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Tech News and Commentary
Dave and the team discuss Epic Games buying a shopping mall, pandemic shopping trends and behavior, Verizon delaying the shutdown of their 3G network, Amazon cargo planes, Microsoft shutting down Minecraft Earth, Viacom/CBS reaching a deal with Hulu, and more.
Gigi in St. Simons Island, Georgia listens on 93.7 WBQO and asked: “I’m interested in your suggestions that might help an elderly person in isolation feel less lonely. Possibly things that do not require Internet or Wi-Fi, like standalone items.”
Gigi, pretty much all standalone devices these days will require the internet to work to connect people.
Barring something like shortwave radio, theres very little technology that can connect people and doesnt require some form of an internet connection.
If you can afford a basic tablet with a cellular connection, that would allow you to connect to publications and get ebooks from both commercial sellers and public libraries. It would also allow you to make video calls to people and groups.
That does require an internet connection but you can limit it to the device and turn it off if it doesnt work for you. These days there are lots of social groups over video conferences, so you could join book clubs, knitting groups, and lots of other remote social groups that way.
Without some form of internet, though, theres really not much new tech out there that would provide some companionship other than what you already know about: a phone, a TV, a radio, etc.
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