Cellphones?

[lupinesque]

Naama wrote:

> I have to say that life before the cellphone (for me, only a year 
ago) seems strangely pre-
> historic now. It's hard to realize that there were times when it was 
quite simply impossible 
> to get in touch with someone. I'm wondering if that's the mark of a 
revolutionary invention 
> (like writing, trains, atom bombs, computers, internet...). 

No doubt.

I for one do not *want* to be reachable at every moment, and I resist 
that aspect of information technology even when I otherwise embrace 
the new device.  E.g. I have a phone and e-mail and instant messaging, 
but none of those oblige me to converse with someone just because they 
happen to want to converse with me at that moment.  Answering machines 
are a glorious thing because they allow me to screen messages and only 
answer if I have the time and inclination at that moment.  Nine times 
out of ten, I answer, but if I'm headed out the door or the person who 
is calling is just trying to sell me something, I don't.

But occasionally, some people are resentful that they can't reach me 
at any given moment ("I called your cell phone but you didn't 
answer!"), and that bugs me.  One day soon we will probably all have 
personal phone numbers and carry our personal phones with us 
everywhere (and die at 60 of cancer, but never mind).  I love the idea 
of being reachable in an instant if something urgent arises, but I 
will reserve the right to turn the damn thing off when I'm doing 
something important.

Curmudgeonly,
Amy