# public transit: how did people pass the time before smartphones? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767 "2016-11-22T21:41:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/41 "2016-11-24T00:48:37Z")
This question blows my mind. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/42 "2016-11-24T02:06:09Z")
Newspaper in the morning. A magazine on the way home, usually something weekly like Sports Illustrated or a news magazine, but occasionally something like GQ or the New Yorker which was handy since they didn’t have to be the most recent issue to be relevant. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/43 "2016-11-24T03:15:51Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Cruise control: the reader’s friend. > > 😉 Are you kidding? The way I drive and how our traffic is I keep my eyes closed! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Flughund4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@Flughund4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flughund4)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/44 "2016-11-24T03:24:08Z")
If I was tired, I would take the opportunity to doze off. Sometimes standing up. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/45 "2016-11-24T07:15:32Z")
People actually COMMUNICATED with eachother in the form of speech! And plenty of ball-fondling went on to, if memory serves. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/46 "2016-11-24T22:04:13Z")
My dad had a really long commute, about three hours round trip daily. He just sat on the way there, and read the paper on the way home. (Eventually started doing the crossword puzzle on the way home, too. Still does it, in ink, every day, and he’s ninety.) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/47 "2016-11-24T22:13:11Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > And plenty of ball-fondling went on to, if memory serves. And not necessarily your own, on a sufficiently crowded subway. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/48 "2016-11-24T23:12:28Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > We perfected the technique of staring blankly without directly looking at anyone. Then we’d think, daydream, or read. Yep, those were the days. I’m reminded of a scene in a Travis McGee novel where he’s on a commercial flight, and makes the stewardess nervous since he’s just sitting there thinking - not reading, sleeping or eating like a normal person. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/49 "2016-11-24T23:19:19Z")
Long ago I used to ride the bus a lot. I’d carry pocket puzzle books and a yoyo. No, I’m not kidding. A yoyo is a great time waster. I used to carry it all the time. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/50 "2016-11-24T23:24:57Z")
This is a reason that Japan has so many manga for adults. I used to read a book on the morning train because it was more crowded and then either a manga or a newspaper in the evening. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/51 "2016-11-24T23:45:56Z")
I saw some use of small game systems, gameboy and the like, in addition to what others have mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/52 "2016-11-25T05:30:56Z")
I always had a magazine. I usually carried it folded lengthwise in my back pocket. When I ride the bus nowadays I usually look out the window even if I have a phone. If I’m going on a longish public transit trek I’ll grab a little free newspaper they have at the subway entrances. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/53 "2016-11-25T20:24:41Z")
I took BART ( Orinda to Market St ) but the commute time was not too long. I had a Chronicle to read but seldom finished it before my stop. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/54 "2016-11-25T20:59:44Z")
I commuted by train every day for a year in Japan in the late 80s. I would listen to my Walkman, read, or look out the window. Talking wasn’t an option since I was the only gaijin on the train and my Japanese was rudimentary at best. Eventually I perfected something I saw many Japanese do: take a nap and magically wake up just as we pulled into my station. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/55 "2016-11-25T22:53:45Z")
I used to arrange impromptu boxing matches. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/56 "2016-11-26T02:20:16Z")
On the NYC subway, I often passed the time just watching the other passengers, imagining things about their lives. Always careful to avoid eye contact, of course\*. \*Unless it was a hot man. ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/57 "2016-11-26T03:07:18Z")
AHA, so it was you that’s giving me the creeps. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/58 "2016-11-26T06:22:29Z")
I’ve switched off the internet on my phone, originally to save money but now I prefer it. However, it’s still a phone and has Wifi connectivity should it be available. I usually listen to podcasts or just stare out the window when I’m on public transport. I also usually have a book with me, but I can’t really read in so distracting an environment these days. It now takes me six months to read a book because my time is so often otherwise occupied with online stuff or TV shows. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/59 "2016-11-26T07:43:47Z")
reminds me of a few cross country trips I took by train …back then I had an Atari lynx handheld system with 25 games and every time I took it out in the lounge car I was the hero of every kidlet on the train Now I bought the optional battery pack … which turned out to be not a rechargeable one because back in the 90s Atari cheaped out and their idea of a battery pack was a big plastic thing that held 8 d sized batteries and weighed 2 pounds and if ran 18 hours a day it lasted about 4 days Well this family of kids used it so much off and on that when it died and we stopped in a station with a gift shop she paid 15 dollars for new batteries(that would of normally cost about 6 in a store ) for me as thanks because they were driving her crazy ---
**Author:** ![yesanything](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@yesanything](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yesanything)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767/60 "2016-11-27T01:43:50Z")
By reading a hard copy newspaper, which I still do to this day on the rare occasion I take a bus, typically the Wall Street Journal [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-how-did-people-pass-the-time-before-smartphones/772767.md?page=4)