Cool CATs

11/18/24

Have you ever caught yourself wondering, "Do people still use flip phones? How do they survive in today's world? Do they still make them? How do they work?"

I can in fact confirm that the answer to all of the above questions is yes. Yes, there are people that use flip phones. Yes, we function just fine. Oh, you noticed that I said we? I have a flip phone now. I write to you from a CAT S22 Flip. I know that not all of you can access the internet to find out what this phone is, so I'll write you a brief description that should answer any other questions you might have:

     "Coming to you from the legendary construction company Caterpillar, the CAT S22 Flip perfectly combines function and form in a single rugged unit running Android 11 Go. It provides access to today's necessary apps, but maintains a vintage design with physical keys and few distractions from what a phone should be by its moniker. The classic clamshell protects it from damage (including an IP68 water rating) while the 2 inch screen is just large enough to accomplish required tasks. If you are looking for something with a bit of character; sophisticated, traditional, and rugged like a man from a Hallmark flick, go with the CAT S22 Flip."

That was my product review. I wrote that. Somebody hire me. I wrote it on a Bluetooth keyboard to save my sanity from the tiny buttons or the forsaken 0-10 pad. Saving my sanity was the entire reason I salubriously opted to get this phone instead of reverting back to my iPhone. In my current state, it seemed like the worst possible choice for my mental well-being to get a device that was meant to capture my attention through YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Maybe I'll go back eventually, but the frustratingly small on-screen keyboard that covers half the screen and the painstaking entry method of a 3 character 0-10 pad (those living in the early 2000s... How did you live through that?) has done a pretty good job at keeping my off of my phone while still permitting me to do all of the required tasks. I like it. Also, smartphone users no longer have any excuse for using things like lol, ttyl, hbu, lmao, or any of those. Those were invented for flip-phones, not your speed of thought glass tablets. Speak of tablets, I think that Moses must've been the first guy to access the cloud from a tablet. 

I am currently at my aunt's house in Massachusetts. I haven't been here before, but it seems like a great place to live. I see that Utah is kind of the exception to how the world lives; most suburbs are not like ours. I will be in Massachusetts for the week, then I'll go back to Connecticut for another week. I'll be back in Utah before I know it.

I have learned a lot about family by being here. I've been learning about how to find joy in a regular life. I think that growing up in Utah has some incredible positives, but also some real negatives. Utah is pretty much the model version of society. It is covered in glitz and glamour, makeup and hair treatments, teeth whiteners and botox, 6' 2" gym bros at Swig, etc. It is toxic to boys and girls alike. It does a good job at convincing you that you have to live a lavish life in order to be happy, a life where you just need to be a little prettier, a little stronger, a little smarter, a little more tan, and a little more sinless in order to achieve that golden ticket life. I think it does all but convince you that if you are like the version of those you see around you, you'd be happy just like they are and your life would be perfect too. It gets hard not to think that way. You live among these people who never seem to have anything wrong and credit it to their worthiness because the last thing they can do is admit their shortcomings. If you got to see them for who they really were, you'd realize you were living nearly the same story with a couple changes in settings and events. Utah's culture excels in permitting that. It doesn't mean it's a good or a bad thing. It can be incredibly motivating to be better and can help communities be far more united, but it can also have negative effects. It is simply something to be aware of, something I have become acutely aware of spending a brief time living in an average town going to my cousin's high school football games among perfectly happy people who aren't overly fortunate in any kind of way. You can get something good out of a simple life, just as you can out of a flashy career. The substance of the joy is just a little bit different.

Oh my swear words. You know what I missed? Reading. Actual reading, words on a page about any nonfiction event that you could think of. Maybe you don't know this about me, but I love reading nonfiction. It is so much cooler when you know that the events actual happened. After I watched "Oppenheimer" last summer (not now Telestial Doorkeeper, I'm writing), I read the entire book that inspired Christopher Nolan: "American Prometheus". It is an incredible piece of literature comprehensively describing the details of J. Robert Oppenheimer's life, both personal and professional. He is somewhat of an antihero, but I loved the movie only slightly less than the book. History is crazy. Here's to hoping we write one worth remembering for the good over the bad.

Art is beautiful. I asked in my last email why we write. I think the same questions and answers are applied to art. Human beings want to make their mark on the world and be remembered somehow. They do this well by asking/answering/doing something that is appealing to other human beings, especially in a format that will last longer than their human form will. Pictures are no different. When used correctly, they make an impact. Want to be amazed? Look up the LIFE 100 Most Important Photographs Collection. Look at works like Earthrise and The Tank Man. Film is no different; it's just a bunch of pictures put together.

I know I said I'd say nothing about this movie, but I changed my mind a little bit. I won't mention the title, you'll just have to watch movies until eventually you go "wait a minute, I read an email about this already". There are two worth talking about atm. Sorry, at the moment.

The first was about little kids living a pretty tough life. They were kind of outcasts in their society because they weren't the same as everyone else. They were seen as mean and rude and menacing. Nobody liked them. Then someone gave them a chance to change a little bit. They became kinder and nicer until everybody liked them. They learned a timeless story and it captivated them to the point that they wanted to be different. Such is the power of myth (which happens to be the title of a book I'm reading right now, solid literature right there).

The second movie was about belief. It was about control and where it comes from. It was about how you can ascend control sources in your life and get what you need out of things in order to become a kinder person. I forget who, but I am reminded of a Jewish psychologist in WWII Nazi Germany who realized that he wasn't more free (more options), but had more liberty (ability to choose from the options) than his Nazi captors. Though his surroundings were terrible, they were completely out of his control. He helped other prisoners and even guards survive the horrors of the concentration camps. That is what the movie reminded me of. A letter opener is used to free the main character from her prison, which I find deeply symbolic. She opened a letter, one that she half-wrote herself, and found information by way of experience that changed her life. She had to examine what she believed in, the contents of the letter, to know what it really meant. To tease the election theme that is pretty recent: an empty ballot is worth less than none at all. I just cooked that up in my mind. Somebody hire me.

I don't really have a ton else to talk about, other than that I love Stephen Hawking. I'm reading a couple of his books right now (I'm reading 4 different ones cause I have all day) and I love them because it is just science. I would totally be a cosmologist. Not a cosmetologist. I made that mistake on the day of the 8th grade career day. I showed up to the cosmetologist workshop thinking I was about to learn about the universe. I now know far more about hair curlers than I ever needed to.

As usual, I'm just an email away. Sorry if I haven't answered you yet. I just got this phone a couple of days ago, and I've had several other things I needed to do first. I'll start replying soon in the order of reception.

Have a great week! 

Will Ott

Ps: This comes from my personal email because I don't know how long my mission email will be open for.