It Was a Hard Cell

Dot da dot da dot dot dot. Thursday, August 6, 2009. The view from the 14th floor is spectacular as usual. It's 81 degrees under blue skies according to the Streeterville Weather Service. Dot da dot da dot dot dot. And now for something completely different.

At the end of yesterday's little post I mentioned cell phones. Don't really feel like talking about cell phones today, but I suppose I will. Mine's plugged in and charging. Where would I be without it? Sigh.

Here's the scoop, though. According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times 26% of kids between the ages of 8 and 11 have cell phones in the U.S. By the time they're in the 15-17 age range 82% have phones. Old people resist. Youngsters embrace.

20% of U.S. households have cell phones only and no land lines. The only question is why? Why don't the rest of us get rid of our land lines? They've become superfluous. Not only that, they can't take pictures. They can't text message. They can't be used to download and play music. They can't be used to check your e-mail, or give you directions when you're driving in your car. Just what good are they exactly? Don't really know dude. Mine just came with the cable and internet package. It's been sitting there inert ever since.

I recall when I lived on the island of Guam back in 1995 that there was much ado about the Chinese trying to provide telephone service for all 1 billion plus people and realizing that the idea of constructing a grid tied together by wires all over the country would be very very expensive. They elected to go with all cellular at a time when most of us in the U.S. were going "What the heck is a cell phone?" Now I find myself wondering if we wouldn't save our nation a boatload of money by doing away with land lines altogether.

The problem is that once upon a time you could get away from it all. When I was a kid, if you weren't home, the phone rang, no one was home to answer. People called back at another time. Then everyone got answering machines or voice mail. That meant the phone rang. No one was home, or sometimes you just weren't answering for a reason. People left a message. If you were gone, you got the message and called back. If you were home, but not answering, you got the message and called or didn't based on who it was. Now everybody (Okay, most of us) has a cell phone. You can't get away from it. You are bound to answer the friggin phone, no matter where, no matter when. Gone on vacation and someone from work wants you for something. They call your cell phone. They text you. They send you an e-mail (They know you have a Blackberry or an I-Phone and you'll get that message.). You simply cannot escape it. That's what vacations are for, getting away from it, not having to think about it. Weekends? Forgetaboutit. You're getting a call, and not one of those good kind from friends.

The digital world has turned us all into cell phone junkies. Eating a meal in a nice restaurant? Someone in the group is going to take a call. In a passionate embrace with your loved one at a very special hotel? Someone is going to call you. Count on it. Is this an advance in civilization. I am firmly ambivalent. I too love my cell phone and I was once a person who was accused of being a Luddite. Still, there are moments when I miss that party line my family had back in 1956.

Before we go, R.D. is instituting a new feature today, THE WORD OF THE DAY! Today's word, boys and girls, is COGITATE. Don't know what that is? Tough. I didn't say I'd tell you what it meant. I just said there would be a word of the day. Look it up for crying out loud. That's what dictionaries are for. Dot da dot da dot dot dot.