How did we ever get along without cell phones?

[easy e]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/19/sports/golf/19CELL.html (registration probably required). In short, the US Open printed on the tickets that cell phones wouldn't be allowed on the course, and people are making a big stink about it. Of course, they didn't quote anyone in the article who was happy about not having to deal with other spectators' phones.

I pit these people:

"If I have a heart attack, who's going to call 911?" said Claudia Mutter, 50, from Coventry, R.I., who said she was unaware of the cellphone ban, even though it was printed on the back of tournament tickets. "Seriously, I have to call home and check on my kids. Now I can't relax. I really think that as long as you keep the ringer off and you don't speak where you're not supposed to, they should absolutely allow them."

Many fans did not bring cellphones because they knew about the ban; the same rule was in place at the 2002 Open at the Bethpage Black course in Farmingdale. But some fans pleaded ignorance, explaining that they had not read the rules on the back of their tickets. Others admitted that they thought they could sweet-talk the security staff. Many fans said they had skipped work to head to the East End and had planned to monitor business from the golf course.

:rolleyes: First--at events with large numbers of people, don't they usually have paramedics and ambulances on-site? Second, if you're so worried about your kids being home alone, maybe you should either hire a babysitter or stay home with them. Third, ignorance is a stupid excuse (hey, that's why I'm on this board) and trying to hassle the security cards shouldn't get you any sympathy points.

Ahh, I hate these types of people. I have a cell phone myself (in fact, I no longer have a land-line phone), but I am scrupulous about turning it off when I enter theaters, concerts, and restaurants. Because I hate hearing someone's phone ring at these places. Sometimes I forget to turn it back on.

Don't these people remember how nice it can be when nobody can reach you?

[mike1dog]

I personally don't have a cell phone. If someone wants to reach me and I'm at work or at home that's fine. Why would I want to be bothered anywhere else. I DESPISE people who talk on their cell phones in theatres. Not only is their conversation irritating, the damn lights on the phones are distracting.

[Reeder]

I don't have a cell phone either. I never intend to have one. I like the freedom of being out of touch with the world.

[AHunter3]

I hate the damn things too.

At my former job they insisted I had to own one, and said they'd pay the initial charges and all company-related calls plus the baseline monthly rate on it. Fine. I got one, submitted my bills, and stuck it in the nether regions of my computer bag. Never made a call on it, never received a call on it. (I waited to see if anyone ever complained about trying to reach me via my cell and failing, they never did). They paid a monthly fee for me to have a cell phone gathering dust (no doubt soon lacking a battery charge). When I left the company I still owed the cellphone company half a year on the minimum-subscription-duration contract (which appears to be the only way they'll give anyone service) and I made my company eat the early-cancellation charges.

I've got a damn laptop and it goes everywhere I go. I'm not an EMT so you don't really need to reach me during my subway trip to and from home, and at work or at home I get email. You want me, email me. I don't do phones. I hate all phones and I particularly hate cell phones. Stupid beeping things that sound like a goddamn video arcade.

[Alice The Goon]

I'm one of the few without cells, too. I used to have one and hardly ever used it, felt like it was money wasted. I'm fine with just having a non-working phone in the car with me, because 911 will still work and that's all I'd need it for.

In my last job, everyone had cell phones (except me) and if theirs rang, they expected whoever heard it to answer it. I would never answer their phones, and when they asked me why, I told them that I didn't have a cell phone because I wasn't going to be a slave to my phone, so why would I be a slave to theirs?

In most instances, IMHO, cell phones become self-owns, what people are thinking of when they use them in public.

[zamboniracer]

I'm one of the " I don't want or need a cell phone crowd" too, but we are a diminishing breed.

As evidence, I submit a story I just heard from my college age nephew, who just returned from a business school class trip to Europe ( think they were touring all of the pubs there) and he said that all of the kids were thrown into a tizzy because none of their American cell phones would work in Europe. He said it really cramped everyone's style, because they had to make plans before-hand as to where to go and what to see, rather than just do it on the spur of the moment by calling everybody on the cell phone.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I don't have one either, and as a male in Miami in his 20s, I'm definitely a tiny minority. I can see the convenience of having a cell phone, really I can. I can think of several times in my life it would have been useful, or at least made things easier. But I've gone this long without one, and frankly, I just don't need the additional expense. Sometimes I don't WANT to be reached 24/7.

[KJ]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/19/sports/golf/19CELL.html...if you're so worried about your kids being home alone, maybe you should either hire a babysitter or stay home with them.

That wouldn't be necessary. After all, what's to stop you from coughing up 50¢ to call them from a pay phone?

[KJ]

Ignore the above URL, I screwed up when I was editing the quote. :smack:

[hajario]

I like the freedom of being out of touch with the world.

There's a softball if I've ever seen one. :p

Haj

[Zap_Rowsdower]

I was one of those who didn't need or want a cell phone and thought they were a pain. However at Xmas, I gave in and got one mainly because I was getting a townhome and decided to get a cable modem and got rid of my home line. Most of the time I leave my phone at my desk or turn it off while I am out with friends or doing whatever. I also will not answer it while driving and if it rings I wait until I get to where I'm going to check it. I will not become a slave to a stupid phone

[RickJay]

I used to carry one. After awhile I grew tired of it. I leave in in the car switched off so I can call home if I get stuck or break down or something. If someone needs to call me, I have a house AND an office. If I'm not in, leave a damned message.

[Bryan Ekers]

There's a softball if I've ever seen one. :p

Isn't it, though?

[treis]

Sometimes I don't WANT to be reached 24/7.

You know these nowadays these new fangled cell phones have off buttons on them? Imagine that!

[jsleek]

I thought I was the only one in the world who hated cell phones.

Every day some air head woman in a SUV jabbering on a cell phone cuts me off without a glance. (She may have a thought, but it's not about driving.)

I suppose there's a few guys out there doing the same, but I've never seen it.

[AzRaek]

I've had one for years, but I don't consider myself a slave to it. As I'm usually nowhere near it while I work, if someone called, I call them back at lunch. I use mine for the calendar, alarm and calculator functions more than for phone calls (mainly because it appears my ex got the friends and I got the cat in the divorce).

I don't like to see others using cells in public. Seems rude to me, especially those who have a few pals with them already and are still on the phone with someone else. Saw a man at lunch today who never put the phone down while he was eating. Solitude can be healthy, dude.

[GuanoLad]

You know these nowadays these new fangled cell phones have off buttons on them? Imagine that!
You're suggesting we should buy a phone - and then switch it off?

Or hey, what about this: we don't buy a phone. Seems cheaper and easier to me.

[clayton_e]

I don't have one, or a regular phone, for that matter. After moving out of the dorms for the summer its just not necessary, my friends are within walking distance or I can contact them online. If people want to contact me I'm often home or a note on my door works fine. I've had to fill out paperwork that asks for a phone #, I just attach a post it with my e-mail. If anything I'm happier without a phone.

Take away my 'net, though, and there will be hell to pay ;)

[Essured]

I love having a mobile phone.
The convenience appeals to me. It is convenient to see who is calling before I answer. It is convenient to be able to communicate from most locations. It is convenient to be able to turn it off or on as the situation/my preferences dictate.

That said, I can understand why some do not like them. And I can be driven into a frothing-at-the-mouth fury by the inconsiderate bastards who leave them turned on (non-silent) in a cinema, not to mention the arrogance of actually answering the damn thing.

It would be much nicer if all people had the courtesy to turn off their mobiles when at events that make it disturbing, rather than having to have them banned completely, however often the lowest common denominator ruins it for the rest.

[WILLASS]

I have a cell phone as my only phone contact because I am out more often than in but I still think they are really annoying, people seem to have forgotten that we all got on just fine without them. I find it particularly annoying when people go to an event then jabber relentlessly throughout, why bother going? Switch the bastard off!

[Shade]

You're suggesting we should buy a phone - and then switch it off?Yes. I have a phone. When I'm out in town, or walking, or chilling, or however otherwise receptable to contact, I have it on. When I'm asleep, or working, or otherwise want to relax, I have it off. In cinemas, I have it on silent. (I know, I know, but I do occasionally want to text people in a cinema if we arranged to meet. I don't see the problem, so long as (1) It doesn't ring, which is bad, and (2) YOU DON'T SPEAK INTO IT WHICH IS RUDE BEYOND FUCKING IMAGINING.)

I am happy. What's wrong with that?

Some of my friends have phones they generally leave off, but use for outgoing calls and voicemail mostly, and occasional times they DO want to be contacted. I find this annoying - OK, if you're perfect at arranging to meet, fine, but if you're running late, have your phone on you, and I want to say "Hi, meet us at ... instead" it's just annoying.

Re: the golf. If everyone could be trusted to keep them on silent, fine. (Do they search you? Can you get away with it so long as you don't answer it?) But people can't be, can they?

[Cheesesteak]

Cell phones are a wonderful technology that people can make very annoying to others. I'm not generally hounded by friends and family, so if I get contacted while out of the house, it's a positive experience. The convenience of making emergency or out of the blue calls is also rather nice.

Here's a nice shout out to these brain sturgeons Doug and Ginny Johnstone, 40, from Wantagh, N.Y., said the ban made it hard to check on their year-old son, Daniel, who is sick. Leave your sick child home while you have a grand old time at the links... :mad:

[whiterabbit]

I have a friend who refuses to get on because he works for an airline and says he sees waaaaaaay too much rude behavior with the things. He's a gate agent most of the time, and I suggested to him that a) HE does not need to be rude with the things, but he travels a lot, and a cell phone makes arranging to meet up with people a heck of a lot easier, and b) that if he gets people who are on the phone at the head of the line, send 'em to the back.

B is not under his control, so I gather, but I think it ought to be policy just about everywhere.

[Agrippina]

I hate them, even though I own one. I leave it off most of the time, and I feel sorry for people who feel they MUST answer theirs. I refuse to let a phone boss me around.

[Ferret Herder]

That wouldn't be necessary. After all, what's to stop you from coughing up 50¢ to call them from a pay phone?
Not that I'm defending the cell phone maniacs, but it's getting harder and harder to find pay phones these days, as a direct result of the popularity of cell phones.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Not that I'm defending the cell phone maniacs, but it's getting harder and harder to find pay phones these days, as a direct result of the popularity of cell phones.

This is true. Occasionally I need to find a pay phone in an emergency, or if I'm lost while driving, and they are getting rarer these days. Often they're in a state of disrepair or just "out of order," too--nobody worries as much about keeping them operational, because almost everyone has cell phones now.

[Scarlett67]

Mr. S and I both have one. He uses his mainly to call me on his work breaks (he's working as a school custodian and doesn't have an office), and I use mine mainly to send him necessary text messages while he's working. We usually have our phones with us when we're out and about, but they are almost always turned OFF. Only two or three people have the numbers, and they understand that the phones are usually off and we will tell them the time period during which they can call -- for instance, if we're gone for the weekend and my mom is puppysitting, or if we're traveling to meet friends and will arrange a place/time to meet when we get close. At other times we give the numbers out only as needed -- for example, to the garage guy to let us know when the car is ready while we run errands. We almost never use our phones for chatting.

Amd we are firmly in the camp of those who detest rude cell phone users. Why not try being where you ARE -- like with your lunch companions or behind the wheel of a moving vehicle -- instead of with some voice coming out of that thing plastered to your ear?

[Agrippina]

I hate them, even though I own one. I leave it off most of the time, and I feel sorry for people who feel they MUST answer theirs. I refuse to let a phone boss me around.

Let me redo that: I feel sorry for people who feel they MUST answer theirs at all times. If it was an emergency then I could understand. Otherwise, it wouldn't kill you to let the caller leave a message.

[hajario]

I have to have one for my business. When clients want to talk to me, they do not want to wait. Yes, they would have had to wait in the "old days" but if I'm not responsive enough, they'll find someone who is. Any of you are free to be a one man army and refuse to use the cell but it you're in my business you're going to slowly go hungry.

I try to be curteous. It's never on at the movies. I triple check to make sure its turned off and would be mortified if it rang while the film was playing. If it rings when I am getting lunch, I say "hello, one minute please" and then go outside for my conversation. I don't shout into it when I am in a crowd. I have a hands free kit for the car. It's not that difficult.

Haj

[Estilicon]

You know these nowadays these new fangled cell phones have off buttons on them? Imagine that!

Not a solution pal because if you turn off the dam thing, later you receive complaints (from bosses and family) about why was the cell phone off (it happens to me).
The only solution is a worldwide ban on cellphones. That and a similar ban on nukes will let us achieve universal peace.-

[Redwing]

I almost always have my phone with me, and it's constantly on. I have to; I'm either directly or indirectly on call. However, the ringer is never on, vibrate is enough for me to know someone is calling/paging me, and I can get to place where it won't disturb those around me to answer the damn thing. I really get pissed at people who are jabbering away in restaurants and theaters; I mean, go to the bar or the lobby and deal with the call there.

[silenus]

"If I have a heart attack, who's going to call 911?" said Claudia Mutter, 50, from Coventry, R.I., who said she was unaware of the cellphone ban, even though it was printed on the back of tournament tickets.

The correct answer to this, of course, is "No one. We are all just going to stand here and watch you die!" :D

A ceel phone is a wonderful tool, but like all wonderful tools, it can be grossly misused by wankers.

[Epimetheus]

The only two things I hate about cell phones are both due to wankers. One is those with the loudest, most annoying rings possible. A big, look at me!

The others are those two way nextel phones. Those things should be shoved in the orifices of the users. Nothing more I hate than having to listen to BOTH sides of the fucking conversation at walkie-talkie level sound accompanied by the constant beeping in between.

Normal phones- ok, nextel phones, very very very rarely justified.

[Kalhoun]

We don't have one. The temptation has been there once or twice (when I really could have used a phone RIGHT THEN), but it's generally just so unnecessary. I bought one for my dad because he'll be on the road at night some times. But it's strictly for emergencies. In fact, he buys minutes for the phone, and has to use them up by calling me. I guess he can't save them up.

[dwc1970]

For years I shunned the idea of having a cell phone, mainly because of the arrogance and rudeness they seemed to bring out in the people who used them. I finally broke down and got one after I realized how many times I had been someplace and wished I had a cell phone. I don't use mine very much in public, mostly at home in the evenings and on the weekends when I have unlimited long distance.

Recently my family took a car trip from Boise to Seattle and back. We had two cars. I must say it was sure nice to have cell phones along. That way we could easily call the people in the other car if someone needed to make a stop at the next exit, and if we got separated we could stay in close contact. A few years ago, before any of us had cell phones, when we were traveling in separate vehicles my sister suddenly realized she was about to run out of gas and the nearest gas station was in some small mountain town about 12 miles off the main highway. She was in the last car and we were already separated, so my mom and dad could not see that we had turned off. Several minutes later we caught up to my mom and dad, who had no idea what happened to us, thinking the worst (it was a dangerous road with lots of turns, steep dropoffs and high-speed traffic). All the worrying and anxiety could have been saved if we only had cell phones at the time.

This said, like most other things, if cell phones are used appropriately they're great things to have, but they can be misused, too, so there has to be limits to how, when and where to use them.

[LionelHutz405]

Ignore the complaints. What's so hard about that? If you are at work, then the boss has a right to expect you to be available. Otherwise, grow a backbone.

[Bambi Hassenpfeffer]

The others are those two way nextel phones. Those things should be shoved in the orifices of the users. Nothing more I hate than having to listen to BOTH sides of the fucking conversation at walkie-talkie level sound accompanied by the constant beeping in between.
That's another issue with the user, not the technology. Those phones can be used in walkie-talkie mode with the flip open and the phone held up to the user's ear. That they choose not to is not the fault of Nextel and Motorola. That said, I agree with you -- anyone who uses it turned all the way up wandering through my store deserves to have it shoved up his ass.

[shy guy]

In cinemas, I have it on silent. (I know, I know, but I do occasionally want to text people in a cinema if we arranged to meet. I don't see the problem, so long as (1) It doesn't ring, which is bad, and (2) YOU DON'T SPEAK INTO IT WHICH IS RUDE BEYOND FUCKING IMAGINING.) There's no problem as long as your phone doesn't emit a glow of any kind whatsoever. My pet peeve (since most people seem to have gotten the "don't talk on your phone in the theater" thing, I think) is people texting in the theater while their phone emits the most powerful burst of light this side of the sun and completely distracts me and drives me insane until they put it away.

I have a phone, but I mostly leave it off/at home, because I despise phones of any sort (I'm pretty bad about it, actually; I didn't even bother to set up voice mail in the last two dorms I lived in because I knew I'd never check it). I'm an email/instant messenger kind of guy.

[TwoTrouts]

Lord, I hate these cell phones, but they are a necessity in this day and age. Especially if you have to contact a teenage daughter! I was griping to my 17 year old about not responding to some important e-mails. She told me, basically, that "computers and e-mail are for you older folk and the little kids (meaning her 13 year old sister) who use IM. WE (meaning the cool, hip, teenager set) use cell phones! I do not check my e-amil anymore, because it is not important". My head spins! How do you fight such a view except by natural consequences, if an important e-mail is missed, let her fall on her face rather than help out until a lesson is learned?

[Shade]

There's no problem as long as your phone doesn't emit a glow of any kind whatsoever. My pet peeve (since most people seem to have gotten the "don't talk on your phone in the theater" thing, I think) is people texting in the theater while their phone emits the most powerful burst of light this side of the sun and completely distracts me and drives me insane until they put it away. I hadn't thought of that. OK, I'll be careful. It hasn't been an issue yet because I've only sent texts before and after the movie.

[Typo Negative]

I have a cell phone. Mostly for emergencies and it's usually in the car. If it's with me, it's usually turned off unless I'm expecting a call. And if it's on, and it rings, I still may not answer it. Becuase the fact that it rings is NOT reason enough for me to answer it. Why should I stop what I'm doing? Let 'em leave a message.

[The Hamster King]

My wife and I live in LA. We both work and our two kids go to two different schools. Often my wife has to stay at work late, sometimes unexpectedly. Anyone who has ever driven in LA will know that its impossible to get anywhere quickly, and occasionally traffic on some streets will just STOP, for no obvious reason.

So, no, WE couldn't get along without our cell phones. Our lives are a delicate logistical dance. We've built in some slack to account for emergencies, but making use of that slack is highly dependent on each of us knowing what the other is doing.

Here's a typical afternoon:

-- Call 1 --

Her: "I'm out in the hall, the meeting's running long. Can you get The Girl?"

Me: "I think so. Call me back at 4:30 and let me know if you still need me to go."


-- Call 2 --

Her: "Me again. Yep, I'm not going to make the cut-off for pick-up. You better go."

Me: "Okay, I'll check in when I've got her. Can you get The Boy?"

Her: "Probably."


-- Call 3 --

Me: "I've got The Girl.

Her: "Say 'hi' for me. I'm done with the meeting and just packing up. I'll be leaving in a minute."

Me: "Was there construction on Beverly Glen when you dropped The Boy off this morning?"

Her: "Yeah, it might still be bad. Let's both head for The Boy's school. Whoever gets there first can pick him up."


-- Call 4 --

Her: "I'm at the school, where are you?"

Me: "Still at the Santa Monica intersection. We'll see you at home."


This is what my life is like every day ...

Don't be a cell phone hata ...

[galt]

Sometimes I don't WANT to be reached 24/7.Yeah, I got rid of my car, too, because sometimes I don't WANT to drive anywhere.

[shy guy]

I hadn't thought of that. OK, I'll be careful. It hasn't been an issue yet because I've only sent texts before and after the movie. Oh, no problem there, then. The people I was complaining about were the ones that light up ye olde phone any old time during the movie itself.

[Cunctator]

I don't have a mobile phone. I work on the assumption that people can contact me while I'm at work and while I'm at home. At any other time, I relish the prospect of being "out of range".