How did we ever survive in the pre-mobile phone era? An era that pretty much extended from the time of creation until, say, 20 years ago?
Sure, there were pay phones everywhere. But they weren’t out in the middle of nowhere at 3 a.m., when you needed a phone to call AAA when you had a flat tire. Of course, back then, people weren’t afraid to stop and help if they saw you were stranded.
For most of the pre-mobile phone era, there was also only one telephone company. Well, not for most of that era. Alexander Graham Bell didn’t string wires across the Holy Roman Empire. But for most of the telephonic part of that time, there was a government-controlled monopoly called the Bell System, which was the largest component of The Old AT&T, “Your Phone Book Delivered.”
There are drawbacks to having the round-the-clock availability a cellular phone dictates. The boss can call at an inopportune hour to talk about things you could, pre-era, wait until the following morning to discuss. Of course, it’s easier to contact people in an emergency, like when news breaks (and needs fixing). The mobile phone is the perfect extension in a time of instant gratification and the 24-hour news cycle. You can “Reach Out And Touch Someone” anytime, and it sometimes feels like an electronic tether, especially since most have GPS capability now. No use running, because Big Brother can find you.
I just recently picked up a new mobile phone. The old one was flaky, and so was the one it replaced, and the one that one replaced. I had a terrible time keeping those “smartphones” working, because it seemed like it was addled with ADD and only worked when it wanted to. I’ve gone from a phone with a name that sounds a lot like something you’d find in a forest to something you’d find on a card table in Vegas, and changed carriers along the way, from a former Baby Bell to the reconstituted Ma Bell. Ma Bell’s in the phone-book business again, too, but over at AT&T, er, “the new at&t,” they now say they deliver the world.
Scary thing is, the world comes to my phone. Every time I hear the phone chime with a new e-mail message, I realize just how vital that little thing is. How did it ever get that way? And how did we ever survive without cell phones?
“The old one was flaky, and so was the one it replaced, and the one that one replaced. I had a terrible time keeping those “smartphones” working, because it seemed like it was addled with ADD and only worked when it wanted to.”
User error?
I think it all depends on how wired you need to be. For some, it’s essential. I’ve never really had much of a need for a cell phone. I do, however, have a prepaid one in my car. I got a year ago and put $100 on it. As of today, according to the account menu, I still have $76 of that. I keep it charged and take it on hikes as a precaution, but it’s mainly used every two weeks on payday when I call my wife as I head to the grocery store. If I can’t be reached at home or work, I probably don’t want to be bothered.
An old-fashioned landline is what you can live without. I turned that impractical service off about ten years ago and I have never looked back.
Seriously, where is the sense in paying gobs of money each month to have a traditional phone and then pay for long distance calls, too? My mobile let me call nationwide at no extra charge. Puh.
McBee, the user error was in selecting that phone over something that threaded operations!
Of course, now I’m with a much better carrier, too, and I have rollover minutes. No more wasting money.