Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Positive About My Telephone
I grew up in a military family. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad calling long distance from remote locations, of us sitting around and reading letters from my dad. This was primarily in the 60's and 70's, technology wasn't nearly as advanced as it is today.
When we lived in Texas in the 60's, my folks would try to call my gradparents in South Dakota. You couldn't direct dial a long distance call then, of course, but had to have an operator connect you. There was a strange problem when this would try to happen, my grandparents exchange had a 772 prefix. We would constantly be told that there were no 772 prefixes, be told that the number we were trying to reach couldn't possibly exist. A work around was created when my folks talked to the telephone operator in my grandparents hometown who told my folks how to tell the operator to dial the number.
Later, I lived in that 772 town while my dad was in Thailand for a year during the Vietnam war. It was a one year TDY, we lived in the town my granparents lived in to save a little money. Mom worked in the local diner (where she once met my favorite wrestler "Wahoo" McCaniel and Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, but that's another story) to help keep two households going.
The military gave dad one phone call during his stay, anything else he did was on his own. I remember him calling a couple of times during that time, once with the assistance of an amateur radio operator. I remember being amazed at how someone could place a phone from, literally, halfway around the world, even if there was a tremendous amount of hassle to do so.
A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law was stationed in Korea for a year. He and my sister set up an internet conferencing program and were able to talk anytime they wanted for no cost except the set up costs. My own phone service is internet based (VOIP) which means I can make long distance phone calls at any time to any place in the world. I made three long distance phone calls this morning, no one was at home at any of them, I simply left a message and didn't sweat it. I'll call back later. And it didn't cost me anymore than it would have not to call and not leave a message.
I don't particularly embrace the cell phone thing, not that I don't believe in the technology, but because I don't think I need to be that kind of accessible to everyone. Still, it's pretty cool, that I can call someone while they're in their car. It gives me whole new ways to annoy people. That alone makes the technology worthwhile.
When we lived in Texas in the 60's, my folks would try to call my gradparents in South Dakota. You couldn't direct dial a long distance call then, of course, but had to have an operator connect you. There was a strange problem when this would try to happen, my grandparents exchange had a 772 prefix. We would constantly be told that there were no 772 prefixes, be told that the number we were trying to reach couldn't possibly exist. A work around was created when my folks talked to the telephone operator in my grandparents hometown who told my folks how to tell the operator to dial the number.
Later, I lived in that 772 town while my dad was in Thailand for a year during the Vietnam war. It was a one year TDY, we lived in the town my granparents lived in to save a little money. Mom worked in the local diner (where she once met my favorite wrestler "Wahoo" McCaniel and Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, but that's another story) to help keep two households going.
The military gave dad one phone call during his stay, anything else he did was on his own. I remember him calling a couple of times during that time, once with the assistance of an amateur radio operator. I remember being amazed at how someone could place a phone from, literally, halfway around the world, even if there was a tremendous amount of hassle to do so.
A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law was stationed in Korea for a year. He and my sister set up an internet conferencing program and were able to talk anytime they wanted for no cost except the set up costs. My own phone service is internet based (VOIP) which means I can make long distance phone calls at any time to any place in the world. I made three long distance phone calls this morning, no one was at home at any of them, I simply left a message and didn't sweat it. I'll call back later. And it didn't cost me anymore than it would have not to call and not leave a message.
I don't particularly embrace the cell phone thing, not that I don't believe in the technology, but because I don't think I need to be that kind of accessible to everyone. Still, it's pretty cool, that I can call someone while they're in their car. It gives me whole new ways to annoy people. That alone makes the technology worthwhile.
Labels: Positive Tuesday
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 11:05 AM 
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I remember about 20 years ago, sitting in a doctors office with my mom, reading a magazine article about that new technology called "cellular telephones". It was heavily praised but definitely said to be something that only the wealthy would be able to have for a very long time. The components were in a case about the size of a shoe box, some had heavy batteries to make them truly portable others were mounted in the trunk of your car and only the handset was mounted in the passenger compartment. 3 full watt's of transmitting power at 900 MHz.
At that moment I knew the technology could only get better and less expensive, but never imagined it to be what it is today. Every idiot has at least one, they're nearly disposable, with music/photo/video/text message capabilities... and of course following in the spirit of Darwin's theories, the idiots use them while operating a 3000lb vehicle traveling at 60+ MPH in traffic.
BOJ, while you choose not to be that accessible, I applaud you. I don't think 90% of the population NEEDS to be that accessible. While hands-free devices do give people the opportunity to keep both hands on the wheel, it doesn't give you back the concentration you should have while driving.
Carrying on any sort of meaningful conversation requires brain power... and that brain power should be used to concentrate on the road while operating your vehicle within the lane markers and at a consistant rate of speed.
When I'm driving, I let 90% of my incoming phone calls go to voice mail. The 10% I answer, they usually get a verbal I'll call you back as soon as I get where I'm going sort of thing, or it's a quick I'll pick up milk on my way home - goodbye. I try not to carry on lengthy conversations while driving, especially in the kind of traffic we get here in Hell-A. I absolutely do not TEXT message while driving, or fumble through features of my phone (as so many others do).
Get a clue people. BOJ, my hat's off to you.
Quinn
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At that moment I knew the technology could only get better and less expensive, but never imagined it to be what it is today. Every idiot has at least one, they're nearly disposable, with music/photo/video/text message capabilities... and of course following in the spirit of Darwin's theories, the idiots use them while operating a 3000lb vehicle traveling at 60+ MPH in traffic.
BOJ, while you choose not to be that accessible, I applaud you. I don't think 90% of the population NEEDS to be that accessible. While hands-free devices do give people the opportunity to keep both hands on the wheel, it doesn't give you back the concentration you should have while driving.
Carrying on any sort of meaningful conversation requires brain power... and that brain power should be used to concentrate on the road while operating your vehicle within the lane markers and at a consistant rate of speed.
When I'm driving, I let 90% of my incoming phone calls go to voice mail. The 10% I answer, they usually get a verbal I'll call you back as soon as I get where I'm going sort of thing, or it's a quick I'll pick up milk on my way home - goodbye. I try not to carry on lengthy conversations while driving, especially in the kind of traffic we get here in Hell-A. I absolutely do not TEXT message while driving, or fumble through features of my phone (as so many others do).
Get a clue people. BOJ, my hat's off to you.
Quinn
# posted by 
: 9:02 AM
: 9:02 AM << Home
