About Cell Phones...WHY Do They Exist?
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    About Cell Phones...WHY Do They Exist?

    OK. I'm a luddite. I can live with that. Yet I still must ask, in regard to cell phones, why do they exist?

    How is it that the same people that can not get out of a car and make their way into a restaurant without a phone stuck in their ear, turn out to be so empty headed and lacking in life experience that they have absolutely nothing to say when engaged in conversation? Precisely who are they speaking with while working an overnight shift at 3:15 in the fucking A.M.? Why on Earth do ten year olds need a cell phone to begin with?

    The cell phone is a wonderful device if one feels the need to speak at the top of one's lungs in a library, movie theater or funeral. They are also terrific if one wishes to hear annoying, irritating and usually highly innapropriate ring tones in the midst of silence. Nothing quite states "Hey, look at me!" as eloquently as a cell phone ringing and being answered right in the middle of a church service.

    So aside from allowing one to get aid in an emergency, drive erratically, keep one hand occupied and behave in the type of unprecedented, boarish behavior that a normal society has ever been forced to witness (let alone tolerate), can anyone provide me with a rational, believable reason as to why these devices are neccessary, and further, why they actually fucking exist in the first place?

    Your's in civility,
    ...craig
    "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
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    They exist because 6 years ago when I got tired of my local baby bell psuedo monopoly constantly ripping me off and overbilling me, the only alternative was to drop them and go totally cellular.

    Now that VOIP is a viable alternative, there's no reason to pay the ridiculous price for a cell, unless I'm on the road. Which won't be likely very much as long as the oil criminals get away with price gouging.
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    Help us uninformed out FORD.

    What is VOIP?
    Utilize. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

    I love coffee and sarcasm.

    RJD \m/

    I'M VOTING FOR THE FELON

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    I resisted getting a cell phone until 2002. They always bugged the crap out of me. I didn't want people being able to contact me at any time, and I didn't want to be responsible for calling people back.

    It's all about behavior. I keep mine on vibrate. I answer when it's appropriate and when I want to. I call people back only when I want to. I can still be unreachable, thank goodness.

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    When overhearing public cell phone conversations, what do you usually hear? I can't put a percentage on it, but the majority of the time I hear casual banter, not necessarily stuff that's of any major importance. I can't say one way or another if that's a good or bad thing.

    My major issue with cell phones involves their use while driving. What states have passed laws regarding cell phone use while operating a vehicle? Nothing in Minnesota has been passed, and that severely pisses me off. EVERY DAY I'm out on the road I see someone on a cell phone with that "overwhelmed with things to keep track of" wide-eyed look on their face, driving erratically, not using turn signals, or not turning their head to check around them (because they'd have to put the phone down). Even though most would probably claim their driving is not affected to a significant degree by their cell phone usage, I'm sure legitimate testing of such a thing would prove otherwise 99% of the time. In NO WAY should driving be compromised--even for something as simple as a turn signal--for the sake of a cell phone conversation. But we know from observation and experience that it is almost unavoidably compromised. Now I probably already know the answer to my own question about why there hasn't been more legislation--it'd be terribly unpopular and might cost a lawmaker his/her seat. And I'm by no means saying there should be a ban altogether, but instead maybe a "hands free" law that states both of the driver's hands must be dedicated to vehicle operation.

    I found holding my cell phone while driving (I drive a stick shift) was just too stressful, so I went out and paid $10 for a simple little ear piece and microphone. I can move my head, use both my hands, and the only distracting piece is the conversation itself, not unlike having someone else in the car.

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    Quote Originally Posted by hagarfn View Post
    Help us uninformed out FORD.

    What is VOIP?
    Voice over IP
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    An overview of how VoIP works
    A typical analog telephone adapter for connecting an ordinary phone to a VoIP network
    Cisco's implementation of VoIP - IP PhoneVoice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network.

    Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network - see attached image - to carry voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilized network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public switched telephone networks, PSTN, may have a cost that's borne by the VoIP user.

    There are two types of PSTN to VoIP services: DID (Direct Inward Dialing) and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers require the caller to input the extension number of the VoIP user. Access numbers are usually charged as a local call to the caller and free to the VoIP user while DID usually has a monthly fee.[1] There are also DIDs that are free to the VoIP user but chargeable to the caller.

    More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP or http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/What+is+VOIP
    Last edited by chefcraig; 06.14.07 at 12:27 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeL View Post
    I resisted getting a cell phone until 2002. They always bugged the crap out of me. I didn't want people being able to contact me at any time, and I didn't want to be responsible for calling people back.

    It's all about behavior. I keep mine on vibrate. I answer when it's appropriate and when I want to. I call people back only when I want to. I can still be unreachable, thank goodness.
    I'm the same way. Just because my cell phone rings doesn't mean I'll answer it. Sometimes, on a Sunday afternoon, I don't want to be bothered with business.

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    Thanks craig.

    But that's a bit much for this blue collar guy.

    What kind of monthly bill are we talking about?
    Utilize. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

    I love coffee and sarcasm.

    RJD \m/

    I'M VOTING FOR THE FELON

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    Quote Originally Posted by AndrewThomas.net View Post
    EVERY DAY I'm out on the road I see someone on a cell phone with that "overwhelmed with things to keep track of" wide-eyed look on their face, driving erratically, not using turn signals, or not turning their head to check around them (because they'd have to put the phone down).
    All of that bad behavior happens with or without cell phones. If you want big brother to take care of you, have them address the real problem. Otherwise, take the radios, mp3 players, navigation systems, vanity mirrors, and interesting dashboard lights/guages out of cars, too. Outlaw the newspaper, conversations with passengers, drinking coffee, shaving, learn-a-language tapes, power (and non-power!) window/seat controls, manual transmissions, and anything else that can and does distract a driver. It's a slippery slope.

    Instead of legislating away what you perceive to be distracting people, why not advocate for enforcement of traffic laws? I could care less what someone is doing when they tailgate me, drift out of their lane, or fail to signal. What I want is for them not to drive that way.

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    Outside of emergencies and government or business use, they have little purpose. I think people are just afraid to be alone, so a cell phone is a quick fix for that.

    The only thing more annoying than obnoxious ring tones and talking in public during inappropriate times is that walkie-talkie feature. Jimbo's calling his wife from the frozen aisle to see if she wants Green Giant or Kroger brand frozen vegetable medley, while she is picking out milk thirty feet away, and everyone else has to hear it all. BEEP "D BZZT ZRT MRZZ ZRRT GRBBZZZT?" BEEP "I don't care, get the cheap ones!"

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeL View Post
    Instead of legislating away what you perceive to be distracting people, why not advocate for enforcement of traffic laws? I could care less what someone is doing when they tailgate me, drift out of their lane, or fail to signal. What I want is for them not to drive that way.
    Mainly because on can never seem to find a traffic cop in a library.
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    Quote Originally Posted by chefcraig View Post
    Voice over IP
    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    An overview of how VoIP works
    A typical analog telephone adapter for connecting an ordinary phone to a VoIP network
    Cisco's implementation of VoIP - IP PhoneVoice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network.

    Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network - see attached image - to carry voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilized network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public switched telephone networks, PSTN, may have a cost that's borne by the VoIP user.

    There are two types of PSTN to VoIP services: DID (Direct Inward Dialing) and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers require the caller to input the extension number of the VoIP user. Access numbers are usually charged as a local call to the caller and free to the VoIP user while DID usually has a monthly fee.[1] There are also DIDs that are free to the VoIP user but chargeable to the caller.

    More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP or http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/What+is+VOIP
    To simplify the above for the non-geek types....

    You can try to get a service such as "Skype.com" which allows you to call directly from your computer, though their coverage is limited to major metropolitan areas, and quality can be kinda spotty.

    More common these days are companies like Vonage, Sunrocket, and Comcast's "Digital Voice" which give you a dial tone and all the other expected features of landline phone service, except it comes over your broadband connection, not your old phone line.
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    Quote Originally Posted by chefcraig View Post
    Mainly because on can never seem to find a traffic cop in a library.
    Yeah, all of that bad driving tends to happen in places where people should be quiet, doesn't it?

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeL View Post
    Yeah, all of that bad driving tends to happen in places where people should be quiet, doesn't it?
    Truly. Try living in southern Florida, where weekly some old codger creates a drive-thru where one previously did not exist.
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    i was probably the last in my group of friends to get a cell phone and i hardly ever use it. after being on the phone for four years at Progressive i don't talk to ANYONE on the phone any more.
    "is this a good show tonight, or fuckin' what?" - DLR, Montreal, 11/10/07

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