How to stop your Nokia 2.3 phone turning its screen on when not in use

How I avoided doing a Ron Swanson

Needing to update my technology, I recently bought myself a new phone. A Nokia 2.3.

I love that phone apart from one thing. One extremely annoying thing - every single time I put the phone in my pocket and click on the power button switch, which on all the phones I've had has locked the screen and stopped it from working when in my pocket, the phone screen with come back on again.

I would find garbled, nonsensical notes that had been written. It would open my email app. Even worse, it would start to dial up numbers.

At my wits end and ready to do a Ron Swanson and smash the phone to bits or toss it out the window, I did some internet research to try and see how I could solve this problem. 

Most of what I read talked about functions my phone disn't have. The one that it did have was about the ability to turn off the ambient feature. This was accessed through the settings menu and then by going on to display.

Unfortunately this doesn't work. 

Then I was looking through the functions on my phone and I came across the ~ Lift To Check My Phone Function. This was devised to check your notifications, time and and other information by simply lifting up the phone.

I found this on my phone in the SETTINGS - SYSTEM - GESTURES and deselected PICK UP MY PHONE and now when I click on the power button quickly with one press it stops my screen lighting up when it's in my pocket or sitting down on a table.

Problem solved👍 No more risk of butt dialling or of throwing my phone off a bridge. 

The coolest introduction to a book ever for How Kirsty gets her kicks

#BookTalk @ShotgunHoney @Gabino_Iglesias @beaujohnson44 @RonEarl @JenniferHillier @nikkidolson @tracy_reads79 @cinapelayo @JLFoster_ @ToriEldridge @sarahmchen @JTravisGrundon @JamesDFHannah @Curtis9980 @WellReadBeard @SteveGone58 @ItsMarkYall @Jimthomsen @ElizabethHeiter pic.twitter.com/Whv0ld4xUa

— Mark Pelletier (@MPell2137) July 16, 2020

This is the coolest introduction to a book ever. 

Thanks to the awesome Mark Pelletier @MPell2137 and to Shotgun Honey for publishing How Kirsty Gets Her Kicks https://twitter.com/MPell2137/status/1283790631538589696?s=19

What's the book about then?

A tale of skullduggery that plays out on the mean streets of Glasgow…

One-legged barmaid Kirsty is in a shit-load of trouble after she kills one of gangster Jimmy McPhee’s enforcers with a stiletto heel to the head after he gets a bit too handsie.

Now she’s on the run from the gang boss who loves to torture his victims before he kills them, with a safe-load of cash she stole from him and a hot gun. And she has company—a choirboy barman Jamie who just happens to be the only witness.

She needs to survive long enough to spend the cash.

How difficult can it be to catch a “daft wee lassie with one leg?” Glasgow hardman Jimmy McPhee is about to find out. Kirsty’s made a laughing stock out of him and he doesn’t like that one wee bit.

Bring together a one-legged barmaid who’s legged it with a safe load of dirty cash, a spurned gangster’s wife who wants a walking womb for her mail order sperm, a giant birthday cake and a mad chase to the end, and you’ve got How Kirsty Gets Her Kicks: one freaking minute at a time.

3 ways to get more writing done during lockdown

one writer's office

"I can't seem to find the time to get any writing done with everything that's going on."

That's a common refrain I'm hearing from writing pals. It's understandable given the circumstances caused by the coronavirus.

But there are ways you can get some writing done.

Here are just four -

writing is work

1. Don't tell your family that you're going to "get some writing done". 

Nope, tell them you have some work to do.

A funny thing happens to writers I know. When they tell their families they're off to do some writing they get constantly interrupted by kids asking where stuff is and partners coming in for a natter. 

Unless you say you're working, your work will be treated like it's not work at all.

Not everything good comes in large packages

2.  Try to do your writing in manageable chunks. If you have 10 minutes to spare use that time. You might find it easier than say telling yourself you need to set a few hours aside to work on that article or your novel.

Speech to text can get that writing done

3. A slow typer or just someone who likes to read something out loud that you've written to see how it scans, making use of the speech to text capabilities on your phone, tablet or laptop is a good way to get your writing done. It's also perfect when you just want a break from typing and want to be productive.

I use OneNote on my phone.