I Hate Cell Phones

[beagle]

I do hate to see folks running around with a cell phone in their ear. They're good for emergencies but things are getting ridiculous.

MY SD was over washing one Saturday and my wife made her put on a pair of seat pants and wash her jeans. We heard something and here the washer's going and the ringer on the cell is going off in the washer. She panicked. Cracked me up. The wife had to make me quit laughing.

Last summer, the wife was riding on the tractor with me and had her cell and I didn't even know she had it. Got down by the river and she missed it. I had to go to the house and repeatedly call and she walked the route until she heard it. I'd missed it with the tractor but the trailer had pressed it under 2" of mud in a mudhole.

Sure glad I'm not adddicted to those things./beagle

[pdawg_shooter]

+1 on the hate cell phones. I do not nor ever will own one. I have been run off the highway 4 times by a$$ holes on a cell phone and darn near t-boned a gal who run a stop sign gabbing on the phone instead of paying attention. HANG UP AND DRIVE !!!

[454PB]

I'm with ya.

I have a cell phone, but I only turn it on when I want to use it. All my family and friends ask why I don't have it turned on all the time, I tell them I bought it for ME to use.

It's a wonderful emergency tool, but it seems most people walk around in their own little world, tethered to a phone. What is so important?

[Springfield]

I have one but my wife is the only one who has the number. OK, maybe I gave the number to my kids school to use in emergencies, can't remember for sure. But that's it.

[oneokie]

Friends are always telling me I need a cell phone so they can get in touch when they need help. I tell them if me having a cell phone is so important to them, go get me a phone.
End of discussion.

Was sitting on the bench in front of the library earlier today, woman driving down the street, cell phone in one hand, cigarette lighter in the other lighting a cigarette.

[abunaitoo]

Only reason I have one, is one day I was late for an appointment.
Drove around looking for a pay phone for what seemed like forever.
I wouldn't mind them if they could be blocked in vehicles and buildings.
Other than drivers, the worse is when your in a theater or resturant, and someone is yacking on their phone.
There is the technology to do it.

Funny story.
I was on a jury with a lady who was always on her phone.
In the box, during the trial, her phone rang.
She answered it.
Judge ordered her to hang it up "NOW"
She put up her hand and told the judge "just a mimute"
We had a recesses for about an hour.
When we got back, you could tell she was crying.
I wanted to laugh, but didn't want to get in trouble.

[Mk42gunner]

As much as I don't like to see anybody talking on a cell phone while driving, seeing them texting is worse.

I have a pay as you go phone for emergencies. If my old truck breaks down I can call my buddy to come get me with a trailer.

Robert

[starmac]

I thought it was some kind of law that you had to have one if you were five years old or older. lol

[markinalpine]

I was on a jury with a lady who was always on her phone.

?

I was called for jury duty and they wouldn't let anyone for jury duty even enter the courthouse carrying any kind of electronic device. I was planning on taking in my e-book while we were going through all the preliminaries, sit around and wait for hours until you get picked or not, and was told to take it back to my car and leave it.

Mark :violin:

[white eagle]

people take it to the limit for sure
just another tracking device
whats next gps units in cars ??

[Bloodman14]

454pb, +1!

[KYCaster]

whats next gps units in cars ??



Already here..........GM Onstar.

They know where the car is 24/7. If it's stolen they can tell the police where to find it. If the police are looking for you they can tell them where to find your car. They can shut it off and lock you in it....or out of it.

This is kind of interesting.....copied from Wikipedia:
"In 2011 OnStar did announce that it would start retaining all the information collected by the GPS and internal system, so that it could be sold to third parties."

Jerry

[jmsj]

I have to carry one for work and it is a pain. I use it only for work 99%+ of the time. At times it allows me to get a lot of work done but sometimes it really hinders progress.
jmsj

[Dennis Eugene]

Nothing in the world wrong with cell phones. How ever some of the people who own cell phones have problems. Can't blame cell phones any more than you can blame the gun for the crime. Dennis

[southpaw]

Kind of odd for my age but I have never had one and don't plan on getting one. Tho I will admitt that I do pay for one but that is to keep the wife happy. There have been times when one would have been convenient but not necessary.

Jerry Jr.

[theperfessor]

Couldn't do what I do without one. I have an iPhone and its really a computer, voice recorder, GPS, cell phone, calendar, note pad, programmable calculator...... you get the picture.

And I don't use any of those things while I'm driving, whether they are on my phone or not. Do you clean your gun while you're driving?

[troy_mclure]

For my job I am required to have a cell phone with me 24/7. It sucks being tied to it.

It's cheaper for both my parents to have a cell phone on my plan than to have a land line at their house.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

No cell phone...No need for one.
Maybe someday, if I need one, then I'll get one.

[fcvan]

Before i retired, I had to carry a work phone 24-7 as a hostage negotiator but wasnt allowed to carry my personal phone while on duty. I felt silly carrying two phones off duty. Handing them back their phone felt pretty darned good! Frank

[Oreo]

I love, love, love my android. It does everything! I swear, I could even have this thing make me a cup of coffee in the morning if I was so inclined.

[Geraldo]

Nothing in the world wrong with cell phones. How ever some of the people who own cell phones have problems. Can't blame cell phones any more than you can blame the gun for the crime. Dennis

Dennis is absolutely right. Cell phones are a tool, and they are no better or worse than the person using them.

Like theperfessor I have an iPhone and it's uses as a tool are only limited by your imagination. It's replaced my home phone, calculator, note pad, voice recorder, camera, guitar tuner, calendar, and radio. I use it to check the weather, including radar when storms approach, check my email, and if I need a navigation system.

It's also great for buying/selling on castboolits. Pre-smart phone there were a few times I forgot to take an address with me to the PO. Now I don't even bother to write them down because I can look at PMs/email anywhere.

It's the 21st century guys. [smilie=w:

[rugerdude]

I don't care for cell phones, but I do have one. It don't do nuthin' but call and text. It don't take pictures, don't get the internet, don't start the truck, etc. I have it in case I need it. Drives my friends nuts. I even make it a point to call them back from the house phone when they leave me a voicemail.

And I can tell you this: If you ride a motorcycle, the most dangerous thing on the road is an SUV with a woman on her phone driving it. Worse'n runnin' up on a wild sow with piglets in the woods with no gun.

[BD]

It's a love/hate relationship for me. I absolutely need one when on a project, and being able to keep the same phone number wherever I'm working has been a real advantage. However, once a project is over it's such a relief to be able to turn it off whenever I want.

I don't agree with laws against using your phone while driving. I've had some form of work communication in my vehicles for about 30 years. Radios, bag phones, cell phones and now Blue Tooth, which is a big improvement, (calls come through the radio, almost completely hands free. it's just like talking to the person sitting next to you). The problem is people who can't prioritize what they're doing. Until they figure out how to do that they should just stay home.

Texting is a different animal, I might have sent three texts my entire life, and I certainly wouldn't try it while driving. I can barely do it sitting on the couch, and it requires both hands.

BD

[bbs70]

Yes I have a cell phone, only because I got tired of wife telling me I need one.
It has come in handy on quite a few occasions, so I guess she could be right on this one.:groner:

It is a tool, not a play toy.
There is a time and place for everything, talking or texting while driving is not the time nor the place.
The people wearing those stupid ear pieces make me think they are really trying to impress everyone with their importance.

[archmaker]

At one time I was carrying two cell phones, but now down to one. I have the IPhone 4s and have used several other cell phones.

I agree with the professor it is a tool, I use it for the convenience it provides me, as I can work from home with one number that anyone can reach me during business hours. But after business hours . . . I have been known to leave it in the car overnight and most of the weekend. My wife and I don't talk to each other when I am traveling, so it does not get used for that, we wait to sit down in our chairs with no TV and catch up on the week.

It is a great tool, but I hate driving and talking on the dang thing. I mean it makes sense to use the earbud and drive the road and do a meeting, but I just can't do it. If I am having a call while on the road I do my best to find a place to pull off the road and stop and give my attention to the caller - family, friends, or work. I figure they all deserve my undivided attention.

There is a good book written by Clifford Stoll, getting long on the tooth now, called Silicon Snake Oil. Where he talks about the damage being done to our relationships because of technology. And this from a guy that was tracking down German Hackers in the 80's and has been a guest speaker at NSA about Internet Security.

Premise of the book is that people are getting comfortable and tethered to their electronic means of communication to the point where they would prefer the electronic means over face to face. We are losing the ability to sit down with someone and have a conversation.

I agree with him, and I am no technology hater, it is what allows me to spend a good amount of disposable income on shooting, (I am currently sitting at my desk with three laptops going right now, and another on a small table besides me upgrading, getting ready for my next job, and I do LOVE my job most days! )

I don't hate the cell phones but the user, no more than I hate the gun but the idiot that murders people. Problem with cell phones is that they are being used all the times on the roads and public areas, and I think more idiots own cellphones than guns. :)

[NVWalt]

Don't like them. Don't own one and never will, and they don't work for love nor money here where I live.

[pmeisel]

I hate it when people are talking to you and stop to answer... wait just a minute....

[blackthorn]

Both my wife and I have one. We have eachother's number but no one else has them. The cell is for emergencies like car trouble etc. On my last job the director came up with the idea that we should all carry one 24/7 so she could get us at her pleasure. I told her I would do that when they started paying me 24 hours a day. I have a life!

[10x]

Cell service here is unreliable. I can see 3 cell towers from my farm but have to go a half mile to a hilltop to make a call. When ever I really needed a phone I would be in a no service area.

[firefly1957]

+1 on hating cell phones Mine is only on when I need it otherwise it is off except every now and then it comes on when it is sitting on the table not being touched? I know to many people who can not live without their cell phone .

[bydand]

I never could understand WHY you had to type on a telephone!
My other question is WHY if you need one, do you need to have all the other features?

[oneokie]

I never could understand WHY you had to type on a telephone!
My other question is WHY if you need one, do you need to have all the other features?

Peer pressure? One upmanship?

[Fishman]

Wow.

Some of you guys should really come into the 20th century. Yes I said the 20th. We have electricity now and running water and even the horseless carriage. Do we need these things to survive? No, but they sure make things easier.

I don't care if somebody doesn't want a cell phone, but don't give me a hard time for wanting my smartphone. I am not a heavy user, but here is a partial list of what I did today with my phone:

6:30 - alarm woke me up

Checked email and pm's on a couple of sites while sitting on my throne. responded to client email.

Sent text verifying work schedule with coworker. No call needed and took 10 seconds.

Talked to two clients and did some business.

Recorded information in phone notebook while completing some tasks for my work.

Had an issue that required law enforcement while in the field, no problem.

On the way home, stopped at client ranch. Contact info on phone had gate code.

Ok, I'm getting tired of typing all this because I'm typing on my phone as I chill out in my living room.

My work efficiency would be severely compromised without my phone.

[Heavy lead]

Wow.

Some of you guys should really come into the 20th century. Yes I said the 20th. We have electricity now and running water and even the horseless carriage. Do we need these things to survive? No, but they sure make things easier.

I don't care if somebody doesn't want a cell phone, but don't give me a hard time for wanting my smartphone. I am not a heavy user, but here is a partial list of what I did today with my phone:

6:30 - alarm woke me up

Checked email and pm's on a couple of sites while sitting on my throne. responded to client email.

Sent text verifying work schedule with coworker. No call needed and took 10 seconds.

Talked to two clients and did some business.

Recorded information in phone notebook while completing some tasks for my work.

Had an issue that required law enforcement while in the field, no problem.

On the way home, stopped at client ranch. Contact info on phone had gate code.

Ok, I'm getting tired of typing all this because I'm typing on my phone as I chill out in my living room.

My work efficiency would be severely compromised without my phone.

Amen,
It allows me to control my work, be much more effecient and have more free time as well.
Finally just upgraded from a crackberry (after 6 years or so) to a I phone, wonderful device that replaces pockets full of gadgets.
Very rarely, however do I use one when driving though, used to all the time, drive time was phone time, not any more. Calls wait with no ill effects, not preaching, just don't do it anymore.
But I agree, what an effecient time saver they can be if used properly.

[btroj]

A cell phone is a tool. Not really that different from a gun in many ways. we an hate the tool or we can turn our displeasure towards the inappropriate use.

I don't like people who come to the counter at my pharmacy while talking on their phone. I don't blame the phone, itis the user who is being rude.

My phone is of great help in my life.

[Norbrat]

A bit of british humour about the whole techno-connection thing. Been around a while, but still clever and funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVQNGXFVwPc

[theperfessor]

I could write a similar list of what I do with my iPhone on a daily basis. If you stop thinking about these devices as "cordless telephones" and start thinking about them as a palm sized multi-functional computers and communications devices you would at least have some type of perception of their true capabilities. Whether you need to have a device do any of those things for you is your business; I like having all those capabilities in a $150 device that's smaller than my old HP 11 calculator and has infinitely more computing ability.

I don't particularly care for M16/AR15/black rifles but I'm not going to look down my nose and sneer at those that do just because a few people act like mall Ninjas and airheads at the range with them.

Many of the older people I know complain that their children don't stay in touch with them ("my kids never call me") and yet make little or no effort to communicate with their kids the way they are used to doing. I pay for my parents cell phone, and they are of the "I only turn it on make a call" persuasion. And they wonder why I don't talk to them often enough. With their phone turned off. And I work full time. Incredible.

The technology isn't going away. I plan to use it and benefit from it. Ya'll do as you like.

[Longwood]

I have one and use it for phone calls only. I get an pcasional text but it is almost always a kid or people that have the things.
I would maybe use it for emails if I had a large enough magnifying glass with me.
I just bought a new monitor so I can read this stuff without my glasses.
Walmart, 32" flat screen, $248.
You guys are now in, wide screen High Definition.
Very nice indeed, doing this in my easy chair.

[troy_mclure]

My grandfather is nearly 80. He bought a cell for the reasons listed by theperfessor. He texts and talks to his 4 daughters, and 8 grandkids regularly.

[theperfessor]

That's great Troy!

[Fishman]

Theperfessor, you said it a lot better than me.

I told my dad the other day he was the only person I called regularly on a land line. I noticed he is using his cell to call me - must have got to him :)

The guy that first opened my eyes to the capabilities of a smartphone was a client of mine in his late 70's. He had an iPhone and knew how to get the most out of it. I just hope I'm half as sharp as him when I get to be his age.

[Oreo]

I never could understand WHY you had to type on a telephone!
My other question is WHY if you need one, do you need to have all the other features?For those who get it, no explanation is necessary. For those that don't, no explanation is sufficient. Those features are there because people (people like me) are willing to pay (extra) for them.

[firefly1957]

Telling a bunch of people on the internet that they have to get into the twentieth century is a joke many of us just do not like the intrusion of the darn cell phone, at times I do not answer land line either!!!! I just laughed at a fool at work when he complained about missing a deer because his phone rang, IT IS OKAY TO TURN THE THINGS OFF!

[btroj]

My mother is 72. She realized a few ears ago that the way to keep in touch with the grand children was via text message. She gets prompt replies and the kids like it having a grand mother who is reasonably with it. My more also has a Facebook account for the same reason.
Technology isn't going away. We can either ignore it or make the best of it. I would far prefer a text message over a phone call many times. I can view the text when I get a moment, the call is now or never.
The other features on a smart phone take the place of a day planner, a calendar, calculator, and so much more.
Rather than complain I chose to embrace the modern age. I don't always have to like it but I can't wish it away.

[Beekeeper]

I have read this post with some intrest as my kids keep insisting I get a cell phone.
My answer is I have not found a use for one.
I have never found something that was so absolute important that it could not wait until I got home.
My grand children text each other while sitting side by side in the back seat of the car.
Youngest told me it is better than talking to each other.

I think a lot of people feel the same way.
My main question is what in your life is so important you have to have instant gratification.
You lived well and content before cell phones and all the other devices.

I get so tired of going to the grocery store and seeing someone talking to their other half about the price of a can of beans and it is not the one the other half wanted but is cheaper."Just buy the darned beans and be done with it"


beekeeper

[Boondocker]

I drive truck for a living now and a cell phone is a great tool. If I need to make an emergency call on a breakdown ( yes new tractors and trailers break) in 0 degree weather it is nice to get some help. Also if anyone ever pulled doubles ,you just cant whip them in anywhere to use a phone. If you have'nt noticed there is not a lot of payphones around anymore. I have used it to report a few happenings on the road, I am sure if you had a loved one bleeding on the road a cellphone call for help would be appreciated. When I get to Jersey city every night if I am not running into Brooklyn or Long Island I have to wait 4 to5 hours for my return loads for Scranton. I walk the perimeter of the terminal and my phone Gps pedometer tells me how many steps and miles I log really cool. I surf the web,check out u tube, check out the national weather service. It is a tool I will not do with out by choice. How many of your friends say the same for computers as my phone is a mini computer. I have a bluetooth that does not disturb my driving. Dec 26 2011 the fed gubermint made it a law for commercial drivers not to use a handheld telephone while driving ( 2450.00 fine) but no fine for the amature 4 wheeler drivers which are the root of the problem. It is just easier for the feds to regulate CDL drivers. I work with a guy that is always on his phone but curses computers, I phone to boot lmao. He does,nt get it either. You use your internet fine ,I use other means also so don't condemn cellphones for other people. To each there own. I like Fords you like Chevies.:bigsmyl2:

[BD]

Boon docker has brought up a good point regarding cell phones. I have to deal with shipments of all kinds of things, coming from all over and often over size, to sites which can have very particular requirements to get an 18 wheeler in and back out. The ability to talk directly to the driver as they approach the site has been a tremendous advantage. Still happy to be able to turn it off between projects though.
BD

[45nut]

Phones are a tool,, same as a vote,, both can be dangerous or useful depending on the one using the tool.

[thx997303]

My two cents is this. If you own a cell phone, and it stops working, try turning it on before calling and yelling at the customer service representatives.

Also, not using a cell phone much is not a badge of honor.

I work with the cell phone haters all day at work. Not sure why everybody cares so much. Let it go.
.

[John Ross]

I'm with the Perfesser. My Nokia N8 is one of the best $350 purchases I have EVER made in my life.

You guys that hate them, how do you feel about:

Digital readouts on machine tools?
Pointsless ignition systems in cars?
Overhead valves in engines?
Non-corrosive primers?
Smokeless powder?
Cartridge ammunition?
Indoor plumbing?

[NSP64]

Do you clean your gun while you're driving?


you mean everyone doesn't?

I am with the Perfessor on this one.

I have a smart phone and it is a great tool.

There are lots of poeple who have guns and can't shoot, but that doesnt mean everyone shouldn't be allowed to have them.

They are just another tool to be mastered, like radios in cars, going faster then 30 mph. and all the other myths through the ages.

kids now adays can do lots more then I could at their age, but most don't have the common sense to keep themselves alive.

[NSP64]

A bit of british humour about the whole techno-connection thing. Been around a while, but still clever and funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVQNGXFVwPc

ROTFSMCO


Rolling On The Floor Spitting My Coffee Out

[NSP64]

I can view the text when I get a moment, the call is now or never.
The other features on a smart phone take the place of a day planner, a calendar, calculator, and so much more.
Rather than complain I chose to embrace the modern age. I don't always have to like it but I can't wish it away.

Exactly.

My text keyboard has a microphone button, that allows me to speak to the phone, and it transcribes it into a text. then I push send.
Easier then my computer, but I hear they have an app for that now.

[Beagler]

people take it to the limit for sure
just another tracking device
whats next gps units in cars ??

Some vehicles already have factory installed GPS. Infact if its equiped with OnStar activated or not big brother can still track it down. Same way with cell phones most have GPS built in now adays.

[Goatwhiskers]

My phone is turned on at 7AM, off at 8PM. The thing is a technical aggravation, but can be necessary. Tried to sell a shotgun over a internet site, gave my number, got two text mails wanting me to text a picture. If you want something from me, CALL, I do not do text, but I do speak English. Saw a couple the other day, he was driving, both on the phone. Thought, maybe they're talking to each other. We are raising a generation of people that cannot carry on a conversation face to face, only thru electronic devices. Goatwhiskers the Elder

[Jim]

I would ask the more knowledgeable to please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression that the location of a cell phone can only be tracked when it is 'active', as in switched on and being used.

[theperfessor]

If your cell is turned off it shouldn't be trackable. Just turning off the ringer won't do it.

Edit to add: If its on, even if it's not being used, it will still be trackable; that's how the system knows how to route information (calls, text messages, etc.) to it.

By the way, I use "Journeyman Machinist" on my iPhone a lot in my machine shop. IMHO it's one of the better apps for the iPhone and except for "Angry Birds" it's the only purchased app I have, all the rest are free but useful downloads.

Another added edit: Text messages take less bandwidth than voice calls, as has been proven following some recent natural disasters. Might be a fact worth remembering.

[Freightman]

I have a cell phone and the only one who calls me is my wife and sometimes my sons and it is on 24/7 and there is a hard fast rule "NO ANSWERING THE PHONE WHILE CAR IS IN OPERATION" I have known of at least three people who have died trying to answer phone and one also killed her three children.

[41 mag fan]

Telling a bunch of people on the internet that they have to get into the twentieth century is a joke many of us just do not like the intrusion of the darn cell phone, at times I do not answer land line either!!!! I just laughed at a fool at work when he complained about missing a deer because his phone rang, IT IS OKAY TO TURN THE THINGS OFF!


Had that happen this past turkey season. me and the wife were set up side by side, in single blinds. Had 3 Toms roosted 75yrds away, she's not killed one yet. She txt me, my ph went off....needless they flew off roost the other way......I feel so bad for her, she forgave me, but I'm still kicking myself.

[10x]

My two cents is this. If you own a cell phone, and it stops working, try turning it on before calling and yelling at the customer service representatives.

Also, not using a cell phone much is not a badge of honor.

I work with the cell phone haters all day at work. Not sure why everybody cares so much. Let it go.
.

I use a cell phone whenever there is service. There is no reliable cell signal at our local gun range - 7 miles from a cell tower. And cell signal coverage is very spotty here. When one does need it in an emergency - good luck getting a cell signal.

[GRUMPA]

For us it was a blessing, we don't have any other service but a cell phone, and yes we are that rural. My only gripe is that when other peoples cell phone goes off while they're driving they answer the things like it's a matter of life or death. One neighbor answered her phone while she was driving and started to swerve all over the 2 lane highway. I told her that was the last time I was going to be a passenger in her car, she didn't like it but I told her when she was on the phone she was weaving in and out of her lane like she was trying to use the force or something to guide her on her way.

[snuffy]

I highly value my privacy. To me, a phone call is an invasion in that privacy. It used to erk me to no end to get a call when I was watching a show I really wanted to see. Now, with the DVR, I can pause it to take the call, then resume after talking.

Why would I want to be interrupted by a cell phone? I had one back when all it would do is take a call and send. No fancy screens apts, or internet access. The battery,(which lasted about 2 hours), was as big as most cells now. That was back when It felt cool to be the "IN" crowd. It barely fit in a shirt pocket.

I recently got a trac phone. I think in the last 9 months, I've made 6 calls, received one. Maybe because I only gave the number to my son and a special nephew. It's costing a lot of money for something I only have for road emergencies. It's off unless I'm going to use it.

The requirement is that you must buy minutes or loose the ones you bought 3 months ago. They keep accumulating, but they're gone if you lapse. I'm resigned to having the expense to be protected in an emergency. I have a heart condition that's pretty much a non-issue, but you never know.

[theperfessor]

I think many people still feel like they have to answer a phone when it rings no matter what is going on at the time. Not so; I don't answer if I'm driving, I shut off the ringer when I'm in class or in a restaurant or many other public places. And when I talk on a cell in public I try to step away from anyone else for both privacy and good manners sake. There is still a case for using good manners and common sense with a smartphone (or an axe, or a gun, or any other tool) in public.

[Jim]

i think many people still feel like they have to answer a phone when it rings no matter what is going on at the time. Not so; i don't answer if i'm driving, i shut off the ringer when i'm in class or in a restaurant or many other public places. And when i talk on a cell in public i try to step away from anyone else for both privacy and good manners sake. There is still a case for using good manners and common sense with a smartphone (or an axe, or a gun, or any other tool) in public.

Ditto.

[jcwit]

I think many people still feel like they have to answer a phone when it rings no matter what is going on at the time. Not so; I don't answer if I'm driving, I shut off the ringer when I'm in class or in a restaurant or many other public places. And when I talk on a cell in public I try to step away from anyone else for both privacy and good manners sake. There is still a case for using good manners and common sense with a smartphone (or an axe, or a gun, or any other tool) in public.


That nailed it.

Thanks Prof.

[snuffy]

I think many people still feel like they hae to answer a phone when it rings no matter what is going on at the time. Not so; I don't answer if I'm driving, I shut off the ringer when I'm in class or in a restaurant or many other public places. And when I talk on a cell in public I try to step away from anyone else for both privacy and good manners sake. There is still a case for using good manners and common sense with a smartphone (or an axe, or a gun, or any other tool) in public.

That's JUST common courtesy, but alas, it's the same as common sense, something that's getting hard to find.

Bad enough having to contend with drunk drivers, people on cell phones while driving are distracted drivers. Back when I had my first cell, I tried to drive and talk ONCE! I never did that again. Darn near drove right off the road. I guess I can't multitask.:veryconfu

[firefly1957]

Jim I used to think that a cell phone could not be tracked unless someone turned it on HOWEVER I have a samsung which often turns itself on? I have also noticed that every time I look the GPS tracking is turned on? Even though I have turned it off several times shut down the phone turn it on GPS tracking is off twice now the GPS tracking was on after the phone has turned itself on.

No I am not the tin hat type, I am assuming it is a software problem and updated it completely only to have same problem.

[bowfin]

My employer asked me for my cell phone number to list in the employee directory, since I had disconnected my home phone. As an IT guy, I cringed at the thought because everybody thinks I am on call for their personal computer problems.

I told them that I don't have a company phone, I am not paid to be on call, and those who I want to call me already have my number. They didn't like that answer, but I don't get to use that phone for free, why should they think that they should be able to do so.

[Jim]

My employer asked me for my cell phone number to list in the employee directory, since I had disconnected my home phone. As an IT guy, I cringed at the thought because everybody thinks I am on call for their personal computer problems.

I told them that I don't have a company phone, I am not paid to be on call, and those who I want to call me already have my number. They didn't like that answer, but I don't get to use that phone for free, why should they think that they should be able to do so.

That's completely reasonable. If you want to be able to call me about work related matters, YOU provide AND pay for the phone. And I'll keep a log of time spent on company work after my normal hours and turn it in as OT. If that doesn't work for you, leave a message on my desk and I'll deal with it when I come in tomorrow.

[375RUGER]

I only have one cause I need it for work. I'm looking forward to the day I can get rid of it forever. I'm saving all my old ones just so I can be creative in how to get rid of them.
In no particular order:
1. Launch from a trap thrower and boom!
2. Launch attached to a small rocket that disintegrates at peak trajectory
3. Fire it out of a cannon
4. Just shoot it with a .308 or .22-250 from about a 1/4 mile
5. INSERT YOUR IDEAS HERE

[theperfessor]

Here's my "insert your ideas here":

My wife and I give our old cell phones to a local women's shelter. The 911 function still works and it may save a women's life someday to be able to dial for emergency help.

[Fishman]

Here's my "insert your ideas here":

My wife and I give our old cell phones to a local women's shelter. The 911 function still works and it may save a women's life someday to be able to dial for emergency help.


Oh there you go again with "the cell phone is a valuable tool" thing again. I don't know how you live with yourself spreading that evil technology around. [smilie=l:

I think those battered women should use smoke signals or perhaps just run away really fast.

Mmmm, battered women. Sounds delicious!
(my lame attempt to interject humor into this thread)

[blackthorn]

Snuffy----I had that renew-or-lose problem too. I now have my cell from Virgin Mobile and I paid $100 up front for a year (or whenever I use up the minutes) then my credit card is billed another $100. If I do not use the $100 in a year, the remaining minutes are carried forward. I don't know what you have available in your area but it might be something to look into.

One thing I don't understand is why when someone gets a call (say in a restaurant) they feel it is necessary to a) let it ring at least three times and b) talk into it so loud that everyone in the place has to listen to what they have to say. I asked one guy if he had a loud speaker feature on his cell so the rest of us could at least hear both sides of the conversation. Still can't figger out why he got so upset.

As far as people who use cells while they are driving, the only downside is it is usually someone else who gets killed. If they want to kill themselves--well---

[Fishman]

On the humorous end of things, I find it extremely paradoxical that everyone posting to this thread is doing so on a computer or other internet device. Computers were/are maligned much like cell phones. And don't get me started on the "evils of the internet" where this discussion is taking place.

In fact, if I think about it too much, my head starts hurting.

[theperfessor]

Actually, i think every post I've made to this thread has been via my iPhone... and in times and places I couldn't otherwise respond.

We don't need no stinkin' computer, señor.

[pdawg_shooter]

I have survived 60 years without one of the d--- things and think I will till I die. If I die for lack of one you can chisel that on my head stone.

[Longwood]

I only have one cause I need it for work. I'm looking forward to the day I can get rid of it forever. I'm saving all my old ones just so I can be creative in how to get rid of them.
In no particular order:
1. Launch from a trap thrower and boom!
2. Launch attached to a small rocket that disintegrates at peak trajectory
3. Fire it out of a cannon
4. Just shoot it with a .308 or .22-250 from about a 1/4 mile
5. Gently place in Porta Potty.
6. Give it to the indians in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. From the top, of course.
7.INSERT YOUR IDEAS HERE






Added 5 - 6.

[MT Gianni]

That's completely reasonable. If you want to be able to call me about work related matters, YOU provide AND pay for the phone. And I'll keep a log of time spent on company work after my normal hours and turn it in as OT. If that doesn't work for you, leave a message on my desk and I'll deal with it when I come in tomorrow.

My employer provides me with one and ask me to answer it when it rings no matter the hour. Previously it was "come to work and the time clock starts now". The last 6 years it has been for advice or to tell me I will need to go out of town on Mon so bring clothes for a week. It works out about the same as my calls outside work are few but it is worth it for personal calls. It serves for me as an alarm clock, calender, watch, calculator as well as a phone and mine is not a smart phone. Texts are blocked and I have no reason to unblock them.

[firefly1957]

Battered women only call 911 to die if you really want to protect them teach them to shoot and give them a gun.

As to what to do with a annoying old phone look up tannerite!

[abunaitoo]

?

I was called for jury duty and they wouldn't let anyone for jury duty even enter the courthouse carrying any kind of electronic device. I was planning on taking in my e-book while we were going through all the preliminaries, sit around and wait for hours until you get picked or not, and was told to take it back to my car and leave it.

Mark :violin:

It was around 15 years ago.
Still remember it because it was funny.
Friend told me they were eating at a resturant the other day. There was girl talking loud on a cell phone behind them.
An older lady in a booth accross ask the girl to keep her voice down.
Girl told her 'Mind your own business you old bitch"
My friend told the manager and the girl was asked to leave.

Cell phones are not bad things.
It's stupid people that are the problem.

[bowfin]

I find it extremely paradoxical that everyone posting to this thread is doing so on a computer or other internet device.

Not me. I'm channeling my thoughts through a crystal that Shirlely MacLaine gave me.


In fact, if I think about it too much, my head starts hurting.

That could be brain cancer from your cell phone addiction.

[bowfin]

My brother through a Christmas party one year, and several of the nieces and nephews started to pull out their cell phones to check right before we said grace. He put his foot down and said that if whoever or whatever was on the other end of those phones was more important than family, then you are excused from the table and free to leave his hospitality for the evening.

As far as texting goes, it is nothing more than the telegraph reinvented, where one can pound out a simple message one letter at a time.

[Boondocker]

As far as texting goes, it is nothing more than the telegraph reinvented, where one can pound out a simple message one letter at a time.

Kinda like the keyboard to the internet but we do it willingly , I will keep my cell phone and the internet.:kidding:

[dk17hmr]

I'm not a big phone guy..... meaning I dont like to talk on it for more than a couple minutes. I have a droid and am lost without it, like my pocket knife or my 45. Right now I am playing 2 games of words with friends with my mom who is 1500 miles away and 1 with my brother who is 2200 miles away, texting my dad who is in Michigan, catching up with a friend who just left Afghanistan, seeing what my schedule is for the rest of the week, and writing on this post....... all from my truck ( not driving).

Just a tool.

[bob208]

cell phones are great. but they are like everything else when they are missused they are a pain in the butt. or even a down right danger.

[bowfin]

Kinda like the keyboard to the internet

Kind of, but kind of not.

I think more work hours are lost with a cell phone than they ever save. At one of the local plants here, they could not keep people on the asembly line because they kept sneaking outdoors to get cell phone reception.

[Goatwhiskers]

Friend of mine told me he was in church one Sunday-he happens to be Catholic. During prayers the teenager's phone in the pew in front went off and the jackaxx answered it! My friend said he reached over and took the phone, turned it off, and dropped it on the seat. Little jerk jumped up, grabbed the phone, and stormed out. No accounting for folks. Goat

[Frank]

With friends like these....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2098619/Wife-producer-TV-series-24-escapes-jail-fatally-running-man-83.html

[thx997303]

You're right Frank, idiots being idiots is a dangerous thing.

[Down South]

Cell phones have become a necessity for many of us. It's just the way it is these days. I'm required to have my company phone on my side 24/7. I don't really care that much for cell phones but like others, I'm left without a choice or find a job that doesn't require me having one.
Like some have already stated, a cell phone to me is a tool that I have to use to perform my job duties.
I got rid of my hard line phone. No sense in having two phones. I'm also away from home most of the time so a cell phone comes in handy especially if the wife or kids need to get in touch with me.
I have Blue Tooth in my truck so that is a great help. I text and email a lot from my phone, mostly job stuff, but not on the road. I have pulled over on the sholder of the road on many occasions and made calls, texts or emails.
To me a cell phone is just another tool and it is a must for myself. It's the people who do not use their phones safely is what causes problems.
I, just like others have seen people crossing the center line, running stop signs, etc while fumbling with a stupid phone. They need to be paying attention to detail rather than fooling with their phone.
You will never weed out all of the idiots whether it's with phones or guns.

[canyon-ghost]

I work with a group of younger guys that will spend enormous amounts of money on these new internet phones. I got a cell phone once, just to see what the big deal was. Guess what? The big deal is that they can send each other porn e-mails! That was the end of my cell phone days!

I keep a land line and computer, this courtesy of the desktop. Electonics are sure being abused, for the fact that they've been overproduced in third world countries. If you are waiting for your cell phone to save your life, it's the same as 911. The wait is going to be longer than you have!

[Boondocker]

A good example of my useful tool is the night before last night, I got a call to go into the terminal an alternate route as someone took a pole and out the the street was blocked for thru traffic.I would had been into it with no where to turn a set around. I would had to break my set ,pull it out separately and rehook and go with hot freight being delayed. Company would probably not payed for the extra hooks and drops so it saved me money.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have had a cell for at least 10 years. It spends most of the time turned off. As I am retired I seldom get up before the crack of NOON and after I have my cup of coffee braced with a double shot of Jameson I turn on the phone.

By that time I usually have a couple of messages which I return if necessary.

It serves me well as an appointment calender, calculator and phone. I refuse to use the texting part of it and I do not need it.

When attending church services or while dining I turn it off.

In the car I have a blue tooth device on the sunvisor which serves as a loudspeaker and a microphone and even then when somebody calls me I usually pull over to the side of the road since attending to driving and talking takes too much of my available brain multi tasking ability.

It is a nice tool but needs to be used with caution and should be subservient to the user rather than the user be subserviant to the cell phone.

Good manners preclude conversations while in public areas and I am not shy about confronting someone who violates these rules in my hearing zone. If I am paying big bucks for a nice dinner in a classy joint for the ambiance, surroundings, good service and quality food then listening to the conversation of a fat woman making and receiving multiple phone calls less than 6 feet away from me is not acceptable.

I usually walk over and ask her to control herself and if that does not work then I seek out the manager and ask to have this person either cease or leave.

If management refuses then I tell him that he has lost my business and I leave.

Then I make it a point to make a complaint to the local BBB about this policy and I say that more than once I have had these managers apoligize to me and ask me to return to patronize their establishments after the BBB publicized their shortcomings.

Be it known that I also will confront shopper with 25 items in a limit of 10 checkout line. If ignored I confront the checkout person and then management until the situation is rectified.

In one food market both the checkout and the manager caved into the abusive customer who yelled and got their way. I simply went up the food chain and got ahold of the area manager and the problems went away forever.

It really frosts me that people push the envelope in these checkout lines and then pay with food stamps and then drive off in luxury cars while I struggle and drive a 22 year old Honda on a pension and SS. They are being supported by the taxpayer (you and me) under SSID and other programs and they are taking advantage of laws while schmucks like us just sit there and do nothing.

At least in the food market checkout lines there might be equality.

Phones are good tools if used properly.