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Murphy Martin Commentary
May 17, 2007
"Cell Users Have More"
There was a time long ago when we visited our friends and relatives
in the rural areas of deep East Texas, when a single turn of the
handle on the side of the big telephone box attached to the wall,
would get someone who would answer: "Central" or "Operator"! That
person was perhaps the first person many people thought of when they
needed a doctor, grocer, Minister, law enforcement officer or what
the weather forecast was for that day.
To reach specific
people, rather than numbers, you would ring various versions of
one-long and two-short twists of that handle on the side of the
phone. Their were dozens of variations of assigned "rings". Also,
quite often there would be several people on your same line, a
party-line, and the various ringing combinations would be what you
used to call friends and relatives on the phone. Of course that did
not keep anyone on that party-line from picking up the receiver and
listening to the your conversation, whether the call was for them or
a neighbor four miles down the road. We have come a long way since
those days.
The cell-phone is taking over our society more each passing day.
Just this week I saw an Associated Press story that pointed out the
diminishing number of "land-line phones being used. In a survey,
nearly 12% of adults now use cell-phones ONLY! This trend away from
land-line service effects the telephone industry in several ways.
The 911 emergency service providers, and government and private
political organizations which rely heavily on random calls to
households with wired telephones. Many would welcome anyway to halt
the interruptions those survey callers make to your home land-lines,
particularly those that interrupt the dinner hour or the dozens of
calls that come during the evening periods.
The growing trend toward using cell-phones ONLY, should not surprise
many people. The
cell-phone serves as a camera, a TV set, a security blanket, and we
know it helps one complete their facial makeup while driving because
we see people holding up traffic while they complete the makeup work
and talk on their cell at the same time. Blaring car horns behind
seldom speedup their work.
ABC-TV announced this
week that many of their programs will be made available on video
equipped Sprint cell-phones. You can expect all other networks to
follow suit and Sprint will probably not have a corner on that
market very long.
Whatever your personal feelings about the cell-phone and when and
where people use them---get used to it. It will be increasing, not
decreasing.
You will here them ringing in Church, the theater, your favorite
restaurant, the waiting room at the doctor's office or in hospitals!
Yes, there are many advantages to having a cell-phone. We enjoy
knowing our spouse has one readily at her side when she is running
errands or trapped in a traffic logjam somewhere. Yes, we often find
ourselves asking--how did we ever get along without the cell-phone?
It would be nice if those using them in public would obey the rules
when signs are posted asking that all cell-phones be turned off.
Also, why do so many public users think they have to talk loud
enough for everyone within thirty-yards can hear their conversation?
We shouldn't be any more shocked by the conduct of cell users than
we are of the crude, vulgar language we hear in so many public
places.
Yes, times are changing. Some call it progress and others call it
less complimentary things.
Whatever it is there will be more to come!
At least we don't have to call a party line with
three rings, two-longs and one short, to talk to Grandma any more!
That's my time and I do thank you for yours!
Murphy Martin
Your thoughts and comments forwarded to my website will be
appreciated.
e-mail
murphy@murphymartin.com
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