# One of life's little surprises **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697 "2012-04-13T20:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/1 "2012-04-13T20:09:43Z")
I’ve had the same cell phone for six years. It’s a basic, no-frills phone, and my plan costs me $10 a month. I never use the phone, except for emergencies. I don’t even remember the number. A couple of days ago I had a rare emergency and had to call AAA. While waiting to be rescued I played with the phone, going through the menus, looking at the features I’ve never used. Then I discovered that - lo and behold - this 6-year-old basic phone has texting capability. I had no idea. It never even occurred to me that it might. I may even text a message someday. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/2 "2012-04-13T20:13:23Z")
Great news. You can send one to me and I can reply back, sending the 2nd text I have ever sent 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/3 "2012-04-13T20:15:18Z")
About 4 years ago I was walking around with a newly aquired cell phone, when one day it rang – but not its usual ring. I thought it was someone else’s. Someone had sent me a text! It took me about 30 minutes to reply. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/4 "2012-04-13T20:20:13Z")
I am not someone who is really into texting like a friend of mine who prefers texting over actually talking on the phone so when he texts me I call him back just to annoy him. But it does have it’s conviences. If I’m running late I’ll text, “running 10 min late” and I get a “k” back. Nice, simple, fast and convienent. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/5 "2012-04-13T20:47:05Z")
Old people are so cute. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/6 "2012-04-13T21:21:52Z")
I have a phone so old it doesn’t have a camera. I pay $15 a month for unlimited texts. The T9 dictionary is baffled by languages other than English, but I can beat it into submission. 🙂 What surprised me about this one is that is has a browser. It doesn’t work very well, but it is there. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Whammo72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo72)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/7 "2012-04-13T21:54:04Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Old people are so cute. _snort_ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/8 "2012-04-14T00:46:26Z")
> [@Arabella\_Flynn](#): > > I have a phone so old it doesn’t have a camera. Guess I should have added that my phone doesn’t have a camera. Yes, after discovering the texting, I actually double-checked to make sure there was no camera. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-of-lifes-little-surprises/618697/9 "2012-04-14T03:08:52Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Old people are so cute. Especially to ourselves.