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I truly am convinced that the Cell Phone is growing more and more into the technology that will destroy society.
Not in of itself mind you, but in the ways that people are using and getting overdependent on them.
First of all, there is the issue of being in constant contact with everyone under the sun. Nothing is more annoying than being out with a friend and they can not put the phone down long enough to hold a conversation with they people they are with. Case in point, road trip with friends. Hour long trip each way, two hours at the Ikea, and I talked to my friend for maybe 15 minutes total. At least at the Ikea, I was able to do something while she was yakking her head off, but in the car it sucked. I have no one to talk to, can't make my own call since that's against the law, and can't listen to the radio since it would disturb and drown out her conversation.
So what good is it to be in contact with everyone else in the world if you can't be bothered to connect with the people you are with?
Secondly there is texting. Now I can see that there are times when texting makes sense. You can text when there is limited signal, you can text when the noise levels are too loud to hold a conversation. But why in the name of Zeus's ball sack get into a texting conversation with someone that takes 30 minutes of texting when 5 minutes of verbal phone call would have had it done quicker?
And do not get me started with the new feature they are developing where the phone can convert your voice and convert it to a text message. If you're going to talk to the phone then TALK TO THE OTHER PERSON!
Third and the most mind boggling one of all is the general dumbing down of people. This call just came in from the operator of my facility. They called in and reported that the phones are not dialing out of the building. Ok, now that's a real problem. They get through dialing and they get a busy/error tone. Hrmm...what could the problem be? I tried dialing my cell phone which was issued in another county and so is "long distance" for land lines. Dial 9 for the outside line, followed by the 1 for long distance, followed by the number including area code.
My phone rings.
So the problem is not the phones. Perhaps it is the number that they are trying to reach. Get the number, call it, rings normally and I do indeed get to talk to the other hospital in the next state over.
Hrm. Puzzled now. So I call the operator back and ask how she is dialing the number. She was neglecting the "1" for the long distance.
Our. Telephone. Operator.
Yes, the woman who was hired to handle the phone system and routs calls all over the hospital and in need makes the calls to the on-call doctors...didn't know to dial a fuggin "1" to call long distance.
This woman is old enough to remember land line phones. This woman is old enough to have had to consider long distance calling plans on her phone line.
The only logical explanation is that cell phones, by not needing anything more than the 10 digit number to call ANYTHING in their country of origin (US in my case) have caused her to not remember that land lines need a "1" to call long distance. That like the Digital Watch causing some people to forget how to read an analog clock (the ones with the hands) and the computerized medical record system causing doctors how to chart on a gorram piece of paper when the computers go tits-up on us...
...The cell phone is making the current generation STUPID!
Not in of itself mind you, but in the ways that people are using and getting overdependent on them.
First of all, there is the issue of being in constant contact with everyone under the sun. Nothing is more annoying than being out with a friend and they can not put the phone down long enough to hold a conversation with they people they are with. Case in point, road trip with friends. Hour long trip each way, two hours at the Ikea, and I talked to my friend for maybe 15 minutes total. At least at the Ikea, I was able to do something while she was yakking her head off, but in the car it sucked. I have no one to talk to, can't make my own call since that's against the law, and can't listen to the radio since it would disturb and drown out her conversation.
So what good is it to be in contact with everyone else in the world if you can't be bothered to connect with the people you are with?
Secondly there is texting. Now I can see that there are times when texting makes sense. You can text when there is limited signal, you can text when the noise levels are too loud to hold a conversation. But why in the name of Zeus's ball sack get into a texting conversation with someone that takes 30 minutes of texting when 5 minutes of verbal phone call would have had it done quicker?
And do not get me started with the new feature they are developing where the phone can convert your voice and convert it to a text message. If you're going to talk to the phone then TALK TO THE OTHER PERSON!
Third and the most mind boggling one of all is the general dumbing down of people. This call just came in from the operator of my facility. They called in and reported that the phones are not dialing out of the building. Ok, now that's a real problem. They get through dialing and they get a busy/error tone. Hrmm...what could the problem be? I tried dialing my cell phone which was issued in another county and so is "long distance" for land lines. Dial 9 for the outside line, followed by the 1 for long distance, followed by the number including area code.
My phone rings.
So the problem is not the phones. Perhaps it is the number that they are trying to reach. Get the number, call it, rings normally and I do indeed get to talk to the other hospital in the next state over.
Hrm. Puzzled now. So I call the operator back and ask how she is dialing the number. She was neglecting the "1" for the long distance.
Our. Telephone. Operator.
Yes, the woman who was hired to handle the phone system and routs calls all over the hospital and in need makes the calls to the on-call doctors...didn't know to dial a fuggin "1" to call long distance.
This woman is old enough to remember land line phones. This woman is old enough to have had to consider long distance calling plans on her phone line.
The only logical explanation is that cell phones, by not needing anything more than the 10 digit number to call ANYTHING in their country of origin (US in my case) have caused her to not remember that land lines need a "1" to call long distance. That like the Digital Watch causing some people to forget how to read an analog clock (the ones with the hands) and the computerized medical record system causing doctors how to chart on a gorram piece of paper when the computers go tits-up on us...
...The cell phone is making the current generation STUPID!
icon over here right now.
It's really not difficult to stay off the phone for ten minutes while you pump your petrol. 
Figured it out on my own, though.
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