for something that is already on the smartphone that I have with me all the time. Now, I just have to see how to get fairly priced service when I travel to the USA 

Because it has bigger screen, duh!      And it needs no phone service.   


I remember how our GPS went crazy when we were in Death Valley below sea level...   

[Misha]

Because it has bigger screen, duh!      And it needs no phone service.   

Why would I want a bigger screen? I had the pleasant Google voice giving me directions    As for those for those regions where there is no cell service, I rarely need directions: it usually involves one road heading straight for upwards of one hundred miles or kilometers if you prefer  

[OlgaH]

Why would I want a bigger screen? I

Misha, it's not complicated. Bigger is better 

[Misha]

Misha, it's not complicated. Bigger is better   

That could be interpreted so many ways, but I won't go down that path 

[SANDRO43]

Just recently I upgraded from an old Motorola cell phone to a Samsung smart phone - the 60% discount was hard to resist . Practically it's a hand-held PC, it has the same 2 Gb memory as my laptop .

[Ooooops]

Why would I want a bigger screen?

I guess you are not far-sighted if you ask such questions.   

[Anotherkiwi]

Just recently I upgraded from an old Motorola cell phone to a Samsung smart phone - the 60% discount was hard to resist . Practically it's a hand-held PC, it has the same 2 Gb memory as my laptop .

Are you talking about RAM, Sandro?  I would hope that your laptop has rather more than 2 Gb of total memory. 

[Shadow]

A smartphone is a wonderful thing. Yesterday, I drove into Vancouver and had to find an address in a city I had never driven in before. Google Maps in my iPhone gave me precise directions how to get there. Without my phone, I would have driven around in circles, taking three times the time to get there and certainly getting lost more than a few times...

You are driving somewhere without proper preparation?
While I have Google Maps on my phone, it is used in emergency only. In general before leaving I look at how to reach on my normal computer.
Having a good memory helps, but otherwise printing the itinary would be possible as well...

[SANDRO43]

Are you talking about RAM, Sandro? I would hope that your laptop has rather more than 2 Gb of total memory. 

Yes, I meant RAM memory, so far it has been sufficient for my modest needs.

[Misha]

While I have Google Maps on my phone, it is used in emergency only. In general before leaving I look at how to reach on my normal computer.

That is what I used to do, but I have discovered that it is more efficient to use voice-assisted GPS navigation that comes with the Google Maps iPhone app. Just so you understand, I drove the equivalent of Amsterdam to Munich in distance. But, tell me, have you ever used the Google Maps app for navigation? It is not a question of looking at the screen, it is voice-guided, turn-by-turn, GPS guided navigation. The voice on your phone tells you, for example, that in 500m you will be turning left, or right, or going up a ramp, etc... Then when you are close to the turn, it will tell you a second time to turn left, right, etc....

[size=78%]Having a good memory helps, but otherwise printing the itinary would be possible as well...[/size]

I have a great memory, but good luck in trying to memorize a new itinerary to a destination where you have never been, in a section of a large city that you have never traveled to, where you will have to remember dozens of turns and change lanes at the right time and where the road signs won't be visible most of the time... Printed maps under such conditions are in my experience worthless if you are driving alone as you can't always pull over to read the map and if you miss the exit or do not see the ramp you will waste a great deal of time trying to backtrack or find alternative routes.... I have done that many times, and lived experience has taught me that using voice directed GPS navigation that guides you while you are driving to a new location is in almost all cases more efficient than the other alternatives. Of course, you still have to use common sense: if you were being told to turn onto a non-existent road, you would forego the directions given, but in my experience Google Maps are more accurate than most paper maps that I used to buy in the past... Having used it several times already, I have yet to encounter a time that Google Maps got it wrong.

[Shadow]

Google Maps in Europe is not yet having all features as its US/Canadian counterpart. Also due to the road systems it has a bit harder time in giving out instructions in time (as do most other navigation systems).

In a case of a long distance I simply check the main road signs or road numbers to follow. Near the end I will visualize the local turns to make.
When using a GPS I am doing the same, switch it on when I am near my destination for the last part only.

[Misha]

Google Maps in Europe is not yet having all features as its US/Canadian counterpart. Also due to the road systems it has a bit harder time in giving out instructions in time (as do most other navigation systems).

That is a completely different matter. In North America, the Google Maps apps in cities is extremely accurate, certainly within a few meters.

In a case of a long distance I simply check the main road signs or road numbers to follow. Near the end I will visualize the local turns to make.
When using a GPS I am doing the same, switch it on when I am near my destination for the last part only.

Thus, you do pretty much what I do except you use a separate GPS device as opposed to a smartphone GPS. It is the final leg of the trip, once you arrive to the destination city, that is the most complex and where the turn-by-turn voice directions are most useful. Going down the same highway for a couple hundred kilometers requires neither GPS nor a map [size=78%]  [/size]

[Shadow]

Thus, you do pretty much what I do except you use a separate GPS device as opposed to a smartphone GPS. It is the final leg of the trip, once you arrive to the destination city, that is the most complex and where the turn-by-turn voice directions are most useful. Going down the same highway for a couple hundred kilometers requires neither GPS nor a map

Actually I used a phone GPS application as at the time Google Maps was not yet available, and the one I used was free but has since been bought up.
After not using my smartphone for some time due to it having to serve out its provider contract and me residing in another country, I simply got used to doing it in a modern variant of the classic road maps.

[Misha]

Actually I used a phone GPS application as at the time Google Maps was not yet available, and the one I used was free but has since been bought up.
After not using my smartphone for some time due to it having to serve out its provider contract and me residing in another country, I simply got used to doing it in a modern variant of the classic road maps.

I was planning on buying some form of GPS navigator, but having discovered that a free app on an iPhone that I already have using a data plan that is already paid for that does the same thing without the need for buying a separate unit or paying to update maps, I am happy to say that I will stick with the Google Maps app for iPhone 

[GQBlues]

I was planning on buying some form of GPS navigator, but having discovered that a free app on an iPhone that I already have using a data plan that is already paid for that does the same thing without the need for buying a separate unit or paying to update maps, I am happy to say that I will stick with the Google Maps app for iPhone   

That's a very good point. My wife uses her iPhone quite a bit when trying to navigate her way unto places she's never been before within the city proper. But having said this, she's convinced she's not getting her next car without a vehicle touch console - which includes everything (GPS/Entertainment/Climate Control/Communication). I have this in my primary car and witnessing it's capability, she's sold. Soon as they have it on Tesla - she's ordering one.
 
GPS navigator these actually cost less than an average smartphone, much less iPhone, as they are integrated with the entire system already. Further, on a recent road trip, our GPS (satellite) was never out of service in areas where the iPhone (cellular) failed. Then of course the ease of voice command at anytime. They can be programmed with so many different functionality. For instance, alert you when your fuel tank reaches a certain level (miles to empty) and automatically plot the nearest gas station and how much their gas prices are. If hungry, have it look for, say, domino's pizza, wolfgang puck's, etc...
 
I just like the whole driving experience these days now they've equipped all the cars like this.
"Climate, temperature to 68 degress" "Temperature adjusting to 68 degress!"
Presto, it either cools or warms you accordingly.
 
The audio is something else too. Any genre of music, talk show, comedy central, etc...is served up at a touch of a buttom.
 
Not least of all, one of GPS's additional feature is roadside assistance locator. Get a flat tire, computer detects it and an audio appears. "Flat tire detected, should I send roadside assistance?"
 
Or when an accident occurs, the alert system comes on.
 
But I'm not sure why they haven't released cars that hovers and getting rid of the tires After all, they already have the detecting field that automatically brakes the car to slow/stop when it detects an object in front of you.

[Noch1]

I used Google maps in Kiev, to give my driver directions, worked quite well in that city.
He was impressed also

[2tallbill]

How did you overcome this?

I experienced different difficulties with different girls.

Misunderstanding each other was probably the most common thing.

[ML]

No real difficulties.

However a very funny thing was how many of them thought they were in control of me and the relationship.

I went along with this while it was convenient to make my trip enjoyable; but marked them down as not viable long term candidates.

I knew that I was being evaluated; but many of them didn't seem to understand that they were being evaluated also.

[2tallbill]

No real difficulties.

However a very funny thing was how many of them thought they were in control of me and the relationship.

I went along with this while it was convenient to make my trip enjoyable; but marked them down as not viable long term candidates.

I knew that I was being evaluated; but many of them didn't seem to understand that they were being evaluated also.

When you date women over 40 you get nearly zero pro dater's. You will still find plenty of women with problems
but the pro daters and the GCG's are the younger ones.

[2tallbill]

Yes, they mostly still have some belief in the 'witch doctor or babushka' medical
remedies; but can gradually be brought around.

Sometimes