h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Absolutely, Xantief! Good road art. Wish all the states would pass a ban on cell phones while driving.

I wish they'd outlaw them altogether. Why do people feel the need to be available to everyone 24/7? A doctor on call or something like that is different. That's what pagers are for.

We have signs in the librazry to turn off cell phones inside the building. No one does it, though. And they get furious with us when they are chattting away and we ask them to leave. These conversations aren't anything even remotely important. They can wait.

We have areas in the hospital where cell phones interfere with the medical telemetry systems. Signs are posted everywhere, but people still ignore them...plus, they get all bent out of shape when they are notified of their transgression.

What is the key to this mentality?

It certainly makes one wonder. I dislike talking on the phone. I think phones should be used for legitimate reasons. Just shooting the breeze with someone you're going to see in 15 minutes anyway doesn't qualify.

Another thing since we're talking about telephones. I consider my phone as there for my convenience - not someone else's. I don't break my neck to answer it every time it rings. We are NOT obligated to answer the phone when it rings. We're not obligated to even keep the stupid thing plugged in. I seldom turn my cell phone on. It's one of those trac phones where you pay an annual fee and buy minutes. I never use it enough to spend my minutes. If I'm outside and hear the phone I just let it ring. There is no way I would get out of the shower to answer the phone. Or rush to answer it if it's ringing when I first come in. If I'm expecting a call or someone is sick or something like that, then I try to answer it. Otherwise, I answer if it's convenient.

I think though that the best thing that cell phones have brought into our lives is the whole "caller ID" thing. If indeed, as I agree they are, phones are for our convienence not our callers' then caller ID helps us to banish from our eardrums the sound of people we don't like very much and provide an open channel for those we do .... barmen offering us free wine, beautiful women wanting to spirit us away for months of passion in barbados, employers wanting to double our salaries, horses giving us betting tips etc....

What have I been missing? For years now, I've been expecting calls from attorneys, irate neighbors, collection agencies and the like.

The call-blocking law has been working fairly well, so there are no outright commercial pests with their distractions...but over the weekend, Governator Schwarzenegger's voice delivered his "Befehl" to one of my sons to vote in a Teamsters election.

We decided that one of us had to register with the Republifascists, to see what kind of brainwash spew we could collect. They're sending out their own absentee ballot applications.

I ignore the phone if it rings while I'm feeding the cats or myself. Or if I'm feeling reticent.

I believe that phones are there to be ignored if one feels like it.
I don't like to talk on the phone much either--and I especially don't care a thing about "chitty chatting".
I am on the do not call list and so far it's working.

I have a cell phone. We take it with us everywhere--turned off. It's for emergencies only. I do not believe in subjecting everyone around me to my conversations--so we keep it turned off.

I have mixed feelings about phones. I do not like being "on call" all the time. I feel the phone is for my convenience rather than the convenience of others. I will frequently let the phone ring if I am doing something more important, like eating a meal. I can't hear it outside, so that is not a problem. I NEVER answer it when giving a massage, unless there is a terribly important reason, and then I explain to my client why I will be answering the phone and apologize if it rings. We have a cell phone but no one has the number. We use it to communicate when one of us is miles away doing errands.

All that being said, I am self employed and the phone is how people contact me to make appointments, or change them. I can't make myself unavailable all the time I'd like to. Otherwise, eventually I would have no clients. I do, however, check my messages regularly and call people right back if I need to talk to them.